“No! No, no, no! Hardy, I can’t let you do this for me. You’re ruining your life, your future. You’ll never be able to play football again, not even if you get into college. Never, Hardy. Did you know that?”

Hardy nodded. “I don’t care.”

Miracle tried a different tack. “What if something happens to your one remaining kidney? What if…what if…” Her mind spun to try and find something to make him change his mind. “You can’t take that risk. You can’t live like that. I won’t let you.”

Miracle felt panic rise in her throat, making breathing difficult. She gasped for air. Hardy sat up in his bed, threw his feet over the side, and stood, dragging tubes and all with him until he could reach Miracle.

“Miracle,” he said sharply, shaking her lightly. He said her name twice more before she calmed enough to listen to him. When she did, he bent and looked her dead in the eye. “Listen to me. I can live without a kidney. I can live without football. I can live without a lot of things. There is only one thing in this world I can’t live without. And I’m giving her my kidney so she can live, so we can be together.”

Miracle searched Hardy’s eyes.

And she knew.

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Hardy would never leave her. No. Never. He would never decide one day that he’d had enough. He would never see her as a burden, as a sick girlfriend. No, he would only see her as Miracle, the girl he was in love with—deeply, truly in love with. He loved her perfectly, just as she loved him.

Sitting up, Miracle wound her arms around Hardy’s neck and burst into tears again. He held her, stroking her back until she quieted. When Miracle opened her eyes, the two nurses were watching them from the nurse’s station, both of them wiping their eyes.

EPILOGUE

A soft clicking sound woke Miracle. She was lying on her stomach with one leg bent, the sun streaming through the window to warm her. She blinked several times to wake her sleepy eyes.

The clicking continued until she raised her head. It startled her when she felt a hand at the bend of her knee. But only for a second. Almost instantly, she recognized the touch. Smiling, she stretched like a cat and rolled onto her back.

“Good morning,” Hardy mumbled, pressing his lips to her neck.

“Good morning,” Miracle said, turning her head so he could have better access. When she trailed her fingers along his bare back and further down, she realized he wasn’t just shirtless, he was pants-less as well. Her body came instantly to life.

“Mmm,” he mumbled. “Keep going.”

Raising her leg, Miracle wound it around his hip, opening herself up to him. He took full advantage, slipping smoothly into her. She gasped, never tiring of the feel of the man she loved buried deep inside her.

“I thought you had class this morning,” she said breathlessly, struggling to hang on to her train of thought as Hardy nibbled the lobe of her ear and moved slowly within her.

“I skipped it. I’m ready for finals,” he said, cupping the back of her knee and hiking her leg up higher. An intense surge of pleasure rolled through both of them.

“Graduation is just around the corner. Is that a good idea?” she asked, barely able to speak.

“Shut up and kiss me.”

He didn’t have to ask twice. Miracle threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled his lips down to hers. She plundered his mouth with her tongue as he plundered her body with his own.

They both lost track of thought and time until Miracle cried out in release and Hardy collapsed on top of her. Afterward, he lay atop her, lazily trailing his fingers up and down her sides. When their breathing calmed, he rolled off Miracle and pulled her over onto his chest. It was her favorite place to sprawl.

Absently, she traced the scar on his abdomen with her finger, never able to forget the sacrifice he made for her, no matter how many years ago it had been. It was a constant reminder of his love for her, of how he was a part of her life, part of her body. Literally.

Hardy picked up her hand and kissed each finger individually, paying particular attention to the diamond on her ring finger. “What can I help you do today?”

Miracle smiled into his chest. As if he hadn’t already done enough. He’d saved her life. What more could she ever need?

“Nothing.”

“That’s not true. Tell me what you need.” Hardy knew she’d been crazy, what with college graduation and their wedding looming on the horizon. He also knew that sometimes it was something little like doing the laundry or feeding the dog that helped her keep her sanity. So he did whatever he could.

“Give me your kidney,” Miracle said in her best bank-robber voice, poking her finger into his side like a gun. “Oh, wait…”

She smiled up at Hardy. He smiled back. “I’d do it again, ya know.”

She pressed her lips to the tiny dip in his chin. “Yeah, I know.”

THE END