She appears hesitant as she stands up from the bedside chair and positions herself right next to my bed. “Closer,” I tell her, tugging on her hand until she’s practically falling into my chest.
“Blake, I don’t want to hurt you,” Carly says with worry in her eyes.
“You’re hurting me more when you’re not in my arms,” I tell her honestly. “I need to hold you, Carly.”
I lift my arm as she gingerly slides into the bed next to me. My entire body sings with awareness as she snuggles against my good side. Letting out a deep sigh, I close my eyes as the exhaustion starts to set in. “How’s our baby girl? Is she alright?” I ask, worried as shit that something happened to Natalia in the exchange with Styx yesterday.
“She’s perfectly fine. We were both checked out in the hospital last night. She has a small goose egg on the front of her head from when we dove for cover, but other than that, she’s perfect. Mom came to the hospital last night and took her home with her.”
“I’m so glad to hear. Christ, I was so worried about you two.”
“We’re okay, Blake. Thanks to you and those agents, we made it out of there.”
I use my good arm to stroke the side of her head. Her scent assaults me in the best possible way. I’ll never get tired of the way she smells of wildflowers and honey.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” Carly whispers against my side. “When they said they had to take you to surgery, I was afraid I would never see you again.”
“I’m too stubborn to go anywhere, honey. You don’t have to worry about losing me anytime soon. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I realized something in the last few days, Blake.”
“What’s that, honey?” My eyelids won’t stay open any longer. As much as I want to look at her while we talk, I just can’t keep them open any longer.
“I don’t want you to go anywhere.”
“Well, that’s good because I refuse to go anywhere. You can try to push me away, but I won’t go. You’re stuck with me from here on out, baby.” Darkness starts to set in. I couldn’t open my eyes for anything. I hear the door open and what sounds like another man talking to my brother. But before I can fall any deeper into unconsciousness, I say one last thing. The one thing I’ve needed to tell her for days. “I love you, Carly. And I’m going to marry you as soon as I can.”
The blackness consumes me completely.
Chapter Thirty-One –What The Hell
Did He Just Say?
Carly
I’m stunned silent. I can’t move. Blake just said that he loved me–again–and said we were going to get married. But what I don’t know is if that’s how he really feels or if it’s the high dose of painkillers mixed with a touch of delirium talking. And the worst part is that he’s already passed back out so I can’t even tell him that I love him, too. Doesn’t that just bite the big one?
Dr. Sanders comes up to the bed with a smile on his face. “I hear Mr. Thomas has woken up,” he says.
“Yes, for a little bit,” I reply, slowly getting up and out of Blake’s hospital bed. I mourn the loss of his body instantly as cool air replaces what once was peppered with Blake’s heat.
“That’s a great sign. Luke says he was talking coherently and didn’t seem to have any confusion,” Doc says as he lifts Blake’s eyelids and shines a light in his eyes.
“No, he seemed to be in his right mind,” I confirm. Or was he?
“Though I have to say that I’m not sure proposing right now means he’s in his right mind,” Luke adds laughing, vocalizing the point I was just thinking.
“Well, it’s not my first marriage proposal. There’s something about life or death that makes people truly consider where they see their life heading. Why don’t you two step out into the hall so I can check Blake over,” Doc says.
Stepping into the hall, I’m quiet as I ponder all that has happened in the last twenty-four hours. Hell, in the last few days. Weeks. Years. Two very long years.
“Do you think he meant it?” I ask Luke because I can’t seem to settle my mind long enough to really wrap it around all that he said.
“You mean about loving you and wanting to marry you?” His eyes are the exact same color as Blake’s, though Luke has more of a boyish appearance. Blake appears to be much older than the two years he has on Luke. It’s as if he grew up way before his time.