After Rain Falls (River of Rain, #2)

by C.E. Ricci

“I don’t give a shit who knows about the two of us. I. Love. Him. And I couldn’t care less about what you think of any of it. So, I’m going to see him. Because he fucking needs me.”

“You don’t know jack shit about my so-called mess or my so-called family. I don’t give a shit about any of that. Because my real family? He’s lying in a hospital bed right now, probably scared out of his fucking mind! So do us all a favor and let. Me. See. Him.”

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you’re close to death. But they don’t tell you it also happens when the reason for you to live starts slipping through your grasp.

I’ll follow you anywhere, River. Even into death.

My back hits the wall just before my knees give out, nausea rolling through me. And then. The most dreadful sounds of all paralyze me in place. A mother’s wail. A sister’s cry. A father’s sob. The decimation of my heart. My mind. My soul. And worst of all. A flatline.

“He is the person I plan to spend the rest of my life with. He is the person I can’t live without. And he is the person I willingly took two bullets for. So accept it or don’t, Dad. At this point, it doesn’t matter to me.” Swallowing roughly, I let out a shaking breath. “But if you can’t, I want nothing to do with you. I never want to see you—ever again. Because I don’t need to be reminded of what a disappointment my father truly is.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” I soothe. “I’m here. I’m right here, baby.” He shakes his head, rolling it along my forehead as his hands tremble against my cheek and against my pillow. “You aren’t allowed to leave me.” It sounds as if he’s swallowing shards of glass. “I swear to fucking God, River. And if you try to die on me again, I’m gonna find a way to bring you back to life just to kill you myself.”

I hear him take a deep breath and feel more teardrops fall on my face. They keep coming and the urge to wipe them away and take his pain overwhelms me. But the thing about pain is…you have to let yourself feel it. Otherwise you would never know the wound is healing.

A smile plays at the edge of my lips at the thought, and I pull him down to kiss him. Letting him know he can break and I’ll still be here while he repairs himself.

“The real question is what do you want, mo grá? You’re the one who took two bullets. So, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Anything, fucking everything. Say the word, baby, and it’s yours.” He pauses and eyes me for a second. “Just no ass tattoos.” I grin and shake my head because that’s the last thing I want from him right now. “How ‘bout something better.” “All ears.” “I want all of your secrets,” I say, my brow raised. “Nothing is hidden between us ever again.” “Done.” Not a hint of hesitation. Nodding, I add, “I want you to move in with me.” This time he does hesitate, his forehead creasing. “You don’t think it’s too soon?” I shake my head and smirk, pulling on his shirt so he’ll lean in and kiss me. “How can it be too soon when we already had a thirty-five-day trial run?” He lets out a soft chuckle, his nose brushing against mine lightly. “Fair point.” “And I want you,” I swallow harshly, my grip on his hair tightening. “I want you for the rest of my life.” “Is that a proposal, River Lennox?” he asks with a lilt of amusement in his voice. “I mean, you’re already my fiancé, so—” He glares daggers at me and I can’t help but grin like a damn idiot. Playing with the hair at the base of his skull, my eyes dance between his. “Trust me, baby. You’d know it if it was.” A smirk crosses his lips. “All right, then. Anything else you’d like to request?” I pull back and give myself a moment to think about it. About what else I could possibly want from him. To share with him....

As I move to grab his hand, my newest tattoo peeks out from under my sleeve. The one I got under his name. You keep me safe. It matches the one on his own inner wrist. You keep me wild.

“Because I like doing nice things for you,” I tell him, kissing his jaw, nibbling at the neatly trimmed scruff he keeps there now. “Because I wanted to see the look on your face when you put it together.” My lips move up to his cheek, brushing against it where his dimples pop. “Because putting a smile on your face is my favorite thing to do every day.” Licking the seam of his lips, I mold my mouth to his in a rough kiss I never want to end. “Because I wanted to give us a place here, where we fell in love, to be ours,” I whisper against his mouth, barely able to breathe, I’m so consumed by him. “Because I love you more than anyone in the entire world.”

“Because you fought for us at every turn, even when you had no reason to. Gave me hope for a better future. Held my hand and had my back and supported me through whatever life threw my way. And I want to do those things for you too. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me, if you’ll let me.”

“If I remember correctly, I told you there would be a day I’d bring you to your knees,” he mumbles against my mouth, biting at my lip. “But I guess I can live with just the one.” I choke out a laugh, pulling back to see his face. “Is that a yes?” His fingers tease the back of my neck, playing with the hair there as his smile grows even larger. “Baby, you really don’t know? It would never have been anything other than yes.”