Page 82 of Fighting for Lucy

“You said you love me,” she whispered, totally in awe.

His brow furrowed like he hadn't even realized he’d said the words. “Is that … okay? Is it too soon? Damn, I didn't scare you off, did I?”

A laugh bubbled up inside her and she let it burst out. “Scare me off? Zander, what exactly did you think I meant when I said I would always be there for you?”

“That you wanted to support me?”

“And why do you think that was?”

“Scarlett?”

“No, not because of your sister. Because of you. Because from the first time I met you I felt something. Because even when I wasn’t sure if you could be trusted, I saw your pain and knew that whatever was going on deep down you were a good guy. Because the more time we spent together the more I fell. Because I could already see us having an amazing future with everything we both want, all our dreams coming true, everything we deserve,” she added.

When he winced at her final words, Lucy held out a hand to him, praying he would take it. They didn't have to sort everything out this very second, she just had to convince him not to give up on them.

Relief flooded her system when he reached out a shaking hand to grasp hers.

He wasn’t giving up.

That was all she could ask of him.

“I know you blame yourself for what happened to your team and for what happened to me. I don’t have a magic answer to take away your guilt, and I can't promise you that everything is going to be easy. We’ve both suffered major traumas, and dealing with them is going to be a bumpy road. All I'm saying is, I want to travel that road with you. Because I love you, too.”

For a second he just stared at her in shock, and then the sweetest, happiest smile broke out on his face and the fingers around hers squeezed. “You love me, too?” he asked hopefully, like he wasn’t sure he should let himself believe it.

“I'm practical, straightforward, and always say what I mean, but in case you still have doubts, I’m falling in love with you, Zander Madden. It’s been a crazy ride, and I'm terrified to face the aftermath of what happened to us, but knowing I can have you by my side makes it a little less scary. Stay with me? Always?”

“Always,” he echoed.

And as he reached out to carefully gather her into an embrace, Lucy felt her heart settle and her anxiety recede. The next few days, and weeks, and months were going to be tough. But she had Zander and that meant everything would work out in the end.

January 28th

4:12 P.M.

“How are you feeling?”Zander asked Lucy as he carried her into his house. Since she’d insisted on not remaining in the hospital in Germany and there was no medical reason why herdoctors could compel her to stay, Eagle Oswald had organized a flight back home for all of them.

Of course, the flight had come with a doctor and a nurse to monitor Lucy for the almost thirteen hours it took to fly back Stateside. But now the doctor was gone as was the nurse, and everyone else had gone to their respective homes—Scarlett and Tate once again caring for Lucy’s dog—so it was up to him to look after his woman.

Not that he wanted someone here per se, but he was terrified he was going to do something wrong and somehow make Lucy’s condition worse. Broken bones were just that. Broken bones that would take time to heal, and she didn't have any serious internal injuries. She’d been lucky, but he didn't want to push that luck. Especially not when he was still feeling raw and uncertain.

Uncertain about himself not about the gorgeous woman cradled in his arms.

“Like I fell out of a helicopter,” Lucy replied, an amused spark in her blue eyes. Since he had already asked her that at least a hundred times since she had insisted on coming home and signed herself out of the hospital, he could see why she might be amused and willing to make light of the situation.

But from where he was standing, it was the least amusing thing in the world.

While Lucy might have been the one to actually jump, she’d known what she was doing, weighed the pros and cons, come to the decision it was her best move, and taken the opportunity that presented itself.

He, on the other hand, had been forced to watch his woman just suddenly plummeting toward the earth without the aid of a parachute or anything else that might cushion her fall.

Those seconds were etched into his mind forever.

Even with everything he’d been through, everything he’d witnessed, that moment was the worst. Maybe because he’dnever expected to survive being captured with his team, or known about the tracker that had been implanted in Lucy, so he hadn't been expecting to survive that either. But once help came and he realized how close they were to going home, to think he was going to lose Lucy anyway was too much. Too painful. Too horrifying.

“How can you joke about that?” he asked in a strangled voice. Too many emotions were pulsing inside him, growing quicker than he knew how to cope with.

Eyes sobering, Lucy touched a kiss to his stubbled jaw. “I’m sorry, Zander. I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm okay. I'm sore, and it’s going to suck waiting for my injuries to heal, but Iamokay. I'm not dead, and I'm not going to die. My injuries are painful, and they don’t look good, I know I’m going to have scars, but they’re not life-threatening and, honestly, right now that’s all I care about. We both survived, and I'm happy and excited about that. For a while I didn't think we were going to, but we did, and I want to take this moment to rejoice in that fact because I can feel a storm building inside me.”

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