Chapter 174

The high from the success of the show had worn off, and Will felt himself spiraling. His pulse quickened; a sheen of cold sweat sprouted on his forehead. He held it together the best he could while around others. But alone, with nothing but his memories to accompany him… it was always the worst.
As he arrived home and prepared himself for another lonely night, he was greeted by something unexpected. A large truck was parked in front of his home. Men moved in and out of it, bringing things inside.
“…The fuck?” he muttered as he parked his car. “Excuse me,” he called out to them. “This is my home. What are you doing here?”
“I hired them,” a voice said from the doorway of the house. He looked over towards the familiar voice, not daring to believe it. But there she was, bathed in the light from inside the house. “Hi, Will. I’m sorry if I startled you, but I wanted this to be a surprise. I’m so happy to be here, and it’s been so hard to keep this a secret from you, and I—”
Will rushed over to her, grabbing either side of her face and stopping her rambling with a searing kiss. He poured every emotion he had been holding on to into that kiss. All the fear, the pain, the rage… sorrow… loneliness, but also the hope, the triumph, joy, and love. All in that one kiss. His eyes were molten gold as he pulled away from her. Emma staggered underneath the power of his gaze.
“You’re never leaving me again, you hear me?” Will said, his hands still cradling her face.
“Will,” Emma whispered, still not fully recovered from the force of the kiss. “I…”
“Say it. Say you’ll never leave me.”
“I’ll never leave you…”
He kissed her again. This time it was more gentle, less fevered. He picked her up and carried her into the house.
“Will,” she protested, fearful of his wound. “You shouldn’t be lifting anything.”
“Shut up,” he said as he moved through the house with purpose. He kicked his door open, laying Emma on his bed. The room was still dark, save for a small candle that flickered on the dresser. He crawled over her, seizing her in another passionate kiss. They were a mess of hands and tongues as Will gave her everything he had ever felt for her in that one kiss. With one last flicker of willpower, Emma broke the kiss.
“Will, wait,” she said, trying to regain her breath. Will was still injured and so one of them had to keep a level head. But the truth was that they never had a chance to speak about what happened, and after feeling the way he kissed her, the desperation in his lips… she couldn’t hold back any longer. “You’re still hurt.”
“I don’t care,” he still hovered over her. He went to kiss her again but stopped with the soft glisten of tears shone in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he backed away. “Did I hurt you?”
She sat up on his bed and pulled her knees into her chest.
“Why?” she cried, the tears falling in thick droplets. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You jumped in front of that gun!” she wailed. “You jumped in front of it, and he shot you. I watched it tear right through you. Whenever I close my eyes at night… I see you, laying there with all that blood falling out of you. I saw the light leave your eyes… Why?” she sobbed. “Will, why?”
He scrambled closer to her and wiped her away.
“I’m sorry I put you through that. And I wish I could say that it won’t happen again. But that would be a lie.”
“You can’t do something like that again! You just can’t!”
“But I can,” he caressed her face. “And I will. Emma, I’ll jump in front of any bullet that comes you way. Don’t you get it? I can’t live in a world without you in it. As long as I have breath in my body, I will protect you. You and Lizzie are everything to me. And there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.”
“So, you get to make that decision for me? You can’t live without me, but I have to live without you?” The anguish was thick in her voice, and pierced Will’s chest as sharply as that bullet had.
“Emma,” he brought her close. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Why would you want to leave me?” she sobbed. “Will, I was scared. So scared.”
He held her and let her cry. The fears that had built inside her, the pain she had buried burst through. He lifted her chin with his fingers and looked deep into her eyes.
“I never want to be without you. But I can’t let anything happen to you. I’m sorry that I scared you. But I’d do it again. Nothing and no one will ever harm you.”
He leaned her back down on the bed and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He sat back up, unbuttoning his shirt. He peeled the fabric off his body slowly, doing his best to hide the pain the movement caused him. Emma stared up at his chest. The wound lay hidden beneath bandages.
Will crawled over her, trapping her in another kiss. It was slow, deep, full of promise. It spoke of their past and of their future. It was a kiss that revealed everything. One there was no going back from. His hands, experts with the topography of her body, worked at removing her blouse. Her touch was more tentative as she feared hurting him.
Before long, she was nude beneath him, and lips moved along the exposed skin of her neck and collarbone.
“Will,” she breathed. “We can’t.”
“Why?” he asked against her skin.
“It’ll hurt you.”
“I don’t care. God, Emma. I need you. I need so much. If you don’t want to…”
“It’s not that, but I don’t to hurt you.”
“Don’t worry about that.” He removed the rest of his clothes, his erection springing free. Their bodies were bathed in the golden glow of the solitary candle. It was like a fantasy world. Nothing else existed except for them. Emma couldn’t deny how much she wanted him, if only as a way to prove that he was still alive, still with her. “I’ll erase your every worry and every doubt.”
She reached up, looping a hand around his neck, and pulled him back down to her. Their lips met in a battle to overthrow the other. Passion seared between them as their love burned from the inside out. His hands roamed around her body, savoring the feel of her skin under his fingers.
“Will,” she whimpered. Her hips bucked against his and it was all the encouragement he needed. He entered her moist folds, inch by delicious inch. Taking her slow and deep. It was so different from any other time they’d been together. There was a desperate need that passed between the two of them. Emma threw her head back and closed her eyes. A loud moan escaped her as Will drove into her, filling her completely.
“Look at me,” his husky voice ordered. Her eyes locked onto his. “I want to watch all that fear leave your eyes. Keep them on me.”
He pumped in and out of her. Their moans filled the room as they came together.
Sunrise found them tangled in the bedsheets. Will lay on his back while Emma was curled into his side. He watched her chest rise and fall, grateful for her every breath. Sometime during the night, his bandages had fallen off, revealing an almost fully healed wound. Emma’s eyes fluttered open, and she was greeted by Will’s lazy morning smile.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning.” Her hand floated to rest on his chest when she realized the bandages were gone. “Will!” she gasped.
“It’s fine,” he said, taking her hand. “Touch it.”
“I don’t know if I should…”
“I want you to. Please.”
Her fingers ghosted over the wound, feeling the angry, puckered skin held together by partially dissolved stitches.
“Does it hurt?”
“Sometimes. But this right here,” he took her hand and kissed her fingers. “makes it all worth it. I’d take one hundred bullets for you.”
“One was enough,” she smiled. “Thank you. For saving my life. Again.”
Their lazy morning after was interrupted by the sounds of a baby crying. They got dressed and started their day with their daughter. Will’s home had life again. It didn’t feel like the cold dungeon it had become. It was the haven it was always meant to be. Minnie and Kelly were hired to help care for Lizzie and the house. Life began to settle into something beautiful, and for the first time in a long time, Will felt like he could breathe.