Page 60 of Bittersweet Redemption

I open my arms for her, and she jumps right into them, wrapping herself around me. I squeeze her as tight as I can and choke down my own tears as I listen to her sob into my neck.

“Willa,” I whisper into her hair. I can’t find the right words to say, so I just hold her, cradling the back of her head to keep her close. I feel River and Nick’s presence behind me, but I ignore it, and so does Willa. Right now, it’s just us. Our hearts beat together as one.

She pulls back a little to look into my eyes. “You found me,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course I found you. It’s me and you, baby. You’re my family. I told you that.” She nods as I search her eyes for any sign of how she’s feeling. Is she ok? What happened? Did that asshole touch her? So many things are running through my mind, but I know we have time for all that.

“Roman?” she asks.

“He’s fine. He’s at my house with Riley and Kellan.”

She sighs in relief before laying her head back on my shoulder. “Thank God.”

I hear the ambulance sirens pulling up to the house. River interrupts us. “We should probably get her checked out. That looks like a bad cut on her head.”

He’s right. I know he is. But I’m having a hard time leaving this moment. Thankfully, Willa doesn’t move to unlatch herself from me, so I walk us to the front of the house.

“Willa, I am so sorry. I had no idea,” Nick tells her as we pass him.

She doesn’t bother lifting her head off my shoulder, and I can’t help the surge of possessiveness that rises in me that she’s choosing me over him. Not that I doubted she would, but it’s nice to have the reassurance.

“I know you didn’t, Nick. It’s ok,” she whispers in a sleepy voice. I’ll gladly hold her in my arms while she sleeps. In fact, I’m perfectly fine never letting her go again.

Nick looks back at the woods, where his brother is probably being apprehended, and follows us instead. I feel bad for the guy. I’d do anything for my brother, so I can’t imagine how it must feel to have your brother do something you can’t justify defending him for.

When we get to the front, one ambulance is already working on the officer Jake shot. It looks like the guy is awake, so he probably took the hit to his bulletproof vest. A second ambulance is just pulling up, and the paramedics rush over to us. They try to take her from me, but I refuse to put her down. I walk us both over to the back of the ambulance and sit her down inside the open doors, still holding her hand.

They go over her injuries with her.

“How did the head injury occur?”

Willa shrugs. “I’m not too sure. He hit me with something to get me out of the house. I think it was a brick, but I’m not sure. He also gave me some ibuprofen at some point. I’m not sure how long it’s been. My head was pounding.”

The paramedic winces. “Ok, that probably wasn’t a good idea. That can sometimes increase the risk of bleeding, but we’ll check you out. Where else are you hurt?”

She holds up her wrist. “I cut myself with the knife I was using the get the ropes off me.”

Jesus Christ. She cut her own wrists trying to escape from the asshole. If I had him alone, I would beat the shit out of him with my bare hands until he begged me to stop. But I wouldn’t. No one messes with my family.

Instead of running off to find the guy, I clench my jaw and watch as the paramedic takes Willa’s vitals, checks for a concussion, and cleans up her wounds.

“You have a concussion,” the paramedic announces. “We recommend you go to the ER to get further checked out after you talk to the police.”

Willa nods but doesn’t say anything. As much as I want to take her straight home, I know I need to make sure she’s ok.

* * *

Several hours later, we walk out of the hospital with instructions on what to watch for with a concussion. Willa’s been scanned, stitched up, and questioned by several officers.

We’re both exhausted, and I know she wants to get home to see Roman. She called him as soon as we had a quiet minute, and he was so excited to hear her voice that she started crying.

Kellan picked us up from the hospital because I rode in the ambulance with Willa. We sit in the back, and I hold Willa’s hand the entire ride.

Kellan doesn’t ask any questions during the ride home, even though I know he’s dying for more details than I texted him earlier.

I know Jake was shot and treated at the same hospital we were just at. The officers we spoke with said they had enough to have him locked up for a while. But I know from personal experience it’s never that easy. Tonight isn’t the time to think about that. Tonight, I’m just glad Willa is home safe and sound.

We pull up to the house, and Willa practically runs to the door. As soon as Roman sees her, he jumps off the couch where he’s been snuggled with Riley and into Willa’s arms. I stand behind her to steady her because she probably shouldn’t be lifting something as heavy as Roman with a concussion, but I’m not going to say anything to break up this reunion.