Page 45

Chapter twenty-five

Hazel

As soon as we get back to the apartment, Gage pins me up against the door. “I need you, Spitfire,” he says as he yanks his shirt over his head, revealing that inked chest and lean physique that I can’t get enough of.

I toss my shirt to the side and slide my shorts and underwear down my legs. “I need you too.”

Not wasting one more second, Gage crashes into me.

His hands are everywhere, his lips tease my skin and kiss me so deeply that I can barely breathe when he lets me come up for air.

I help him take off his pants and briefs and then he’s back on my mouth, claiming me and kissing me like he thought he’d never get the chance to again.

When he lifts me up and pins me to the door, I feel his cock pressing against my pussy, ready to slide inside.

“Gage…”

“Can I take you like this, Hazel? Can I take you with nothing between us?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He presses himself up and we both gasp as he enters me with very little resistance. “Fuck,” he groans. “God damn, Hazel. You have no idea what you do to me.”

I hold his face in my hands as he fucks me at a relentless pace. “I do. I feel it too.”

“I fucking love you,” he says, resting his forehead on mine.

“I love you too.”

Gage swivels his hips on his next drive, hitting something inside of me that has me gasping for air. He does it again, over and over until I’m screaming through my orgasm, and moments later he finds his own.

Once we’ve showered and cleaned up, Gage guides me to lie in bed with him. My body is spent, but my mind is still reeling with so many questions.

“Were you in Florida while you were gone?”

Gage chuckles. “Where else would I have gone?”

“I don’t know,” I say, drawing circles on his chest with my finger.

“I had to go see Dr. Miranda.”

“I want to meet her.”

He kisses my forehead. “Then we will make it happen.”

“What did she say?”

“She’s going to adjust my meds. This episode wasn’t as bad as the one I had the week my aunt died, so…”

I lift my head from his chest. “Oh my God. That’s why you weren’t here, wasn’t it?”

He nods. “Yeah, baby. And it killed me.”

“I’m sorry for making you feel like shit about that.”

He strokes my cheek. “You didn’t know.”

Sighing, I lay my head back down on his chest. “Does your doctor think a new medication will help?”

“It’s the next logical step. But if things get worse …”

“We’ll handle them together,” I say before he can finish his thought.

His arms squeeze me tighter to him. “Be patient with me, Hazel. Please. This is all new to me, sharing this part of my life with someone.”

“Your aunt knew though.”

“Yeah, she did.”

I sit up again so I can see his eyes. “Did you know that she was friends with my Dad?”

His brows furrow. “No.”

I stand from the bed in search of my purse, grabbing the two letters I received yesterday from my mom and bringing them back to the bed. “My dad wrote me a letter.”

Gage sits up in the bed, resting against the headboard. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah…”

“My aunt wrote me one too.”

My eyes widen. “Really?”

It’s Gage’s turn to leave the bed and come back with a letter. When he settles back in, he hands his to me. “I want you to read it.”

I hand him mine from my dad. “I want you to read mine too.”

I lean my back against his chest as we both grow silent, taking in the words on the pages that summarize every moment that led to us ending up right where we are. By the time we’re done reading, both of us are crying again.

“Fuck.” Gage tosses the letters to the side and wraps his arms around me, the wetness of his cheek hitting my shoulder. “Somehow they knew…they knew before we ever did.”

“It’s so crazy.”

“It is, but I’m so fucking grateful, Hazel. I’m grateful that my aunt was looking out for me, and I’m grateful to your dad for raising you, for knowing the person you are and how you could impact my life.”

I t urn my head so I can see his face. “You’ve changed my life too, Gage. You made me believe in love again.”

“I never believed in it until I met you.”

Gage leans forward and kisses me, and my body begins to melt all over again.

“You know, my mom was the one delivering the letters.”

Gage huffs out a laugh. “That makes sense. Dallas is the one who gave me mine, though.”

“Really?”

“He brought my bike to the hospital.”

“What?” I shout.

Gage presses a finger to my lips. “Don’t be mad at him. He knew I needed some space, but he told me that if I didn’t plan on coming back, to be honest with you because he knew you’d wait for me.”

“I would have.”

“I know, Spitfire.” He kisses me softly. “But I knew the second I got back to Florida that it wasn’t home anymore. Home is here with you, in this apartment, in Carrington Cove.”

I reach for the other letter. “Then we’d better make sure we finish what your aunt started,” I say, handing him the paper.

He reads the next task, smiling the entire time.

“You only get one life, Gage. You’re the one that gets to choose how you live it, but I know what my choice would be.

” His eyes meet mine. “I don’t want to only choose three photos to summarize our relationship, to look back on and remember.

I want one thousand photos, Gage. I want every good and bad memory, even if that means our time is cut short.

I’d rather have that time with you than none at all. ”

He reaches for his phone, flips the camera to face us, and holds it up above us. “Then I need more memories to choose from, Hazel. What we had isn’t enough and I don’t think it ever will be.”

***

“ Nice to meet you.” I reach out to shake Dr. Miranda’s hand before taking a seat in one of the chairs opposite her desk. Gage sits down in the chair beside me, reaching for my hand.

“The pleasure is all mine, truly. I’m glad that Gage has someone now in all of this.”

I turn to look at him. “Me too.” When I twist back to face Dr. Miranda again, I say, “But I have some questions.”

“Of course. Ask away.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

My question catches her off-guard. “Wow. Well, the best thing you can do is make sure he keeps his appointments with me for regular checkups and scans, and that he’s honest with both of us about how he’s feeling on a day-to-day basis.”

“Done. Next, are there any activities that Gage should avoid so he doesn’t risk having another episode?”

Gage rolls his eyes but Dr. Miranda laughs. “As long as Gage listens to his body, he should be all right to participate in most forms of exercise within reason. The medication he’s on will help manage his symptoms, but it’s not a cure.”

“I think Hazel is concerned about my ability to have sex, Doc.”

I smack his chest. “Gage!”

The doctor laughs. “She has every right to be concerned, but with the new medication, hopefully we won’t have any more dizzy spells.”

“And this is the new medication? How long will it take for us to know it’s effective?” I ask, focusing my attention back on Gage’s doctor , mentally taking note of how I’m going to get back at him for making me look like a pervert in front of her.

Dr. Miranda slides her eyes to Gage. “I like her.”

“I knew you would,” Gage replies, squeezing my hand. “Hazel, babe—”

“No,” I cut him off. “I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can and know as much as possible to keep you healthy, Gage. Okay?” I lift my phone from my pocket. “I’ve already set an alarm to remind you to take your medication.”

He leans forward, cups the side of my face, and rubs his nose against mine. “I love you.”

I press a short kiss to his lips and then face Dr. Miranda again. “Continue, please.”

She chuckles. “The new medication may take a few months to take full effect. Some things to look out for are dizziness, of course, fainting spells, lack of energy, rapid heart rate. Also, his alcohol intake should be minimal.”

“Are you recruiting her to be my babysitter now?” Gage asks.

I whip my head in his direction. “Absolutely.”

“You should have known that this was going to happen, Gage,” Dr. Miranda says. “When you have someone who cares about you, they take responsibility for your well-being too.”

“Don’t worry. This man won’t be able to so much as breathe without me checking on him from now on,” I say, making both of them laugh.

The ironic thing is that sitting here and learning about what our life will look like together is actually making it easier for me to breathe, knowing that together, we can keep Gage healthy.