The TV played on the wall, but I didn’t spend any time watching it. I wanted to ask someone to retrieve my laptop so I could get some work done, but I knew if Diesel found out, he would flip. He’d been through a lot, and I didn’t want to push him.

Vincent sat on the couch next to my bedside, his arm resting over the back of it. His eyes were on the TV most of the time, and the comfortable silence stretched between us just the way it did between Thorn and me.

Diesel had been gone for about five hours, and I knew he’d fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He hid exhaustion from me well, but I knew he was slowly falling apart. He hadn’t eaten or showered since I’d been admitted to the hospital four days ago. He slept on and off when I slept during the night, but that would make even the strongest man buckle under the stress.

I was glad he finally took some time for himself.

“Need anything, Tatum?” Vincent asked.

“No, thank you. I’m fine.” I was still propped up in bed, a large window to my right. I could see the whole city from my floor. It was a nice view, reminding me of the view from my penthouse.

“My son really loves you.” He turned his gaze on me, his dark brown eyes identical to Diesel’s. “The whole time we were in the waiting room, he could barely talk. He was a mess. I’ve never seen my son so scared in my life. Losing his mother was hard for him, but this was of a whole new caliber.”

I knew how much Diesel had been hurting. I didn’t need to see him suffer to understand. All I had to do was imagine the situation reversed, and I understood completely. “I know he does…”

He turned back to the TV.

“Things seem to be going well with the two of you.”

“Yeah, they are,” he said. “I’m grateful. I’m glad I got to sit there in the waiting room with him. I’m grateful I had the privilege to comfort him, to be there for him when he needed someone most. I’m grateful I got to be a father to him…after all the time I lost.”

“I am too.”

“Thanks to you,” he said quietly. “Perhaps my wife won’t be as angry with me when I see her again…”

She’d been gone for nearly ten years, but he still worshiped her like their love hadn’t dwindled in their separation. “She won’t be angry with you, Vincent. You’ve more than made up for everything.”

He wore a small smile, but it only lasted an instant. “I hope you’re right, Tatum.” He changed his position on the couch and faced me, one leg crossed. It was five in the evening, and Diesel wouldn’t be back until much later. “So, do you have any ideas for the wedding?”

“I haven’t given it much thought.”

“How about you give it some thought now?”

“Well…I know I want something small. Just us and a few other people.”

He nodded.

“Somewhere that we won’t be photographed like crazy. Maybe in France.”

“France is beautiful.”

“All I want is to wear a wedding dress. Everything else doesn’t matter to me.”

“You’ll be a beautiful bride, Tatum—no matter what you wear.”

“Thanks, Vincent.”

“I look forward to it. When do you think this is going to happen?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Yeah?” he asked in surprise.

I hadn’t even asked Diesel, but I knew he wanted the same thing I did. “As soon as I’m back on my feet, I want to be husband and wife. I don’t want to wait around, not knowing what’s going to happen. My day was completely ordinary when I got shot. We think we have an entire lifetime, but we really don’t know how much time we have.”

“Very true,” he said. “It was an ordinary day when my wife was taken from me. I continue to replay that day over and over in my mind. If I’d just asked her to stay, it never would have happened. She would be here now. She would see her son get married to a wonderful woman.” Whenever he spoke of his wife, it was always full of sorrow, but it also lacked emotion at the same time. He accepted her death, but he didn’t accept his life without her. “Just the way Diesel feels about you. If he’d been there…maybe things would have been different. I’m glad the outcome for him was much different than it was for me.”

“I’m so sorry, Vincent…”

“I know you are, Titan.” He sat perfectly straight in his chair, his broad shoulders still carrying the power of someone in their youth. Despite his obvious power, he couldn’t protect himself from the painful sting of loss.

“You know, you’re still very young, Vincent.”

The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Thank you, Titan. I certainly don’t feel like a man in his late fifties.”

“You could live another forty years.”

“I hope I do. Grandchildren are something I’m looking forward to.”

I smiled. “But there could be a lot more to look forward to…if you had someone to share your life with.” I didn’t want to push Vincent to do anything he didn’t want to do, but he was a handsome man who still had a lot to offer. He had another chance at happiness—if he wanted it. “I’m not trying to offend you—”

“You never offend me, sweetheart.”

My train of thought immediately seized when he used the endearment. My father used to call me that every single day. Thorn called me that from time to time, but it felt different coming from Vincent, a man I viewed as a father figure. “I just wonder if you could be happy again if you gave it another chance. I’m sure your wife would want you to find someone else.”

