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“When can you leave the hospital?”
“Whenever they set me free.”
Just then, there was a light knock at the door. I glanced over my shoulder as Griffin called out, “Come in!”
The nurse peered around the door as he opened it. “You are cleared for discharge.” Chris waggled his brows as he smiled.
A breath I hadn’t even known I was holding whooshed out.
“Where’s Teddy?” Griffin asked a few minutes later as he was signing paperwork to discharge.
“Allie still has him. When we found out what happened, we were at Madison’s. Maisie kept us up to date. Everyone else is okay, right?”
Griffin nodded. “Hudson’s knee got dislocated. A few others were banged up from the crash landing. Nate pulled off a damn miracle when that engine went out.”
I still had my arm curled around his waist and turned my head to press a kiss on his good shoulder.
A short while later, we were back at the house. As soon as Teddy saw Griffin, he let out a squeal of joy. When I walked back into the living room to find Griffin settled onto the couch and Teddy playing with his toys on the floor, my heart cartwheeled. This was home. It wasn’t a place. It was us.
Epilogue
Hudson Fox
Four months later
* * *
I reached for my crutches, silently cursing as I pulled them out of my truck. Walking with crutches meant a slow hobble into Fireweed Winery. My friends Griffin and Tish were having a gathering here to celebrate their recent engagement.
I rested my crutches against the back of my truck. Conveniently, I could drive because my left knee was the problem. I ignored it when my crutches toppled over to the ground.
When I discovered I’d forgotten my wallet, I carefully hobbled to the driver’s side door to fetch it out of the console between the seats. Just as I closed the door, I heard the sound of tires on gravel and glanced up to see a hatchback car approaching.
My eyes snagged on tumbled blond curls just as there was a loud crunching sound and the car came to a jerking stop. I reached the back of my truck and looked down to see my crutches crumpled under a front tire.
The woman who was driving leapt out, her eyes going wide when she looked down. “Oh, my God! I didn’t see them! I am so sorry.”
I’d seen this woman before. Stella. She was impossible to forget. My hormones had emblazoned her in bold strokes into my memory. Her glossy blond curls bounced as she looked between me and my crumpled crutches.
Stella met my gaze, her brown eyes wide. “Hudson? Right?”
I smiled. “That’s right. Nice to see you again, Stella.”
“Oh, my gosh! You got injured in the plane crash.”
“Right on two counts,” I said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I can get a new pair of crutches. To be honest, I hate them. Using them gets old fast.”
Stella pressed a palm to her chest. She looked distraught.
“Stella, it’s no big deal. I can still drive. I’ll just hobble around this afternoon.”
“I know, but…”
I hopped closer to the back of my truck as Stella bent down and fetched my bent crutches.
I reached for the one that looked less bent. “This will work.”
She looked at it doubtfully. I took the other one from her and tossed it in the back of my truck cab.
