But she only wanted to go home, shower and crash.
With Armie.
So far, he’d barely let her out of his sight. After he’d helped her to dress, she started to zip up her jeans but he put his big hand over her bare belly and pressed his mouth to her temple.
“We’re okay,” she told him again, putting her hand over his. “I promise.”
Armie stayed silent a moment. She heard him swallow, then felt the near-reverent kiss he teased over her neck. “When will you tell him?”
She knew he meant Cannon. Armie hadn’t yet said anything to her brother, and she was glad. She didn’t want to make an announcement in a hospital. “Maybe after your fight, we can get together with him and Yvette for dinner and I’ll tell him then.”
“The guys at the gym will want to know, too.”
A thought occurred to her and, fighting a smile, she looked at Armie. “Did you want to tell them?”
He finished zipping her jeans for her, then lightly kissed her mouth. “I want to shout it to the whole world.”
So he wasn’t just accepting. He was happy? She licked dry lips. “Armie...” He watched her so intently that she stalled and had to try again. “I don’t want to pressure you.”
“Pressure me?” Far too serious, he gathered her close. “Do you know it kills me that, for even a second, you’d think that way?” He lifted her hand and pressed it to his heart. “You own me, Stretch. For better or worse. Today and forever.”
That sounded so close to a proposal, Rissy lost her breath. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t blink. Beneath her palm, Armie’s heartbeat grew heavy.
“Forget all my misguided intentions to let you find a better life with a better man.”
“Armie!” That’s what he’d thought? “I want you, and damn it, you are—”
“No one,” he said, interrupting her, “could ever love you as much as I do. I swear it.”
Her heart melted. That was the absolute sweetest, most wonderful thing anyone had ever said to her.
She was working up the nerve to ask him about the future when they were finally free to leave.
She and Armie reached the main waiting room to find it mostly filled with her visitors. It made her blush when everyone started greeting her at once. Sticking close beside her, Armie smiled as if proud.
Unlike the ambulance that had brought her in, her friends hadn’t parked in back at the emergency entrance. There were so many of them that she was glad they hadn’t remained in the small waiting area and instead had moved to the front of the hospital.
“Logan wants to talk to you more tonight,” Cannon told her. “But he got a call and had to take off for an hour or so.”
Biting back her groan, Merissa said, “That’s fine.”
“She’ll be at her house,” Armie told him. “With me.”
“Better late than never.” Cannon looked at each of them in turn, then smiled. “As long as it’s never again.”
“Now and always,” Armie assured him.
Merissa didn’t know how long it’d take her to get used to that, but she wanted to hear it for the rest of her life.
While the men clapped Armie on the back and heralded him for his good sense, Leese smiled at her, then lifted his palm for another high five. Laughing, Merissa kept her injured right arm close but slapped her left palm to his.
As a small crowd they exited the hospital. For once, Merissa didn’t mind that everyone pampered her. Her poor brother especially looked ravaged with worry, so she gave him extra hugs, and accepted his hugs in return even as her thoughts skipped ahead.
Now and always. So was Armie thinking about the future? And under what terms?
“Hey.” With his arm around her, Armie asked, “You okay?”
He was so attuned to her. Merissa nodded. For now, she decided to stop worrying about tomorrow so she could concentrate on the here and now.
Leese said, “I can get Lea back to her car if you want.”
Armie nodded, but asked Lea, “Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Merissa turned to the woman, who, so far, had been very quiet around her. Lea didn’t look like a monster, or an evil, conniving bitch. She looked like an average woman, who’d grown up.
Smiling at her, Merissa said, “Thank you.”
“For finally telling the truth?” Lea returned the smile. “It’s long overdue, and believe me, it’s my pleasure.”
Armie started to say something, but his gaze went to the far end of the parking lot.
Merissa looked but couldn’t see anything.
Armie took Cannon aside and said something that clearly enraged her brother. Cannon immediately went to the other men and they, too, disliked whatever they heard.
“What in the world?”
“Stay here,” Armie told her softly, then he ducked into a row of cars.
Leese showed up at her side. “Come on. Let’s get you to Armie’s truck.”
She dug in. “No way. Tell me what’s going on.”
Leese took her measure, came to some decision and bent close to say, “He’s here.”
He who? Rather than take a chance on distracting Armie, she followed Leese to the truck and got in on the passenger side. To her consternation, Lea got in the driver’s seat.
When Merissa looked through the windshield, she saw that the rest of the women had also disappeared to their respective cars. Only Leese and Cannon remained visible, but they immediately circled around the lot, going in different directions. Recognizing that they were up to something, she said to Lea, “Stack and Denver must be with the ladies.”
“Fascinating.” Lea held the steering wheel and looked around. “Any idea what’s going on?”
She shook her head, but spotted Armie when he stepped out from between a row of vehicles.
And that’s when she realized the man with his back to her, watching the emergency room exit, was Steve.
Was he waiting for her? But that didn’t make any sense. Steve had no way of knowing what had happened.
“That’s him,” Lea told her. “The man who came to see me. He really hates Armie.”
Lost in confusion, Merissa concentrated on Armie.
Unfortunately, when Steve spotted him, he turned and walked away—heading straight for the truck.
Armie shouted, “Don’t make me chase you, you bastard.”
Steve turned back to him and in a voice just as loud, said, “Where is she? Is she all right?”
Armie didn’t slow, and when he reached Steve, he grabbed him up by the throat and pinned him—hard—to a cement pier in the garage. Nose to nose, his every muscle bunching, Armie snarled, “You dare come here?”
Cannon and Leese showed up, flanking Armie.
Lea watched, her eyes wide.
Merissa covered her mouth. She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t like it.
“You sure about this?” Cannon asked Armie.
Lea opened the driver’s door and got out. “Even after I told him it was all a lie, he tried to convince me to keep it going.” Her chin lifted. “He offered me money.”
“Dumbass didn’t know she’s rich.”
“I’m not,” Lea said. “Daddy left his money to my stepmother.”