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Sighing, I glance down at my flat stomach. “It’s over.”
“What’s over?” she asks, concerned and a little alarmed.
“Samuel and me. I signed divorce papers.” Just saying the words brings back that moment again, when I found them in the drawer. The unexpected popping of the happiness bubble I thought we lived in.
“What?” she gasps harshly. “Why?”
I shrug. “You know as well as I do things aren’t always what they seem. And you also know your brother. He’s very…set in his ways.”
“Anally-retentive?” she asks with a smile.
“That, yes. And I think this entire thing has been difficult for him,” I tell her. “I mean, who falls in love after they accidentally get married in Vegas, right?” I ask with a laugh, but even though I try for humor, it hurts the same, because I know the truth.
Ifall in love after accidentally getting married in Vegas.
Me.
Hell, I loved him before Vegas.
But he’s not built that way. I knew it before, and I definitely know it now. Even if the quickie wedding was his idea, it was the booze talking, not him. Samuel would never willingly do anything so rash, so rushed, and so impulsive. That’s not how he’s wired, and that’s okay. It’s part of what makes him him.
Latham appears in the doorway, rubbing his neck. “Uhh, hey.”
Harper instantly smiles. “She’s being discharged. We’re waiting on the papers, and then we’ll take her home. I can run and fill the prescription,” Harper is saying, but Latham seems…nervous.
“Listen, so remember how we agreed to not call anyone?” he asks, his eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I slowly nod. “Well, here’s the thing,” he starts, but is cut off by the commotion coming from behind him. Samuel bursts through the doorway, almost knocking Latham down. He doesn’t say a word to his brother-in-law, his eyes are wild and locked on me.
As he approaches my bed, I catch Harper moving away out of the corner of my eye. She heads over to the doorway, where she and Latham slip out of the room to give us privacy. “What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to sit up a little straighter in bed. I’m sure I look a fright, with my hair all askew and my fancy hospital gown hanging awkwardly off my shoulder.
“What am I doing here?” he asks, a little winded and definitely a bit frazzled. “I came to see you.” His eyes scan my body from head to toe, as if searching for injuries. “Are you okay?” his voice is hoarse and thick, his eyes landing on the IV sticking out of my hand, and the I swear he blinks a few times rapidly.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him, hating how my body aches to lean into him, to find comfort in his arms.
I don’t know if he’s been home yet, if he knows about the signed papers, but the more I look at his frazzled appearance, at his older T-shirt and the shorts he usually wears to bed, I can tell he’s been home. While I might be used to seeing him like this, the world is definitely not accustomed to seeing him in anything but a suit and tie.
He takes the empty seat beside me and carefully reaches for my hand. I almost pull it away. Not because I don’t want him to touch me—oh God, do I want him to touch me—but because it’ll make it that much harder for me to walk away.
“What happened?” he asks as he strokes my knuckles, careful to avoid the tape around the IV.
“I passed out at Kiss Me Goodnight. Harper and Latham returned after taking Snuggles to the vet and found me on the floor.”
He drops his head to his arm. I can hear him trying to take deep breaths. When his eyes return to mine, there’s so much pain there, it almost makes it hard to breathe. He clears his throat. “Thank God they showed up.”
“I’ll be fine, Samuel.” It’s meant to reassure him, as well as myself. Because I will. Be fine.
His hurt eyes practically pierce my soul. “You called me Samuel.”
