Damaged and the Outlaw (28 page)

As the sun set,
I ate a hospital meal and watched TV. Every few minutes, I glanced at the girl
on the bed and tried to see Raven. I struggled to remember her smile and laugh.
With her face so swollen, she didn’t seem like my love. I worried I’d lost her
because I brought Caleb to Ellsberg.

Eventually, the
nurse showed me how to turn the chair into a pull out bed. I thanked her, but
the thing was too damn small for me to fit on. Besides, I didn’t want to sleep
until Raven woke up. Finally, I gave into my weird little urge to kiss the
sleeping beauty. I needed to know she was okay. Know she wanted me to stay
because she still loved me. I felt nervous until her swollen lips twitched into
a smile after my kiss.

“Tell me a
story,” she mumbled while gripping my shirt with her good hand and tugging me
into the bed with her.

I adjusted our
bodies just enough for me to rest next to her. While the position wasn’t
comfortable, I finally relaxed at knowing my woman wanted me close.

Caressing her
battered face with my fingers, I loved how she smiled for me. Even in pain and
after a hellish day, she soothed my fears.

“Once upon a
time,” I said and she smiled again, “there was a lonely fool who wasted one day
after another of his life. One day, he met the most fascinating chick and she
quickly wrapped the fool around her finger. She loved him in the best way and
saved him from himself. He loved her too and only wanted for her to be happy
and safe.”

Hesitating, I frowned
at the sight of her suffering. As if knowing what I was thinking, she reached
up and ran a finger of my lips.

“More.”

“After the
evil…let’s call them gnomes because I hate those ugly little fuckers. So, once the
gnomes were destroyed, the fool and his lovely savior bought a big house for
all the beautiful blond babies they would have together.”

As Raven smiled
at this idea, my uneasiness faded.

“Their kids all
had names with a V in them to honor their hot parents.”

Raven laughed
then moaned at the gesture. Still, she kept smiling for me.

“The fool, his
beautiful woman, and their army of glorious babies played videogames, bowled,
and roller skated. They were always happy and never sad in a town with their
friends and family. They all lived happily ever after.”

Raven swollen
lips smiled enough to show her missing tooth. Even though she was essentially
blind with her battered eyes, she knew I’d seen her mouth and covered it with
her hand.

“You’re
beautiful, darling. Nothing will ever change that.”

Raven grunted,
unconvinced.

“There’s more to
love about you than your beauty.”

Another grunt
followed by a hint of a pout.

“Sugar, if I got
all banged up and my stunning good looks were damaged, you’d still love me,
right?”

Raven laughed,
but said nothing, so I answered for her.

“Of course, you
would. My amazing personality and giant brain would keep you horny even if my
hot body wasn’t at its best.”

Laughing harder
now, Raven leaned against me. “I liked your story.”

“Unlike most
fairytales, this one is coming true.”

“Promise.”

“All my life, I
accepted what I was given. I was lazy, I guess, and I never dreamed big. With you,
I have a dream I refuse to give up. I will never let you go even if I need to
bring out the chloroform again.”

Normally, Raven
would give me her grumpy glare at the mention of chloroform. This time, she
sighed with relief.
I was still hers.
I couldn’t imagine her worrying
about this fact, but she clearly had until my promise. We were finally free and
nothing was driving us apart again.

Flowers filled
my hospital room. The girls in the Storm Babes sent a beautiful arrangement
while the Johanssons sent another. Lark and Aaron sent me balloons along with a
teddy bear riding a Harley.

Most gifts were
from Vaughn who ordered them off his phone whenever I dozed. If I was awake, he
would talk to me about anything that popped into his head. Some of it was pure
lunacy based on his lack of sleep. The bed wasn’t comfortable for him and he
hated sleeping away from me on the pull out bed. We needed to get home where he
could stretch out while remaining close to me.

A few hours
before I left the hospital, Dylan wheeled himself into my room. I think the
nurse wanted to do it, but she had a bitchy vibe and he was clearly avoiding
her. My leg was no longer elevated and I wore actual clothes instead of a gown.
Even looking as normal as I had managed since arriving at the hospital, I was clearly
a mess based on his pained expression.

“You took a
bullet to save those girls,” I said as he watched me.

A pale Dylan
shrugged then flinched at the pain of the movement. “In my head, I would stop
the bastards without getting shot. Didn’t really work out that way.”

“Very brave
though.”

Looking pale,
Dylan nodded. “I’m sorry I kicked your ass that day. I never really thought of
you as a girl.”

“That’s okay,” I
said reaching for his hand. “I’m sorry I kicked your ass worse and made you
look like a girl.”

