Inked Obsession by Carrie Ann Ryan

Chapter 22

Beckett

“I’m fine,” I reminded my parents as my mother held my hand tightly. Not tight enough to hurt me, she was too small to do that, but she still had a tight grip.

“I know you are. Somehow, you made it through with no broken bones, just some cuts that took a bunch of stitches and a lovely hurt back. The same hurt back that happened during the shooting.”

“Don’t guilt him,” my dad rumbled from her side. “We’ve already guilted him enough over the past few months. We don’t need to continue doing it.”

“My baby was hurt,” Mom said as she pushed my hair away from my face.

“I love you so much, baby boy.”

My chest ached but still warmed at her words. “I thought I was your eldest. Not your baby.”

“You’ll always be my baby.” She paused. “And now I have that song in my head. I think I need sleep.”

“You haven’t slept all night, and it’s well into the morning. Let me take you home.” My father kissed Mom’s temple then leaned down to grip my hand over my mother’s. “I love you. I’m glad you’re okay. There’s a very loud room waiting for you.”

“Is Eliza out there? Is she okay?” I asked, my chest tightening.

“Yes, she’s there. She’ll be here for you soon, son.”

My chest was still tight, but relief speared me slightly. After I had woken up in the hospital, everyone had explained to me what’d happened. A woman had had her first seizure, one she hadn’t realized she would ever have while behind the wheel. She had passed out after. Everything had scared her so much that she was currently sedated in the room next to mine. Thankfully, she was fine. As was everyone else. I had been the most hurt.

Her car had hopped the curb, gone through the guardrail, and smashed into where we were seated. Benjamin had pulled Brenna to safety, and though they had a few cuts and scrapes from the flying glass, they were fine. Eliza had a few scrapes on her palms from when I had shoved her down to the ground and out of the way, but she would be okay. I had been bumped from the table as the car hit me, but it had been going slow enough that I didn’t have any internal injuries or broken bones. Just some lacerations and abrasions—the worst on my side.

I felt like a very big bruise. They gave me eight stitches and I had bled enough that I’d scared everybody, but I would make it out of the hospital soon. Maybe even tomorrow morning.

I didn’t have a concussion, but I had passed out for a little bit—mostly from the shock, they had said.

All I could think of as I fell was about Eliza. I had seen Brian’s face instead of hers for just an instant. As if he were the one next to me, bleeding out. Not Eliza, reaching for me, trying to stop the bleeding in my side.

I had hurt my back again, too, and would need rehab—after the stitches were out, of course. I would be fine, though, and I kept telling everybody that. My family didn’t care. They kept telling me that they needed to make sure that I was alive and okay.

I was. Only I needed to see Eliza.

“We’re going to let the next horde in,” Mom said. “We love you.”

“I love you, too.”

My dad gave me a look, and I nodded.

We had been scared enough times recently that there were no more hard feelings. We weren’t the same people we were before. the Montgomery family feud was over. It had to be. And we were finding our place.

I just needed to see Eliza. Only she wasn’t the person who walked in next. Benjamin and Lee walked in, a scowl on my twin’s face.

He leaned forward. “You’re okay?”

“I didn’t hurt this pretty face, and I’m glad your pretty face is just as good.”

“Scared the shit out of me,” Benjamin growled.

“This is the loudest he’s been the entire time,” Lee said, shaking his head. “It took forever to get your twin out of the waiting room. He kept pacing, and I was afraid he was going to growl at somebody and hurt them.”

Benjamin scowled. “My twin was hurt.”

“You didn’t feel it?” I asked, only joking.

My twin must have been beyond jokes because he just shook his head. “You know we don’t have twin phantom pain, you asshole. Don’t do that again.”

“Thank you for pulling Brenna out of the way,” I said softly.

Benjamin sighed. “You pulled Eliza out of the way. I just wish I could have pulled you out of the way.”

“I see you chose Brenna over me.”

My twin scowled, true emotion in his gaze. “Asshole. She was closer. And you were moving out of the way yourself. I don’t know, I guess we both thought to save the women. Don’t tell them that.”

“Dear God, don’t tell them that,” Lee said with a sigh. “We’re just here to check on you. You’re fine. Now I’m going to go tuck Benjamin in and make sure he’s safe.”

“You are an adorable couple,” I said.

Lee flipped me off. “Hey, Benjamin couldn’t do better than me.”

“Thanks for that,” Benjamin drawled and gave me a tight nod as they left.

Paige and Colton came in next, as my little sister wrung her hands together. “I’m so sorry you were hurt. We should have been there.”

“And then my little sister could have been hurt.”

“I wanted to say thank you for helping my friend’s new restaurant out. Fuck, man,” Colton said shaking his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I hope your friend’s place can recover.”

Colton sighed. “We’ll make it work. I’m going to help out where I can.”

“We will,” Paige said and gripped his hand tightly. Colton gave her a small smile and squeezed back.

