Running Into Love

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  “Oh, please, you love living with me,” Mac says, and Libby rolls her eyes, then looks at her watch. “We should probably go if we’re going to make it on time.”

  “Yes, let’s go. I don’t want to spend too much time overanalyzing this,” I say as Mac’s phone starts to ring. Pulling it out, she looks at the screen, rolls her eyes, and shoves it back in her coat pocket.

  “Who is that?”

  “No one.”

  “Seriously, are you still on the whole I’m not telling you anything gig?” I ask, studying her.

  She presses her lips together, then mutters, “Fine. It’s Wesley.”

  “So you do know him. Ha.” I point at her, and she lets out a loud huff.

  “Yes, we know each other.”

  “And?” I draw it out, and she crosses her arms defensively.

  “And nothing. I know him, that’s all.”

  “You’re so full of crap. Are you sleeping with him?” I ask, and her cheeks turn a dark shade of pink. “You are, I can tell you are.”

  “I’m not sleeping with that man.”

  “Oh yes, you are, I heard you when you came home last night.” Libby glares at her, then looks at me. “She was all, ‘Stop it. My sister’s here. You need to leave before she finds out about us,’ blah, blah, blah. Seriously, either we need a bigger place or I need to get a place of my own.”

  “I can’t believe you just said that,” Mac breathes, and Libby crosses her arms over her chest, raising a brow.

  “Really, and what is the point of you hiding your relationship with him?”

  “I’m not in a relationship with him, I’m just having a little fun.”

  “Whatever. You two are together all the time, and do not even try to deny it, because I know it’s true.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “How is it complicated?” I ask softly. Mac looks at me, wringing her hands together.

  “It . . . him and me.” She tosses her head back toward the ceiling. “God, I don’t know. I really like him, but I just don’t know. After what happened with Edward, I just don’t know if I can put myself out there again.”

  “I don’t want to point out the obvious, but Edward was kind of a dick.”

  “Not kind of, he was a dick.” Libby shakes her head.

  “I know, I’m just afraid I’m going to be let down.”

  “You won’t know unless you try, and Wesley seems nice and genuine. I think he deserves a real chance.”

  “You’re right,” she agrees, pulling in a deep breath.

  “And I, for one, would like to know how you met him.” Mac presses her lips together.

  “Oh, me, too,” Libby says, wiggling her brows.

  “I know.” I look between the two of them. “How about we skip the showing and go have sushi at our spot?”

  “Yes,” Libby cries, and I laugh, then say goodbye to Muffin and lead my sisters out of Levi’s apartment. We get into a cab and head downtown to our favorite sushi spot, where we eat way too much and drink sake while Mac fills us in on everything that is Wesley.

  “I’m so full,” Mac groans as we walk out of the restaurant a couple of hours later.

  Smiling at her, I pull out my cell phone when it rings, feeling my stomach melt when I see Levi’s calling.

  “Hey, honey, we—”

  “Fawn,” says a voice I don’t recognize, and my step falters.

  “Yes.”

  “Shit. This is Wesley, I . . . Fuck.” He pauses, and I can hear that he’s upset, which puts me immediately on guard. “I need you to come to Lenox Hill Hospital,” he says. My stomach drops, and my hands start to shake.

  “What happened?”

  “Levi was shot. He’s in surgery now.”

  “No,” I breathe, feeling my sisters get close. “Please tell me you’re lying.” My eyes close, and I wait for the inevitable to come as I feel my heart split open.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he says as Mac slides my phone out of my hand.

  Hearing Mac tell him we will be there soon and that we don’t need a police escort, I lean into Libby as she leads me to the sidewalk and puts out her hand for a cab.

  “It will be okay,” Mac soothes, and I nod my head, praying she’s right. I don’t know what I will do if Levi’s not okay. I don’t even want to think about what I will do if he’s not.

  “I . . .” I swallow over the lump in my throat. “I need to tell his family. They need to know what happened.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Libby says as she helps me into the back of the cab. “I’ll call Mom and have her get in touch with Levi’s mom. Don’t worry about that right now.”

