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I have no idea how much time ticks by before he pulls away just enough to say, “I love you, too. More than I ever thought possible. And I’m not going to let you go. Do you understand me? Not ever.”
“Yes.” I want that as much as he does. The weeks without him were terrible. There were so many times when I wanted to reach out and beg his forgiveness, but I wasn’t willing to jeopardize his future.
As the doors slide open on the third floor, he glances into the hallway. “Are you sure about going through with this? No matter what your decision, I’ll support you.”
I nod. All the nerves dancing in the pit of my belly gradually dissipate. Not completely, but enough for me to realize that I’ll be able to get through this. Especially now that he’s here.
“All right,” he says, holding me close, “let’s get this over with.”
He snatches the bag from my hand before snaking his other arm around my body and leading me down the hall.
For the first time in my life, it truly feels like I have someone to lean on. A partner. And nothing has ever felt better.
39
ASHER
Lola’s hand is clasped tightly in mine as I stare down at her. A heartrate monitor is attached to her and steady beeping from the machine fills the silence of the small recovery room. They wheeled her out of surgery more than an hour ago, and she’s been in and out of sleep ever since. Every so often, her eyelashes will flutter, and she’ll glance around in confusion, asking where she is before drifting back into slumber.
Thankfully, everything went smoothly. The surgeon stopped by about thirty minutes ago to check on her and said the procedure couldn’t have gone better. As long as she follows the aftercare instructions, there’s no reason she shouldn’t make a speedy recovery.
I might have appeared cool, calm, and collected in Lola’s presence, but as soon as the nurse called her name, taking her back to prepare for the surgery, I was a nervous wreck. I spent the entire three and a half hours it took in the operating room pacing back and forth. The woman behind the desk kept staring at me before shaking her head and pointing to one of the chairs.
Did I just so happen to tell the staff that we were engaged in order to get updates and then go back and sit with her after she’d been wheeled to the recovery room?
You bet your ass I did.
There was no way in hell they were keeping me away. I told Lola that I would be with her through every step of the process, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
I straighten on the chair as my heartbeat picks up its tempo when she opens her eyes again and stares groggily at me.
“Hey,” I say softly, pressing closer, “how are you feeling? Need anything for the pain?” The nurse is one call away, and I’ll press that damn button all day long if that’s what it takes.
She blinks before shaking her head as her tongue darts out to moisten her lips. “No, I’m okay. Can’t feel much of anything at the moment. I just want something to drink. I’m really thirsty.”
I nod and pick up the small Styrofoam cup filled with apple juice and hold the paper straw to her lips. She takes a long pull from it before huffing out a breath and relaxing against the pillows.
“Thank you.”
“No problem, baby.” There’s a beat of silence. “I’m not sure how much you remember, because you’ve been in and out of it for a while. The doctor checked on you and said everything went really well, and now you’ve got a badass scar to show everyone how cool you are.”
Her lips quirk. “Awesome. Can’t wait to see it. Has there been any word on Kylie?”
“Yup,” I say with a nod. “She’s fine and was just wheeled into recovery. So far, everything looks good with the kidney.”
“That’s a relief,” she says with a small sigh, closing her eyes for a moment.
“I know.” Unable to resist, I lean forward and brush my lips against her forehead. I’m glad the surgery is over, and everything went well. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” Her eyelids spring open as her brows draw together. “Wait a minute…why are you still here? Don’t you have to leave?”
I glance at my sports watch. “I need to be at the airport by one o’clock and it’s only eleven. I have plenty of time to hang out with you.”
“I don’t want you to miss your plane or the game. You need to be on the field, impressing the hell out of everyone.”
I lift her fingers to my lips and drop a kiss on her knuckles. “I don’t give a shit about any of that. As long as I impress you, that’s all that matters.”
