Legend (Arizona Vengeance #3)(68)

    When he smiled at me, it may have become the best.

The only thing that will outshine it is having Charlie back in my arms.

“Pepper never did handle anesthesia well,” Amy comments lightly as she steps up to the bottom of the bed and places her hand on Pepper’s shin. She rubs it lightly over the blanket.

Her mom chuckles in agreement. “Notice we’re not standing near her bed, Legend. It’s because she might puke.”

I smile because it’s cute and they’re trying to lighten the mood, but deep down I’m not smiling because I know they’re talking from experience about her surgery when she had her uterus removed. Pepper’s stomach now will have additional scarring as a reminder of what she’s been through.

Pepper’s hand jerks in mine and my eyes snap to her face which is slightly scrunched up as if she’s uncomfortable. Her mouth opens and she licks her lips before her eyes finally flutter open.

She blinks a few times as she stares at the ceiling and then her head rolls on the pillow my way.

“Hey,” I say softly as I smile at her. I need her to know right off the bat she’s okay. “About time you woke up.”

Amy immediately leaves to go find her dad while her mom comes to the opposite side of the bed, placing her hands on the bed rail. Pepper’s head turns that way and her mom also gives her a confident smile. “There’s my girl. Are you feeling sick?”

Pepper nods and her mom says, “We’ll get some ginger ale for you from the nurse.”

    Pepper nods again and then looks back to me. “Charlie and Lucy?”

“Later,” I tell her, not wanting to upset her. “You just got out of surgery so let’s just take it easy.”

Defiance flashes in her blue eyes. “No. Tell me now.”

I’m saved by her father, sister, and the nurse all walking in at the same time. I stand from my chair and bend over to place a kiss on Pepper’s forehead. When I pull back I tell her, “Let them do their thing then I’ll tell you what’s going on, okay?”

Her expression is dubious but she gives me a forced nod of agreement.

Stepping back from the bed, I let her family move in. Meryl gives her daughter the medical rundown of what happened in surgery. Amy holds a small can of ginger ale with a bendy straw to her mouth to take small sips. Richard just stares down at her with relief on his face.

As she comes out of the anesthesia and starts to become a little more coherent, she starts demanding some answers. “What happened after I was shot? Where’s Lucy and Charlie?”

Three sets of eyes turn my way and it’s clear they want me to update Pepper. Her dad steps back and I move back in to the side of the bed. I take her hand again. “After Lida shot you, she forced Lucy back over to my house at gunpoint. She had Lucy pack a small bag with diapers and formula, and then she hit Lucy on the head with the gun knocking her unconscious. She’s here at the hospital and she’s going to be fine.”

Pepper’s eyes fill with tears and they leak from the corners. “And Charlie?”

    I give a small shake of my head. “The police are looking for her.”

“Everyone’s looking for her,” Richard drawls.

Pepper’s gaze goes from her dad then back to me for explanation. “I gave a press conference to the major news outlets. I put Lida’s and Charlie’s pictures out on social media. There are a lot of eyeballs out there and I’m sure they’ll find her soon.”

Lowering her gaze, Pepper murmurs, “I’m so sorry. I tried to protect them.”

“Don’t,” I say gruffly as I drop down into the chair and lean over the bed rail to put my face closer to hers. She refuses to look at me.

Twisting my neck, I look at her family who are all gathered around the bed. “Can we have a few minutes alone?”

“Of course,” her mom says as she pulls the curtain aside. Her dad and sister leave, then her mom gives me an encouraging smile before she follows.

When I turn back to Pepper she starts rambling. “I’m so sorry this happened. Lida came in my house and had the gun on me, and then Lucy came over with Charlie. It was just stupid luck but when she turned away from me, I tried to get the gun and she shot me. I couldn’t stop her after that. I called for help but—”

I place my fingertips gently over her mouth. “None of this is your fault, Pepper.”

Her expression is dubious but she remains quiet when I lift my fingers away. “Lida is crazy. None of us could have predicted this level of crazy, though. I’m the one who is so sorry you got caught up in this. I thought you were going to die, Pepper, and it gutted me and I told myself if you made it through, I needed to tell you all the things that I should have told you before I kissed you goodbye this morning.”

    “Like what?” she whispers.

“Like I am totally, 100 percent, head over heels in love with you,” I tell her as I take her hand back in mine. “You are everything I need to make my life complete and happy. I should have told you this already because I’ve been feeling it for some time. But I doubted myself. I was afraid maybe you didn’t feel the same. It’s the first time I’ve ever had feelings like this for a woman, and it’s awesome and totally terrifying. But fuck, Pepper…you could have died. I could have lost you which means I would have lost a part of myself because you make up a lot of what’s good in me.”