Tucker sat next to Paige’s bed as the monitors beeped steadily. He held her hand in his and caressed her wrist. It was Saturday afternoon, and she’d been unconscious for about forty hours so far. Another CT-scan yesterday afternoon had showed the swelling of her brain had decreased a bit. The neurologist had said it was a positive sign, but she still had no idea if and when Paige would wake up. However, Tuck was determined to take it as a move in the right direction. The doctor had approved her being transferred to the step-down unit this morning since all her vitals had remained stable. While they were still keeping a close eye on her with the telemetry monitors, she was now in a regular room instead of a small cubicle, so Shane and Tuck could stay with her all day if they wanted, instead of a few minutes at the top of each hour.
He glanced at the clock. Shane would be back soon. Tuck had offered to stay while he went home to check on a few things. They’d gotten a hotel room across the street from the hospital, yesterday, after spending the first night in the ICU waiting room, which had left them both with cricks in their backs and a severe lack of sleep. If they were going to be here for Paige, they needed their rest too. The staff knew how to get in touch with them if there was any change, and the two men could be back here in a heartbeat if needed.
Tuck thanked God they had an amazing bunch of workers. Between the office staff and ranch hands, Triple-R was being well taken care of in the absence of its owners. His parents had also arrived and were staying in the guest bedroom at the house, doing what they could to help out. Tuck’s mom loved cooking and had appointed herself the head chef until further notice. His dad was helping Seth with whatever needed to be done in and around the house. Lila and Gavin had joined them for dinner last night, and when Tuck had gotten a call from his parents this morning, checking on Paige, they’d said they approved of the man their daughter was dating. He’d been glad to hear it. Lila deserved to be happy as much as anyone else in this world. He just hoped he’d be introducing Paige to his folks soon. He’d been praying that Sarah was watching over all of them and would somehow find a way to help Paige come back to them.
Yesterday, Tuck had gotten home in time to take Ari to school. True to their word, the school board had arranged for counselors to meet with the children. Their parents had been warned the kids might not show PTSD symptoms for days, weeks, or months, and were given a list of things to look out for. Not one, but two substitute teachers were brought in to temporarily fill in for Melanie Dwyer while Clem recovered from what was, thankfully, a mild heart attack. The subs would be able to keep a closer watch on the first graders to make sure none were struggling in the aftermath of the kidnapping. So far, it appeared Ari was faring well, her only concern being her inability to see and talk to Paige.
Prayers, get-well wishes, flowers, food, and offers to help with whatever needed to be done had been pouring in from all over Hazard Falls. Word had spread quickly about how Paige had thrown the little boy out of the line of fire, and many were calling her a heroine. Some people who’d turned their noses up at her before, due to either her relationship with Tuck and Shane, the media shit-storm that’d descended on the town weeks earlier, or the fact her ex-husband had been a criminal, were seeing Paige in a different light. She was now officially one of Hazard Falls’ own. This time, when the media had rolled into town, the interviews were filled with accolades for not only Paige, but for Nicole, Melanie, and Clem too. Not a bad word had been said about any of them—at least not any that’d ended up in the news articles. There were still members of the community who would look at Paige in disdain—that was life in a small town—but that number was far less than it’d been.
Betty Lou had called a little while ago to check on Paige and fill Tuck in on some news. The media had descended on Bridget’s house this morning, just before 8:00 a.m., after a reporter had learned of her eighteen-year-old daughter’s relationship with one of the now-dead kidnappers. The feeding frenzy now had a new target, and from Lou’s chuckling, Tuck had a good idea who’d dropped that side of beef in the shark pool. He highly doubted she would’ve done it if Brooke’s father hadn’t insisted his seven-year-old daughter stay with him for the next few weeks, away from the chaos, where she’d be out of the spotlight. He was also planning to see she received some counseling. Meanwhile, Bridget had, apparently, left town until she figured out a way to regain her status among the snobbish elite of the county, leaving her parents and Brenna to deal with the media. Again, it was clear where the woman’s priorities lay.
