Lucky in Love (Southern Bride 4)

“You can all go home now,” I said, frustration etched in my voice.

“I’ll make sure he’s checked out, don’t worry,” Roger said as he squeezed Saryn’s arms lightly. “And I’ll bring him some clothes to wear home after the surgery.”

“Thank you,” I said at the same time as Saryn.

When we were finally alone, Saryn took my hand in hers. “When I read the note from Ryan, I panicked. I ran upstairs and grabbed Liliana, and I noticed Rus was limping. I didn’t know what to do. It was either come here or try and get him to the vet with Liliana in tow.”

“I’m sorry you left the house so late, and with Liliana. You didn’t have to do that,” I said as I pulled her to me and kissed her.

“I called Ryan, and he told me not to come, but I had to. I needed to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“What in the world happened, Truitt? And why are you in my robe?”

Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “We fell asleep, obviously. Liliana woke me up and told me she had a bad dream. She wanted me to read her a book. I knew I had to get her back to her room, and I didn’t want to wake you up. I figured if you saw your daughter in your room and you knew she had seen me in your bed, you would freak out. So I asked Liliana to bring me your robe and then told her to turn and close her eyes and I slipped it on. I took her back up to bed, read her a story, then took Rus out. He took off after a cat, which made me take off after him. Honestly, I can’t believe I didn’t wake you up screaming for the bastard to come back.”

She giggled and shook her head. “You wore me out, Mr. Carter. I was in a deep, peaceful sleep.”

With a wink, I went on talking. “Anyway, I somehow ended up tearing my knee, and Ryan showed up because you know, that would be my luck.”

Her hand covered her mouth, and she at least tried not to laugh.

“I’m sorry. Are you sure you want to be with a guy who’s so accident prone?”

Saryn wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me the sweetest smile I’d ever seen. If I had been standing, my legs would have wobbled.

“Yes, I’m sure. Besides, look how sexy you are in my robe.”

The door to the room opened and Saryn took a step back. The doctor smiled and introduced himself to us, then proceeded to tell me about the surgery, the recovery, and how if I used ice therapy I would most likely be up and walking in a few days.

Before I knew it, I was being taken into surgery with Saryn walking by my side. Before they brought me into the operating room, she leaned down and kissed me.

“I’ll see you in a few.”

My head felt foggy and I was fighting sleep, but somehow I managed to speak. “See you soon. Love you.”

Saryn froze, and before I could say anything else, I closed my eyes.

I didn’t remember much of the drive home from the hospital, and when I woke up, I found myself back in a strange bedroom. My head felt clearer, and I looked down to see I had something wrapped around my knee. I reached down and touched it, only to pull my hand back from the cold.

“Ice therapy,” I whispered, remembering what the doctor had said.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

The voice from the door caused me to look up. It was my brother.

“Hey. I feel like I’ve slept for days.”

He laughed. “You haven’t slept for days, but you have been out of it since you woke up. Trying to get you out of the hospital and into this room was a challenge.”

I glanced around the room. “Where am I?”

“Saryn’s guest bedroom. She insisted I bring you back to her house so she could take care of you. I have to say, I think she’s sorta into you, bro.”

Smiling, I felt my heart rate speed up some. “Yeah, I’m into her, too. A lot.”

He nodded and sat down in the chair next to the bed. “You made that clear when you told her you love her.”

I stilled, then slowly looked at my brother. “I did what?”

The bastard took a drink of his coffee in an attempt not to show he was smiling. “You told her you love her. Not just once. But twice.”

“Twice?”

The memory of being brought into the operating room came rushing back to me. It had felt so right to say it, even though I knew it wasn’t the right time. We’d had one date. One. Two if you counted our time in the hospital.

“I remember the first time now. It kind of slipped out.”