Page 146 of Last Chance
Her brother turned his face away.
“I know this is hard to hear, but she kidnapped Janie yesterday morning and intended for her cousin Lorenzo to rape her, then kill her.”
David’s head snapped around. He glared at Sawyer.
“He’s telling you the truth,” Janie said. She took a chance and rested her hand on her brother’s arm. “That’s why my face is so bruised. Lorenzo hit me. If Sawyer and his teammates hadn’t arrived when they did, I wouldn’t be here. Sawyer saved my life, David.”
Her brother’s gaze slid to Sawyer, an unspoken question in his eyes.
“She saved my life, too. We’ll tell you the entire story later. It’s complicated and long.”
“Has the doctor talked to you about your prognosis?” Janie asked.
“No.”
She gently squeezed his arm. “You’re going to recover, but you need several months of therapy to get there.”
He shook his head. “No money.”
“You’re covered.”
“How?”
“Granny Irene. While I’m not allowed to give you money from the trust fund, I may take money out to pay for your medical needs. I checked with the family lawyer to confirm.”
“Job?”
“I’ll call your employer and talk to the human resources department this afternoon. The main thing you need to focus on is your health.”
“No place to go.”
“You’ll stay with us,” Sawyer said. “That’s another thing we need to talk about before the nurse kicks us out of here. Janie and I are getting married tomorrow.” He lifted her left hand and showed David the engagement ring he’d purchased first thing that morning. “I’d like your blessing.”
Silence, then, “If I say no?”
Janie’s heart sank.
“I’ll still marry her, but you’ll break your sister’s heart. I love her, David. You have my word of honor that I’ll never hurt Janie. She’ll always have first place in my heart and life.”
“Want the money.”
“No. I don’t want money from her or her trust fund. I’m well paid for what I do, and I need nothing from Janie except her love. I’ll take care of her and our children when we have them. Nothing in this world matters more to me than your sister.”
David studied him for a moment. Finally, he said, “Okay.”
“I have your permission to marry Janie?”
A slight nod.
The tears she’d been holding back now streamed down her cheeks. Janie bent and kissed her brother on the forehead. “Thank you. I have another question for you. No pressure, all right? Would you like to be present for the wedding?”
His forehead furrowed. “How?”
“We can get married here in your room. The doctor said he would allow Sawyer’s teammates and Brent and Rowan into the room as long as the ceremony was short.”
“Church.”
“When you’re better, you can walk me down the aisle for a formal wedding. However, we don’t want to wait to get married, and this will allow us to move you into our house as soon as you’re released.”