“I know you will.”
“And our child.”
“I know that too.”
“There’s so much to figure out, but right now, I want a minute with just the two of us.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “To remind myself that this is real. That you’re alive.” My heart is thrashing violently in my ribcage, my breathing strong, just like my grip on Vienna. “Is that okay?”
She nods as I lean down on the bed next to her and guide her to rest her head on my chest. “That sounds perfect.”
And that’s where we stay for so long that Vienna drifts off to sleep. But I keep holding her, thanking God that I didn’t lose this woman too. Instead, I’m being given a second chance at a family, and this time, I’m going to search for and hold onto the feeling that it’s going to all work out.
Chapter 30
Vienna
Coming Home
“You guys really didn’t need to go to all of this trouble.” Walking into Rhonan’s house with him by my side after five days in the hospital, I’m greeted by his entire friend group, his father, and Joanne, who has tears in her eyes. There’s a banner hung above the mantel that saysWelcome Homeand get-well-soon balloons are stacked in the corner of the living room by the TV.
Then my eyes land on the tower of onion rings from Blossom Brews on the table, and I nearly start crying right there on the spot.
Laney approaches me and pulls me in for a hug, being careful not to squeeze my arm in the sling too hard. “Are you kidding? You took a bullet for my niece. It’s the least we could do.”
“Vienna is my hero!” Ellis announces to the room, her outburst met with emotional laughter. She runs up to me and then stops herself before she collides with my legs. Rhonan explained that I was goingto be recovering from my injuries for a while, so she’s been really sweet about wanting to be gentle with me and help me do whatever she can.
I seriously love this little girl and can’t wait to see how she’s going to act with her little brother or sister.
Rhonan and I haven’t told anyone about the baby yet because naturally, I’m terrified that something might happen and I lose it. In my eyes, it’s a miracle that I’m even pregnant. I’ll never know the true reason why I wasn’t able to conceive up until this point, but I just want to celebrate that it’s real instead of worrying about everything that could go wrong.
Rhonan respected my request to keep it to ourselves, even though he’s done nothing but hover over my stomach for the past five days in the hospital, talking to our unborn child and making me fall in love with him even more.
He’s being the man I always wanted Cole to be, but now I know that Cole was never going to be that man—and I’m so grateful things worked out this way.
The sheriff’s department and the FBI came to the hospital to drill me about Cole and what transpired, and I was assured that Cole Cassidy would be staring at the inside of a prison cell for the rest of his life.
That night, I think I slept better than I have in the six years that I was married to him. Cole begrudgingly signed the divorce papers in the hospital before he was transported back to D.C. to the prison where he will await his sentencing. I declined the opportunity to appear.
I don’t want to be involved in that man’s life anymore.
I’m ready to close that chapter and start this new one with Rhonan Hart—my protector, my lover, and my best friend.
Lydia would have loved him so much, but I think she had a hand in bringing us together anyway.
When I woke up in the hospital after passing out on Rhonan’s chest, the first thing I saw outside through the window was a rainbow—and that’s how I knew that she was with me.
I’m finally getting the life I’ve always wanted and deserve—something I know is going to take me a while to accept, but I’m going to continue to fight hard for that.
Because when you have people in your life who bring out the best in you and make you feel alive, you do everything in your power to hang on to them.
I’ve been going through the motions for far too long, and now it’s time for me to embrace the joy, something that Rhonan and I are going to work on together. One of the first things he suggested when I woke up was that me, him, and Ellis go to therapy to help process what we all experienced, but also so that he can be the best version of himself for me.
And I know that my past relationship is going to haunt me too if I don’t do something to move past it. So, the idea was a no-brainer to agree to.
“Hell yeah, she’s your hero!” Dilynne shouts, lifting her glass of champagne in the air. “Cheers to that.” She reaches for a half-full glass and then hands it to me. “Want a glass to celebrate you busting out of the hospital finally?”
Rhonan and I lock eyes at the same time. “No, I’m okay.”
Dilynne rolls her eyes. “Jesus, what’s wrong with everyone today. We should be celebrating that Vienna’s alive and freaking took a bullet for Ellis. But nooo… Laney won’t even take a drink and my brother said it’s too early for champagne. Fletcher doesn’t drink, Elliot all of a sudden doesn’t want alcohol, but at least Elodie knows that there’s no limitation to when champagne is acceptable.” She clinks her glass with Elodie’s and then shakes her head as my sight goes straight to Laney who’s folding in her lips to keep from talking.