Safer Together (The Safer Duet Book 2)

by Amy Rose

  “I know sir, that’s what I am here for.” He reaches out and clasps his hands on my shoulder. “Now go be with Miss White. She needs you.”

  “What about you and the police?” I ask. The fact that he is here with me in the hospital and not in lock up is a good thing, for sure.

  “I let them know exactly what happened. Mr. Roberts had held Angela captive for three days abusing her when we found them. He lunged at me with a baseball bat, I took a shot, but it didn’t stop him. As we were wrestling, I feared for my life so I slashed his throat,” he finishes.

  Drake steps forward “I told them the exact same thing brother. They saw Angela’s injuries and they know of his violent history with the previous history between them. Now don’t wait here with us a second longer. Go to your woman.”

  I nod in response, and walk into the room, taking up vigil in the seat beside the bed. I take her hand in my own, leaning down to kiss her knuckles, before kissing my ring on her finger.

  And I would wait there until she was well enough to come home.

  ~ Chapter Thirty ~

  Angela

  The constant beeping around me reminds me of a robot, then another sound comes from somewhere beside me and then disappears again. My limbs feel heavy and my face aches like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

  I try to raise my hand but I can’t move it. Something is stopping me. My eyes snap open and I look around the room. It’s dark, except for the glow of the machines surrounding me. I look down my body to my arm, where a disheveled blond head lays on the bed beside my hand, his own hands keeping mine captive. I raise my free hand and stroke his hair, thankful that he is here with me. I feel him stirring,

  “Elliot,” I croak, my throat desperately dry, his head moves, coming up to look at me, his eyes blinking as they open.

  “Angie, you’re awake.” I nod.

  “Thirsty,” I declare. He stands up and walks to the table beside the door, twisting the lid from a bottle of water as he walks back to me, offering it to me. I take it in shaky hands, however I don’t spill a drop, greedily drinking the cool liquid.

  Once finished I hand it back to him and he sits on the bed beside me. “How are you feeling?” I take a moment to mentally check over my body, I ache almost everywhere.

  “Sore,” I admit. He nods.

  “They set your nose as it was broken, and they also….” he stops.

  “Also what?” I ask, wanting to know what else happened.

  “They performed a rape kit. You have some internal tearing, its bad sweetheart, they believe you will heal but you need to see a specialist,” he finishes in a rush. I feel wetness starting in my eyes, as it all comes back to me. Dylan and the assault; Elliot, Price and Drake coming in to rescue me; coming to the hospital. The tears start falling, and they don’t stop.

  Elliot stays where he is the entire time, watching me carefully, not wanting to touch me, and it tears my soul in two. He saw the evidence of Dylan raping me, with his own eyes. It’s completely different from being told the story of it happening in the past. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. His eyes go wide.

  “What the fuck are you apologizing for?” he asks, “you did nothing, Angela, nothing at all. It was that filthy piece of scum who should be apologizing”, with the mention of Dylan I had to ask what had happened to him,

  “Where is, Dylan?” I swallow

  Elliot’s eyes leave me and end up somewhere across the room, “He’s gone, honey. For good.”

  “Elliot, look at me,” I whisper. He brings his beautiful face around to look at me again. I see the dark circles under his eyes, and shadows behind them. He is hiding something from me. “We’re going to talk about this once we go home”.

  He nods. “Yes, at home.” He bends down and kisses me gently on the cheek. “Speaking of home, the doctors mentioned you will be all right to come home later today. If you feel up to it, of course.”

  “Which home? Mine or yours?” I ask, slightly afraid of the answer. What if seeing what happened to me is the final straw, if he finally realizes that I’m not worth it.

  “I was thinking our home, the one in Belle Meade,” he smiles down at me. “I want us to be married there, the place we first met, the place where I first wanted you, the place where we can start the rest of our lives together.” The emotion spreading across his face transfers to my body and I feel his love within me, knowing that it will never leave. And in that moment, I decide that it was time to jump all in, no more holding back.