  Pulling in a deep breath through my nose, I let it out and hold on to my sisters’ hands as we ride to the hospital. As soon as we arrive, we head inside, where Wesley is waiting for us.

  “What have they said?” I ask him as soon as he’s close, and he shakes his head.

  “Nothing yet. We’re still waiting for an update.” His eyes go to Mac, and he reaches over, taking her hand.

  “Where was he hit?” I ask as he starts to lead us toward a group of elevators.

  “Right shoulder. The shot was through and through, but he lost a lot of blood.”

  “Did they say if he would be okay?” Libby asks as my mouth dries up and my stomach rolls.

  “He’ll be okay, but he was asking for Fawn when they were rushing him into surgery. He wanted you here,” he says.

  I nod and step onto the elevator with my sisters flanking me, vowing that when I see Levi again, I will tell him I love him.

  Chapter 14

  ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. I LOVE YOU.

  LEVI

  Fighting against the heavy weight holding me hostage, I slowly climb to the surface of consciousness, only to have reality hit me as the smell of antibacterial cleaner and the sound of machines beeping reminds me of what happened. When Wesley called, he told me that our informant found out Juan was hiding at the apartment of one of his longtime girlfriends.

  When we arrived on the scene, two officers and SWAT were waiting for us. What Fawn didn’t know was that morning we’d finally been able to procure a warrant for Juan’s arrest after his SUV turned up in Brooklyn with blood evidence inside. We hadn’t gotten the DNA analysis of the blood samples back from the crime lab yet, but we suspected when we did we would find out it belonged to Elia Albergastey, Tamara’s mother. When SWAT went into the building to arrest Juan, Wesley and I went with them. It was all good until Juan’s girlfriend decided she wasn’t willing to let her man be arrested and pulled out a gun from under the couch where she had been sitting quietly up until that point.

  After that, all hell broke loose. The officers holding Juan got distracted by the bullets flying and let him have just enough leeway that he was able to grab a weapon from under the entertainment unit. That was when he shot me. After that, everything is a blur.

  “I love you.” I hear it again, only this time I know it’s not a dream. Fawn. Jesus, she must be flipping out. I hate that she’s seeing me like this, but then her words register and I force my eyes open. “Oh my god, you’re awake,” she whispers, then reaches out, fumbling for something on the bed.

  Soon a voice is calling through the quiet room, “How can I help you?”

  “He’s awake, you said to call when he’s awake,” she says quickly while running her fingers down the side of my face, like she’s attempting to make sure I’m really here.

  “The doctor will be there in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks,” she says, then leans in, carefully placing a kiss against my lips. “How are you feeling?” She closes her eyes, shaking her head. “Never mind, don’t answer that. It’s a stupid question,” she mutters, opening her eyes back up, and I chuckle, then groan in pain when I reach up to touch her. “Don’t move, you crazy man, you’ve been shot. You need to take it easy,” she scolds softly.

  I ignore her, wrap my hand around the back of her neck, and pull her towa
rd me, ignoring the pain shooting through my shoulder.

  “I love you,” I say, and she leans back suddenly with wide eyes that search mine.

  “What?” she whispers in disbelief.

  “I love you, baby.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah,” I say softly, and she drops her forehead to my chest, making me bite back another wince.

  “I should have told you I was in love with you when I realized I was,” she whispers, and I shake my head. She didn’t need to tell me; she’s shown me every day.

  “I already knew you did,” I mutter, and she pulls back to look at me.

  “Is it that obvious?” She smiles, running her fingers softly down my face again.

  “I don’t know if it’s obvious, but I see it in the things you do, feel it when we are together. Love is just a word unless there is action behind it, that’s how I knew.”

  “And you love me?”

  “Yeah, baby.”

  “When did you realize you loved me?”

  “After Thanksgiving.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?” She frowns, making me smile.

