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Carlson pushed past us, snagging his leg on my chair and shoving it back into my mom. He didn’t stop and apologize, only stormed out of the police station without looking back.
By the time I turned toward Agent Hernandez, she was no longer by Van’s side. She was halfway to the hallway she’d appeared from earlier, only this time with a little less anger in her steps.
Joss nearly collapsed against Van’s side and my dad pulled Mom into a hug. I would have wrung my hands together if I could have. Instead, I stared after Hernandez, waiting to catch sight of Lee.
It took forever. It took hours and a day. But finally, I could see Lee’s head of copper hair bobbing along that hallway. He was rubbing the wrist of his left hand, his brow furrowed as he scanned the room. When his eyes locked on mine, my heart leapt to my throat.
Lee’s face crumpled and his unsure steps disappeared as he raced my way. He squeezed his big body through the crowd of cops who hadn’t stopped gawking until he was there in front of me, collapsing to his knees before he pulled me into his chest.
“Kelly.” It sounded like a sob—like the sob that his presence wrenched from my throat. I clung to him with my good hand as he wrapped himself around me, damn near pulling me out of my chair in order to get closer to me. “You’re here.”
“I couldn’t stay away.” I edged back, losing the tears that had been clinging to my lashes. They left hot streaks across my cheeks that Lee tried to wipe away. They were relentless, not stopping even as Lee pressed his lips to mine.
“Was so worried about you,” he whispered, kissing me again. “So worried you’d be sitting there in your hospital bed, thinking I left you. Didn’t have a way to tell you.”
“But you did.” I wiped a tear from his cheek as he tilted his head to one side. A hint of a smile tipped my lips. “Van and Joss came to see me.”
“Joss?” Lee leaned back on his heels and looked over his shoulder. His gaze locked on Joss, then his brow furrowed as his mouth gaped. “The hell?”
Joss was practically wrapped around a man I could only assume was Rylan, their foreheads touching and their mouths just a whisper apart. At Lee’s voice, she jolted slightly, then loosened her grip just enough so she could turn our way without letting Rylan fall.
She smiled, but it was all teeth and guilt and embarrassment. “Hey, boss!”
Lee ran his tongue over his front teeth and shot a glance my way. “Someone wanna tell me what the fuck is going on here?”
Rylan shifted on his crutches, and the biggest, cockiest grin I’d seen in my entire life flashed across his face. “We’re married.”
“Married.” Lee licked his lips, then gripped my hand like he needed some strength. “When’d that happen?”
“Oh,” Joss said, nothing but a sigh. “A few years ago.”
“A few—” Lee’s mouth worked, but only fragments of sentences came out. “But you’re— I thought—”
Behind us, deep laughter sounded. Van ran a hand over his face, but it didn’t wipe away his smile. “Never seen Lee speechless before.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Rylan offered. “Just hang around with me some more.”
Lee groaned before pointing an accusatory finger at Rylan and Joss. “We will be talking about this.” He turned his attention back to me and his expression melted until there was nothing but pure love in his eyes. “You okay?”
I shrugged, then squeezed his hand. “I’ve been better.”
“Let’s get you home to rest.”
Home.
From Lee’s mouth, it was the sweetest word. As long as I had him with me, it was the only place I wanted to be.
Mom and Dad helped load me back into their car, then Lee climbed in front, pushing the seat all the way back so his long legs could fit. I clung to him as we drove, needing the reassurance that we were really here.
Me and Lee. My mom and my dad.
For the first time in a really, really long time, I was happy.
32
LEE
“You sure you’re okay?” I stared down at Kelly with a crooked smile on my face as she glared back up at me with so much fake anger in her eyes it was comical.
