~Raiden~
There were moments in my life that I had truly thought defined me and the man I would become. The day my dad died was one of them. Realizing that it would be Mama and I from then on out and that someday I would try to follow in his footsteps.
My first tour, where I learned what real brotherhood was and when I met the man that quickly became my best friend.
The first email from Elli. I didn’t even realize that my whole world was about to be uprooted and completely flipped upside down.
The day I came home and saw one beautiful woman standing there waiting on my sorry ass, for reasons I will probably never fully understand.
I stare down at her small delicate hand in mine and know that every change she’s the cause of has been a change I desperately needed. I let my eyes roam to the back of her hand where the IV lead is, wishing that I could take away the sting it’ll cause when she realizes it’s there. Up her tan buff arm that’s swamped by the oversized gown the hospital put her in. Up her sweet neck where I know she smells like lilies. Her gorgeous eyes that I know hold so much truth, so much conviction, and so much strength. I turn her hand over and gently drop a kiss in her palm. Wishing more than anything that I could kiss her eyes open, kiss the gunshot wound on her stomach and kiss her soft lips every day for the rest of our lives.
“Sweet girl,” I whisper. “What are you doing to me?” I kiss her palm again, letting my lips brush against her soft skin over and over. “We’re barely getting started, you can’t leave me here alone now.” My heart aches. “Beautiful Eli,” my voice cracks, the emotion crashing over me like a tidal wave. “I don’t wanna figure this out on my own.” The first tear falls and lands in her palm, gravitating toward the center. “Let me protect you.” Another tear falls. “Let me be the man you turn to when it gets too hard.” Another. “Baby, you need to wake up so I can catch all the stars in the night sky and hang them in your bedroom so you only see beauty before you close your eyes every night.” I hang my head, resting it against her now soaking wet palm. “Sweet girl, I love you more than anything in this world and I need you to wake up so I can show you, so I can marry you.” I let my tears fall, not ashamed in the least to cry over this incredible woman.
It’s close to midnight and the hospital is running on a skeleton crew, making the whole place lose its hum and bustle that daylight brings. The machines assisting my girl are quietly beeping, reminding me of the situation she’s in. My forehead is resting on her thigh, her hand held ever so preciously in my own. I’ll never leave her, no matter what, no force on earth could make me. I close my eyes, feeling her warmth and wishing she would just wake up.
“Raid?” It’s so very soft and quiet I don’t believe I’ve heard it. She clears her throat and tries again. “Raid.”
Music to my fucking ears. My eyes shoot up and I raise my head to see my girl staring right at me. The second I have her eyes she cracks a smile that forever will be seared into my memory as the smile that stole every single piece of my heart and soul.
“Baby,” I whisper, barely keeping it together now. She lifts the hand that I had in mine and brings it to cradle my cheek.
“Raid I had a dream.” I move my hand to cover hers, leaning my face further into her palm.
“Tell me about it.” She shifts to sit up more and winces when she realizes she’s injured. She shakes her head and gets comfortable again ignoring the wound completely.
“I was in Heaven and Garrett was there.” I nod, urging her to continue. “He told me you were waiting for me and that I had to go back to you.” Suddenly I can’t even pretend to speak, so awash with emotion it’s suffocating. “He said you brought me back to life.”
I close my eyes and attempt to get ahold of myself, my eyes tight with unshed tears. “I was waiting for you, I waited for you to open those beautiful eyes, baby.”
She smiles down at me tenderly. I move my face to kiss her palm, a place I’ve kissed so many times in the past twenty-four hours.
“Elli,” I start but she interrupts me.
“Raiden Edward Michaels, I love you.” I’m speechless. “I love you more than I could have ever thought possible, and I know you don’t feel that way for me and we just were getting to know each other and…”
I stand up and move over her, my hands to either side of her face. She just looks up at me mid-sentence and freezes when she sees the look in my eyes.
“Elli Avery Hendricks, I love you with every fucking fiber of my being.” Her mouth pops open in surprise and I take the chance to plant a kiss on her for the first time in what feels like a millennia. “I” kiss “Love” kiss “You” kiss. I lean back and smile when I see her blushing furiously.
“I love you too, Raid.”
Music to my fucking ears.