“Thanks, babe.” Colton turned to me. “I’m going to go make sure she gets some sleep. None of your family has gotten any sleep tonight.”

“Yes, take care of my baby sister.” I emphasized the words, and Colton smiled softly before practically carrying Paige out of the room.

Archer was next, but he walked in alone, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I should have been there,” he whispered.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance at the familiar refrain—and maybe a bit from the pain. “I’m glad you weren’t. I wouldn’t be okay if something had happened to you.”

“I was with Marc. I wasn’t with you. I should have been with you.” My baby brother spoke, but I didn’t think he saw me just then. Damn it. I was going to be okay, but it seemed as if none of my family was at the moment.

“And then you would have been hurt. Just what I told Paige. Stop it. I’m going to be fine.”

“Anything you need, you just ask. Clay was in here for a minute, and so was Riggs, actually,” Archer said with a quick wink, reminding me of his old self. “Clay said he’s going to step up and do whatever you need at the office and the sites since you’ll be out of commission for a while.”

That made me groan. “Hell.”

“Don’t hell me. Once you can get back to work, you’ll be sitting and not touching anything. Clay and I will handle it all. We’ve got you. As do Benjamin, Annabelle, and Paige. You’ve got a good team. We can take care of you.”

“I’m the big brother. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“Now it’s my turn.” Archer leaned down, smacked a kiss on my cheek, and stood up. “Marc wanted to be here, but he had to go in to work. He hopes you’re okay.”

“Tell him I’m fine. And tell yourself that, too.”

“I don’t know if I believe that. I will, eventually.”

Archer left, and then Annabelle and Jacob came in. And while I liked seeing my family and was glad they were here, I really wanted to see Eliza. Why wasn’t she here? And why wasn’t Brenna here?

I loved my family, but Jesus Christ, I wanted to see my people.

“I’m not going to say I wish I was there because, apparently, that’s what everyone keeps saying,” Annabelle rambled quickly.

I held back a laugh and groaned. “Good, because if you did, I’d have to beat Jacob up for allowing a pregnant woman to be part of this.”

“Don’t you worry, she wouldn’t have been anywhere near that. I’m glad you’re okay,” my brother-in-law said, and I nodded.

“I am. Now, go get some sleep. And take care of my future nieces or nephews. Or niece and nephew.”

“I love you, brother mine,” she said softly before kissing me. Then, the two walked out.

Either the hospital would stop letting people visit soon, or Brenna and Eliza would be next. I looked up as Brenna walked in, and relief and anxiety speared me.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, her voice soft. “That was so scary. I never want to do or see that again.”

“I’m all right,” I said and reached out to grip her hand. “I’m really glad that you are. The car could have hit you, too.”

“No, your brother took care of that.” She had an odd look on her face and shook her head. “I love you, Beckett.”

“I love you, too, Brenna.”

She leaned down and kissed my cheat. “I’m going to go. Eliza’s waiting. Make sure she knows how you feel, okay? She wasn’t doing okay, Beckett.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” I asked, anxiety racing through me. “I thought she wasn’t hurt.”

“She isn’t, but she saw you there, bleeding out, and…well, I don’t think she saw you. I think she saw Marshall.”

I cursed under my breath. “Jesus Christ, we’re two peas in a pod sometimes.”

“You were seeing Brian, weren’t you?”

I swallowed hard. “Apparently, the two of us need to talk.”

“I’ll let her in. I think she wanted to be last because she needed to prepare herself. I don’t know what she’s expecting to see in here, but I’m glad you have some color in your face. Tell her how you feel, Beckett. Make sure she knows.” She kissed my cheek again and walked away, and I had to wonder what else was on her mind.

Then I couldn’t focus on anything because Eliza was there. She stood in the doorway, her face pale, her gaze wild.

“You’re okay,” she whispered before swallowing hard.

“Come here,” I growled. I held up my hands, and she shook her head.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Eliza, I swear to God, I will get out of this bed and carry you over here if you don’t come here and kiss me.”

She scowled but stomped over to my side before leaning down and kissing me hard on the mouth. Any pressure I’d had on my chest went away like popping a balloon and letting the air escape.

“I almost lost you,” I said as I reached up and cupped her face.

“That’s my line. I thought you were dead, Beckett. I thought I’d lost you before I could tell you that I love you.”

I froze, and she did the same. “You love me?” I asked.

“Of course, I love you, you asshole. You saved my life. But you were bleeding, and I thought you were dead, and oh my God, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had died. Don’t do that again, Beckett.”

“I will always be there to save you. Always.”

“No. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to almost die for me.”

“You would have done the same for me.”

“I tried, and then you were bleeding, and I couldn’t do anything. I love you so much, Beckett.”

“I love you, too. It might be too soon but fuck it. We’ve all lost so much, and almost lost double that. I love you so fucking much, Eliza. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but just stay with me. Be with me. I don’t want to face the future without you at my side.”

She leaned down, and I took her lips, and I was lost.