Chapter five

I gaze down at Lumi as I nurse her, my thoughts racing with worry for Arlo and Cree. The silence of the hospital room feels deafening without any updates since Arlo has my phone. What if something has gone wrong, and I'm left in the dark? My mind spins, imagining every worst-case scenario, and tears start to sting my eyes. The weight of doubt is overwhelming, and my heart pounds furiously in my chest.

But, the door suddenly bursts open, startling me, and my gaze snaps toward it. Seeing Cree sprint through the doorway floods me with immediate relief. I sink back into the pillows, trying to steady my racing hear.

Arlo casually strides in behind him, and when our eyes meet, my gaze softens. He scans the room with a hint of suspicion as he closes the door and sets the bags down. I can see it on his face that he knows something is wrong. This man misses nothing.

I shift my focus to Cree, who stands close beside me, his eyes wide with curiosity as he tiptoes and tries to catch a glimpse of Lumi. I smile at him and gently run my fingers through his silky hair.

Without warning, Arlo leans in and presses his lips firmly to mine. The kiss is intense, catching me off guard, but I can't help but melt against him.

"What's up?" he questions his mouth hovering above mine.

I give a slight shake of my head, and he examines my eyes as if he isn't buying it, then his gaze swings from my face to Cree and then to Lumi. With careful hands, he scoops Cree up under his arms and gently sets him beside me on the bed.

"Be careful of Wren, Cree; her tummy's still sore," Arlo warns.

My heart swells with emotion as I watch the two of them together, and tears of love blur my vision. I unlatch her from my breast, draping the sheet over myself to give Cree a clearer view of her.

I lift my eyes to Arlo, a silent request in my gaze and he understands immediately, reaching out to take her into his arms. Settling into a chair next to the bed, he cradles her against his chest, adjusting his position so her back is against his front and Cree can see her more easily. I glance between Lumi and Cree, observing his wide-eyed fascination.

"She's very small and has lots of hair," Cree remarks, full of wonder.

I smile at him. "That's very true. Would you like to give her a cuddle?"

His eyes now widen with fear. "But what if I drop her?"

Arlo steps in, moving Lumi to the crook of his arm before standing. He wraps his arm around Cree's back, lifts him and sets him down on the chair, then Arlo raises Lumi and presents her to Cree.

"Don't worry, I'll be right here," Arlo reassures him.

Cree extends his arms hesitantly, and Arlo carefully places Lumi onto him. Cree's hold is awkward as Arlo crouches in front of them, casting a small smile my way. I return his smile, and together, we take in the memory unfolding before us. The two of us continue to ogle Cree as he gazes down at her sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"Maybe we could change her into something of hers? Wren decided to get some cute stuff, I saw," Arlo suggests.

I watch curiously as Cree gives his dad a gentle nod and a faint, wary smile. I lay there for some time, observing as Arlo and Cree clean and dress Lumi. I'm starting to feel useless lying here; I want to do it all with them, but I know all of this was necessary to save her.

Arlo raises her up with a big smile on his face, and she's dressed in something he clearly chose. "Daddy's little angel," he says proudly. I smile softly as he kisses her forehead sweetly and brings her to me to feed. When she's on me, I glance down and guide myself to her, and she immediately latches on.

"Why is she...?" Cree asks, pointing to his chest with a confused look on his face. I try not to giggle, so I opt for a soft smile instead.

"That's where her milk is, and that's how she eats right now," I explain.

His brows raise in shock. "On your...?" he trails off, still trying to wrap his head around it.

I glance up at Arlo, who is rubbing his stubble with a smile, before returning my focus to Cree with a glimmer of amusement on my face.

"That's right," I confirm, nodding.

As he looks lost for words, I think about how I want to find out how he reacted to his dad's return, but from what I see and how he has been around him today, it's as if he had never left, and he seems very happy, which makes me happy.

As the day fades into the early evening, I sit back and watch Arlo crouch in front of Cree.

"I'm going to have you spend the night at Grandma's," he says gently.

