Page 57 of Ardently Yours

“I’m Lizzie. I’m Will’s...”

I don’t know what to say. His friend? His business partner? His former boss? Yes.

But I can’t say I’m his girlfriend. Not like this. Not here.

Not in the hospital while they’re dealing with the possibility of losing their father. How could I? The words get lodged in my throat. I can’t say them.

Will jumps in before I have to. “Georgiana, this is Lizzie Bennet, my girlfriend. Lizzie, this is my little sister.”

Georgiana raises her eyebrows at Will.

“I’m not little anymore, Willy. I’m grown. Just younger and prettier than you, dear.”

I love her instantly. I smile back at her, and when she wraps me in a tight hug, I know she’s someone I want to know. I also make a mental note to call Will “Willy” just to mess with him at some point.

But messing with him is the furthest thing from my mind as we get on the elevator and head to where his dad is. His sister gives him updates along the way.

Their dad had a heart attack.

He’s been admitted to the hospital. Their mom has pulled some strings to get his own suite with around-the-clock care from the best doctors at the hospital.

I try not to react when I hear all of this. It sounds completely normal to them. Will isn’t surprised by any of it.

My mind is filled with more questions than answers, and I begin to wonder who exactly this Will Darcy is that I’m pretending to date.

When we get to his dad’s hospital room, I stop outside the door, unsure if I should go in. His sister goes in first.

“I’ll let Mom know you’re here. Dad is sleeping.”

Will nods before turning to me. “What’s wrong?”

“You should go. Be with your family. I can go back to the waiting room.”

“No,” he says quickly. “I need you with me. I can’t face them alone.”

I want to protest and remind him that his sister is here. But I can’t bring myself to say it. I also don’t want to point out how casually I’m dressed in leggings and a baseball cap or that I don’t want to meet his family for the first time looking like this.

Then I realize that’s ridiculous. None of this is real anyway. So why am I so nervous? Why am I second-guessing all my fashion choices right now?

He holds out his hand for me to take. My nervousness intensifies, but the moment my hand slips into his, I forget that it’s all a lie. I walk into the hospital room as his girlfriend.

The room is spacious. There’s a hospital bed, a small kitchenette, an extra bed for guests, a couch, and a TV.

It looks immaculate. I have to do a double take. I’ve never seen such a luxurious hospital room before.

A couple of nurses move quietly around the room, checking Mr. Darcy’s vitals. A doctor speaks with Mrs. Darcy before exiting the room, promising to come back later to check on the sleeping man, who lies connected to several monitors with tubes beneath his nose.

Mr. Darcy looks like an older version of Will. Seeing him lying there so still, his chest slowly rising and falling, makes him seem surprisingly fragile.

Mrs. Darcy stands at his bedside. Even worried, she looks elegant, just like her daughter. She’s wearing a cream-colored cashmere wrap dress that matches Georgiana’s cream-colored sundress. Suddenly, I want to run home, change my clothes, and hide.

I don’t feel like I fit in here. That’s not a feeling I have very often. Usually, I couldn’t care less what people think of me. But something about Will and his family is making me question everything.

“Will,” his mom says, spotting him from her place beside her husband’s hospital bed.

She walks over and wraps Will in a hug. He hugs her back. I quietly step back, watching them.

For the first time tonight, I miss my own parents. Even though Mama and I spend a lot of time aggravating each other. Well... Mama is the one doing most of the aggravating. Papa is the opposite. But he lets Mama get away with it, which doesn’t help much either.