Page 28 of Protecting Gina

It took more than thirty minutes for her to get her CT scan. After the results came through, she was allowed to eat lunch. The chicken was actually good, so she declined Cass’s offer to pick something up for her.

“Thank you for hanging around today. It has been nice to have someone to help me get to the bathroom and back into bed.”

“Yeah, Mom used to hate it when she had to rely only on the nurses. She didn’t want to bug them.”

“I get that. She was a nice woman.”

Cass shrugged. “She had her moments. I won’t lie and say she was great. She was nice to strangers, but there were times she was not so great with me. With Aaron, she was downright awful.”

Gina wasn’t shocked by the words because she’d heard some of it before. Families could be very difficult. She’d known from working in hospitals that some of the nicest people who were under her care could be the worst with family. It sucked. If she ever had kids, which wasn’t highly likely, she would make sure she treated them fairly.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Relief filled Gina when she lowered to the couch in Wave’s place. She guessed it wasn’t Wave’s place, but that was how she thought of it.

Wave stood close, worry evident in his gaze. “I bought a pasta casserole earlier. I’ll put it in the oven.”

“Thank you,” Gina said.

“I’ll put sheets on the guest bed,” Cass said as she headed down the hall.

Wave glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. Gina had to stifle a laugh. No question, Wave wanted her to sleep in his bed, but Cass had no clue. Gina wasn’t going to tell Cass about their relationship. If it continued once she moved to California, they would talk to Cass.

A shiver ran through her, and she was glad Cass had already left the room and Wave had turned the other way. She didn’t want to explain what she was thinking or feeling. Heck, she wasn’t sure what she felt.

The thought of living with Wave was exciting and scary. What if they didn’t work out? What if he wasn’t what she thought he was? Maybe he was just being nice for now, and once she was roped in, he would change.

She had a good feeling about Wave, but maybe she was wrong? She’d been wrong about previous boyfriends. She’d trusted some guys who’d ended up cheating on her. Luckily, she’d gotten out of those relationships fast.

It had been a long time since she’d been in a real relationship. Worry hit from time to time, but she was also excited about being with Wave. Maybe this time would be different.

Wave popped the food into the oven, then moved to the couch, placing a glass of water in front of her. “I got you some water.” Wave leaned in, lowering his voice. “If you don’t feel comfortable sleeping in the bed with me, I understand.”

Laughter bubbled up, and she checked down the hall to make sure Cass wasn’t watching them. She put her hand on Wave’s thigh. “I want to be in bed with you.”

“Good, because I want that, too. Of course, we won’t do anything other than cuddle.”

“But—”

“No way. You just got out of the hospital. I’m not going to put you at risk of injury. Concussions usually mean ten days of no sex.”

Gina gasped. “Ten days?”

“Yes. We need to treat your brain nice after you were knocked around. It’s okay, we’ll have time for sex after you feel better.”

A door down the hall opened, and Wave sat back. It was easier to just pretend that for now they weren’t in a relationship. Cass would figure it out soon enough.

Wave liked having Gina close. She was smart and funny, and she made him feel good. They ate dinner, and because of Gina’s concussion, they skipped TV and instead sat outside around the fire pit. This was probably the last time the pit would be used.

“Do you have a fire pit at your place?” Cass asked.

He shook his head. “No. My yard is small, and it doesn’t get that chilly in the evenings.”

Cass glanced over her shoulder toward the house. “I’m going to miss this place.”

“We don’t have to sell the house.” Wave could make it work. Maybe if Cass got a job, they could get by.

She shook her head, then pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. “No, I don’t want to live here. I want to be adventurous. I want to go places and enjoy life. Mom stayed here and cut herself off from having fun. I don’t want that.”