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‘Your temperature is still slightly elevated,’ he said.
‘Uh…that’s actually got nothing to do with the lurgy and everything to do with my embarrassment.’
‘Embarrassment? Whatever for?’
‘Well, I don’t remember getting changed.’
‘Ah.’ Jasper nodded slowly. ‘No need to worry. I’m a doctor. Completely professional. You were fine—er…I mean, it was fine.’ He stopped, his smile wide and, oh, so sexy. ‘Either way, I couldn’t let you ruin your beautiful dress.’
‘Well…thank you.’
‘You are most welcome, my gorgeous Jennifer.’
‘Gorgeous?’
‘Fishing?’
‘No. I just don’t think I look all that gorgeous at the moment.’
‘Well, you do, and as I’m the one who has to look at you, my opinion is all that counts. Here.’ He held out a large piece of cardboard which had been folded in half to make a card. ‘This is for you from the girls.’
‘Oh. Are they all right? What about your parents? Megan? How is she? Oh, and that young man, the cyclist? How did his surgery go?’
Jasper came around the bed and lay down next to her, carefully pulling her into his arms. ‘Right. Well, let’s see. The girls are fine. They came over earlier but you were asleep and I’ve not long got back from tucking them into their beds and kissing them goodnight.’
‘But what if they—’
‘Shh. They’ve both had this bug so they’ll be fine. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The girls are fine, my parents are fine as well and send their best regards for a speedy recovery. Megan is…well, apparently she still hasn’t cried a single tear but I guess that’s just Megan. And the young cyclist—Hamish—has been taken out of HDU and is now on the general ward, recovering nicely. Now, open your card and marvel at the talent of my girls.’
Jennifer shifted, snuggling in closer to him as she dutifully read the card which contained drawings from both girls.
‘They’re wonderful, Jasper. I love them so much.’ She held the card close to her chest.
‘I’m glad to hear that.’
‘Mmm. You feel nice.’
‘Don’t go to sleep just yet. You need to have another lot of tablets in about fifteen minutes.’
‘Oh? OK.’ She didn’t open her eyes and her body relaxed against him. ‘Why are you so good to me, Jasper?’
‘Because I’m in love with you.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE words were spoken with heartfelt conviction and Jennifer sighed longingly as she drifted off into the most peaceful sleep she’d had in almost a decade.
‘Jen?’ Jasper tried to shift a little so he could see she’d heard him. ‘Jennifer?’ Her eyes were closed and her breathing was deep and relaxed. Jasper shook his head, unable to believe his bad luck. The moment he confessed his true feelings…she slept.
Jasper stayed for a while longer, deciding he wouldn’t wake her up to take her tablets but instead leave a glass of water by the bed with the medication next to them so she didn’t need to get out of bed.
He stood there for the umpteenth time, looking down at this amazing woman, and again he found it impossible not to reach out and run his fingers through her hair. Why she kept it pulled back into that tight bun he couldn’t fathom because she was absolutely stunning with it flowing in dark, wavy locks around her face.
He knew she still had things to work out, knew he probably shouldn’t have even mentioned the word ‘love’ tonight, but his feelings for her were becoming increasingly difficult to repress. Kissing her forehead, he left her room and made sure the rest of her house was tidy. There were still one or two boxes left to unpack and although she’d put them out of the way, when the girls had been over earlier in the day, they’d started pulling some of Jennifer’s things out, intent on climbing into the empty box and having a grand old time. Jasper had stopped them and packed everything back.
That’s when he’d found the photo album and he hadn’t been able to resist looking through it.
The album contained pictures of a much younger Jennifer. Her hair had been a lot shorter back then, which surprised him, but she still looked amazing. He came across photographs of a much younger looking Sara as well. There was a sombre photograph of her father in full military uniform with his wife dutifully at his side. And then the photos of Jennifer and the man he could only assume was Arturo. He had a love of life in his eyes which even the picture had captured perfectly.
Jasper turned the page and came across a photograph of Jennifer with her arms around Arturo and could see just how happy she’d been back then. He didn’t feel the remotest hint of jealousy, which surprised him. He’d been jealous when her young patient, Christopher, had made her laugh, but not now when he was looking at Jennifer’s past. Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of sadness at all she’d lost. He understood this sadness because he’d lost so much as well.
