The only change I notice is in the muscles of his jaw. They stand out as he wages whatever war he’s fighting.
“It’s okay,” I say again. And then something in him snaps, and he turns to me with heartbreak in his eyes.
“Do you know what she said? When she saw me?”
He looks so raw, my throat threatens to close. I manage to shake my head.
Drew swallows. “Ma—” He breaks off and gives a violent shake of his head. “No.Lottie…Lottie took one look at me and said, ‘You trying to kill my mama too?’”
A sound escapes me like I’ve been punched. Torn open. And I know this can’t touch what he felt. What he’s feeling now.
I grab his shoulders and haul him into me, cradling his head to my heart. For a moment, he doesn’t move, and I’m afraid he’s putting up his wall again, but then his arms slip under mine and wrap around my back, and his whole body sags.
And I feel it. His weight against me is love. It is trust. I know with a kind of heart-bursting certainty that he would give this to no one else. I run my fingers through his hair and hold him against my bursting heart.
We stay like this for a long time. Cars pass us. Hospital staff clop up and down the walkway, pretending they don’t see. And maybe they don’t. People must cling to each other all the time just outside of hospital doors.
I hope he doesn’t need me to, but I say it just in case. I lower my lips to his soft hair. “You know it’s not your fault Mrs. Vivian is sick, right?”
He makes a noise, and I can’t tell if it’s dispute or dispair. Drew shakes his head against me. “I don’t know,” he says, his words barely audible. “She’s been coughing.”
“Ah, well, that’s different,” I say, gently teasing. “Clearly, that’s your fault.”
His back shakes with the ghost of a laugh, and I stroke his head. When he looks up at me with that wry expression of his, I know he’s okay. Hurt and upset. And scared. But okay.
I hold his gaze for a long time. “I don’t think either of our parents have made great first impressions.”
Drew frowns. “What did she say to you?”
“Nothing. She just gave me a dirty look when I asked for you.”
His eyes narrow. Any trace of despair is gone. The man I love simply looks pissed.
I raise a finger and point at him. “See? That right there is how I feel when I think about what she said to you,” I tell him, narrowing my own eyes. “I mean, how dare she?”
Drew’s eyes brighten. “You gonna get in her face, Guppy?”
He’s teasing me now, but I’ll take it. Anything is better than how I found him.
“Don’t think I won’t. I’m tougher than I look.”
He sniffs a laugh. “Don’t I know it.” Then he pushes himself to his feet and reaches down a hand to me. “C’mon. We gotta get you to work.”
He tugs, and I pop up like a spring and land against him, trying not to giggle. Inspiration strikes.
“You know, I’m strong…”
“Yeah?” Drew squeezes my hand, and he starts walking, but instead of heading back inside, we take the sidewalk.
“But you’re a hell of a lot stronger. With a little practice, we could do some amazing couples yoga poses.”
“Oh, God, Guppy,” he mumbles under his breath, but the line of his mouth twists with amusement.
“Have you ever seen any pictures of that? They’re really beautiful… Sensual.”
He arches a wicked brow at me. “Sensual, huh?”
I nod and bat my eyelashes at him. As we walk, I tell him some of the names. Supported Scorpion… Lifted Locust… Folded Leaf. I’d love to try some flying poses with him.
