Page 58 of Tempt Me-

I am pretty damned pleased myself.

“Now can we go over your discharge instructions?”the nurse asks, back to business.

***

Austin

The next fewdays pass in a blur, the focus not on our personal lives but on Mia’s testimony, something I am determined to see her through.The district attorney comes to the house the day after the shooting and goes over court prep with Mia.She also assures us we now have police officers watching the house and sticking by Mia’s side through the trial and until Parker Alexander is back in jail, where he belongs.

I speak to the DA, and we all agree Parker’s agenda was to prevent Mia, the key witness against him, from testifying.Once that is over, he’ll turn his focus elsewhere.Revenge isn’t his MO.Self-preservation is.When Mia’s testimony is finished and the verdict is in, she will be safe.And she’ll have me by her side to make her security a certainty.

She is set to testify only two days after the shooting, and she insists on showing up on time.She wants the trial over with, and I don’t blame her.As long as she feels physically capable, I will support her all the way.

The bad news is that I’m not sleeping, because when I shut my eyes, I see Mia covered in blood, remember holding my jacket on her shoulder to stop the flow.The good news is that I now have her by my side, in my bed.I take care of her day and night, catering to her shoulder and the pain she is in and repeating how much I love her.

The day of her testimony, it goes like clockwork.She walks through the city streets and enters the courtroom surrounded by protection on all sides.

Her words are damning, her demeanor calm, her voice strong as she testifies.Not even the gunshot or the bandage covering her arm keeps her from doing the right thing, and I am so damned proud of her.

Our lives as a family can soon begin.

***

Mia

After the trialtestimony ends and I walk out of the courtroom, Parker’s angry eyes on me as I go, I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.I refuse to be afraid now that it is over.Parker should go back to jail, and he no longer has a reason to want me out of the way.I did my duty.

An hour later, we return to the house.Austin’s parents’ car is parked in the driveway.

“Bailey’s home?”I ask, excited.

“I thought it was time.But don’t worry.You’re still healing and you don’t need to take care of her,” Austin says.

“What?Of course I want to take care of her.I’ll do what I can with this arm.They want me to keep it immobilized.But I don’t want to scare her, either.So what’s our story?What happened to me?”

He studies me, a soft smile on his face.

“What?”I ask, uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny.

“You worry more about Bailey than yourself.It’s one of the things I love about you.”

My heart flutters at his words, and I wonder if I’ll ever get used to hearing it.I hope not.

“If she asks, we’ll tell her you fell.She won’t know the difference.”

No sooner have we walked into the house from the garage than Bailey comes running.“Daddy!Mia!I’m home!”she yells, crashing into Austin’s legs.

“Hey!”He swings her into his arms, one eye on me.

I smile, reassuring him I am fine.

“Oh, Mia!”His mother rushes up to us.“I’ve been so worried about you,” she says, lowering her voice at the end so Bailey won’t catch her concern.

“Thank you, but I’m fine.I promise.”

Sarah squeezes my hands.“You’re a strong, brave woman.”

Tears spring to my eyes.If this is what I have to look forward to in my life, wonderful people caring about me, I am even luckier than I thought.