Dead.
But he wasn’t.
He started moving toward me and I came unstuck, backing up and he stopped and growled, “Julius, she’s headin’ toward the stairs.”
I stopped.
I stared.
Healthy.
Alive.
Standing.
Gorgeous.
In one piece.
Breathing.
Ty.
I crumbled to the floor at the same time I dissolved into tears.
“Fuck,” I heard Ty clip then I was up, strong arms around me and I heard as well as felt the rumble of the words, “Get outta my f**kin’ house.”
“Brother –”
“Now!”
That was barked.
Then I was going down, ass in his lap, his arms around me, I shoved my face in his neck, my arms went tight around his shoulders, so tight, holding on, I was never, not ever, not f**king ever going to let go and I sobbed into his skin.
His mouth at my ear, he whispered, “Baby, calm down.”
I didn’t calm down.
Eleven hours I lived with the knowledge of his loss.
It was too much.
I couldn’t calm down.
One of his arms got tight and the other hand stroked my back.
“Lexie, baby,” he murmured, lips still at my ear, “calm down.”
“Ee… ee… eleven hours,” I gulped into his neck.
“Come again?”
“Thought you were lost for eleven hours.”
His hand stopped stroking and both arms closed tight around me.
“The la… la… last thing I told you wa… was that we were a nightmare.”