Fever (Breathless #2)(126)

Jace shook his head. “I don’t have an answer to that, baby. Sorry. I don’t know what he was thinking. I busted his balls over it. I wanted to kill him myself for what he did to you. You almost died. You did die. Thank God they got you back. I can never forgive him for that.”

She went silent, sadness overwhelming her. This time Jack had gone too far. He’d done something he could never make amends for. Jace would never forgive him and she wasn’t sure she could either. He’d crossed a line he could never go back from.

“Where is he now?” she asked quietly.

“He’s here. In the waiting room. Kaden is keeping an eye on him.”

“Don’t let him do it,” she whispered. “Don’t let him try it again.”

Jace slid onto the bed next to her, his hip resting against her side. “Right now I’m more focused on you and you getting better. How do you feel? Is there anything I can get you?”

“Just groggy,” she replied. “Muggy. Like my head is all swimmy. Having a hard time concentrating.”

“That’s to be expected,” he said gently. “Can you forgive me, Bethany? Are you willing to give me a chance to make things right between us?”

She looked up in surprise. “What do you mean?”

He closed his eyes and when he reopened them there was a swarm of emotions. Relief. Sadness. Worry. Fear.

“Do you have any idea how much it slays me that you’d even ask me that? Or the relief I feel at the same time? You act as though I did nothing wrong. Like I didn’t cut you so deep that you cried yourself to sleep while I was next to you, unable to do a damn thing about it.”

He sucked in a deep breath and she could see how truly shaken he was. He looked haggard, completely strung out. Like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Baby, you have no idea how bad you scared me. I thought I’d lost you. I’ll never be more f**king grateful than I am to that team of doctors and nurses who refused to let you go and brought you back to me.”

To her astonishment, a tear slid down his cheek and he hastily wiped it away as he inhaled deeply through his nose.

“How long have I been out?” she whispered.

He smiled shakily, relief still simmering in those dark eyes. “Over twenty-four hours, baby. They brought you in yesterday morning.”

Her mouth dropped open. “That long?”

“That long,” he whispered. “The longest twenty-four hours of my life.”

“I’m sorry,” she said hoarsely, still stunned that she’d been unconscious for that long.

“Sorry?” He broke off in a garble laugh. “Baby, you have nothing to apologize for.”

“I’m sorry you were so worried though,” she said anxiously.

“It was worth it because I have you back. Never leave me, Bethany. Stay with me. Be with me. Love me.”

“I do love you, Jace. I’m sorry . . .”

He held up his fingers to her mouth, silencing her gently with his touch. “Don’t apologize for another damn thing. You’re going to lie there and listen to my apology.”

He turned, positioning himself on the narrow bed so he could lie next to her. It was crowded and cramped, the two of them barely fitting, but he made it work by sliding his arms around her and anchoring her firmly to his body. He put one arm underneath her head so it was pillowed against his shoulder. Then he let out a long breath, his body relaxing. For a moment he was silent but he still trembled against her. He touched her, his hand sliding up and down her body, stopping over her heart, his fingers splayed wide as if reassuring himself of her steady heartbeat.

Then he slipped his fingers higher, to her neck, feeling the thud of her pulse.

“Never felt a sweeter thing, baby,” he whispered. “Your heart beating. You breathing. I’ll never take that for granted. Going to wake up every day knowing it’ll be the best damn ever because you’re still here, in my life, loving me, waking up next to me.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Her chest rose with a quiet sob and she turned her face into his neck, her breaths hiccupping over his skin.

“I’m sorry, baby. So damn sorry for that night. I had no right to say those things. You didn’t deserve it. Ash didn’t deserve it. I lashed out at you both when you’re the last people on earth I’d ever want to hurt.”

“It’s okay,” she said, her words muffled against his neck.

“No, it’s not okay, baby. It’s not. But I can guarantee you it’ll never happen again. Not that. I’m sure I’ll say shit that hurts you. I won’t even swear that it’ll never happen. But I’ll never make you feel like you did that night again. You’ll never go another day without my trust. I trust you absolutely.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I know, Jace.”

He went still. “How could you possibly know that? I’ve certainly given you no proof.”

“You believed me when I said I didn’t take those pills.”

His grip tightened around her. “No, baby. At first I did because that was what I was told. But you told me before. When you were so out of it. The one time you briefly regained consciousness. You told me then and I knew you hadn’t.”

A fresh surge of tears welled in her eyes and spilled onto his neck. “Thank you for that. You don’t know what that means to me.”