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“I’m not that lucky,” Roman says to the nurse. He gives me a wink. “But she is my girlfriend.”
The sight of Roman in the hospital has me mentally wrecked, and I internally cringe that I forgot we’re pretending to be in a relationship. I need to be better at this game, but it’s hard when all I can think about is his well-being.
“Ah, okay. So there’s hope for you two yet.” The nurse pushes him out of the room, and I gather his things and follow behind them.
The nurse wheels Roman toward the elevator amid the distant murmurings of medical staff and the eerie hum of machinery.
“How long have you two been together?” the nurse asks as the elevator doors slide open and we move inside.
“A few months,” I answer at the same time Roman says, “Years.”
She laughs and pushes the button for the third floor. I squeeze my eyes shut. I think we need to get our story straight.
“We’ve known each other for years, but only recently got together,” I correct as the doors slide closed and the elevator ascends.
“I met her when she was just a bratty kid,” Roman says with a fond smile. His gaze sweeps across my face and his voice turns husky when he says, “But I’m the lucky one who got to watch her grow into this beautifully amazing woman.”
Roman’s amazing at pretending. I can feel my face growing hot as a blush creeps up my neck. “He’s just being nice.”
“I’m not a nice guy,” he says.
The elevator doors open, and the nurse pushes him out with a wistful look on her face. “Sounds like true love to me.”
Thankfully, no response is required because she goes right into how she knew her husband was her true love when he bought her cat a Christmas gift. An ugly Christmas sweater to be exact.
“Aw,” I say as she wheels Roman into a larger, private room with a nicer bed than he had in the emergency room.
“We’re home,” she says as she helps Roman to the bed.
While she hooks the leads on his chest to the machine in his private room, I send a text to our group chat, letting everyone know Roman’s new room number.
“When will the doctor be in?” I ask the nurse before she leaves.
“It could be awhile,” she says. “We want to keep this looker for as long as we can. He’s gorgeous.” She grins as she walks out of the room.
“I have a fan club,” Roman says with a wink.
She wore a wedding ring, so I know she’s only joking about wanting to keep Roman in the hospital longer than needs be, but he is nice to look at. I can’t fault her there.
Sometimes I stare at him a beat too long. Like right now.
“Greer?” he asks and I snap out of my daze.
“Yes, sorry.”
A smile splits his face. “What are you thinking about?”
I’ll never tell him that even in the hospital, after what was probably a very rough night, he still outshines any other man. “Just trying to decide if I should ask her to head the fan club. Think she’s worthy?”
“I don’t know. I kind of like the idea of you heading it. You do like me more than anyone else. Right?”
“Mm-hmm,” I say and then drop my gaze from his to stare at the leads on his chest. Because I can’t pretend as well as he can. And I don’t want him to see just how much I truly mean it.
EIGHT
ROMAN
My heart beat skips in my chest, and the machine beeps as it does. I’m not going to lie and say that the past eighteen hours haven’t been a nightmare. But it got better when Greer breezed into my room. Just seeing her made my nerves calm and the dizziness stop.
