Defiant Heir (The Heirs 3)

A burst of laughter escapes me and wanting him to feel better, I tease, “I hardly got to take in anything. I feel cheated. We’ll have to do a repeat once you’re better.”

Kao chuckles but instantly stops, and a flash of pain tightens his features again. I rinse the cloth and let it rest over his forehead so I can massage his temples.

After a couple of minutes, Kao says, “I haven’t had the eyedrops yet. Will you be able to help me?”

“Of course.” I glance at the three bottles next to his bed. “Is there a specific order?”

“No.”

Reaching for the first bottle, I uncap it then lean over Kao. Feeling nervous, I whisper, “Tell me if I do something wrong.”

I drop the liquid into his eyes and watch as he blinks. Sitting back, I put the bottle down on its place, then I ask, “For how long do you have to use the eye drops?”

“The doctor didn’t say. It all depends on the healing, but it will probably be for a year or more.”

“I’ll have to get used to this then,” I tease, and it makes the corner of Kao’s mouth lift again.

I administer the other two bottles, waiting a couple of minutes in between like Noah told me. When I’m done, I ask, “How do you feel?”

“If I say bad will you stay?” Kao asks, making me grin at him.

“I’m already late for class, so I have nowhere to be.” I glance at his closet. “I might as well arrange your clothes now.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Kao chuckles. “Then I can take you for dinner later.”

I instantly freeze, feeling a tremor of shock.

My silence has Kao saying, “If it’s too soon, we can wait?”

I shake my head, then stammer, “Are… are you asking me on a date?”

“Yes, and seeing as the first attempt was such an epic fuck up, I have some serious damage control to do.”

I still feel the embers of heartbreak, but my hope of being with Kao keeps growing by the second, and it makes me feel over-emotional.

We were so happy together.

Now Kao’s fighting to get his sight back, and I have hideous scars.

“Fallon?” Kao whispers. His eyes soften on me, and he reaches a hand up, taking hold of my arm. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head. “It’s so unfair,” I whisper. “I can’t… believe what happened to us.”

“We’ll be okay,” he murmurs, and sitting up, he pulls me into his arms.

I’ve heard those words from everyone and never believed them for a second. But hearing Kao say them is really all I needed.KAONot wanting to let go of Fallon, I say, “We didn’t get much sleep last night. Wanna nap with me?”

She nods, and I quickly move to the middle of the bed.

“Just taking off my shoes.”

When she’s done, she first drops the cloth back in the water, and it has me saying, “You can leave it off. The migraine is starting to fade.”

“Good.” Fallon slides into bed next to me, and I hold my right arm open so she can lie down against me. When her body curls into mine, I bring my left hand to her head and press her down on my shoulder.

She stiffens for a moment, and knowing why, I murmur, “Don’t worry about the scars. They don’t bother me at all.”

After a couple of seconds, Fallon whispers, “I can’t help but think of them. They’re hideous.”

Turning on my side so I can face her, I hold her tightly to my chest. “You’re still the most beautiful woman to me.”

Fallon presses closer to me, hiding her face against my chest.

Feeling she needs to understand how important she is to me, I admit, “I never got to tell you, and if it’s one thing this whole ordeal taught me, it’s that tomorrow is not guaranteed.” I pull a little back, and as my eyes try to focus on her face, I wish my sight would return this moment so I can see every detail of her and the color of her eyes. Pushing my own struggle to the side, I continue, “You are the most important person in my life, Fallon. You’re my beginning and end. That’s why I lost my shit when I heard you got hurt. If anything were to happen to you because of me, I wouldn’t survive.”

“But it wasn’t your fault. The truck driver fell asleep and crashed into us,” Fallon reminds me.

“Still, it’s my duty to protect you, and I feel like I failed you.”

“You didn’t,” she whispers, emotion welling in her voice.

We’re moving off-topic now, and I need to bring my point across. “No matter what you look like or what happens in the future, I love you, and I always will. I’ll never let you down again. I promise.”

I hear her breath hitch, and then she asks, “Do you pity –”