Cree's face collapses, and despair falls into his eyes, making my heart ache, but Arlo continues, "Don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow. It's just that I need to be here with Lumi and Wren because Wren still needs support while she's in pain. If the doctors allow it, she could be home tomorrow."

Cree hugs his dad, holding him tightly. "But I'll be missing you," he whispers.

I start to speak because I feel awful for him, but Arlo simply raises his hand to stop me, as if he had just heard my thoughts about stopping the situation.

"I promise I'll come to get you first thing in the morning, and you can call me from Grandma's phone whenever you want to."

Cree eventually agrees, and Arlo lifts him before carrying him to me. Cree leans over to kiss me goodbye before Arlo lowers him to the ground.

"Could you please place Lumi in her crib for me?" I ask Arlo.

He gives me a nod before bringing the crib closer to me and lowering her into it, then covering her with a blanket. When he's through, he looks down at me, dips his head, and gently kisses my lips.

I place my palm on his cheek as he gives me another long, lingering kiss before moving away. Our eyes lock for a moment, then I watch as they both walk out, Cree turning to wave goodbye, his small hand fluttering in the air.

After a while, I lay there staring at Lumi as she sleeps, and I begin to think about getting up to have a shower. I feel shitty and just want a nice warm shower to help me refresh. I press a button on the bed to raise my body to sit up more before pressing another button to lower the bed so it's easier to get out of it.

I know they said it would be painful, but they also said I need to start moving around to recover quicker, which is what I want more than anything. I edge myself slowly off the bed with a groan, trying my hardest not to tear my stitches, and when I finally have my feet on the ground, I turn and steady myself with my palms on the bed.

I take a couple of controlled breaths before I suddenly hear the door open behind me. I don't even need to look; I know it's him. I listen to the door close before his footsteps approach me from behind.

"What the fuck are you doing? Why didn't you wait for me?"

I shake my head as it dips low. "I needed to get up; I was getting annoyed laying there doing nothing, and I want a shower."

He places his lips on my neck, the warmth of his breath sending a shiver down my spine, before taking my arm to support me. "Come on, I'll help you."

I allow him to slowly guide me toward the en-suite, latching onto him tightly.

With the water running, we leave the door open to listen for Lumi. He turns to face me, and I keep my eyes locked on his as he reaches around and unties my gown. I reach out slowly, my fingers trailing up his torso, lifting his t-shirt. He cocks his head to the side as I run my hands up his bare abs, noticing that his ripped body hasn't changed at all.

"You're getting in with me," I state, leaving no room for argument.

I let my gown fall from my naked body, and he raises an eyebrow. He lifts his arm, reaches over his head, and pulls his shirt off, revealing the tattoos that cover the entirety of his skin. My eyes land on his healed wound, and I lift my hand gently, softly running the tips of my fingers over it, my eyes watering.

"People need to pay for what they've done to us," I whisper.

He cups my cheeks, his touch firm yet tender, and leans down, staring straight into my eyes. "And they fucking will. We will do it together, but right now we need to concentrate on Lumi and Cree. There's no fucking time limit on revenge, Wren. It will come eventually, especially in our world."

When I peer into his eyes, I know he is giving me words of wisdom, and I know I should listen to him. He is and always will be the King of this city, and if I need to look up to anyone, it needs to be him, not his mother or anyone else. But now that I've had a bitter, heartbreaking taste of losing him, I don't want to ever feel that again.

"What if I lose you all over again? I can't stop thinking about it," I murmur honestly, searching his eyes for answers.

He stands tall before he responds. "The only difference between before and fucking now is that I have my wife beside me, and we're gonna wreck this fucking city together."

My brows crease as I look at him in confusion. "I thought you didn't want me in your world."

He gives a small head shake before raising his chin. "I fucking don't, and I'm not gonna lie and say I'm happy about it. But I have a feeling that no matter what I say, you'll still want to do this with or without me, and I would rather do this with you than against you."

I give a small nod, taking in his words.

"I need you to understand something," he continues. "This world is dark, and it's fucking dangerous, you haven't seen even a fraction of it yet. I'd spent time since I met you, trying to shield you and Cree from it, but I know now that you're not someone who can be shielded anymore."