  “I’ve shown you every day,” I say, then look over her shoulder when the doctor walks into the room clearing his throat.

  “While he’s checking you over, I’m going to let everyone know you’re awake,” she says. I don’t want to let her out of my sight, but I know I don’t have a choice.

  “Are my parents here?”

  “Not yet. They’re on their way. Traffic is insane getting into the city—I guess the president is in town.”

  “All right, come back to me,” I demand, and she nods, kissing my jaw before leaving the room.

  Once she’s gone I look at the doctor, who’s studying the beeping machine at the side of the bed. “What am I looking at here?” I ask him, and he finishes writing, then looks at me.

  “You’re alive.” He shakes his head. “The bullet went straight through, but it hit your subclavian artery on the way, which caused most of the damage. You lost a lot of blood—just a few centimeters more and you could have lost your arm, so I’d say you’re a lucky man.” Not so lucky, seeing that I had on a bulletproof vest and still managed to get hit. “We rushed you into surgery, stitched everything up, and gave you two separate transfusions. You’ll be here for a couple days, but you’ll be okay.”

  Nodding at that, I stay put and let him inspect the wound. While he’s doing that, another nurse comes in to let him know the room I will be moved into is ready.

  As soon as they both leave, Wesley pokes his head in through the door. “Where’s Fawn?” I ask him, and he grins.

  “What, you don’t want to see me?”

  “Not really.” I smile at him, and he shakes his head, walking toward the bed.

  “She’s down greeting your family and hers. They all just arrived, so I told her I’d wait with you.” Damn, my parents and Fawn’s together do not bode well for me being alone with my girl and healing without drama.

  “What happened after I got hit?”

  “We got Juan. He’s going down, and no one can save him this time. His girl is talking—she’s currently trying to save her own ass.”

  “Thank fuck.”

  “Yeah,” he mutters, then runs a hand over the top of his head. I notice he’s still got blood on him—it’s most likely mine. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “You? Fuck, man, we should have known to check the apartment for weapons, given his history.”

  “Yeah,” he mutters, taking a seat next to the bed. “Fawn was a zombie until the doctor came out and told us you were going to be okay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman so damn scared in my life.”

  “I would be the same if something had happened to her,” I whisper, not even able to stomach the thought. I can’t imagine getting a call like the one she got. I can’t imagine thinking I might lose her.

  “My baby,” I hear, and I turn my head toward the door and watch my mom rush across the room toward me. “I . . . Don’t ever scare me like that again, do you understand me?” Mom cries, placing her hand against my cheek.

  “Sorry, Mom.”

  “Just don’t let it happen again. Why weren’t you wearing your vest?”

  “I was . . . I—”

  “You need a better one, then.” She shakes her head as she leans in and kisses my cheek. When she steps back, my dad comes over.

  “Son.” He shakes his head, reaching out to touch the top of my head. “You doing okay?”

  “I’m good. The doctor said I should be out in a couple days.”

  “Good.” He nods, and I can tell he’s working at holding back the emotions written all over his face.

  “Jesus, man, you sure know how to get attention, don’t you?” Lucas says, coming over to stand on the other side of the bed.

  “Jealous?”

  “A little. I wouldn’t mind lying around for a few days having people wait on me hand and foot,” he jokes, and I shake my head at him as he leans down, touching his forehead to mine. “But seriously, I’m happy as fuck that you’re okay.”

  “Me, too,” I agree, then watch Fawn’s parents come over.

  “We had to come,” Katie says, leaning down to give me a kiss on my cheek. “I’m glad to see you’re okay, we’ve been worried sick.”

  “Thanks for coming,” I say, and she smiles as Aiden touches the top of my head like my dad did moments ago before stepping back without a word. Getting hugs from the rest of my family, I frown when Eva walks into the room with a woman I know. Jesus, this bitch just doesn’t fucking stop.

  “Levi,” Heather says as she comes toward me, and I look at Fawn, who is now standing next to my bed. Her face goes pale, which pisses me the fuck off.

