Page 53 of Falling for You
My throat is horribly dry. Heck, it feels like I swallowed sand or something. I lick my lips with my tongue and they feel like sandpaper. Ugh, I feel like crap. If Sam convinced me to drink again, and this is a hangover, I’m going to kill her.
I hear a throat clear and someone mumble. I slowly open my hazy eyes. Everything is blurry and I blink until I can see clearly. Sawyer is slumped in a chair next to me. I glance down at the wires and tubes. Ugh, the hospital. I’ve always hated hospitals, especially after watching mom go through so many treatments in one. I move my arms and legs a little. Everything seems to be in working order except that my head really, really hurts. I close my eyes and try to remember. I remember Brad grabbing me from behind, and then everything just goes black.
I open my eyes again. Despite feeling like I’ve been ran over by a truck, I can’t help the slight smile that comes to my face when I see Sawyer. His clothes are incredibly rumpled and his hair is wild. There are dark circles under his eyes and his long, rangy body looks cramped in the small, uncomfortable-looking chair. He shifts every two seconds as if to find comfort, but it’s not happening.
“Hey,” I croak in a small, unrecognizable voice.
Sawyer’s brown eyes immediately pop open. “Baby, you’re awake.” He stands up and grabs my hand. His face breaks out into a giant grin. “Babe, you’re really awake.”
“Am I not supposed to be?” I gaze up at him in confusion and he laughs.
“You have no idea how happy you have made me, princess, just by opening your eyes.”
“Have I been asleep long? I’m still tired.” I lick my dry lips again.
“You were asleep for three days, Ronnie. Your dad and I were going crazy waiting for you to wake up.” I glance around and he leans in and kisses my cheek. “I convinced him to go get some cafeteria food. He’s going to be so pissed that you woke up while he was gone.”
“Three days? What happened? Where’s Brad?”
His eyes harden and the sparkle leaves his eyes. “He’s in jail, where he should be. I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, I want to kiss you and be happy you’re alive.” He kisses my forehead and smoothes my hair back. “Do you need anything, pretty girl?”
I lean into his touch. “Water, please.”
I sip water slowly as Sawyer watches me like a hawk. So many thoughts are running through my head. I sit back and shake my head side to side. “I can’t remember anything.” I lift my arm a little and see the iv running into my hand. I touch my face and feel how swollen the right side is. “Geez, I probably look like crap.”
Sawyer brings my hand to his lips. “Hey, don’t talk about my girlfriend like that. You’re absolutely beautiful. More beautiful than any other girl in the world.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Boyfriend, uh? Did I miss that conversation too?”
He chuckles lightly. “No, I just haven’t had the manners to ask. Veronica Ann Hester, you are the most amazing girl in the world. Would you do me the honors of being my girlfriend?” I look up at him. I love the way his eyes sparkle when they look at me. I love that his thick brown hair makes me want to run my hands through it. I love that he’s staring down at me with such an expression of complete adoration. I love…him. Just that simply.
“Sounds like a plan to me. I have one condition though.”
His face falls. One thing about being close to death is that it gives you courage to say what needs to be said. My memories are coming back rapidly, and I clearly remember his uncle saying he ordered Sawyer to get close to me.
I caress his cheek. “I care about you, and I want to be with you. I need to know that you will never lie to me again. I need to know that even if it hurts, you will be truthful with me. I’m not a little girl, to be protected and coddled. If we’re in a relationship, we’re equals. There’s no hiding things because it may make you look bad. Got it?”
He holds the hand that’s touching his cheek and kisses it softly. “Got it. No more keeping secrets. I want you to know that I never lied about how I feel about you, Ronnie. You’re mine, and I hope you always will be.”
I nod slightly. I want nothing more than to be his. I start to rub my locket as if to get my mom’s blessing. Panic rises up within me when I realize it’s not there.
He grins and reaches into his pocket. “The nurses took it off you. I made them give it to me. I’ve been rubbing it like crazy. I thought maybe it would bring you back to me. I guess it did.”
He hands the locket over to me and I glance down at the worn gold. I clasp it tightly in my hand and think of mama. Even though I may be nothing like her, there’s a warmth in my heart from my dreams of her. When I was asleep, she was there for me. I think, no I know, she’s proud of me.
He’s quiet for a moment. He stares back at me for a long time and I bring my hand back to his cheek.
“What’s wrong, Sawyer?” I ask, afraid of the answer. We’ve been through so much together. I know we can weather anything, but I think getting shot and kidnapped is enough of a test for any relationship.
“Can you think of me without thinking of Brad or my uncle, Ronnie? The same blood runs through them that runs through me. What if somehow that evil is in me?” The sadness in his voice causes tears to rise in my eyes.
“One thing I’ve learned in the last year is that we are not our parents. I loved my mom and I learned from her, but we are not the same. She had expectations for me that are not my own. Your uncle and your cousin are not you. You fell down and you learned from it, and you grew stronger. They fell down, and they took it out on everyone else. I love you for who you have made yourself.” I almost clamp my hand over my mouth. I really didn’t mean to say the L word, but if he doesn’t feel the same, maybe I can be excused by the I just woke up from a coma excuse.
His eyes soften. “You love me?”
Aw, fuck it as Sam would say. In for a penny, in for a pound. “I do, very much so.”
He swallows deeply and I can see his Adam’s apple move. He looks nervous as hell, but he kisses my forehead lightly. Well, shit is he going to let me down gently now?