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“And I’ll be nothing to her.”
“Yeah.” Nate’s face softened. “I’m just watching out for you. You know that.”
He knew that. He just couldn’t face that reality. Not right now. If and when it came to that—he’d deal with it, and accept whatever role she wanted to cast him in. Even if that role was just as her friend.
Nate reached forward and hugged him, the contact brief and strong. “Look. Forget I said anything. And tell her about Nicola, okay? Maybe she can work some voodoo magic and get the bitch to choke on her wedding cake.”
“Deal.” Declan pushed away from him and glanced at his watch. “But we need to—”
“Get to the cupcake store. Yeah. I got it. Let’s carpe diem the shit out of some icing-topped chocolate ones.”
February
Dear Autumn,
I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. But it’s provided me the opportunity to write you a letter, so I’m secretly enjoying it on the inside, much as Mr. Oinks and I enjoyed an entire pan of heart-shaped ravioli last night, courtesy of your sister.
Mr. Oinks misses you. He likes to chase me in the yard. Eats everything in sight. Accepts belly scratches without complaint, and has no problem sleeping on my chest (he’s getting really heavy) but I can see it in his eyes. He watches the door a lot. Perks up at the sight of Ansley, but then seems to deflate when he realizes it isn’t you. I’ve got a plot to sneak him in here one night, but it’s going to take a little more buttering up of the staff before I can make it happen.
Tonight, I have big plans to drown you in gushy stuff. Not that roses can compare to your garden, but I swapped out your normal vases for a set of long-stemmed roses. Don’t worry, I’m still spending my Saturdays at your house, keeping all of your plants alive. The gardenias are looking a little sad, but everything else is surviving. Getting back to tonight’s big event… I brought two movies that Ansley swears are your favorites. One is The Proposal, and the other is While You Were Sleeping. The latter seems a little morbid, seeing the similarities between your condition and his, but Ansley says it has a happy ending, so I’m game if you are. I’ve also got the biggest box of chocolates that Godiva sells, and I have big plans to eat any that you don’t, so I hope you brought your appetite.
I miss you. I love you. I hope, wherever you are, that you come back to me soon.
Love, and Happy Valentine’s Day…
Declan
March
“Did you see the article?” The blonde nurse, the one who normally worked days, came to a stop in the middle of the hall, blocking his way.
Declan’s first thought was that the article was about Autumn. His gaze dropped to the Tallahassee Democrat in her hands, and he wondered how long she had been standing there, waiting for him to arrive. The headline read COMING TO TOWN and showed a photo of him, Nate and Benta, at her new site. He took the paper from her and flipped it over, surprised that the article ran past the fold and onto another page. It detailed their work and showed a digital rendering of the complex. Six months of hard work, and they finally had a complete set of plans. From now on, the execution of the plans would be in the contractors’ hands. The article would be good for business, though their calendar had filled up already with referrals Benta had sent over. She had barely set foot in this town, yet already seemed poised to take it over.
“You can keep that copy. I brought it for you.” She followed him as he walked toward Autumn’s room. “I’ve got another one in the break room that everyone’s reading. You’re a local celebrity!” She giggled.
A local celebrity? The piece had been an advertorial, the placement bought and paid for by Benta’s company. He passed the paper back to her. “Here. I’m sure my office has some of them.” A press piece with Nate’s photo on it? He’d probably wallpapered the office with it. “How’s my girl?”
Her face faltered, and he came to a stop, imagining the worse.
“Did something happen?”
“Oh, no. Nothing has changed. Nothing.” She gave him a soft look. “Have you spoken to her doctors? Her condition is—”
“Strong.” They hadn’t used that word, exactly, but that was the sense he got. “She could wake up at any moment.” Dr. Jeffers had said that. When Declan had pressed, he had confirmed that possibility.
“Right.” She paused by the nurses’ station, and he hated that look on her face. It was as if she’d already written Autumn off in her mind. Didn’t she see? Didn’t she realize, as she cared for her, that there was a person inside that body?
