Liv turned to me with a frown.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it." Every word was scratchy and uncomfortable.

She glanced between Vanessa and me, and with a sad smile, she let my hand go. "I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to go check in with Cam. Just ring the nurse if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks," I said.

When we were alone, she came to my side. I turned my palm up, asking for her touch. She answered, taking my hand. I closed my eyes, suddenly overwhelmed with that smallest connection.

"You came."

"Of course I came. I headed straight over as soon as Maya called me. I didn't even think about whether you'd want me here."

I opened my eyes, acutely aware of the pain I'd caused her and how it had plagued me too. "I always want you with me."

She chewed on her lip, fresh tears glistening in her eyes. "I thought you wanted to take a break."

I shook my head. "I was wrong."

I coughed. Excruciating pain shot out from my ribs and radiated down my side. I inhaled a careful breath and rested back on the pillow. Vanessa came closer, settling on the edge of the bed beside me. Her beautiful features were pinched, and her eyes betrayed her worry.

Then suddenly I remembered the last time I'd seen her. On someone else's arm. Smiling at a man who wasn't me.

"Vanessa, I don't know who that guy is." I swallowed over the sting in my throat. "But I'm going to fight for you. I'm fighting for us. Being away from you is killing me."

Her brow wrinkled. "What guy? What are you talking about?"

"I saw you the other night with someone. Blond hair. You were laughing and smiling with him. I wanted to kill him."

She smiled and touched my cheek. "You're crazy."

"Who was he? And where does he live?"

She laughed and shook her head. "That was Michael, and he lives in Florida, so you've got a journey ahead of you. Also, it's a pointless journey because he's a relic. So far in my past, you don't have anything to worry about."

"An ex?"

She nodded.

"Do you love him?" I braced myself for an answer that could break me more badly than my fall had.

"I used to. A long time ago. We were really young."

I wanted her to love me. I'd felt it. I'd been so sure of it at times. But goddamn, I needed those words. After everything we'd been through, I craved them more than I could explain.

She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. Her kind eyes captured me, held me in her tenderness.

"You're the only one who has my heart, Darren."

"How can you give me your heart me after what I did to you?"

She winced, and emotion flickered behind her pale green eyes. I'd live through another fire to take away that day and the hurt I'd put her through.

"I can give you my heart, because you keep fighting for it. And because I love you. More than you can possibly know. When I thought something had happened to you..." Her breath caught and her eyes misted with unshed tears.

"Shh," I hushed her and squeezed her hand. "I'm good. A little banged up, but I'm good."

"What if..."

"You got me out of there, Vanessa. Shit was not looking good, but I kept thinking about you. I knew I had to get out of there to get to you. To make things right with us. To win you back."

Tears fell down her cheeks, and I wished I could kiss them all away. Hold her and love her. I hoped she'd give me that chance again.

"I'm never letting you go again," I whispered.

Vanessa stood up when the nurse came in to check my vitals.

"I'm afraid we're only allowing family visits right now, dear. He's had a rough night. He needs to rest."

"She is family," I said.

Vanessa's lips fell apart and then snapped shut again. The nurse looked to me with a raised eyebrow.

"She's my wife."

"Oh. My apologies, Mrs. Bridge." She jotted something down on my chart and put it back at the foot of the bed. "Very well. I'll be back in to check on you in an hour or so. Press the button if you need anything." She rested her hand on my leg, one part of me that didn't hurt a bit. "Thank you for all you do, son." She winked at Vanessa. "He'll be good as new in no time."

The nurse left, and Vanessa didn't waste a second coming back to me. I shifted to the side, wanting to make more room for her.

I hissed at the pain that lanced down my side.

"Darren. Stop it. You're hurting yourself."

"I'm fine." I patted the empty sliver of bed.

She crawled up beside me, careful not to lean into me. She rested against the pillow we shared with a soft exhale. "You're not afraid of anything, are you?"

"Only thing I'm afraid of is losing you again."

"Then don't let me go."

I shook my head. "I don't plan to. Ever."

She leaned in to meet my lips, sealing the promise.

Chapter Twenty-One.

VANESSA.

Darren's apartment was silent save the quiet murmur of the television in his room. I crept in quietly. He was asleep, shirtless. A light blue sheet bunched at his waist. His body curved carefully on the uninjured side, and his chest moved with steady breaths-a simple motion that I knew had caused him a great deal of pain the past couple of weeks as he healed.

