“You made it,” I finally whispered after he’d been holding me for a few minutes.

“Of course I did. Did you think I would miss getting to hold you one more time?” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head through his surgical mask. “Everything’s going to be okay now, Rissa. You’ll be okay.”

I nodded, not wanting him to know how unsure I was of that. I was so sick. So weak. So. Tired. I didn’t want my brother to know how close to just giving up I was. He had too many demons to fight as it was. I couldn’t let him know that it was a battle to keep going.

As Liam moved so that his bandmates could hug me, I finally let myself think about the one member who was missing. My heart had sunk a little the moment I’d realized he wasn’t here with the rest of them. Where was he? Had he not wanted to see me? Didn’t he care? I felt horrible because he had been the only one I’d really wanted to see, but I tried to keep a smile on my face as Zander, Devlin, and Axton did their best to make me laugh.

“Okay,” Axton said as he hugged me again. “We’re going to go so that Wroth can come in. He needed a few minutes to himself.”

My eyes widened at Axton’s confession, but my heart flew skyward as I realized that Wroth was actually there. He was there! I couldn’t help that my smile was even brighter as I let the three huge rockers hug and kiss me. Wroth is here. I am going to get to see him after all.

Liam stood as well. “I don’t want to go, but I know he’s gonna want to see you alone. So I’m going to go crash in the waiting room. If you need anything let me know, okay Rissa? Anything and it’s yours.”

I rolled my eyes at him. From that very first enormous paycheck he’d gotten with OtherWorld he’d done nothing but spoil me. “I know, Liam. But all I really want is right here.” I hugged him hard one last time and he took Mary Beth’s hand and they left me alone. Anxiously waiting for the only person I felt like I would die if I didn’t see.

A few minutes passed. I bit my dry lip, trying not to feel hurt that Wroth hadn’t rushed in here to see me as soon as humanly possible. If it had been the other way around, I wouldn’t have been able to keep away even for a second. It might sound like I had a silly schoolgirl crush on Wroth Niall but that wasn’t the case.

I loved him. Plain and simple. There have been times I wished that I didn’t love him, but honestly I couldn’t have fallen for a better guy. Wroth knows what’s important in life. He’s served his country as a marine, used his enlistment bonus to pull the farm that has been in his family for five generations out of financial trouble, and treats me and his momma like we are fine china.

When the door to my room opened again, I held my breath until six foot five inches of solid muscle walked in. At the first sight of him all the tears that I’d been able to hold back for Mary Beth and Liam and the others came flooding to the surface and a sob escaped me before I could call it back. Brown eyes darkened, that strong jaw covered in a surgical mask flexed with emotion and I held my arms out like I was a little kid.

A groan that sounded more like a growl was torn from him and he crossed to my bed in just a few strides before dropping down next to me on the mattress. Strong arms wrapped around me tightly but still with tenderness, his hands wrapping around thin dark hair and pulling my head against his strong chest. Neither of us spoke as he held me and I silently cried. In that moment I knew that I didn’t want to die, even if I had assured myself I was okay with death. I didn’t want to leave this man behind. I wanted more moments with his arms around me, more moments just being beside him.

We sat like that for a long while, but it didn’t feel like long enough. Wroth pulled back, wiping big fat teardrops from my cheeks with his thumbs. “How are you feeling?” he asked in a huskier than normal voice. I loved the sound of Wroth’s voice. Some people said it was scary, almost terrifying at times depending on his mood, but I’d always been drawn to it. I loved that gravely, smoky sound.

“I’m better now,” I promised him. At least emotionally better now that he was there. I was still nauseous though, and it was a feat in and of itself to keep from vomiting in front of him despite the fact that there was nothing in me to throw up.

“You’ve lost more weight since I last saw you.” His eyes narrowed as he brushed his hands over my hair. “And your hair is dry and thin…”

I felt my cheeks fill with pink and I pulled back from him a little, hating that I was already looking like the sick person I was. “The chemo is already working its magic. By the end of everything I will be bald. I probably won’t even have eyelashes.”

“You’ll still be just as beautiful without all that hair, Mari.”

Pleasure made my heart leap. I loved it when he called me Mari. He was the only one to call me that, and only rarely, but when he did I felt like I could fly to the moon and back. Leaning forward again, I laid my head on his chest once more, soothed by the steady beat of his heart. Wroth held me like that for a little while, but then moved us so that he was practically lying beside me with my head pillowed on his chest. With a content sigh, I wrapped an arm over his hard stomach and closed my eyes. I could sleep like this forever.

Of course the night nurse wasn’t going to let that happen. With a tap on the door it opened and there stood my warden. She gave a disapproving frown at the sight of Wroth lying on the bed with me. “Visiting hours will be over in five minutes. Your friend needs to be going soon.”

Wroth started to move but I shook my head as I sat up. “You said it won’t be over for five more minutes. He can stay until then.” When the nurse started to protest I glared at her. “Five more minutes!”

Shaking her head the nurse backed out of the room and let the door close behind her. Wroth sat up beside me, his arms going around me once again. “I’d better go, Mari. You need to rest for tomorrow.”

“But I rest better when you’re with me,” I grumbled.

I could tell he was smiling by the way his eyes crinkled a little at the corners. Wroth rarely smiled so there weren’t any lines around his eyes yet. “We’ll do this again one day. When you’re all better.”

I couldn’t help but pout. Couldn’t the doctors sterilize Wroth and let him stay with me for the duration?

“Promise?” Fresh tears suddenly blurred my vision and made my throat ache.

“I swear,” he said and then hugged me tightly for another moment before starting to stand.