  “Yes, I want that, Elliot. All of it with you.” His smile is breathtaking. “Take me home, Elliot”.

  He slides off the bed and starts grabbing my assorted items, placing them into a bag he had gotten from somewhere, before helping me out of bed and into the adjoining bathroom. He hovers while I brush my teeth.

  He leaves momentarily and comes back with some clothes in hand, depositing them on the shower chair. “Take your time, my love.” He places a soft kiss to my temple, before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

  I shrug out of the hospital gown and gasp when I see my body. My skin is covered in a motley shade of blue, purple, and yellow and my nose has a bandage across it. My eyes are black circles. I turn for the shower and turned it on full pressure. The water only slightly above lukewarm, thanks to the hospital safety requirements, doesn’t burn or sting my skin.

  I let the water fall over my face, and hair, pulling my fingers gently through, feeling the pain in my scalp. I reach out and grab the liquid soap that was on the small plastic shelf, squeezing it onto my palms, it smells of Elliot. He has been staying here with me. I wash my body as best I can before turning the water off and drying myself, I rub my hair with the towel in hope of getting rid of the excess water and then I get dressed before combing my fingers through my wet hair.

  Elliot is waiting for me when I exit, his arms open to me. I hobble across the space and into them and feel completely at ease, here in his arms. His arms wrap around me, holding my body against his. I feel his lips on my hair. “Are you ready, baby?”

  I nod against his chest. “Yes, take me home, Elliot.” He lets me go to bend and collect the bag on the hospital bed and takes my hand in his free one. As we leave the hospital, the sunshine outside is a nice reminder that I am alive, and I am free.

  We make it home, and we head straight for the master suite. The pillows are piled high on the brand-new king bed taking up pride of place in the room. Elliot walks in behind me and heads into the walk-in closet conversion, before coming back out to me without the bag.

  “I want to know what happened to Dylan, Elliot. I need to know.” He takes my hand leading me to the two chairs, closest to the large window.

  “Take a seat and I’ll tell you”. Once I am comfortable, he begins, “when he pulled the baseball bat against your throat for the last tie and you blacked out you went limp, Lenny shot him, as the bullet entered his shoulder he let you go and I was able to get you away from him. Once I knew you were okay, I let him have it, Angie.” His eyes boring into mine, I wasn’t afraid of him, not at all.

  “Go on,” I commanded.

  “He’s dead, Angie,” falls from his mouth. I intake a sharp breath, looking into the eyes of the man I love. He is scared, wondering how I am going to react. Shock is the first emotion, shocked that he is dead; then relief hits me, he can never hurt me again; then overwhelming love. This man killed someone to protect me.

  There was a side to Elliot that I haven’t seen before, and probably won’t ever see again. But knowing that it lives within my man brings comfort. I lean forward. “Thank you,” I murmur. His face morphs into relief, he leans forward, sliding from the chair until he is kneeling before me.

  I cup my hands on either side of his face, brushing a stray tear from his cheek. “Thank you for loving me, Elliot. Thank you for healing me and thank you for protecting me.”

  “Oh, Angie, I could say the same thing to you. Before I met you, I was just living life day to day. But ever sinc
e you ran into me downstairs in that kitchen I’ve been thinking about tomorrow, about next year, about ten years from now, all of them with you.” His hands move to my ring, “When I asked you to marry me, I wasn’t sure you would say yes, and then you did, and you made me the happiest man alive. Then we had the month apart and all I could think about was being with you again. That’s what I want Angie, for the rest of my life. You, and only you. Say you still want that. Say that nothing’s changed between us.”

  His eyes beg me to feel the same way, but they don’t need to. My heart knows what it wants, and it’s Elliot, it will always be Elliot. “I want you, Elliot, you and the family we will have together, for the rest of our lives. You killed a man for me, Elliot, just so I would never have to feel scared again. There is no one else on this entire earth who I could possibly love more than you. You are my other half and I don’t think I could ever feel whole without you ever again. You are where I feel safe, something I never thought a man could provide for me. But you do”.