“I know she would,” he said simply. “But I don’t know…”

I didn’t want to push him, not when it wasn’t my place. If I lost Diesel, I probably wouldn’t be interested in love again either. It took me nearly ten years just to give a man a chance in the first place. “You don’t have to force it, but maybe keep the door open.” He spent time with women my age, women who probably only wanted him for his money. If he started dating someone closer in age, he might find a genuine connection.

“I’ll think about it. But I’ve been alone for so long that I’m not even sure how to be with someone. My flings only last a few months at a time…and I always tell them it’s just a fling and nothing more.”

“Just keep an open mind…and maybe look for someone your age.”

“Most of the women my age are married.”

“Not all.”

He turned his gaze back to the TV. “Can I ask you something personal?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”

“I know.” I felt comfortable with Vincent quickly. Even if he weren’t Diesel’s father, I’d feel some kind of affection for him. He was a gentleman, a strong man with a sensitive soul. He didn’t need to be ruthless all the time to command respect.

“How did it feel…to be shot?” He watched me with his strong gaze, but his eyes were slightly squinted with hesitance. “Like I said, you don’t have to answer.”

I didn’t feel any stress from the trauma. It was a chaotic event, but I conquered it and moved past it. I wasn’t afraid of being gunned down again. When the gun was pointed in my face, I didn’t flinch. I didn’t give in either. I fought to the very end—and I won. “It wasn’t painful. My body must have been in such a state of shock that I couldn’t even feel it. When I lost my blood, I didn’t feel that either. My pulse pounded in my ears, and I didn’t even have time to think. I just knew I had to survive and I was going to do anything to make that happen. So I did what I had to do…and I don’t feel bad about it.”

“You shouldn’t. He deserved it.”

“I don’t have any nightmares about it. Firing that gun gave me closure. Now I know my biggest enemy is gone, and I sleep well.”

“I’m glad that’s how you feel. And thank you for answering my question.”

“Sure.”

“I wish I could kill the guy who killed my wife…but he’s rotting in jail for the rest of his life. I suppose that’s good enough.”

There was no amount of retribution that would ever console him for his loss, but it was better than nothing. “I’m glad you got justice.”

“Yeah…”

A knock sounded on the door, and Thorn walked inside. He was in a new suit, and his hair was styled after a shower. He looked a lot better than the last time I saw him, when he was sleep-deprived and dirty. “Can I come in?”

“You can always come in,” I answered.

He came to my bedside and rested his hand on my arm. “How are you feeling? You’re looking good.”

“Thanks. I definitely feel better.”

“Color is coming back to your cheeks. You’re smiling. You look like the old you.”

“Thanks.”

He turned to Vincent. “Hey, how are you?”

“Good,” Vincent answered. “Just spending some time with Tatum.”

Thorn glanced at the bathroom door, which was open, and then turned back to me. “Where’s Diesel?”

“He went home,” I said. “He needed to get some sleep and take a shower.”

“Wow,” Thorn said. “I’m surprised he left.”

“Tatum had to make him,” Vincent said. “And I offered to watch her.”

“Oh…makes sense.” Thorn smiled at me. “I figured he wouldn’t leave your side unless he was forced to.”

“He’s a bit dramatic sometimes,” I said with a chuckle.

“He is dramatic,” Thorn said in agreement. “But he’s also a good guy—the best.”

I smiled. “Thanks, Thorn.”

He pulled his hand away. “Can I bring you anything from the outside world?”

“An Old Fashioned,” I answered.

He shook his head. “Nice try.”

“Then I don’t need anything,” I said. “I have everything I need.”

“How much longer are you going to be in here?” He placed both of his hands in the pockets of his suit.

“At least five more days…unfortunately.” I couldn’t wait to go home. At least I could get some work done while I was in bed.

“My parents want to stop by tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is. I would love to see them.”

“They’ve been pretty worried about you,” Thorn said. “When I told them you were going to be alright, my mom cried for ten minutes.”

“Aww…she’s so sweet.”

“My dad is relieved too. You’re like a daughter to them.”

They’d always made me feel that way. “I know…”

He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket. “You wanna play a round of poker?”

He and I used to play whenever we tried to kill time on the plane. “Thorn, I know you’re busy. Just stopping by and saying hello is more than enough.”

He pulled up a chair and situated the table in between us. “Just because we aren’t getting married doesn’t mean we aren’t family. So there’s no place in the world I’d rather be than here with you.”