I moved through the room, picking up a few articles of clothing that had been thrown about and putting them in a hamper. The second I switched off the television though, he stirred.

His raspy moan was swiftly followed by a sharp intake of breath. He winced, pausing a second before moving flat onto his back.

"Baby." He smiled when his tired gaze locked on mine.

"Go back to bed. I was just tidying up."

"You don't have to pick up after me."

"I know that. But as long as you're laid up this way, I'm going to take care of you. Like it or not." I moved to his bedside table and began to gather up a couple of half-empty glasses.

He reached out with his uninjured arm, trying to draw me closer to him. "Stop that and come here."

"You should rest."

"I've been resting for weeks. You're here now, and I want to spend some time with you."

Resigned, I put down the glasses and settled beside him on the bed.

He hummed, taking his warm hand up and down my bare thigh. "You're a sight for sore eyes, red. I never get tired of being with you."

I glanced down at my simple outfit. A pale pink T-shirt and white shorts. My new "unemployed" uniform now that the days were getting warmer. Like summer vacation with no end in sight, at least until I found a new gig or cool weather came. Eli was helping out more with the rent, and my mom had sent me some money to help me get by while I was on the job hunt.

"Why won't you stay over here for a while? I like waking up to you."

"You need your rest, and I can't sit still. I'm not used to having this much downtime. I need to keep busy, which is obviously why I'm here fussing over you when I should be letting you rest."

"I can keep you busy," he murmured suggestively.

I did a poor job of hiding a smile. I knew he could keep me very busy, all night every night, but he needed to heal before we did anything.

Still, I couldn't help but drink him in. If I was a sight, he was a wonder. I looked him over, from his messy bedhead to the faint laugh lines that his dazzling smile had always rendered invisible to me. His chest was bare perfection. Weeks away from the gym were barely noticeable, and even resting, he was impressive and toned.

"See anything you like?" He shot me a grin.

"I love everything I see. You know that."

He dragged his touch up the inside of my thigh, leading me toward a dangerous surge of sensations.

I stilled his hand before he could go any further, but he coaxed me toward him. I leaned in the rest of the way, careful not to put any pressure against his chest. My lips met his, soft and warm. I tangled my fingers through his hair and traced the strong line of his jaw over the rough hairs that had grown in. He was rugged and gorgeous, and I'd never loved him more.

"I think I have something else you might like." He reached into a drawer in the bedside table and withdrew a small narrow box.

"What's this?"

He placed it in my hands. "It's for you."

"You didn't go out, did you?" I couldn't help the concern lacing my tone. He was the type who'd push himself when he should be healing.

"No. Thanks to modern technology, I'm able to make romantic gestures from the convenience of home. Now open it."

I smiled, a bubble of anticipation growing inside me. I untied the silver bow and opened the box. Inside laid a fine rose gold chain. Hanging from it was a pendant molded into the shape of a five-petal flower-a plumeria, like the one that tinted the air with its sweet scent every day we were on the island together. In the center, a diamond shone brightly.

He lifted the delicate necklace from the box, and even with his bandaged hand managed to fasten it around my neck. The flower fell cool against my chest.

I was speechless, in awe of the gesture and the memories it brought back. Those days on the island had been precious-so precious I couldn't believe we could possibly bring such paradise home. But somehow we had.

"It's so beautiful. Thank you."

"Beautiful, just like you."

"I love it."

"Do you know what it means?" He traced the pendant with the tip of his finger.

"The plumeria?"

"Means new beginnings. The minute you came back into my world, everything started over for me. You're the beginning of the rest of my life, Vanessa."

I caught his hand against my heart and squeezed it tightly. "And you're mine."

"I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I can't tell you how much. The man I was before I met you-that wasn't the real me. I was trying to protect myself from the hurt I'd watched my parents inflict on each other for years. I'd completely lost faith in what love could be with the right person. I never believed I could have something like this."

My heart ached when I thought about a younger Darren becoming so guarded with his heart over the years. I recognized a shade of that in my own journey, though, too.

"I understand. It took me a long time to know what I really wanted too. But I found it, with you."

"I love you, Vanessa." His eyes were dark with emotion.

"I love you too."

"Come here," he whispered, pulling me close.

He kissed me, long and deep sweeps of his tongue. He caressed me, over my face, down my arms, and back down to my thigh. His touch on my skin lit up like a trail of fire. A little voice in my head reminded me that we couldn't keep going, as much as I might want to...

"We can't. Not until you're completely healed."

"I can't go without you that long. I have a feeling you can't wait that long either."