  His smile takes my breath away. He leans in and offers his mouth to mine. I take it immediately, wrapping my arms around his neck, and we kiss until my head starts to spin.

  ~ Epilogue ~

  Angela

  “You look so beautiful Angie, he won’t be able to keep his hands off you.” Liam’s voice comes from behind me, bringing me out of my own thoughts. I look at myself in the full-length mirror I stand before. The custom-made strapless white gown with gorgeous lace detail clinging to my curves perfectly. The cathedral length white veil with Swarovski crystals sewn into place resting over my shoulders. My thick black curls kept in place by hundreds of bobby pins hidden underneath.

  I turn to face him, “You know what, you actually scrub up okay in a suit yourself.” He smiles back at me and makes a mock bow.

  “I know, right? I can’t believe this was me three weeks ago. Man, that time has gone by quickly,” he laughs. My mind flashes back to when I was in the same position Liam is now. Me comforting him before his big day.

  “Time goes by so fast now that we are getting older doesn’t it?” I say. He nods in response.

  “Can you believe that in an hour both of us will be married?”

  “I know, scary isn’t it? We are officially grown up, now.” I think that over for a moment. As much as being married does take adulting up another level, it’s not like I am really going to change that much. I will still be the same Angela after the ceremony that I am now. With one big exception: I walk down the aisle with my father as a White and when I walk back with Elliot at my side, I will be a Sands.

  “Well, I know, Elliot is probably losing his mind out there waiting for you. So, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” He hands me a bouquet of white roses, that match the pin he wears on the lapel of his suit and walks outside just as my father walks in the door.

  “Oh, Angela. My beautiful baby girl. You look so grown up and gorgeous,” he says, and he comes to me and envelops me carefully in his arms.

  “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “To me, it only feels like yesterday that you were placed in my arms at the hospital, and now you stand before me as a bride.” He pulls away and looks at me, getting a little teary.

  Dads comment brings back a conversation I had with my gynaecologist a month ago…

  “The internal damage done to your body was incredibly severe, Angela. In time you will be able to have children, however your only option for delivery will be a caesarean section” shock was the first feeling that washed over me, followed by relief. Relief that Dylan hadn’t taken away my ability to have children.

  “I’ll always be your baby, Dad,” I whisper.

  “You got a good one with, Sands, and he sure got the best when he got you to agree to marry him. Let’s get out there and make it official, shall we? Unless you have got yourself a pair of cold feet that I should know about?”

  “Nope, no cold feet here. A little nervous, perhaps, but mainly ready to start this next chapter of my life,” and it was so true. The emotions rolling around within me were like butterflies. Ones I knew would settle as soon as I was in Elliot’s arms. He has this amazing way of making me calm.

  We hear the music outside begin to play. “This is it!” I say excitedly.

  “All right we’re up. You guys coming?”

  I look to my father and then to my best friend. “Let’s do this.”

  The music gets louder with each step bringing us closer to our back yard. Once we leave the back patio, I see the rose petals scattered on the ground and see all of our family and friends standing up ahead. We walk toward them slowly, coming around the bend until we are at the end of the aisle. I look straight ahead; my eyes find Elliot immediately, standing with his back toward me, his best friend Drake standing beside him, wide smiles spreading across his face.

  Drake leans towards Elliot and whispers something to him and Elliot’s body begins to straighten, lifting himself even straighter, making him seem taller, before slowly turning around. Our eyes lock and his face expresses an emotion I’ve never seen before. A smile widens across his features and his hands come up in front of his mouth, his thumbs slipping under his chin. We continue our slow walk closer to him until we are only a few steps away, and Elliot can wait no longer. He takes a step closer to us, needing to get to me just like I need to get to him.

  My father places my hand into Elliot’s. “It is your job to look after my daughter, not just for today but for the rest of your lives now, Elliot.” He speaks loudly, a small tremor evident.

