Page 105 of Finding Elodie
She only remembered bits and pieces from being rescued, but knew Scott had been there, as had the rest of his team. It had taken them longer than she’d hoped, and for a while there she’d thought they wouldn’t make it, especially when the rain started and she was being buffeted up and down by the waves, but she’d taken an odd comfort in the attention from the dolphins. They’d seemed to know she was on the edge of death and wouldn’t let her give up. Nudging her every now and then and making sure she stayed awake.
The lights from the boat Scott had been on had seemed like another hallucination at first, but then Scott was there. In the water next to her, holding her, keeping her safe.
Turning her head, she knew he’d be next to her still. And he was. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was resting on the back of the chair he was sitting in. His mouth was open and he looked absolutely exhausted…she’d never seen a more beautiful sight in her life.
She drank him in for a long few minutes. She had no idea what woke him up, but out of the blue, his brown eyes popped open and he saw her staring at him.
He was up and out of the chair faster than she’d ever seen him move. He hovered and seemed to be afraid to touch her.
“El?”
She tried to speak, and nothing came out but a croak. Scott immediately reached for something next to her, then had his hand behind her neck and was lifting her head to help her take a sip from the cup he held to her lips. The water was lukewarm, and it tasted so damn good. She tried to gulp it down but Scott wouldn’t let her. He lowered the cup and put it back on the table next to the bed. Then he continued to hover over her.
Elodie licked her lips, wincing when she realized they were both split from dryness and the salty ocean.
Finally, she said, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He grinned, and it lit up his face. “I know you will. I wasn’t giving you a choice.”
“He’s gonna come back.”
The smile disappeared from Scott’s face as if it had never been there. “No. He’s not. You’re gonna have to trust me on this. The Columbus family will not be a problem for you anymore. I swear on my job as a Navy SEAL, you’re going to be safe from them.”
Elodie had no idea how he was going to make that happen. He couldn’t exactly take on the mob, but she trusted him. How could she not after everything that had happened? “Okay.”
“Okay?”
She nodded.
“I love you, Elodie Winters, soon to be Webber. So damn much.”
“Love you too,” she whispered. Her eyes felt extremely heavy and she was suddenly exhausted.
“There are a ton of people who are waiting to see you, but they can wait,” Scott told her. “Perry, Kahoni, Kalani, all the guys. Kai is bitching about wanting to be wheeled in here from his room a few floors up. The lady from the grocery store, the family who lives a couple doors down from us…hell, even the family that chartered your boat on Saturday heard you were hurt, and they want to see you before they fly back to Australia. You’re very loved, Elodie, and we’re all so damn glad you were so strong out there.”
She wanted to tell him that the only reason she’d held on was because of him, but she was too tired.
“Sleep, babe. We’ve got the rest of our lives to look forward to together,” Scott told her, and she felt him kiss her forehead gently.
She fell back into a deep, healing sleep, content in the knowledge that the man she loved was there. And that he’d somehow make sure they could be together, forever.
Epilogue
It had been two weeks since Elodie had been fished out of the ocean. She’d spent three days in the hospital and had been recuperating in Scott’s apartment since, spending a lot of time in their comfy chair in his bedroom. Scott had been going to work, but when he wasn’t at her side, one of his teammates was. Kai’s mother had also brought him by the day after he’d gotten out of the hospital so they could visit.
Elodie knew she’d been very lucky, and she was having a hard time even thinking about leaving Scott’s apartment. She was scared. Terrified, actually. She knew Paul Columbus wouldn’t give up until she was well and truly dead.
But today, Scott had cajoled, begged, and finally just picked her up and carried her to his truck. He told her it was time to get back out into the world.
She didn’t agree. But she didn’t want to argue with him. She was still feeling off-kilter, and she desperately wanted to believe him when he said she was safe. That she’d always be safe from here on out.
He’d brought her to Aleck’s condo, and now that Elodie was there, she was glad Scott had forced the issue. She loved these men like brothers, and after she’d heard the story about how they’d all banded together the second they knew she was missing, her heart had melted for them even more.
They were rough around the edges. Many times they said the wrong thing, they swore too much, and it was obvious what they did for a living had affected them all in some way. But she loved them exactly how they were.
She was sitting on Aleck’s couch, and they were all laughing and joking about nothing in particular when a knock sounded on the door. Elodie was surprised. She had no idea who it could be. Maybe someone ordered takeout?
Slate headed for the door and opened it. Elodie couldn’t see the door from where she was sitting, but she heard a deep voice she didn’t recognize. When Slate reentered the room, there was a man walking next to him.