I stare at him as his hands settle on my shoulders, a firm glint in his gaze.

"But you need to listen to me, Wren," he declares. "I can't have you fucking hurt, and you have to get strong again before you even think about going back to the Elite world. Right now, you need to leave it to me."

I search his eyes, my doubt apparent and he sighs, his grip tightening slightly.

"Promise me," he demands. "Fucking promise me you'll focus on you, Lumi, and Cree right now. Nothing else."

The seriousness in his tone leaves little room for me to argue, it's final and I know deep down that he's right, but the thought of stepping back, of letting go, grates against every instinct I have.

"Well, I'm hardly well enough to move from the fucking bed," I mumble, glancing away.

He gently sweeps my hair behind my shoulders. "But you will be."

"Just one more thing," he tilts his head slightly in question and I continue. "Please leave Savannah to me if you find her."

He brings his face close, his mouth brushing against mine as he whispers, "With fucking pleasure, beautiful."

Without warning, he captures my mouth, and I slip my tongue in, exploring him. When it sweeps over his piercing, a soft moan escapes me involuntarily. He breaks the kiss, raising an eyebrow and I grin, walking slowly around him toward the running shower.

Once inside, the warm water cascades over my dry body, and I sigh, tilting my head back, letting it rain over my face and hair. Soon, his arm wraps around my chest, his front pressing against my back. I rest my head on his chest as he starts to wash me, but when I feel his hard cock against me, I giggle and shake my head.

"I'm still fucking human, at least in that department. And you asked for it by making me get in here with you," he growls against my ear. I bite my bottom lip, a smile playing on my lips.

"I'm sorry," I mutter.

He kisses my cheek firmly, then looks at my side profile. "What have I always said about you fucking apologizing to me? You clearly haven't been punished enough."

I roll my eyes with a smirk, turning my head to meet his gaze. We stare at each other for a moment, taking in each other's features, then he gestures with his head.

"Come on, let's get you back in bed. You look tired."

He plants one last kiss on my neck before reaching out to turn off the water. He helps me out, and once I'm dry and dressed, we check on Lumi. Then, he assists me back into bed. As I settle close to the edge, I slowly turn onto my side with a pillow supporting my belly.

I pat the bed with my palm. "Get in with me."

He raises a brow, glancing at the limited space. "There's no way I'm fitting in that bed; have you seen my fucking size?"

I giggle with a groan, patting the bed again. "Try."

I watch with a smile as he carefully climbs onto the bed, shifting to find the best position without hurting me. Finally, he's lying beside me, and we're face to face, his forehead resting against mine.

We lie there in silence, just taking each other in, the weight of everything that's happened hanging between us. I trace the lines of his face with my eyes, trying to ground myself in this moment.

"This still feels like some strange dream," I murmur, the exhaustion from the past few days heavy in my voice.

He studies me for a moment, then quirks an eyebrow.

"Better than a fucking nightmare, though, right?"

I close my eyes, the memory of all the nightmares that have haunted me for months washing over me like a dark wave. The fear, the loss—it's all still so fresh. But when I feel his hand in mine, I open my eyes to see him pressing our scarred palms together, our fingers lacing tightly.

"I know what you're going through. I had the same nightmares after Bridge died."

I just listen, sensing this is something he doesn't often share, something deep.

"I kept replaying that morning in my head, the way I found her, the way she stared back at me, lifeless, the sound of Cree screaming. It was like it was on a fucking loop every time I closed my eyes."

A lump forms in my throat, tears welling up as I realize he understands my pain more than I ever thought. Of course he does. He gently strokes his thumb over his initial carved into my palm, his touch comforting me.

"But it does get easier," he continues. "I'm here for you, just like you were there for me."

A tear escapes, and he wipes it away with a tenderness that makes my heart ache. "I wouldn't have made it through without you," he admits quietly.

My sleepy eyes close, feeling safe for the first time in a long time, and he leans in to press a soft kiss to my forehead. "Get some rest, beautiful. Tomorrow, we'll hopefully get you home."