Twenty minutes seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

Dr. Kilmore left shortly after explaining to Keith and me what all the machines were. Like we didn’t know. Since then, neither of us had spoken.

Keith seemed to look everywhere except at Maddie while my eyes didn’t waver from her face. I studied the bruises, memorized the bandages protecting her lacerations, and watched her eyes for the slightest flutter.

Come on, pretty girl. Wake up for me.

A nurse knocked on the door. “Visiting hours are almost over.” Her smiling face and chipper voice grated my nerves.

Across from me, Keith’s body stilled. I expected him to tell me to get up from the chair I was sitting in and leave, and I prepared myself for the fight that I thought was coming, but he didn’t. Instead, he said, “I’m leaving, but he isn’t.”

What. The. Fuck?

Did Keith have a head injury too?

“Unless you want to be the one to tell my mother what’s going on?”

Hell no. Grandmama was going to lose her mind.

“No thanks, Cap. I’ll leave that one up to you.”

He nodded. “Didn’t think so.” He glanced back at the nurse who’d crossed her arms over her chest and was glaring at the both of us before bringing his eyes back to mine. “You better not leave this room, Hendrix.” I wouldn’t. “Don’t care if they threaten to cut your balls off with a rusty razor blade, you do not leave. Understand?”

“I’m not leaving her, Keith. I made that mistake once. Won’t be making it again.” I nodded towards the door. “Go. I’ve got this.”

When he didn’t move, I looked up. He was staring at me with a look that I couldn’t discern on his face. “You know this isn’t me letting you off the hook, correct?”

Not this shit.

“In case you haven’t noticed, now isn’t the time.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You think I don’t know that? I’m just reminding you that just because I’m allowing you stay here tonight doesn’t change anything. You’re only here because I need to deal with mama. If it weren't for that, I’d have your ass banned from her room.”

Allowing me? That was a joke if I ever heard one.

“I’m not doing this with you right now. It’s not the goddamn time or place.” Keith shook his head. “But I will tell you this—I’m not leaving. Not today, not tomorrow, not next week. You might as well get used to seeing my face next to hers because I’ve made a lot of plans and every single one of them revolves around getting her back.”

“Hen—”

I didn’t want to hear it. “Just accept it, Keith, and move on. Us being together isn’t a choice that you get to make. It’s hers. And you and I both know what Maddie will choose once she hears the reason I left.”

“Yeah?” He asked, widening his stance and crossing his arms over his chance. “And what reason would that be?”

“You’ll know after she does. But until then, how about you stay out of my business.”

Face red as a fire hydrant, Keith looked like he wanted to rip my head off. “Everything that has to do with my daughter is my business.”

“No, it’s not. In fact, I’m sure we had this same conversation six years ago. Maddie is an adult and therefore makes her own damn choices. You can either accept those choices and fall in line, or you can get the hell out of our way.”

“You’re so goddamned arrogant you know that? Even after all this time, you think she’ll just take you back? Do you really think you’re that special?”

Was I arrogant? No.

Was I confident? Yes.

Did I think I was that special? Yeah, I sure as hell did.

“I’m not arrogant, Cap, but I know Maddie, and I know what we had. What we still have. Love like ours? That shit doesn’t just die. It may be a little broken, may even be a bit damaged, but it doesn’t just disappear, and come hell or high water, I’m going to fix it.” I pointed at Maddie. “Because that girl right there, she’s not just the other half to my heart, she’s the other half of my goddamn soul too.”

I wasn’t sure if Keith believed me or not, but I didn’t care either way. When Maddie woke up, I knew I’d have a fight on my hands. Not only with her but with her overbearing family too. Didn’t matter though, I’d never been a quitter, and I’d die before I walked away again. Call me crazy, but I knew with every ounce of my soul that Maddie still loved me, and I wouldn't stop fighting for her—for us—until she took my last name and carried my child in her belly.

“We’ll see.”

“Yeah,” I spat out, “we’ll see.”

My eyes found the nurse’s, who was still standing in the doorway staring at us. “I don’t give a shit what time visiting hours are over, I’m not leaving. If you have a problem with that, then they call Bill Garrett. You may know him, he’s on the board.” I smiled at her. “And tell him you’re trying to kick James Cole’s son, Hendrix, out of his fiancée’s hospital room. I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell you that it’s fine for me to stay.”

She stomped away without saying a word.

Confused, Keith just looked at me. “Bill Garrett?”

“Yeah.” I leaned back in the chair and settled in for the long haul. “His teenage daughter got into a bad car accident a couple of years ago. Pop was the one that saved her. After that, Bill pretty much pledged his undying loyalty to our family.” I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of the entire thing. “Guess it finally came in handy.”

Keith looked halfway impressed. “Sounds like it.” His eyes moved to Maddie. “I need to get out of here. If mama hears about this before I get home to tell her,” he ran his hands through his hair, “I don’t even want to think about what’ll happen.”

Leaning over the bedrail, he placed a kiss on Maddie’s cheek before resting his forehead against hers. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll open those pretty green eyes, Princess. If not, your Grandmama will lose her mind, and we both know how that will go.” His voice was low and full of hurt when he continued. “Please wake up, Maddie. I lost your mama. I can’t lose you too.”

Tapping the hospital bed mattress with his knuckles, Keith stood up and shook his head. “I can’t lose her, Hendrix.” I can’t either. “This can’t be how it ends.”

“It won’t be.”

Keith didn’t look convinced as he dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah? And how do you know that?”

I rubbed my thumb on the back of her warm hand. Was she running a fever? “Because she promised me a happily ever after.” Keith’s head snapped in my direction. “And Maddie doesn’t break her promises.”

It was simple as that.