I frowned at her, Luke saying the same thing to me flashing back through my mind.

“Leet, did he hurt you? Did he touch you? Please, speak to me.” I reached up, my fingers running over the faded bruises on her cheek.

“Nothing I couldn't handle.” She smiled briefly. “Honestly? I'm glad you don't remember. I wish I didn't,” she added softly. I reached for her hand, hating that I couldn’t do anything for her.

Thank fuck Luke was dead, because given the chance, I’d kill the fucker over and over again.

“Anyway,” Leeta smiled. “All that matters now is that you get better.”

“One more question,” I said. “Why the fuck did you involve Ben?” I wasn’t angry with her, it was just that my pride was wounded because she had called him over me.

Leet held up her hand. “Before you say anything else, you should probably know that the only reason you and I are standing here now is because of Ben.”

Great, that's all I needed: I owed my life to her ex-fiancé.

I nodded. “Okay,” I said, letting the subject drop. “Go home and get some rest, okay? Please tell me you haven’t been sitting here the last three days, waiting for me to wake up.”

“Of course I have,” she scoffed. “I was worried about you. I wasn't going to leave you.”

She was worried about me. God, I like hearing that. I pulled her towards me, and then winced as pain shot through my chest.

“What are you doing?” she chastised, pushing me back down.

“I was trying to kiss you,” I grumbled

“All you had to do was ask,” she whispered. She leaned towards me, her lips pressing softly against mine.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Leeta

I walked back into the living room for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Are you sure I can't get you anything else?” I asked. I was mothering him, but I couldn’t help it.

“Jesus, Leet, just relax. If I need anything I promise you’ll be the first to know.” He motioned for me to join him on the couch. Walking over, I carefully curled up next to him. He winced, and I looked up at him, alarmed.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine,” he chuckled. “I'm a big boy, Leet. I can handle a little pain.”

“I just don’t like seeing you like this,” I muttered, frowning. He kissed my forehead as his fingers gently stroked my arm.

I'd been so scared of losing him that I was turning into the kind of girlfriend I swore I’d never become. If the past few days had taught me anything, it was the value of life, and how important it was to live while you could.

I was ready to put the last few weeks behind us and move forward.

I leaned up and kissed him, my lips tenderly pressing against. His fingers brushed over my cheek, cradling my neck as our kiss deepened.

“God, I love you,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. “I'm so sorry. About everything. I never meant to hurt you. I hate myself for what I've done to you.”

I kissed him again, our lips melting into one.

“I love you, too. What you did, it hurts, but I know your heart was in the right place. I'll get over it, so long as you swear to me there will be no more secrets. I want to move forward with you, not dwell on the past.”

“I don't deserve you,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“You do. You do deserve me, Mace. You need to start believing that.”

#

I arrived home from work to find Mace doing the laundry. I laughed, and hugged him, leading him back over to the couch. His arm was still in a sling, and I could see the pain in his face every time he breathed in.

“Would you just sit down and rest? You’re not going to get better if you keep wearing yourself out,” I said, sitting him down.

“You don’t understand how fucking boring it is, sitting around watching fucking daytime TV,” he groaned. “I mean, shit. I’ve been setting my alarm so I don’t miss Dr Phil.”

I laughed and kissed him, snuggling up against his chest, his arms wrapping around me. He winced, and stretched himself out.

“Sore?” I asked, wishing I could take the pain away.

“Yeah, but it’s okay.” He smiled. “Finn came around before. And I had a call from someone.”

“Yeah? Who?” I asked, curious.

“Ben.” His eyes twinkled.

“Ah,” I grinned. “The guy you really want to hate but can’t.”

He shrugged. “He’s not so bad. I guess I can’t hate the guy who saved my life.”

I giggled, and kissed him, “Aww, you guys will be best friends before you know it,” I teased. He rolled his eyes.

“I doubt it, Leets.” He paused. “Hey, complete change of subject, but how would you feel about meeting my family?”

Really? My mouth fell open. He wanted me to meet his family? Where had this come from?

“Yes, of course,” I said, hugging him, trying not to let on how terrified the idea made me. What if they hated me? Criminals didn’t usually take too kindly to prosecutors.

I could do this.  Just like he sucked it up and met Dad, I will do this. For him.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Mace

I can't believe I'm doing this.

If nothing else had scared her off, meeting my family was probably going to.

I looked at Leeta beside me. She smiled and squeezed my hand.

“Nervous?” I asked.

“Nope.” She shrugged. “How bad can it be, right?”

Famous last words…

We walked through the visitors’ area hand in hand. I spotted Dad and Cash sitting at a table over in the corner.  I groaned as Dad stood up and waved. Never had my father looked so pleased to see me. Ever. Since I told him I was bringing Leet in to meet him, he had gone all…soft on me. It freaked me out.

Oh God, he’s even brushed his hair.

“Hi, Dad.” I nodded at Cash. “This is Leeta. Leet, this is my Dad, Ronald, and my brother, Cash.”

She put out her hand. Dad took it. Raising it to his mouth, he kissed it.

What the hell is he doing? Leet giggled as Cash shot me a horrified look. Both of us were thinking the same thing; what the fuck was up with Dad.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you. I was beginning to think my boy was ashamed of us,” he laughed. We sat down. This was so awkward. Leet made small talk with Dad while Cash and I sat there silently, wishing this visit would end.

I’d wanted to bring Leet to show her how serious I was about her. This was the best way I could think to do that. I wasn’t sure how she was doing it, but my rough as guts father was captivated by her. Not that I blamed him.

Under the table, I reached over and put my hand on her thigh, giving it a squeeze.

“So,” I said, turning to my brother. “Up for parole soon, huh?”

“Yeah, in a couple of months. Probably won't be approved, though.” He said it so casually, like it was no big deal. I guess when you’re used to being imprisoned; you get to a point where you lose hope. In Cash’s case, he’d fucked up chance after chance.

“You know,” I sighed; knowing what I was about to say would make Leet happy. “When you get out, I can give you a hand with the job. Help you find somewhere to stay. If you actually want to make a go of it this time, that is.”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, that would be good.”

“Also,” Leet cut in, leaning across the table, “If you’re willing to do an addiction program in the lead-up to your parole, I could have a word to someone on the board. It might help.”

Cash erupted into laughter, stopping when he saw my expression.

“Yep, sure. Whatever I need to do,” he muttered. Fuck, he was acting like a child.

“Good,” said Leet, a smile spreading across her lips. “I’ll set it up on Monday.”

We hung around for another half hour, making small talk to avoid the awkward silences. It was a short visit, but a step in the right direction. Considering that my relationship with my family had been less that great for the last twenty-six years of my life, it had gone well.