Page 42 of Just Our Secret
“Good.”
“In a weird way, it makes sense. Like, I chose you as a best friend because you’re good people. Of course my sister would have similar taste in men.” He flashed his brows like this was something salacious.
“Well I’m glad you both have similarly good taste. And seriously, thanks for coming. And apologizing—letting us all move forward. I think it’s going to be really great.”
He patted my shoulder as he stood. “Agree. And now I’m going to get Andi because I’m pretty sure I can hear her silently begging me to hurry the fuck up and let her at you.”
“Thanks,” I said, hoping he knew I meant it. He’d been there with Andi during the night from hell, and knowing he’d be around after today made one more piece fall into place.
I was still exhausted and smelled like smoke and hospital, but I couldn’t wait another minute to tell Andi how much I loved her.
TWENTY-THREE
ANDI
When Connor slipped out of Wade’s room, I stood from my chair in the hall and started to rush past him. He caught me by the arm, and I came to a stop, looking up at him in surprise. “Connor, what—?”
“Andi, I’m sorry again.”
My tired body sagged, and he let go of my arm. Reaching out, I took his hand in both of mine and gave it a squeeze. “I know. And me too.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, his lips twitching like he couldn’t figure out how to get the words out. Then his gaze slid to Wade’s door, and he jerked his head. “Go on. I’m gonna go home for a minute. This was… fuck. This was a lot.”
I gave my brother a small smile, understanding exactly how he felt. The fear we shared over almost losing Wade had wreaked havoc on my very being. If it weren’t for how badly I needed to be near him right now to reassure myself that he was really okay, I’d want to take a minute too.
“It’s okay. I’ve got him.”
“I know you do,” he said, giving me a tiny smile of his own.
Without another word, Connor turned and walked down the hall. I watched him until he disappeared around the corner, my brain foggy from worry and lack of sleep. Then I shook my head and darted into Wade’s room, eager to finally have a moment alone with him.
“Hey, you,” he said when I closed the door behind me. His voice was hoarse and barely audible, but there was still an unmistakable warmth in his tone.
“Hey. You up for another visitor?”
“Only if it’s you.”
I grinned, stepping over to him and sitting on the edge of his bed. I leaned down—careful not to put any weight on his battered body—and kissed him on the mouth. He reached up and took my face in his hands, kissing me back with so much force that some logical part of me considered pulling back for fear of hurting him. But a much bigger part of me felt like it was being stitched back together one caress of his lips at a time, and I knew I couldn’t pull away if I tried.
After a moment, Wade was the one to break the kiss, resting his forehead against mine and working to catch his breath. “Oh, ow.”
“Sorry.” I jumped back, holding my hands up.
He clasped my hands in his. “No, come here. I meant to say ‘wow.’”
“Sure you did,” I said with a chuckle.
“I don’t care how bad it hurts. Kiss me again.”
With a slow smile, I gently leaned down and pressed my lips to his forehead, then one cheek, and then the other. Finally, I placed a featherlight kiss on his lips, leaning back with a shaky sigh. “I can’t shake off the sick feeling I had when I didn’t know if you were okay. Even though you’re right here in front of me, I’m still totally freaking out.”
He reached up and brushed away the tear that I hadn’t even realized had fallen from my tired eyes. “I know, baby. I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who needs to chill out and be a better firefighter girlfriend. I should be putting on a brave face or something, right?”
His eyes crinkled as he smiled up at me. “I don’t know about all that, but I really love that you’re my girlfriend. It’s definitely a step above the title of ‘secret lover’ like before.”
At this, I threw my head back and laughed. “Secret lover? How much pain medication are you on?”