Dylan smirked.
“And our gentle moment is over.”

“Are they
releasing you soon?”

“Tomorrow. I
should have gone home sooner, but I got a light fever the other night. Man,
they lost their fucking minds. I think they just wanted to jack up the bill.”

“Probably. You
look fine to me. Even like you might be faking the whole getting shot thing.”

Dylan smiled. “I
hope the fucker who did that to you is dead.”

Through the
conversation, Vaughn said nothing. He didn’t have to speak. When Dylan
mentioned the guy hurting me, he and Vaughn shared a secret man signal.
Whatever their man antennas announced, Vaughn decided to push Dylan back to his
room. That way, the bitchy nurse wouldn’t hassle him.

“Outlaw turned
sweetie pie,” I said when he returned.

Vaughn proceeded
to give me a look that would lead to sex in any other situation.

During the ride
from the hospital to Vaughn’s apartment, I was thinking sex. No matter what he
said about how I was his, I worried he found me less appealing. The swelling
was gone around most of my face, but I had two black eyes, a healing nose, and
a missing tooth. When I glanced in the mirror, I didn’t look like me. Feeling
insecure, I needed to know Vaughn still wanted me.

Limping with a broken
leg, I needed crutches to go more than a few steps. Plus, I was weak from the
pain drugs. My normal tough body was suddenly vulnerable and I was afraid to be
away from Vaughn for more than a few minutes.

While I was in
the hospital, Bailey dropped off my clothes and a few other belongings
including Fair Bear at Vaughn’s apartment. We arrived home after three days in
the hospital. As soon as we were in the apartment, Vaughn helped me into bed
then sat on the edge. When I looked at him, he seemed a little lost.

“Can I sleep
naked?” I asked. “My skin feels better without the clothes scratching against
it.”

Saying nothing, Vaughn
helped me undress. His blue eyes studied me lying on the bed, but showed no
arousal. Instead of passion, he watched me like a hurt child. I sensed he was
confused about how to behave.

Reaching for a
little confidence, I asked, “Do you want to get naked too? That way, I won’t
feel so underdressed.”

Vaughn finally
smiled then yanked off his shirt, followed by the rest of his clothes. Crawling
into bed next to me, he feared touching me. The bruises reminded him of his
failures. Or maybe they made me too ugly to desire. We were both so insecure.
Even afraid of his rejection, I needed to be brave for both of us.

Using my good
hand, I ran my fingers over his chest, teasing the thick hair and wolf tattoo.
Vaughn exhaled in an exhausted way.

“I missed you,”
I whispered.

Vaughn’s lips
found mine immediately. Tenderly, he kissed me as his hand caressed my breast.

“I’m afraid to
hurt you,” he admitted after a lingering kiss.

“Just be gentle.
No caveman sex for a while.”

Vaughn stared
into my eyes then finally said the words. “I’m sorry.”

“You saved me. I
knew you’d come and you did. Now, we’re free to start our lives together.”

“I should have
warned you.”

Shaking my head,
I cupped his face. “If I’d stayed in the house, he would have been waiting for
us when you got home. It’s just as likely that we’d both be dead instead of
him. There are millions maybes that don’t matter. What does matter is he’s dead
and you saved me.”

“You saved me
too, baby cakes.”

“I’m proud of
how brave I was. I didn’t want to die, but I wanted to save you more. I wanted
to protect my friends and Lark. When I was a kid sometimes I would freeze in those
situations and get so mad at myself afterwards. That day with Caleb, I didn’t
freeze.”

“I find bravery
very sexy,” he said, stroking my nipple. “Do you find my showing up nearly too
late sexy?”

“Not really. I
find you shutting up and fucking me sexy though. You being tough on yourself is
actually a turn off.”

Grinning, he
kissed each of my cheeks then brushed his lips against mine.

“I’m going to be
so gentle, but make you come so hard. It’s going to be like magic.”

Running my
fingers through his hair, I sighed as his lips grazed my tender skin. Vaughn
kept his word too. He was unbearably gentle and I did come hard repeatedly. It
was just a relief to have him in my arms and know he desired me.

The next few weeks
as my bruised ribs healed, we learned to play in gentle ways. While caveman sex
would have to wait until I was completely healed, every moment together gave us
the reassurance we needed. Our fears from that ugly day faded. Soon, they were
no more than bad memories from another life.

My vanity
prevented me from spending too much time with people until my tooth was fixed.
Once I could look into the mirror and see Raven instead of the swollen
stranger, I agreed to join our friends for dinner at Cooper and Farah’s house.

