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A smile tipped his lips and those beautiful eyes opened to peer into mine.
“Are you saying that I should be thanking you for insisting on coming?”
“Probably,” I agreed, hoping to keep that smile on his face.
Better than that, he chuckled, the sound reverberating into my chest.
“Thank you.” He popped a kiss to my forehead, then backed away and took my head, leading me back up the few stairs.
We approached the hospital room and saw the door open, Felicity talking to what looked to be a doctor.
“We did all we could, but he had another massive heart attack and we just couldn’t get it started again. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
When we entered the room, the doctor looked up with a question on his face.
“I heard,” Ashton told him. “Guess we bury him now?”
“I’d suggest working with a funeral home to iron out all the details.”
“Don’t suppose we could bury him raw? I don’t want to drop a penny on a pine box for him.”
Oddly enough, the doctor didn’t look too shocked by the sentiment spewing from Ash’s lips. Evidently it wasn’t the first time he’d seen a family hate the dying patient.
“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, but you can work that out with the director of the home you choose.”
“Ok…” Ash scratched at his hair. “You ready for them to take the body, Felicity?”
She nodded, having gotten her emotions back together.
“Yes. Bring him to the morgue,” she agreed, flicking her hand at her brother lying dead on the bed.
Just like that, we left the room for the hospital to deal with everything. Ashton’s arm went around his aunt’s shoulder, and she looked up at him with a wary smile.
“I’m sorry, hun. I’d really hoped that he would be able to wake up and make a deathbed apology to the one person who he owes the most.”
“Nah.” He shook his head as Woodrough put his arm around his mother, too. “He can keep his apology. But I guess I do owe him. He eventually, accidentally, brought you to me. So that’s something good that came out of it.”
The gratitude and joy radiating from her face almost took my breath away.
Ashton had been so lonely for so long, making a family where he hadn’t had one before. Now this woman had been thrown into his life, and it looked like maybe she was the opposite of her brother. There was hope for a happy future with her, and for that I could kiss the woman.
“Where are you staying?” Felicity asked as we got into the elevator.
“Don’t know yet. Can’t you see us carrying around our shit?”
She looked down at the duffel and rolling suitcase in Ashton’s hands and nodded.
“I suppose we never gave you a chance to settle in anywhere. Why don’t you stay where we are? It would make things far easier being on the same side of Chicago.”
“Depends. I’m sure your expensive tastes extend to hotels.”
She finally grinned.
“It’s my treat. I’d like you near, if you don’t mind.”
He shrugged, then looked at me. “That ok?”
I nodded.