Paige’s arm twitched, as it’d been doing occasionally, for a few hours now, and Tuck leaned forward. “Hey, beautiful. I’m still sitting here waiting for you to wake up. Shane should be back soon, and I know he’d love to walk in here and see those gorgeous eyes of yours. You have no idea how much we love you. We were all set to tell you the other night. I never thought I’d fall in love with another woman ever again. I thought it would just be me and Shane raising Ari, and I was okay with that. But then you came to us and showed me . . . showed both of us what we were missing. You filled the holes in our hearts that we never expected to be filled. We love you, baby. I love you. And I need you to come back to us so I know you heard me say the words.”
There was no response from Paige, but a hand squeezed Tuck’s shoulder. He glanced up to see Shane. “No change?”
Tuck shook his head. “She’s still making some involuntary movements, like they said she would, but nothing else. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. The bodyguards Quinn hired replaced the hospital’s security guards outside the door. He’s headed to Hazard to spend some time with Ari. Graham’s got two patrol cars at the entrance to the ranch to deal with the media, and the hands are keeping an eye out for anyone trying to sneak onto the property. I told Nic and Hank to stay in the empty cottage with the kids until everything calms down. Seth and your folks are holding down the fort with no problems other than the house phone ringing incessantly.” The media hadn’t only gone after Bridget, Brenna, and the kidnapper’s families, they’d been trying to get interviews with everyone else involved. It’d been national news that Paige Merritt-Winthrope had gone from being the wife of a convicted Ponzi-schemer to a small-town heroine who’d risked her life to protect a child. Shane’s cousin had also flown in yesterday for a few days. Quinn felt he needed to be there for Paige and had ended up taking over her private security detail after two tabloid reporters managed to gain entry to her room late last night. Both men were now sporting black eyes, courtesy of Shane and Tucker, and were in police custody for trespassing.
Rounding the bed to the other side, Shane sat in another chair and gently took Paige’s left hand. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m back. I heard everything Tuck said, and he’s right. We love you so much and need you to come back to us. Ari wants to come visit, but she’s not allowed until you’re awake. We miss you—your smile, your laughter, making love to you, all of it. Tuck can’t wait to introduce you to his folks, and they’re anxious to meet you too.” He paused, and then his gaze met Tuck’s. “Tell her. Don’t ask, just tell her.”
He knew what Shane meant. His husband had been the one to propose to Sarah, and he was now declaring Tuck should be the one to propose to Paige. Would she hear him?
Bringing her hand to his lips, he gently kissed her knuckles. “Paige, baby, this isn’t how I thought we were going to do this. I figured there’d be a little romancing first, then both of us making sweet love to you together, then asking you to marry us. But things change. I’m not asking, Paige. I’m telling you to come back to us and marry us. We belong together, you, me, Shane, and Ari. You’ll be a wonderful mother to our little girl and maybe someday we can give her a brother or sister. We want to spend the rest of our lives with you, so wake up and say yes, Paige. Please.”
The only thing breaking the sudden silence in the room was the beeping of the heart monitor. Tuck’s gut clenched, and his head dropped forward. What if she didn’t wake up? How would either of them or Ari live through it if Paige left them?
“Paige?”
Tuck lifted his head at the surprise in Shane’s voice. “What?”
“Paige, honey, did you just squeeze my hand? Do it again.”
Seconds passed. Her hand twitched in Tuck’s. No, wait. It wasn’t a twitch. Her hand closed around his. His gaze shot to her face, then to where she and Shane were connected. She was squeezing his hand too.
Shane brushed her brow. “Come on, baby. Wake up. Let me see those beautiful, blue eyes of yours.”
Her eyes remained shut, but her mouth opened. “So . . . bossy,” she murmured. “Love you too.”
As she fell back asleep, relieved smiles spread across both men’s faces. Their woman wasn’t going to leave them, and they’d get that ring on her finger as fast as they could. Paige Wilson had a nice sound to it. Reaching across her torso, Tuck grasped his husband’s hand, completing the circle between the three of them. He sent up a silent thank you to the woman who’d once been their wife and who would forever be their guardian angel.