AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, I get that,” I finally say.
“She’s actually here with me now,” he says nervously. “Jenny.”
“In Tahoe?”
“Yep,” he confirms with a nod. “She really wants to meet you.”
I take another deep breath, marveling again at how much easier it is to breathe. “Yeah, okay, that would be good,” I tell him. “And maybe you might wanna meet—” The rest of my words are cut off when the door to my room opens and the very person I’m talking about finally walks in. “Laney,” I say, throwing back the covers as I attempt to get out of bed.
But I don’t get a chance to as she runs toward me, practically throwing herself on top of me as she wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my neck.
“I’ve been trying to see you since I got here,” she says through her tears. “I didn’t know if—”
“Shhh, I’m okay,” I tell her, holding her close, my lips against her temple. “I’m okay.”
I hear the scrape of a chair as my dad stands and goes to leave, obviously to give us some privacy. And as much as I want that, I also don’t want him to go just yet either.
“Dad, wait,” I say, gently easing Delaney back. I smile, brushing her tears away with my thumbs before I lean in and give her a soft kiss. “Dad, this is Delaney. Laney, this is my dad, John.”
Delaney blinks away her tears as my dad steps toward the bed. “Hi Mr. Cunningham,” she says, holding a hand out to him. “Nice to meet you.”
My dad chuckles, taking her hand in his. “It’s definitely John, Delaney,” he says, jerking a thumb at his chest. “Mr. Cunningham makes me feel way too old. And it’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for taking care of him,” he adds, his eyes flicking to me.
Delaney smiles, letting go of his hand as she snuggles back against me. “It was definitely Alex who took care of me out there,” she says. “He was amazing.”
My dad smiles, his gaze turning to me again as he says, “Yeah, he really is.” I have to swallow hard at the sudden lump that appears in my throat. “Anyway, I’ll give you guys some privacy, but maybe soon, we can all catch up for dinner or something?” he suggests. “Bring your parents too, Delaney?”
“Yeah,” I start, clearing my throat a little. “That…that would be great, Dad.”
He nods once, before pulling a phone from his pocket. “I got you a new phone, Alex. They managed to transfer all your details, so it’s all set.”
“Thank you,” I reply, still amazed at how different things are between me and my dad. It feels like a dream or something, but whatever it is, I hope it sticks.
He smiles. “You’re welcome. I’m gonna head back to the lodge for a bit, but I’ll touch base with you in a few hours?”
“Okay, yeah, sounds great,” I say. “And you’re staying at Badger Creek?”
“Yeah, we are,” my dad says with a laugh. “Ethan insisted.” He leans over to squeeze my shoulder, offering Delaney a quick smile before he says goodbye and walks out of the room.
The second the door closes, I turn back to Delaney, cupping her face in my hands as I kiss her hard and deep this time, pausing only to pull the tube from my nose, before kissing her again.
She laughs against my mouth, her arms wrapping around my neck as she whispers, “I think you’re supposed to keep that on.”
“I’m supposed to kiss you,” I murmur around our kisses. “And it was in the way.”
That giggle I love so much falls from her mouth as I kiss her again, loving the feel of her body against mine. After three weeks of never leaving her side, lying here in this bed without her felt like agony, like a part of me was missing. And I know, no matter what happens moving forward, I’m not going to let that happen again. I need her, more than I ever realized.
“How are you feeling?” she eventually asks, pulling back as she puts the tube back under my nose, a smile on her face.
“So much better now,” I say, holding her close, kissing the end of her nose, her forehead and once more on the lips. “How are you?”
She swipes at her cheeks. “Like I’ve cried enough to last me a lifetime,” she says, sniffing. “But better now too.”
“I’ve gotta stay in overnight,” I say, laying back on my pillow and taking her with me. “They’re shoving a bunch of drugs in me ’cause I’ve got pneumonia apparently.”
Delaney lets out a long exhale. “I knew it was serious,” she whispers, and I can hear the other unspoken words, the same words my dad couldn’t bring himself to say.
“Yeah, maybe,” I say, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “But I survived and it’s all thanks to you.”
