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I chuckled, feeling a lightness out of her that I hadn’t felt until now.
Pulling back, I focused on her gaze and said, “I really like you, Ande Carter.”
Her head twisted, just like that cat she was just talking about. “Why does that sound like it’s a bad thing?”
I pulled out of her, albeit reluctantly, and placed her on the ground before saying, “Because now I think it’s time to explain a few things about my life…and that makes me want to run away.”
She walked over to the toilet and pulled off a few sheets of toilet paper before wiping herself clean. Then turned to me and said, “I’ll wait as long as you want for your secrets, Keene. As long as you know that I’ll be here forever when you tell them to me.”
“Why does that sound like a threat?” I teased.
“Because I’m really liking you, too, Keene.” she said. “And this is the longest relationship I’ve ever had. Plus, you live here, and my brothers will smother us. I’d always hoped to find someone who was out of state. Where my family couldn’t put him through the ringer.”
I grinned. “I can handle your family.”
She shrugged. “You think you can.”
We left the bathroom after that, and the nerves were back.
Luckily, when we got to our stuff, it was still there. But there were definitely a few stares from the waiting room.
Neither Ande nor I paid them any mind.
I liked that she wasn’t embarrassed. I liked even more that she was trusting me to take care of her by clinging to my arm and ducking her head into my throat.
I squeezed her tight, then let her go.
“Go to Starbucks over there,” I ordered, indicating the store down the hall next to the gift shop. “Find some cake balls. Hang out in there. I’ll wait here to keep an eye on the board and wait for them to let us know she’s done.”
She blew out a breath, then tried to fix her unfixable hair.
There was no way she’d be able to fix the hair, because even if she did manage to get it under some semblance of control, she still had a beard burn on her neck. Her lips were puffy. Color rose high on her cheeks. And she was walking funny.
Everyone would know regardless of what her hair looked like.
“Okay.”
• • •
Three hours later, we were driving out of the hospital, her mom still clearly high on pain meds, when Garnett said, “Why does it look like you had sex at the hospital?”
There was a long moment of silence and then Ande said, “You know I don’t like hospitals, Mother! I needed a distraction.”
Sweet Mary mother of God.
I hoped that neither one of them continued this conversation after we reached the Carter household.
Sadly, it was more than apparent I wasn’t that lucky because the first thing her mother said as I helped her through the door was, “Your daughter had sex at the hospital in the waiting room bathroom!”
God. Dammit.
CHAPTER 18
Inner beauty doesn’t get you free drinks.
-Keene to Simi
ANDE
