Page 205 of Surprisingly Us

She nods, still looking shell shocked, and I let the security guard show me the way out.

CHAPTER 63

Colette

I wake up around two in the morning, my back cold where it once was warm from Rhys’s body.

Last night, when we got home from the hospital, after the adrenaline crash, I’d slept hard. But now, the soreness from the accident has started to settle into my muscles, and everything is tender.

Slowly, I lift myself to sitting, my head swimming a little with the motion.

The moment I do, a movement in the corner of the room catches my attention.

The dark shadow sitting in the chair moves forward and into the light coming from the open window shades, highlighting Rhys’s face. The spike in my heart rate eases at the sight of him.

“You scared me. What are you doing over there?” I ask.

“You shouldn’t be moving like that,” is his response.

He’s beside me now, guiding me back into a prone position. When he starts to move away, I reach for his forearm.

“Then come back to bed.”

“I can’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“So, you’re going to watch me sleep? While it sounds romantic in theory, in practice, it’s kind of creepy.”

“Fuck.” He sighs. “I’m sorry.”

Even in the dim light, I can make out the dark circles around his eyes. For a man who says he can’t sleep, he looks exhausted.

He’d told me what happened with Jerrod at the hospital. How Jerrod had confessed to hiring a photographer to follow us in hopes of exposing old habits that he could use to undermine Rhys’s character for the upcoming board vote. But instead, the photographer had fed into social media’s desire to know more about mine and Rhys’s relationship and he’d gotten more aggressive, like chasing me on the street.

Rhys climbs back into bed, and I settle my head onto his chest. With the lump on the back of my head, this is the perfect position to be in.

“I’m going to apologize in advance if I drool on you,” I tell him.

That earns me a light chuckle, and it warms my chest to hear him at ease if even for a moment.

Rhys’s hand slips under the back of my t-shirt, his fingertips dancing against my skin in soothing strokes. And with my ear to his chest, the steady heartbeat of the man I love lulls me to sleep.

The next time I wake up, it’s nine o’clock in the morning but I’m alone again.

After using the restroom and brushing my teeth, I find Ramsey and Sebastian in my living room. Mo and Maxine are snuggling in the cat bed next to the window like it’s a just a normal Saturday.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” Sebastian asks.

I rub the back of my head where the lump from my fall yesterday is tender. “Like I fell off a curb and hit my head.”

“Colette,” Sebastian scolds mockingly.

Ramsey’s eyes widen, but even with his lips pressed together, a pfft of air escapes.

I smile. “What? Too soon?”

Ramsey shrugs. “Humor is a form of coping mechanism.”

Sebastian studies me. “I didn’t know it’s yours.”

---