Oh God…
“M-Mi—” My hand cupped over my mouth as I stared into eyes that were so familiar and yet so far away.
I choked on air like it was poison. Like each breath was an attempt to kill me with the knowledge that I was alive when he might not be.
Shaking my head, I scrambled out of Mick’s hesitant hold. “Eve, I’ve got to get you out of here, alright? Ace and the others are inside, they’ll find Miles. They’ll take care of whoever else is inside, okay?”
“No,” I said, my voice high pitched and frantic. “No, I can’t leave. I have to go back. I have to find him. I have to—”
“Eve!” A loud voice boomed from the deck—a voice that restarted my heart.
Mick and I both looked up to see Miles gripping the edge of the railing. Strands of his long hair blowing with the wind, his shirt torn and his arms and hands smeared with blood.
“Miles?” I choked, grateful that Mick was still holding me because I didn’t think I had the strength to stand.
“You’re safe, baby.” He held my gaze and promised, “You’re safe.”
Relief took the rest of my strength. I turned to Mick and mumbled a slurred apology before I fainted.
Miles
“Miles?”
My head jerked up so fast from where it had been resting on my arms that I winced as my neck cramped, fire burning up the back of my skull.
It didn’t matter though.
She was awake.
“Evie…” I choked out, sounding like a giant fool as I tried to move closer to the hospital bed that my knees were already jammed against.
Her hand rose out of where it had been cocooned in mine, reaching up and gently cradling my cheek. She ran her fingers over the scruff of my beard, letting the texture sink in that it was really me—that I was really here.
I lost myself in her warm eyes, the undercurrent in them pulling me deeper and deeper into the truth: nothing else mattered as long as I had her.
There was a long moment where time paused and the world ceased to spin in order to let it sink into our marrow that we were both here. Together. And we were both okay.
“I heard a shot,” she murmured, her lower lip quivering at the memory. “I thought you—”
“I’m here,” I hushed her, leaning forward to swipe a few tears from her face. “And in one piece.”
She nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.
“You okay? You feel okay? How’s your head?” I rasped in rapid succession.
I looked at her face like I had the skills to tell if there was something wrong. I didn’t. The only thing I could see were the scars I’d been the one to leave.
“It’s… okay…” she said slowly, reaching up to her face. “I think…” Her eyes shot to mine as her fingers happened on her glasses. “My glasses…”
“Jules and my brother should be back with new ones any minute; I sent them out as soon as we got here.” The last thing I wanted when she woke up was for her to not be able to see.
There was a lot of information rolling around in her head. Maybe too much, as it tipped side to side, but still, she didn’t let it overwhelm or overtake her.
She looked to me and asked, “What happened, Miles?”
My jaw ticked, wondering if it would be too stressful for her to hear what happened earlier. But then I thought about how she would feel if I didn’t tell her, and figured that would be worse.
“Trent came running out onto the deck,” I rasped, placing my hand over hers that was still on my cheek. “Don’t think he was expectin’ to see me there.” The motherfucker at least had the good sense to stop and let his shock and complete fear bleed onto his face. “He started to raise his gun, but I was already on him. It went off in the struggle before I managed to get it from him. And I made good on the promise I thought I’d made pretty clear in the bar that night.”
I watched the bruised column of her throat bob. “Did you…”
“No.” But I wished I had killed him. “Don’t get me wrong, Evie. If Ace hadn’t come out, I might’ve killed him. But Ace did come.”
“So, Trent is gone?” Tears pooled in her eyes again. “Please tell me he’s behind bars. Please tell me they found the other girls, and whoever is responsible for the whole operation.”
I swallowed thickly, watching as she looked down at herself, bundled under the blanket on the bed, tags and IVs coming out of her hand.
“Where am…” She trailed off as her eyes slid from mine to take in the surroundings of the hospital room.
She’d just missed her brother who’d gone downstairs to grab some coffee while he waited for Addison and Cambria to get here. And Gwen, who was taking care of her, had just left to make another round before she would check back.
“Oh God…” Her hand rose to cover her mouth as her gaze crept up to mine with a sadness that ripped the air right from my lungs and I choked as she asked, “Is the baby—”
“He’s fine.” I wouldn’t even let her get the question out.
She stared at me for a beat, letting the security of the truth sink in. And then my Evie returned with, “How do you know it’s a he? Maybe he’s a she.”
Her mouth quirked in a small smile.
It took a second before a quick laugh rushed from my lips, pushed out by the tense pressure trapped in my lungs. “You’re right. Could be a he… could be a she…” My voice lowered and I reached for her hand, threading her fingers through mine. “But what I do know is that, he or she, that baby is mine.” Her eyes flickered wide and her lips parted. “Ours.”
There was a heavy pause, so much of what needed to be said hanging in the air between us.
“Miles…” She swallowed down whatever else she was about to say as the door opened and Gwen came in, followed by Mick, Jules, and Zeke. The faces of the whole crowd lighting up to see that Eve was awake.
“There she is!” Gwen exclaimed, her megawatt smile reflecting off the dull white walls of the room.
