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“Yes, it will be under ‘Finn Ward.’?”
Glancing down at her book, her face exploded into a full-on grin. “Yes! The Rossini Room is ready for you.”
Rory turned to me and lifted her brow. “?‘Room?’?”
Lacing my fingers with hers, I winked. “It’s a small room, but I wanted privacy.”
She slowly shook her head. “Finn Ward, you have got to be the biggest romantic I’ve ever met in my life.”
I kissed the back of her hand. “Nah. It’s seeing you smile that makes me do it. I only want you happy.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she bit down on her lip. The only thing she said was one whispered word. “Finn.”
“Right this way, Mr. Ward.”
We followed the hostess up to the second floor. The room was set up with one single table. The lights were dimmed, and the candle on the table cast a flurry of shadows that danced on the walls.
“Oh my, it’s perfect.”
My phone rang in my pocket with the fire station’s ringtone.
“It’s the station. Let me grab this.”
Rory’s smile faded.
“This is Finn.”
“Ward, we’ve got a situation,” John said.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking a few steps away from Rory.
“There’s been an accident. It’s Zeb.”
My heart dropped. “Is he okay?”
The silence on the other end told me the answer to that question.
“He’s in critical condition.”
Scrubbing my hand down my face, I asked, “What happened?”
“He fell through the floor of a warehouse. A few broken ribs, some internal bleeding, and a head injury. They have him in surgery now to try and stop the bleeding.”
“Fuck,” I whispered. “Sissy?”
“She’s not doing too good. Colton is at the hospital now.”
“I’m on my way.”
Hitting End, I turned to Rory. Her face was white as a ghost. “Éan, I’ve got to go.”
She swallowed hard. “What…what happened?”
“It’s Zeb. He fell through a warehouse floor and is in pretty bad shape.”
A tear slipped from her eye.
“Do you want to come with me?” I asked.
She stared at me for the longest time before finally answering. “No. I’m going to head back home.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to go home. Go back to my place, and once I make sure Sissy is okay—”
“Sissy?”
I glanced away for a quick second before looking back into her eyes. “Zeb’s fiancée.”
Her hand covered her mouth.
“Once I make sure she’s okay and so is Zeb, I’ll be right behind you.”
Her hand dropped to her side. “I can’t.”
Confusion swept across my body, along with a sense of panic. “You can’t what?”
“It’s okay, just go, Finn. Zeb and Sissy need you. I’ll be okay.”
“We’ll share a cab.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
The hostess asked, “So that means you’re no longer using the room?”
“Yes, just bill my credit card what you need to. I’m sorry.”
I took Rory’s hand in mine and we headed back down the stairs and out front. I called for a taxi, and we quickly slipped into the backseat. I told him to take me to the hospital and then gave him the address to my condo.
We sat in silence as Rory stared out the window. Taking her hand in mine, I squeezed it.
“That could be you, Finn. You were supposed to work tonight.”
I tugged on her chin, making her meet my gaze. We were face-to-face, eye-to-eye. “It wasn’t me. So don’t even think that way.”
“When were they getting married?”
“They are getting married four days before Christmas.”
A tear slowly made a path down her beautiful face. Using my thumb, I brushed it away. “He’s going to be okay, Rory.”
She forced a smile.
“We’re at the hospital, sir.”
Placing her hand on the side of my face, she softly spoke. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Éan.”
I gently kissed her lips, then rested my forehead on hers. “I’ll meet you back at my place.”
She didn’t answer me. Pulling out a few twenty-dollar bills, I handed them to the driver and repeated my address. I quickly exited the cab and started heading in.
“Finn! Wait!”
Turning, I saw Rory running over to me. She slammed into my body and held me tight. “Kiss me. Please kiss me.”
Drawing back, I held her face in my hands and kissed her. She deepened the kiss while wrapping her arms around me, holding me tight. It almost felt as if she was kissing me for the last time.
When she finally pulled away, she smiled. “I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” I said as I gently tapped the tip of her nose with my finger. She nodded.
“I’ll be praying for Zeb.”
One more quick kiss and I replied, “Thanks, Éan.”
I headed into the hospital and looked back to see her getting back into the cab. She leaned forward and said something to the driver. I stopped walking and faced the cab. Glancing my way one more time, she waved as the cab pulled off.
After making my way into the hospital, I found Colton and Sissy. We waited together for an hour before the doctor came out.
