And when he opened his eyes again—she refused to believe he wouldn’t—she was going to make sure he knew she never intended to let him go again.
***
Hugh punched through the layers of consciousness, knowing there was some reason he couldn’t sleep in today. He tried to roll over, but he must be tangled in the sheets because somehow his legs were trapped.
“Hugh?” Amelia’s voice penetrated the fog. “You need to be still.”
His mind traveled some intriguing paths of exactly what she might have in mind for him, except the more awake he became the more he realized he hurt like hell. His leg. His head. Both throbbed like a son of a bitch.
With the pain, the memories came flooding free, of Jocelyn taking Amelia hostage, of the earthquake after. His eyes snapped open. He opened his eyes and instead of a sky, he saw a metal roof with cables, heard the roar of jet engines.
Amelia leaned over him, smiling, tears streaking tracks through the grime on her face. God help him, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.
“Amelia?”
She touched his face with featherlight strokes. “You hit your head, which is why you passed out, and your ankle’s broken. You’re on an airplane heading to the States.”
He grinned back at her. “Which means you are on a plane heading to the States.”
“You are correct,” she said, shaking her head and laughing through more tears.
Reaching up, he knuckled aside the dampness on her cheeks. “And everyone else? What happened?”
“Your team, my family, they’re all fine. Aiden and Lisabeth are across the row with Joshua.”
While unable to move his head, he scanned the seated passengers and was able to find the family seated together. Joshua played with his new father’s glasses while his mother fed her son a banana. Hugh’s throat went tight at the sight of Joshua’s six teeth gleaming with his smile. The family tableau was… perfection.
Amelia kissed his forehead. “Thank you for making that possible.”
“You held up your end.” And then some.
“Well, my brother wants me to let you know he’s permanently on call for you if you need him.”
“I’m sure having an extra doctor on hand came in handy after I passed out.” He tried to put together the sequence of events in his head. “What happened to Jocelyn?”
“She’s dead. The baby she had with her is still on the island, with the military nurse in custody for questioning.”
All the pieces fell into place, neatly tied up in his mind. The nightmare was past and Amelia was safe. “It’s finally over then.”
She placed her hand on his chest, on his heart. “Actually, I was hoping that this is actually the beginning for us.”
Hoping his knocked-around brain wasn’t playing tricks on him, he said, “You’ll need to spell that out a little more for me. I’m still kinda thick from the blow to the head and I wouldn’t want to misunderstand.”
“I believe we shared something very special this past week and I don’t want to lose that.” She stared back at him with those beautiful cornflower blue eyes that had so captivated him from the start. “We may not have known each other long, but it’s long enough for me to be absolutely certain that I love you, Hugh Franco. What’s more, I’m in love with you, so much so, you’ve filled my heart and life in ways I never even imagined was possible.”
His hand fell to rest on top of hers and he wished he could hold her. He let the words sink into him and settle, his future coming into focus again for the first time in five years.
“You do have a way with words, madam lawyer.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, lingering before putting her hand back on his chest. He wanted to do more, but aside from being strapped to a litter, they had a cargo hold full of people around them. “I want to see you again after we get back to the States.”
“See me?” Her fingers drew small circles on his chest.
“Date you, be your boyfriend, buy you flowers and candy, take you on dates.” Give her all the romance there hadn’t been time for while they were on the run. Let her know how much he treasured the gift of having her in his life.
“I like the sound of that very much.” She leaned forward, her hair draping over him and offering a silken curtain of privacy as her mouth met his.
This kiss wasn’t as long or frenzied as others they’d shared, but the ease with which they came together, the way they connected… He was a lucky man.
“I love you, Amelia Bailey,” he said against her lips.