And with just a few people, the room that was designed to feel sterile and cold, warmed and settled with the thick energy that comes from the presence of family and safety and love.
Gwen strolled right up to the other side of the bed and gave Eve’s other hand a gentle squeeze, followed by Jules who sat on the bed to pull her in for a small hug. Together, the nurse and nurse-in-training ran through a list of health and memory questions, topped off noting down her blood pressure and pulse readings.
“Am I okay?” Eve asked, following with, “Is the baby okay?”
I watched as Gwen reassured her with incredible tenderness. “The baby is perfectly fine from all the tests that we’ve run. You’re only a few weeks yet, and considering the concussion and the stress, I know Dr. Lee wants to keep you on bedrest for at least two more weeks with regular check-ups to make sure everything stays that way.”
Eve nodded slowly, processing all the information. “Concussion?”
“You have a minor concussion since you don’t seem to have any memory loss,” Jules informed her, having experienced a similar but much more severe situation a few months ago. “You also have a few bumps and bruises, but it’s mostly because your pregnancy is so early that Dr. Lee wants you to take it very easy for the next few weeks.”
“Of course,” Eve agreed with a bobbing nod.
Everyone turned as the door to the room opened and Addy entered, followed by a white-washed Cambria trailing behind her.
“Evie.” The older Williams sister breathed out her name on an exhale, walking up to the bed calmly before taking a seat and pulling Eve into her arms.
And then I saw it—the way Addison’s shoulders shook.
The woman with blue hair, a mural inked on her body, and who was as tough as she was kind, broke down and cried the second she held her little sister and knew she was okay.
I pulled back and cleared my throat, clasping my jealous hands together.
I wanted to hold Eve.
I wanted to pull her into my arms and
never let her go.
But I couldn’t right now.
We walked along a tightrope of familiarity and need for each other but, at the same time, hung over a chasm that my words and actions had ripped beneath us. And until that was sealed, I was paralyzed to do anything that might cause that rope to break—that might cause me to lose her.
“You okay?” Addison muttered, clasping Eve’s face in her hand; Eve nodded. “Baby okay?” Again, Eve nodded.
As though she remembered there was a group of people there besides the two of them, she pulled back and wiped her face on her jacket sleeves.
Addison slid off the bed and reached for Cambria’s hand, holding it firmly as the younger ghost-like girl stepped forward with tears in her eyes.
“Thank you, Eve,” she said, her voice breaking over the rapids of unshed tears and choked cries.
I watched my woman push herself up in the hospital bed and take Cambria’s hand in hers. “Of course, Cammie. I’d do anything—”
“I’m sorry,” Cambria blurted out, tears rolling down her cheeks like they’d been coated in Rain-X. “I’m so sorry, Eve. It’s all my fault.”
“Cambria!” Eve gasped. “Don’t apologize. Don’t ever apologize for this. You are not at fault—”
“But I am. If I had just run—” She shook her head despairingly, and Addison stepped forward to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “If I had just done what you said and not just sat there.” She sniffled and coughed. “None of this would’ve happened. It’s all—”
“Cammie, don’t. It’s okay,” Eve insisted calmly even though I watched concern bleed through her sympathetic eyes. “It’s all okay.”
“It’s not okay,” Cambria murmured hopelessly. “It’s not okay. It’ll never be okay.”
My chest ached for the girl. It was clear there was trauma that extended far deeper than the superficial brush she’d encountered with Trent earlier today.
“Hey.” Eve shook her head, and I caught the worried look she sent Addison. “Hey, Cammie, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. Please, don’t say that. Don’t think that. I’m fine. You’re fine. Trent is…” She trailed off and looked to me, and I realized that I never told her what happened.
“He’s gone,” I said roughly. As much as I hated to say it, I regretted what I was about to say because even though it meant an end to this instance, it also meant there wasn’t an end to this situation. “Ace had him tied up and turned for a second to ask if I was okay when Trent threw himself over the balcony.”
We didn’t know who he was working for. We didn’t know anything about where the other girls were or if they were okay. We knew no more than we had a week ago except that Trent had been made to look like the man responsible even though the phone call Mick and I had overheard indicated otherwise.
There was only a hollow relief that shuttered over Cambria’s face as I pronounced, “Trent is dead. He can’t hurt you—either of you—anymore.”
Like the protective Mama bear she was, Addison held Cambria reassuringly with one arm and reached for Eve’s hand with her other.
“Our little fighter is awake.”
The room turned toward Dr. Lee who’d come in without anyone being aware. I’d been there when Zeke, with Addison on the speakerphone, talked to the doctor. Eve’s brother didn’t ask me what was going on, just gave me the look that said if I did anything else to hurt his sister that I would be the one ending up in the hospital.
“How are you feeling?” Dr. Lee asked as Gwen handed her Eve’s chart.
I swore I was breaking out into a sweat just to keep myself from climbing up on that bed and pulling her into my arms, against my chest, where my heart could feel the beat of her own to reassure me that she was fine. That everything was going to be okay.