  “What the fuck, Eva?” Lucas asks, and she turns her eyes to him.

  “She wanted to see him—she could have lost him.”

  “I can’t believe you would do this right now,” Mom says glaring at Heather and Eva.

  “I just . . . Eva told me what happened and I wanted to . . .”

  “That’s nice and all, but if you’re who I think you are, then you need to leave. If Levi wanted anything to do with you, he would have called you, but he didn’t,” Libby says, and I hold back a smile. Libby is hard as nails when it comes to her family.

  “She’s right. I appreciate your concern, but we have nothing to talk about,” I state firmly, and Heather looks around the room before looking at me once more.

  “We were going to get married. I still care about you,” she says, but I know it’s a lie. She didn’t care about me when we were together, and she sure as fuck doesn’t care about me now.

  “If you don’t leave, I will call security to escort you out,” Fawn says as Heather starts toward the bed.

  “You can’t do that,” Eva says. Fawn’s eyes go to her.

  “I can and I will. You shouldn’t have brought her here.”

  “Who do you think you are?” Eva asks as her face turns red.

  “Eva, take Heather and leave,” Mom says.

  “Seriously?” she asks, looking at Mom, then at Lucas.

  “Yes,” Lucas says, and she narrows her eyes.

  “Whatever, I’m leaving,” Heather says. Eva looks around the room, glaring at everyone, before she disappears out the door with Heather.

  “Good riddance,” Fawn mutters, and I chuckle, then groan again. Her eyes fly down to me. “Are you okay?”

  “Kiss me.”

  “No.”

  “Kiss me,” I repeat, and she sighs, then leans down, pressing a kiss to my lips.

  “Love you, baby.”

  “I love you, too.” She rests her hand against the side of my face, kissing me once more, softly, before taking a seat on the chair next to my bed, where she pretty much stays until it’s time for me to be released from the hospital.

  Watching Fawn walk into the living room with the phone to her ear, I set my computer aside, then tag her hand as she tries to pass
me. I pull her toward me, forcing her to take a seat. I dodge her hand as she reaches out to smack me away as I try to kiss her. “Yes, I will be there Saturday at noon,” she says to whomever she’s talking to, and I kiss the side of her neck, smiling as she tries to elbow me, never putting enough force behind the action to actually do damage, since she knows I’m still healing. It’s been four days since I was released from the hospital, and even though I still have a lot of healing and physical therapy to do, I feel back to myself.

  “Okay, I’ll see you Monday, Mrs. Thompson, and thank you for the update,” she says, pulling the phone away from her ear and hitting the “End Call” button. “Seriously, you need to stop. You are going to end up hurting yourself,” she grouches, glaring at the smile on my face.

  “What was the phone call about?” I ask, ignoring her glare. She narrows her eyes when I try to pull her into my lap.

  “Mrs. Thompson talked to Tamara’s grandmother today. She wanted to let me know that Tamara will be moving. She didn’t want me to worry when Tamara wasn’t at school when I return to work next week.”

  “What’s going on Saturday?”

  “They are having a service for Tamara’s mom. Her grandmother asked Mrs. Thompson to let me know so I could go show my support if I wanted to.”

  “You feel up to that?”

  “Yes,” she says quietly, then turns sideways on the couch to face me completely. “I’m glad that Tamara’s getting some kind of closure. I just hope now she can work on healing.”

  “Me, too, baby,” I agree softly. The DNA from the SUV came back as that of Elia Albergastey, so we knew something happened to Tamara’s mom in that vehicle. The CSI team concluded that one person could not lose that much blood and survive without immediate medical help, which left us to conclude, sadly, that Tamara’s mother had been murdered.

  “What are the moms doing?” I ask, hearing banging in the apartment next door, and she rolls her eyes.

  “Who the hell knows? I swear, they are going to make me lose my mind. Whose idea was it to let them help me move, anyway?” she asks, looking at the wall between our apartments when the banging gets even louder.