On the drive
over, we passed a few houses on sale in the still rather new neighborhood. They
were all fancy compared to those I grew up in and any would be an improvement
over Vaughn’s “temporary” living situation. One house though spoke to me.

Vaughn stopped
the car in the front of the house like he did whenever we spotted a “For Sale”
sign. Leaning over me to check out the house, his expression broke my heart. He
wasn’t a twenty six year old man looking for houses, but a boy searching for a
home like he never had growing up.

“It’s my
favorite so far,” I said, stroking his face.

Vaughn glanced
at me and grinned like a stud. “If it’s half as nice on the inside, I think we
might have a winner.”

We both studied
the yellow house on the tree lined street. Unlike the surrounding houses, it
wasn’t covered in brick. The style felt more farmhouse than suburban oasis. Two
stories and big, the house was new, yet looked lived in. A family called it
home for now. They were leaving, but I imagined our family inside. A good sized
Oak tree in the front yard might be strong enough one day to hold a tire swing.

“My kids are
going to love this house,” Vaughn whispered, leaning back into his seat. “We’ll
call the realtor on Monday. I’ll carry you up the stairs if I have to, but I
want to see that house.”

“The schools are
good in this area. Farah told me that once. We want our kids to go to good
schools.”

Grinning, Vaughn
started driving. “Big yard too. I can throw the ball around with the kids in a
yard like that. Take them to the park we saw driving in.”

“Will you throw
the ball around with the girls too?”

“Fuck yeah. My
girls need to know how to throw and catch a spiral.”

When Vaughn
winked at me, the last part of my uncertainties died. We were finally free and
beginning a new life.

Vaughn parked
his truck on the street in front of Cooper’s big house. I made quick work of
the walk up the drive with crutches, but the front steps on their deck were
tricky. As Vaughn picked me up, Cooper opened the door and frowned.

“Working my glutes,”
Vaughn said, causing me to laugh.

At the barbecue,
everyone treated me with kid gloves until Harlow and Winona arrived. While the
blonde smiled easily and her bruises were healed, her adopted sister mostly hid
behind her hair while avoided talking to anyone. With someone else to pity, I
was in the clear.

Harlow
got her break
from the sympathy train when Dylan arrived. Lark babied him a lot while Aaron
just frowned. Was Dylan a member of the family or a former suitor? For me, he
was family. Like an annoying cousin I enjoyed in small doses. Sitting at a
table, I mocked his Mohawk while he told people I got injections to make my
lips so big. Sweeter than sweet Lark ordered us to be nice then proceeded to
claim we both wet the beds growing up. Yes, Dylan was definitely family.

Bailey braided
my hair then Lark’s. My sister ended up with a few braids sticking straight
out. Farah received the double braid effect. Tawny decided to avoid her turn by
chasing Sawyer in the yard while the dogs chased them both. Watching his woman
play tag, Judd smiled in a way I rarely saw from the grumpy guy. Clearly, the
new medicine and finally moving into their place had calmed Tawny.

By the time
Vaughn had his hair braided, I was in stitches. Harlow laughed too and I even
noticed Winona smiling under hair. My man stood up with his double braids and
flexed a few muscles.

“I’m manly
enough for any hairstyle.”

Even as the guys
gave him shit for this statement, the girls all agreed my man was buff enough
for braids. Vaughn just winked at me then decided he would go maternal by
holding Scarlet. Like any girl, the baby enjoyed his attention.

“I’m glad you’re
here,” Lark whispered in my ear.”

“Me too. I
missed everyone.”

Bailey finally
gave up coaxing Tawny to get braids. Flopping into a chair, she sighed loudly.
When no one noticed, she sighed again even louder. I decided to baby her a
little while my man played Uncle. Wobbling over to Bailey, I caressed her hair.

“One or two
braids?” I asked.

Bailey leaned
back and smiled at me like I was the best person in the world. “Two please.”

Cooper and
Tucker frowned at their sister’s manners. I just shared her smile and worked on
her hair. When I had trouble with my casted arm, Lark stood next to me and
helped.

Surrounded by
family and friends, I was blessed. Like an idiot, I ran away from home with big
plans. Like any idiot, I crashed and burned.

Returning to
Ellsberg, I lowered my expectations on what my future would offer. Instead of
giving me the bare minimum, life blessed me with a sister in love, new friends,
and the man of my dreams. I literally never fantasized of a life as amazing as
the one before me.

As if feeling
the same way, Vaughn held Scarlet and grinned at me. No longer the outlaw, he
finally had a family, home, and future.