She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not a child, Hunter. I can go see the big bad nurse on my own.”
I laugh. “Sure you can, but I’m still not leaving you. Give it up already.” I stop mid-hallway and kneel in front of her. “What we had years ago was the right kinda love at the wrong kinda time, but I want this now more than ever. Whether we’re a match made in hell or a beautiful clusterfuck waiting to happen. I love you and that’s all that matters. You’re mine, now stop fighting me on this.”
I hear her friend, Sam, ‘aww’ behind us and Keeley’s intake of breath tells me she’s heard me loud and clear as tears spring to her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re giving up the club for me.”
“Well you better fuckin’ believe it, because I’m gonna have a lot of free time on my hands to get acquainted with you again. And I ain’t wasting a second of it.”
I spent the night tucked up against Hunter’s warm chest. His steady heartbeat drumming underneath me, lulling me into a fitful sleep. The nurse insisted he go back to his own room but he wasn’t budging, he wanted to stay and make sure I was alright.
Sam keeps giving me worried glances, I know she’s waiting for me to crack, to break down about what happened to me, but I can’t say that I feel anything but numb about it all.
I shake my head and pay attention to what the doctor is saying. “All your tests came back clear, you just need to keep the wound on your neck clean and give it time to heal properly. Other than that, Miss Michaels, you’re free to go.”
I sigh in relief and give her a polite smile. Although it’s a hospital, I’ve still felt trapped until now... now I can leave.
Hunter was discharged this morning too and is out collecting his bike from the impound with Connor. Their meeting each other didn’t go as smoothly as it could’ve. Connor wouldn’t stop being super protective of me and Sam until Hunter had enough and told him if he didn’t back off, he’d make him.
I shake my head at the memory, you can take the biker out the club but you can’t take the club out the biker. My hot head.
Sam helps me get washed and dressed, but when she reaches my hair that needs combing out, she hesitates. “As soon as we get back, we’ll do something with this hair.”
She’s trying to be reassuring but I haven’t seen it since my Uncle took a pair of first aid scissors to it, and I don’t really want to.
I can’t help myself. “My hair? What’s wrong with my hair?”
Sam stammers, “I… it… we can…”
I burst out laughing and she looks like she wants to hit me. “You ass!”
I can’t stop laughing and it feels good. She smiles back at me, tears shining in her eyes. “It’s so good to see you smiling. It’s Hunter, isn’t it?”
I look down at my hands. “It’s always been Hunter. Apart from the past three years, I don’t have a memory without him in it.” I look up. “I know it’s going to be weird him coming home with us, but you’ll learn to like him, I promise.”
“Ah, Kee, I already do. He makes you happy. How could I not?” She retorts cheerily. “I can’t wait to see people’s faces when they see the new guy in town.”
I snort. “Hunter won’t care, and neither do I anymore. There’s more to me than the ink on my skin, it’s their loss.”
“That it is,” she says, looking up at the door as the guys walk back in.
Connor pulls Sam into his arms like they haven’t seen each other in years and I guess they haven’t, it was only last week they were both living separate lives, it’s still as new to them as it is to me.
Hunter crosses the room and roams his eyes down my black tank top and black skinny jeans finished with Sam’s fluffy slippers since my feet are still cut up.
He raises a brow as he reaches them. “Suits you.” I flip him off and he chuckles. “You ready to get going?”
I take a deep breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be. But I wanted to talk to you all real quick.”
All three of them look at each other. “All of you look like deers caught in headlights, relax it’s nothing bad.” They still don’t relax and I roll my eyes. “Connor, you have your truck right?” He nods. “So you can help with Hunter’s stuff?”
“Keeley-“
“No, Hunter. We may as well get it all now.”
Connor looks at Hunter then back at me. “Anything you need, I’m at your disposal.”
Hunter tenses up.
“Great, if you can take Sam to the truck I’ll be there in a minute. I just need to talk to Hunter.”
They both smile warily and walk out of the door, hand in hand. I wince as I stand and Hunter wraps an arm around me to take some of the pressure off my feet. My arms instinctively go around his neck and I lean into him as I look into his eyes. “You need your things, Hunter. You were going back there anyway, what were you expecting to do? Get it all on the back of your bike?”
“I was gonna figure out something, I don’t want you back there again.”