Star-Crossed(138)

357

Jules wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or the babies, but it didn’t matter. He loved all three of them, and separating from him was more than Jules could bear. Her legs were trembling. Romeo’s face showed the agony that holding her was causing even if he was doing a very good job of hiding it. Jules’s head felt like it was going to explode from all the moving around, but despite all of that she couldn’t let him go.

“I don’t wanna go.” She pouted miserably. “Across the hall feels like miles away.”

“I’ll fix it.” Romeo cupped her chin, forcing her eyes to him. “It won’t be for long.”

“No.” Jules shook her head. Her room felt so cold in comparison to this small area that pulsed with life and energy. It smelled like Romeo. She could hear his brothers talking in Italian, and that made the whole place actually sound like Romeo. This was the room bursting with all the things that filled her life with color to begin with, and she wanted to stay there. “Don’t make me leave you again.”

“You need to sit down.” Romeo rubbed her arm. “You’re shaking.” Jules could see the pain lines etch themselves deeper into his forehead. “You are too.”

“I’m not pregnant,” Romeo reminded her, his voice catching with emotion. “You need to rest.”

“That’s all I been doing,” Jules argued as she kissed him again. “I hate this!”

“I do too.” Romeo looked like the separation was killing him even if he was the one who was pushing it. “But I’m gonna fix it,” he promised her once more. “You gotta trust me.”

“I do.” Jules found herself sliding back into the wheelchair, knowing it was the nurse’s strong arms rather than her own strength that kept her from falling. She reached out and grasped Romeo’s big hand in hers, wishing they had more time, but she could see the encounter had taken its toll on him. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Yes, you will,” Romeo said to her as the nurse started wheeling her away. “I’ll make sure of it.”



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* * * *





The next day they moved Jules to a big, beautiful room three floors up. It had a view of the lake and a roommate named Romeo Wellings who became decidedly less grouchy once they were together.





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Epilogue

 July 4

“I read that caffeine’s bad for you.”

Jules clutched her sweet tea protectively. “Back off!”

“I got you a bottle of water.” Romeo held it out like a peace offering. “That way you don’t dehydrate.”

“Keep the water.” Jules took another sip of her tea. “You need it more than me, Mr. One Kidney.”

“Come on, Juliet.”

Romeo put an arm around her and worked at prying the cup out of her hand, but Jules fought for it. If she wasn’t still paranoid about hitting him, she would have done it, but they were both a little rough around the edges after the shooting.

Plus they were in the middle of Garnet’s annual Fourth of July celebration, and people were looking at them strangely. If Jules started beating him in defense of sweet tea, the town would gossip about them more than they already did.

“You’re all sweaty.” Jules shoved at his shoulder. “You’re dripping all over me.”

“I just ran five miles.” Romeo laughed before he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I thought you liked me wild and sweaty.”

“You forgot naked,” Jules pointed out, her hold on the drink loosening as she thought about it.

He finally got the cup out of her hand and deliberately dumped it, spilling tea all over the grass. Jules stared down at her sweet tea now watering the fresh, green grass at Garnet Park. “You are a bastard.”



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“Yes, I am,” Romeo agreed with a smirk.

Jules huffed and grabbed the bottle of water out of his hand. She followed after him as he walked over to one of the garbage cans, throwing away her cup without an ounce of remorse.

Still bitter, she pointed out. “Hotter than hades today.”

“Try running in it.” Romeo put an arm over her shoulders despite being sweaty.

“Tell me I look sexy in my new 5k shirt.”

Jules looked down at his white cotton T-shirt that had a big American flag on it and the words 35th Annual Garnet County Fourth of July 5K Run. Nearly everyone at the park had one of those shirts on, but Jules had to admit that Romeo’s looked a little more dazzling than others did. He still had his down days, but for the most part he’d worked hard to gain his health back after his injuries. He weighed less than he had before the shooting, but he was still all muscle. He was already talking about teaching classes at the Cellar to stay in shape.