“My head feels a little heavy… and I feel a little achy…”
The doctor nodded. “We gave you a little something for the pain but nothing that will harm the baby.”
Eve let out a little smile as her hand crept to her stomach—a stomach I wanted to kiss and apologize to and worship.
“Now, I have a few things that I want to check over, so I’m going to have to ask that we clear the room a bit,” she went on, nodding to the rest of us. “But if everything turns out as I expect, we should be able to discharge you in the morning provided you take it incredibly easy at home for the next two weeks.”
And just like that, a cloud descended over Eve’s face. Home.
She didn’t have a home. Not at Blooms. Not at my apartment. Not at the run-down shell of a house she’d just bought. She didn’t have a home, and it was all my fault.
And the knife in my chest—the one I’d shoved there to stop myself from falling in love with her twisted deeper.
“In the morning, you’ll be coming back to Blooms where I can keep an eye on you and make sure you aren’t running around playing Wonder Woman again,” Addison replied smoothly like there was no other option in her mind.
Eve didn’t hesitate as she nodded and gave her sister a smile.
“Alright, we’ll be right outside if you need us, Evie.” The room seemed to murmur in agreement as everyone filtered out.
I stood, but I couldn’t move.
I waited until it was only Dr. Lee and Gwen left who were talking about something in Eve’s chart and not really paying attention.
“Eve.” I let out a heavy sigh, reaching up and pulling at my hair. “I want you… I want the baby…”
I jumped slightly when her warm hand on mine broke my train of thought just as it was about to wreck.
“Miles… we need to talk,” she agreed. “But I don’t think here… now… is the time.”
“Eve, I’m so damn sorry—”
“I know…” She squeezed my hand. “I know you were hurting.” Her eyes dragged up to mine. “But you also hurt me.”
I tensed.
She was right.
And the worst part was that I was here—I was desperate to apologize… to make things right… to tell her everything I swore I’d never say because she was everything I tried to convince myself I didn’t need.
But I couldn’t do any of those things because the mountain of reality stood between us and, for the first time, I realized that just because I had all the tools to climb it, didn’t mean it was the right time.
“This isn’t the end, Miles,” she reassured me. “I just… I need to make sure that I’m okay… that the baby is okay.”
Bending down, I planted my face squarely in front of hers, stealing into her wide warm eyes as I promised, “Oh, I know it’s not the end Evie.” I caught the way she licked her lip. “You trespassed your way into my life and into my heart. If you thought I was stuck on solitude, I can promise you that’s nothin’ compared to how I’m stuck on you.”
“Miles…” She choked out my name, and I could see her pulse fluttering against the soft skin of her neck.
“You wanted the fairy tale. You wanted the happily-ever-after, Evie,” I growled as my lips inched closer to hers. “I hope you’re ready for it, sweetheart, because I’m not lettin’ you go.”
Miles
“George!” I hollered up the stairwell. “You finished up there?”
There was a clanking and a grunt that replied immediately, so I stood and waited for the rest of his answer.
Meanwhile, my eyes skated around the downstairs of Eve’s house on Sunflower Lane.
Slowly but surely it was coming along.
Last week, I’d ripped up the old floor and laid down brand new hard wood. I’d sanded and restained the steps and rebuilt the railing. This week, I’d opened up the walls like I’d talked to her about and, once I received the rushed order of stained glass, sealed the panels into the sliding doors that would either enclose or open up the space.
Two weeks wasn’t a whole helluva lot of time to do a complete renovation, but it was more than one would think when you lived, ate, and breathed the place every waking moment of each and every day.
But thankfully, they all knew that love was worth the effort.
And fuck, if Eve wasn’t worth every damn ounce of effort my body possessed.
So, Mick, Eli, George, and Benny and Ash, came in and hauled ass last week to demo everything that couldn’t be salvaged. Old wood. Old windows. Old wallpaper and drywall. Old everything was torn out. Even the older Covington brothers made an appearance to help and give us an update on the trafficking situation.
Unfortunately, Trent was just a soldier—a self-sacrificing one in the cartel’s army. They’d verified that the owner of the mansion was in San Francisco at the time and had no idea what was going on inside his house; he claimed he’d had to deal with squatters in several of his many vacation homes, though most threw parties in the lavish mansions not conducted illegal crimes. Dex was still keeping an eye on him. This was the second home on Cove Lane that was involved with the trafficking ring. And, just like when Mick had killed one of the cartel’s minions for going after Jules, we all had a sense of foreboding that more was coming.
But for now, everyone was safe, and the Covingtons were working to make sure it stayed that way.
For the house, it was nothing short of a miracle that most of the plumbing inside the place was sound, so George only needed to repair and replace a few couplings and three pipes that led into the kitchen. Another friend and another favor had the inspection signed and sealed within twenty-four hours, and we began to put everything back together.
It wasn’t going to be finished—I knew that. I didn’t want that.
I wanted to pick Eve up from Blooms and bring her here where I could finally apologize and show her… give her… the fresh start for her dreams.
Besotted: An Enemies-to-Lovers Small-town Romance (Carmel Cove Book 3) Page 28