He followed her into the room. While she headed for the bathroom and he heard the sound of the shower running, he pulled out a pair of old drawstring sweats and a tee shirt.
She’d left the bathroom door open, so he walked inside and placed the clothes on the bathroom counter.
A quick glance at her and he realized she was staring down at her blood-stained dress, tears dripping from her eyes and her hands hanging uselessly at her sides.
“Come on. Let me help.”
She turned toward him, and everything he felt for her washed over him in one never-ending wave. Heart lodged in his throat, he took over, wiping her tears with the towel, then helping her out of her clothes. She moved slowly and he didn’t push. Nor did he let his gaze linger on her body as she stepped out of her undergarments. She was so fragile at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms, but he sensed she still wasn’t ready.
Instead, he turned away as she stepped into the shower, and knowing she wouldn’t want any reminders of today, he balled the garment up and tossed it into the trash.
“I’ll wait outside,” he said loudly, over the sound of the running water, prepared to give her privacy.
But when his answer was a gulping sob, he turned back around to find her leaning against the shower wall, her shoulders shaking.
“Fuck it,” he muttered and quickly stripped off his clothes, opened the shower door, and stepped in to join her.
Amanda didn’t know why, but as soon as she hit the shower and saw the first bit of blood run from her arms to the floor, she fell apart, and Decklan was there.
He pulled her into his arms. “Let it go,” he urged.
And she did. She wrapped herself around him, his solid body her safe haven as she fell apart completely.
She came back to herself in slow bits of awareness. Decklan’s big hands caressing her back, his deep voice whispering in her ear, warm water cascading over her as she curled into him.
She pulled back. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He gazed at her, intense dark eyes looking right into her soul. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I am now.”
She soaped herself up, more capable now that the hysteria had passed. She felt much better once all the evidence of today had swirled down the drain. She quickly handled her hair, using shampoo and conditioner she’d left here and he hadn’t gotten rid of.
Interesting.
So was his showing up at the hospital.
She tipped her face up to the water, and hopefully she rid herself of the worst of the makeup mess she was sure to have had covering her.
He looked at her. Smiled. Then reached out, wiping beneath her eyes with his thumbs.
His touch was so sweet. Familiar. Needed.
“Decklan, what are we doing?” There was no mistaking what she meant.
They were both naked in the shower, two people who hadn’t spoken in too long, and the last time had been hurtful and ugly. But she didn’t feel any of those emotions now. She just felt taken care of and … loved. She swallowed hard, the lump rising in her throat because she wanted that last one to be true.
He braced his hands on either side of her face. “We’re doing what we should have been doing all along. Being together. Believing in each other. Being there no matter what.”
“But I lied—”
“And I screwed up how I handled it after I found out. I have no good excuse except—”
She placed her finger over his lips. “I don’t care about why. I just care that you came around. I shouldn’t have kept something so important from you.”
“And I have issues stemming from losing my parents in such a traumatic way. We were getting so close…”
“You pushed me away first?” She rose to her tiptoes and briefly pressed her lips against his. “Can we agree to forgive and forget?”