Page 98 of Let Me Love You

“Don’t you dare,” I warn. “You stay with me.”

“Hello, what’s the location of your emergency?” The dispatcher speaks louder, but my heart is ripping to shreds, and I can’t focus.

“I love you, Archer.”

And then she loses consciousness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

EVERLEIGH

I hear something I can’t quite place. My eyelids are heavy, and I somehow force them open. When I turn my head slightly, Archer comes into view, and a smile touches my lips. Before I can open my mouth to say his name, my brother stands.

“Everleigh.” Tyler walks toward me, and Archer joins him. They look like they haven’t slept in days, but relief covers their faces.

“Hey. Where am I?” My voice is unrecognizable to me. I try to swallow, but my throat is dry.

“You’re in the hospital,” Archer says. “You got hurt.”

I don’t remember what happened, but there’s a dull ache in my lower abdomen. I’m hooked to an IV with a blood pressure cuff. The constant beeping drives me crazy. “How long have I been here?”

“Two days. You got stabbed, and the doctors did surgery to stop the bleeding,” Tyler says.

My eyes widen in surprise because I don’t recall any of that. By the expression on Archer’s face, there’s more to it.

“Wow…” I blink, searching my memory. “Who did it?”

Tyler glances at Archer.

“We were hoping you’d know,” he says.

I shake my head.

The last thing I remember is partying at the bar for Archer’s birthday, then going home afterward. Archer and I made love and exchanged I love yous. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. As I meet Archer’s intense gaze, I swallow down my emotions because I know I can’t say those words to him right now.

Another sharp pain shoots through my body, and I blink hard. I try to reposition myself to get more comfortable.

“How do you feel?” Tyler adjusts my pillow, helping me sit up straighter.

“Like I’ve been stabbed,” I deadpan.

Archer’s face hardens, and his jaw clenches, and I realize how upset he is. It doesn’t help that we can’t talk privately.

“The pain isn’t that bad,” I try to reassure them, but I assume I’m on some good painkillers.

“The doctors said you’d need to rest for a few weeks,” Archer says. “The wound needs to heal.”

“I don’t have that kinda time. I have to get back to work as soon as possible. I have new inventory arriving next week.”

“It’s non-negotiable, Everleigh. You could’ve died.” Tyler glares, but his face softens when I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t worry about the shop. Lexie is taking care of it until you can return.”

“Thank God,” I whisper. I trust her to run things.

This bed feels like it’s stuffed with rocks, and I can’t get situated with all the wires and tenderness in my stomach. “When can I go home?”

“Could be a couple more days,” Archer tells me. “You need to recover from the surgery, and they wanna make sure the wound starts healing. It was scary for a bit in the beginning.”

I blink at Archer, wishing I could pull him in and kiss his lips.