AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Better yet, did they sell York Peppermint Patties in the gift shop?
“And for the record, Cal’s at the Council offices. Ophelia said something about needing to debrief him,” Ben said, looking at Gigi with an expression of acute male discomfort.
“I’ll bet she did,” I muttered.
I felt a strange, warm sensation spreading from my arm through my chest. It took me a second to recognize that it was the morphine drip. I sighed, relaxing into the stiff hospital mattress, as Gigi tried to turn the topic back to more pleasant matters: their “sucky” prom theme, “Almost Paradise”; a scandal at their rival school involving the valedictorian, the shop teacher, and Chatroulette; the stream of vampires that had been showing up at our house to leave little presents on the porch. And not lame presents, either—spa gift certificates, bottles of wine, exotic plants. Gigi said that the vampires had started visiting the night after my accident to offer tokens of appreciation, now that my address had become common knowledge on the vampire news network. Because Ben and his parents weren’t comfortable with so many vampires approaching the house with Gigi there, he said that Jane and Andrea had been appointed to accept the gifts.
“I wonder if I have to write thank-you notes,” I mumbled. “Do vampires do thank-you notes? Geeg?”
I looked over to see Gigi dozing off, her head tilting back uncomfortably against the hard plastic chair.
“Ben, why don’t you take Gigi home to get some sleep?” I asked. “That angle can’t be good for her neck.”
“But you just woke up!” Gigi protested weakly as she raised her head.
“So you know I’m going to be OK.” I sighed. “Go home, get some sleep. In your own room … on a separate floor from Ben’s. Ben, would your mother be willing to sleep somewhere between your bedroom doors as a precaution?”
“Where do you think she’s been camped out for the last week?” Ben muttered.
“Fine,” Gigi said, yawning widely. “But I need to go home and grab some clothes.”
“Be careful, OK?” I told her. “If you go by the house and anything seems off, don’t even go inside, just drive to Ben’s.”
Gigi stepped closer, leaning over the bed rail as she kissed my forehead. “What if Cal’s there? What do you want me to tell him?”
With fresh pain consuming me, I wasn’t sure how to answer. I shook my head.
“Why are you crying?” Gigi asked, pushing my hair back.
“Because you’re yanking on my IV.”
—
I dozed off and on throughout the afternoon, grateful for the private room. I was sure that Ophelia had arranged it, because my insurance company certainly wasn’t going to cough up for it.
I woke up to fingertips trailing gently over my cheeks. Soft lips pressed against my temple. I felt the corners of my mouth tilt up. “I love you.” I sighed, opening my eyes and expecting my vampire to be sitting at my bedside.
There was a strange squelching noise a foot from my bed, shoes turning on freshly cleaned tiles. My eyes fluttered open. The deep brown eyes I expected to be hovering near were usurped by baby blue.
I recoiled, yelping when the movement pulled at my IV restraints. “Paul!” I exclaimed.
“Hey, Petal,” he said softly. “I’ve got you.”
“Hi,” I whispered, squinting up at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, where else would I be?” he asked, pushing the hair back from my face. “My girl’s hurt, I come running.”
“I’m not—”
“My girl. I know,” he conceded. “I let you go. I wasn’t smart enough to hold on to you.”
“I think there were equally ‘not smart’ actions on both sides,” I admitted.
“Could you forgive me?” he asked. “Iris, I can’t tell you how I felt, hearing that you were hurt. I didn’t know what I would do if something happened to you. I don’t want to be without you. I want to ask you if you could consider marrying me. I’ll be a good husband to you. And I’ll make more of an effort with Gigi. I didn’t realize how important you two are to each other, until I saw her reacting to seeing you in this hospital room. Won’t you please marry me?”
He pulled a black velvet box from his pocket and showed me the little round solitaire that would have looked very elegant on my hand. He pressed the box into my palm, but my fingers refused to close around it.
It would be so easy. I could have a normal life, with a normal, if unexciting, man. I could have the white-picket-fence fantasy, a husband, a house, kids, and a dog. No more drama. No near-death experiences. No having a backup plan that included being turned into a vampire.
