This time I don’t choke back the emotion as I let the tears begin to fall. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner.” My voice cracks. “I should have been there to protect you. I let you down, and I’m so sorry. You were protecting my family and me, and, baby, I would have given them the money. It’s only money. Nothing is more important than your safety. I wish you would have told me sooner, but I know you were trying to protect me. To protect my family.”
Lowering my head to the bed, I keep her hand in mine. I let the tears fall. I’ve been trying so hard to be strong for her, for my family, but here in this quiet hospital room, I lose the battle I’ve been fighting. I don’t bother to stop them or wipe them away. Instead, I let them fall unchecked as I hold her hand in mine. “Please, baby, wake up for me. I need to see those big blue eyes when I ask you to be my wife.”
I’m a blubbering mess, so when I feel her hand move, I think that I imagined it. Lifting my head, I see her eyes are still closed, but her fingers move. Please, God, let this be the time she stays awake. I just… need her. “Layla?” I ask. Reaching up, I smooth her hair out of her face. “Wake up for me, beautiful,” I say, and to my surprise, her eyes flutter. I rush to turn off the lights in the room and pull the blinds. “There, it’s dark. Show me those baby blues,” I whisper as I hover over her, waiting with bated breath to see her look at me.
Her lids flutter a few more times, and then she’s looking up at me. “Hey, baby,” I say, choking up. “I missed you.” I’ve told her this every time she’s woken up.
She tries to speak but grimaces. “Let me get you some water,” I say, reaching for the ice-cold jug I insist on keeping for when she wakes up. I pour her a glass and bend the straw, bringing it to her lips. “Slow,” I tell her when she drinks greedily. I pull the straw away, giving her a minute. “More?” She nods, causing her to grimace again. We repeat the process a few more times until she shakes her head that she’s had enough.
“I-I’m sorry,” she croaks.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Layla, you were the victim in all of this.” Lifting her hand, I place it on my cheek. “I could have lost you.”
“W-Wh—” She swallows hard. “What’s that?”
“What?”
“My finger?”
“Oh.” I smile at her. “I forgot about that.”
“What is it?” she asks, her voice weak.
“That’s your engagement ring. I wanted to see what it would look like on your finger.”
“You still want me?” she asks.
“I want you forever, Layla.” I bring her hand to my lips.
“But your family, and the company. This can’t be good for either.”
“My family loves you as much as I do. They’ve all been here several times each day to check on you. They’re all worried.”
“They don’t hate me?”
“No, baby. They all love you, almost as much as me.” I wink at her. My eyes are dry and gritty from lack of sleep, but my heart, my heart is full and bursting with love for this woman.
Before she can reply, the doctor comes in. This is one I haven’t seen yet. “What a nice surprise, Ms. Massey, I’m Dr. Higgins. How are you feeling?” the doctor asks as she comes further into the room.
Massey. We really need to change that. I’ll get on that as soon as I break her out of this place.
Chapter 31
Layla
How am I feeling? I repeat the doctor’s question in my head. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, so that’s what I tell her. Her kind smile tells me she understands.
“It’s almost time for more pain medicine,” she assures me. “I just need to ask you some questions. Can you tell me your name?”
“Layla Massey.”
“And this gentleman?” The doctor points to Owen.
“My boyfriend. I think,” I add.
The doctor’s brow furrows, and she opens her mouth, but Owen beats her to it. “Fiancé.” He offers the doctor his hand. “Owen Riggins, future husband.”
The doctor chuckles and looks at me, and I shrug and raise my hand to show her my ring. “Congratulations,” she tells me. “But it says here that you’re already engaged?” The doctor gives Owen a pointed look.
“He didn’t ask me yet,” I tell her.
Owen laughs. Leaning over me, he places a feather-soft kiss to my forehead. “Semantics, baby.” He then turns his attention to the doctor. “That’s the only way they would let me stay here, and no way was I leaving her.”
She nods and smiles at him before getting back to business. “Layla. How many fingers am I holding up?” The doctor raises her hands, and she has three fingers raised.
“Three.”
The doctor nods and goes on to ask me more questions.
“Headache?”
“Yes.”
“Nausea?”
“Not really, not right now.”
“Good. Welcome back.” Dr. Higgins smiles. “I’ll send the nurse in for more pain meds. We’re going to want to monitor you for another day or so now that you’re awake, and then we’ll see what we can do to get you home.” She types out a note on the tablet she has in her hand. “The police are going to want to talk to you as well. It’s procedure. I’ll hold them off to give you all some more time. I’m sure you want to see the rest of your family. I’m told you’ve had quite the rotating door of visitors.”
“Thank you,” Owen and I say at the same time.
“I’ll also get you something to eat. We’re going to start with liquids, broth, Jell-O, and if you hold that down okay, we’ll graduate you.”
I nod, and she leaves the room. As soon as the door closes, Owen drops to his knees beside the bed. “What are you doing?” I ask him. The way he’s looking at me sends my heart into a flutter. Then it registers that he’s on his knees. His eyes glance at the ring on my finger and back to my face. The flutter turns into a bass drum that I’m sure the entire hospital can hear as I realize what’s happening.
“This isn’t how I wanted to do this, but it’s where we are, and I’m going with it. Life is precious, and none of us know how much time we have left.” He takes my hand and places a kiss on the big-ass sparkling diamond on my finger.
“Layla, you limped into my life and stole my heart. Piece by piece, you chipped away at my armor until you had yourself firmly rooted in here.” He taps over his heart with his free hand. “I want every day with you. I want you to be an official member of the Riggins family. I want to make babies with you, and live our happily ever after.”
My cheeks heat as hot tears begin to fall. “I was so afraid I would lose you. That you wouldn’t be able to see past what they did, putting me on the internet.”
“That’s not on you, Layla. That’s on them. And the police have it all taken down. You were a minor in many of the videos,” he says, his voice tight. “It’s all down. No one is looking at you. No one but me.”