“What are you doing here?” she asked and leaned back to look up into his face. “What about your job? Did they let you leave, or did you just walk out?” She had a feeling it was the latter.
“I couldn’t let you go through this alone, Lena.” He cupped the back of her head and leaned down to kiss her. “I tried to do the right thing, the right way with the foreman. I told him it was a family emergency, but he flat out said if I left I couldn’t come back, and I wouldn’t be able to get any work with them down the road.”
She felt despair and sadness fill her over that. “Rory, you shouldn’t have left. I’m okay, would have been okay.”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t let you do this alone, Lena. I would have walked through fire to come back to you.” He smoothed her hair off her forehead and smiled down at her, sadness in his eyes. “You’ll go to college, do so damn well because you’re smart as hell. I’ll find work wherever you’re at and provide for us so you can focus on school.”
She was going to cry. God, was she going to cry. How in the hell had she gotten a man so loving and compassionate? Her heart swelled with so much emotion it felt like it would burst.
“You’re feeling okay, medically I mean?”
She nodded and rested her head on his chest. “I’m much better now.”
“What did the doctor say? You’ll be okay?” he asked again, and she smiled at the fact he sounded so worried and loved her so much.
“I’ll be fine.” She’d had to go back to the doctor for a follow-up and to make sure things were still okay, but she was good now, more than good because she had Rory here with her.
Pulling back and sitting on the edge of the bed, Rory stared down at her. She breathed in slowly and exhaled just as slowly.
“You’re not just some guy, but the guy I love, the one I want to be with forever.”
He smiled and cupped her cheek. “I love you, too, baby.”
She looked out the window again, knowing that as time passed this would be a little bump in the road of life, and that with time, she’d heal. As it was it felt like she lost something so big, lost something she didn’t really know she’d wanted so badly until it had been there, right there for her. She had so many things she still wanted to do, so many things she had planned.
The saying “things happen for a reason” had never felt truer than it did in the past few days, but she was glad she had the support of her parents and Rory here. Having them meant more than she’d ever be able to express in words, and she was so thankful she didn’t have to go through this alone.
Rory pulled her into his arms, onto his lap, and just held her. “I love you, baby. I want you to know I’m here for you. Always.”
“I love you.”
“And I’ll always love you, Lena. I will always be there for you.” He pulled back and stared down at her face. “I love you, more than anything in this world, and we’ll get through this together, baby.”
She smiled, and a tear slid down her cheek. He ran his thumb under her eye, collected the droplet, and wiped it away.
“God, I love you, Lena. Always.”
“I love you, too, Rory.”
He held her tightly again, kissed the top of her head, and stared out the bedroom window. He didn’t know what their future held, and this might be one of the hardest things they’d ever go through, but if they could get through this, then they could get through anything as long as they were together. And Rory wasn’t going to leave Lena, not ever. She was it for him.
Lena was the woman he’d die for, kill for. She was the reason he breathed, and he’d make sure they got through this because if he couldn’t comfort and be there for the woman he loved, then what was he good for?
15
Six months later
Whether Lena knew it or not, she held Rory’s heart in the palm of her hand. She was his world. His everything. And the baby she carried—his baby—was going to change things for them in only the best of ways.
Life really had no meaning for him without the love of this woman in his arms and the future they were building together.
He was the luckiest fucking guy in the world.
Rory pulled Lena closer to his body, buried his face in her hair, and closed his eyes as he inhaled. She smelled incredible and felt so damn good in his arms—a living, breathing dream come true. He slipped his hand down to her belly and growled in possessiveness as he felt the swollen roundness of it. She was big and round with their baby—his baby. He closed his eyes and felt nothing but happiness.