Tudor cleaned himself up and calmed down considerably once his father’s blood was no longer polluting his skin. When we returned upstairs, the police were there to take his statement. Tink was in the living room with Tate, who looked like he’d been put through the wringer, to say the least.

We all waited tensely in the living room whilst Tudor spent an hour with the police. As he came back into the room, I made my way to him as he took a swig of the hip flask Henry had produced.

He shrugged. “Just to settle the nerves.”

“Ah, okay!” I answered in return and winked.

He took my hand in full view of everyone else, and I felt loved, publicly loved. Despite everything else that had happened that day, I adored that we could now be open with the rest of the world. Something within him had changed – calmness had settled on his usually guarded countenance and it made me so happy to see.

Henry gestured that it was time for them to head to the hospital, and I turned to my big guy. “Call me when you are done, let me know how Boleyn is doing,” I said, going in to kiss him on the cheek, but he pulled back, effectively making me kiss the air. “What?” I asked confused.

“You’re coming with me,” he stated, as if there would be no other option.

I flashed a look at Tink who put up no resistance – he was anxious to get Tate home to our condo. I don’t think Tate was really of the disposition for coping well with what had happened and had as yet been unable to untangle himself from the security of Tink’s hold.

“No, Tudor, honestly it’s fine. Just call me when you get back. You need to go and be with your family. I fully understand.”

He nodded in agreement. “I do need to see my family, and my girlfriend is coming too, to support me.”

He leaned in and whispered for my ears only, “Tash, I don’t do well in hospitals, my mom was always there because of him. Henry and I received our fair share of broken bones too, and Bee… Bee had to go there, that night… I’ll explain everything to you another time but I have issues with those places and I need you to be with me. You make me… I don’t know… calm.”

I stroked his cheek with my hand and he pulled it to his mouth and laid feather-light kisses on my palm. “Plus, I want us there together, out in the open, for everyone and their mothers to see.”

I pecked him quickly but shook my head and told him, “Babes, you’re strong on your own – just look at today, how you saved your family. I shouldn’t be there at the hospital, it’s time for just you guys to be there for Boleyn – just family. I love how you want me to be with you, but I think tonight is much too soon for everyone else. It’s a bit inappropriate.”

I headed to the door. “I’ll see you later, go with your brother, you’ll be okay, I promise. I’ll see you tonight when you get back.”

He growled under his breath, dismissing my words, lunged forward and picked me up before tossing me over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift, smacking my arse with his cupped hand. “For the last time, you are coming with me! Tink, take Tate home and don’t expect this one back tonight.”

I squealed. “Tudor put me down!”

He ignored me and began walking out of the door. I could hear Samantha giggling, a nice sound considering she had understandably spent the majority of the day in floods of tears. Tudor continued out to the car and plopped me in the back seat of a huge red Dodge Ram. Henry and Samantha climbed into the front seats and off we went to the hospital.

I sat in the large seat, frozen and stunned, mouth gaping in shock, with Tudor holding my hand as though he hadn’t just gone all caveman and carried me to the car – all we were missing was a club to the head and an obligatory grunt.

Henry looked at me through the rear view mirror and grinned. “You had better get used to being joined at his hip now, Tash. He no longer has to keep you hidden. Believe it or not, he was keeping you at arm’s length before – now, he has no barriers.”

I groaned dramatically and rolled my head back to rest against the seat, but, deep down inside, I broke out in a happy grin. Tudor eyed me from his side of the truck, hiding his amusement at my pleased expression, causing him to smirk.

Yes, it was lop-sided with an extra dollop of dimple. What can I say? I’m a sucker for dimples!

Boleyn was being kept in hospital overnight to assess her mental state, and although she was heavily sedated her injuries were minor. Thankfully, it seemed Tudor got to her quickly enough that their dad didn’t cause too much damage, at least not physically. Pamela was staying the night with Boleyn and only she could stay. So after a few hours of keeping her company we said our goodbyes and headed home.

I had been apprehensive about going to the hospital with Tudor, but the small smile that arrived on Pamela’s lips when we walked in hand in hand made me feel less intrusive. Tudor had sat me on his lap even though there were plenty of seats around his sister’s bed, and he placed absent kisses on my hands and neck for the remainder of the visit, making the ogling nurses green with envy.

Pamela pulled me in for a hug when we left and whispered, “Thank you, Natasha. He deserves to be happy, he deserves you.”

I cast a startled look at her, and she winked as Tudor took my hand and led me away out of the hospital.

We arrived back at the North residence around midnight, and I was cream-crackered. It had been the longest and most emotionally draining day of my life. Tudor led me into his large bedroom, complete with the biggest sleigh bed I had ever seen, and began to undress me, grazing over my bare skin with his fingers. I was fighting to keep my eyes open and he knew it.