Page 31 of Hart's Redemption

He chuckled and grabbed a stylus from the stack of notes he’d accumulated. “I’ll take that as a no.”

I barely didn’t let out a sigh of relief. “Wait. Most of those require a witness.”

“Josh…”

“It’s legal paperwork, Elijah. Witnesses are often standard procedure. Don’t get your tail in a twist.” I rolled my eyes and addressed the AI security system I’d installed prior to my stint at the hospital. “Atlas, serve as witness to the signing of document file name ‘Contingency’.” The characteristic beep came, and this time Elijah rolled his eyes.

Ten minutes later, he stood and walked around the table to present me with the data tab and his signatures. As he pressed the slim tablet into my hands, he pressed his lips against mine. The warmth of his nearness washed through me in a comforting wave I knew I’d never grow weary of. The meditation techniques helped to a degree, and of course, the higher dosage sedatives, but literally nothing had the same calming effect that Elijah’s mere presence did. I sighed, and he stepped back with a smile.

“You didn’t by chance sneak a marriage license in there, did you?”

The question took me completely off guard, and I nearly dropped the data tab. “What? Why would you ask that?”

He shrugged as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb. “First, because you once equated the bond to an arranged marriage. And second, that wasn’t an answer.”

“No, I didn’t sneak a marriage license in there.”

But I definitely should have. Fuck, why didn’t I think of that? That would have gotten rid of at least half of those documents. Lawyers are useless.

“Hey, there’s no need to look so serious.” Elijah stepped in close once more, his hand already sliding around my waist and tugging me into him. I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck as his mouth closed over mine, and I could have sworn I heard him whisper, “Shame.”

I tangled my free hand in his hair while my mind took off with the half-heard word. Was that something Elijah wanted? Did Ihave enough time left to make it happen? Would he resent me when the final hour came? Rather than voice any of my doubts or insecurities, I said the only thing I knew to be true: “I love you.”

He tipped my nose with his, a cheeky smile playing about his lips. “I love you too, moonbeam.”

I let out a sound that was a hair too close to a whimper. “I love it when you call me that.”

Something passed behind Elijah’s eyes too fast to catch, then he stepped back. “I know you’re not much of a breakfast man, but what do you say I whip up something anyway?”

“I could eat.”

He met my coy response with a chuckle as he turned to make his way through the opening to the kitchen. I glanced down at the data tab in my hand and quickly scanned it for any missing signatures. To be sure, it was a lot of documents, but my retainer assured me it covered all the eventualities and then some. I just hoped it was enough. After I emailed the docs and Atlas’s witness confirmation to my lawyer, I ventured after Elijah to offer what assistance he would permit me. The man was a bossy bear when it came to his kitchen.

Elijah

I walked into the kitchen intending to make omelets, but when I looked at the accumulated ingredients, it seemed I was in the mood for something slightly more extravagant. With a shrug, I prepped and combined everything while attempting to make sense of the chaos in my mind.

The eggs were mostly whisked by the time Josh took a seat at the island, and my thoughts weren’t faring any better. Thispast week had been like a fairytale, showing me what a life with Josh could actually look like, or might if I could learn from my mistakes and stop keeping secrets.

Is there an easy way to tell someone that you’ve been in their head, seen some of their darkest memories?

I chanced a look at Josh, and my heart skipped a beat. He really was the most beautiful creature, with his dark hair hanging in his eyes and his plush lips pursed in concentration as he chopped the spinach I’d set out. The sight was enough to make my chest ache. Somehow, despite all the trauma he’d endured and all of his mother’s efforts to beat it out of him, Josh still had a kind, thoughtful heart. Even though he’d buried it beneath a bite that was every bit as bad as his bark, with each passing day, I saw more and more of the generous person he was always meant to be. And I fucking loved that man.

“Thank you.”

At my expression of gratitude, Josh looked up and speared me with a smile that threatened to make my heart stop altogether.

I can’t keep this from him. He deserves to know the truth.

I opened my mouth to tell him all about Kotori and the lengths I’d gone to get him back, but none of that was what came out. “How goes the meditation?”

His shoulders stiffened, and he averted his gaze. “It could be going better.”

I sighed and finished assembling the rest of the ingredients before sliding the quiche into the oven. I set the timer and turned back to him. “And the sedatives? How are those working?”

He shifted in his seat, still keeping his gaze firmly focused down. “Well enough.”

“Is the dosage okay?”