  Elliot’s free hand lands on my father’s shoulder. “It will be my greatest honor, John.” My father steps back, taking his place beside my mother in the front row. Elliot and I walk to the officiant together. Once there, I pass my bouquet to Liam and turn my body to face Elliot fully.

  “You look so incredibly beautiful, my love,” he whispers. Pulling one of my hands to his mouth, he presses his lips to my knuckles and the all-so-familiar electrical current vibrates across my skin. This is where I belong. I tried to fight it, the feelings that began to consume me, but in this moment, there is nowhere that I would rather be, and no one I would rather be standing here with.

  “You don’t look too bad yourself, Mr. Sands” I smile at my man, and the officiant begins the ceremony. We both promise to love, cherish, be completely honest with each other, and laugh at each other’s jokes for the rest of our lives. Elliot slips a beautiful white gold band on my finger beside my engagement ring, and I place his larger matching band onto his finger with ease.

  When it is finally announced we are now Mr. and Mrs. Sands and that Elliot can kiss me, his look changes. The tears that he has been holding back get blinked away and the alpha male from within comes out. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “finally you’re mine, forever,” before pulling away and planting his lips possessively on my own. One of his arms cups the back of my head while the other holds my waist.

  I kiss my husband with everything I can, pushing all my emotions into him so he can feel how much I love him in this moment. With that kiss, we promise each other our love and support for the rest of our lives.

  When our lips finally separate, we turn to face our family and friends. They are all beaming up at us, applauding our union. Our mothers are both crying happy tears, dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs they have no doubt gotten from our fathers who are holding them close. We walk farther along the aisle and I see James, his arms wrapped around a beautiful brunette smiling up at him. They kiss and I smile even more in this moment knowing that one of my closest friends has also found someone to love. I hope that he is as happy as I am.

  The reception goes by too quickly. We enjoy delicious food and wine, dance till our feet hurt with our family and friends, and I cry at the wedding speeches. Especially when Elliot tells everyone that he never thought he could be as happy as he is here with me today.

  Once we are safely in the back of the limousine as we leave to head for our honeymoon in England, w
e get our first moment alone all day.

  “Well, Mrs. Sands. Did you enjoy your day?” Elliot asks, while sliding his hand up my leg from my ankles to my knees and continuing higher.

  “I did, Mr. Sands. Thank you. And you?” I murmur as his hand first pulls back on my garter, allowing it to sting my flesh as it hits me, and then continuing higher until he skims my panties.

  “Oh, I did. And let me let you in on a secret.”

  “Okay, what is it?” I ask.

  “I’m not done enjoying myself yet,” he whispers as he leans in closer to me, kissing me passionately on the lips, before moving lower down my body and disappearing underneath my white skirts.

  The End

  ~ Acknowledgements ~

  When I sat down to write the follow-up to Safer Alone, I was so entranced with the characters that I had fallen in love with. Elliot, in particular, was talking to me frequently, wanting his side of the story told at certain important parts of the book, and it was so much fun to bring him to life even more by diving into his mind and sharing it with all of you.

  While I was writing Safer Together, two life changing events happened in my life. Firstly, my second son Oliver James was born and secondly my father was diagnosed with cancer. The mixture of emotions I had been feeling poured out of me and into some of the most powerful and pivotal scenes in this amazing novel.

  To my husband and sons, I love waking up and doing life with you every single day. I love you all to the moon and back. And you are my very own Safer Together.

  To my father, I am with you every single day, cheering you on while you endure your daily treatments.

  To my friends Autumn and Linda who had many conversations with me while I was writing this book when I had so many ideas coming out of me, you helped me seperate out the amazing from the great. I thank you. Thank you for keeping me sane.

  I would also like to send my love and support to all of the victims of domestic violence wherever you are around the globe. I want you to know that you are not alone, and you are stronger than you believe yourself to be. Don’t stay quiet. Tell someone what you are going through, whether that be a family member, a friend or a member of law enforcement and most importantly remember to never give up.