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I was such a fucking idiot for how I acted at the hospital. And instead of fixing it, I came barreling into the coffee shop and kissed her like a cat marking his territory. Not my greatest moment. No wonder she pushed me away.
Lily’s eyes flick to Georgia, then to our clasped arms. Her mouth tightens for a moment, then she forces her face to relax. She nods. “Rudy.”
“Hey, Lily. You remember Georgia.” I drop her arm and nod to the woman at my side.
“Of course.” She smiles at my former client, one hand moving to her stomach. My chest aches something fierce being here, close enough to catch a faint whisper of her scent, but too far away to touch.
“We were just heading to Cantina for their margarita special,” Georgia says, surprising me. “Would you like to join?”
“Um, no,” Lily answers without hesitation, and a little bit of me dies. “I’m good. Also, I’m pregnant. Margaritas aren’t really enticing right now.”
Georgia’s brows jump up, and she glances at me. The question in her gaze is clear.
Lily rolls her eyes. “It’s not his.” She hikes her bag over her shoulder, but she only catches one of the straps. The other falls down, and a bulky item comes falling from her bag.
A book.
I lean over to pick it up, turning it around to see the collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales I gave her for her birthday.
She kept it?
Frowning at the cover, I lift my gaze to Lily’s. She blushes, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The fingers of my free hand curl into my palm, everything in me resisting the urge to reach over and sweep my fingers over that peach-colored flush.
“I’ve been reading them for the baby,” she says, not quite meeting my eyes. “I’m thinking this kid is coming into the world with a bit of a rough start, so I might as well not kid myself with fluffy fairy tales. Better stick with the dark and twisted.”
I can’t help it as a grin tugs at my lips. Lily answers it with one of her own, and for a moment, I forget all about Georgia. I forget about the coffee shop and the margaritas and everything else.
The woman who holds my heart in her hands is smiling at me, and for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can breathe.
Then Lily clears her throat and takes the book from my hands, giving us both an awkward nod. “Well, I’d better…” Her voice drifts off, and she just shuffles past me to walk away. I watch her go, loving the way her leggings cup her ass. Even as my heart is slowly shredded by her leaving without looking back, I can’t deny how much I want her still.
The sound of a throat clearing makes me look at Georgia, who has a gleam in her eye and a smirk on her lips. “There’s a story there,” she says. “And you’re going to tell it to me over margaritas.”
CHAPTER 38
Lily
Chemo sucks. Like, a lot. Knocks me on my ass when I get it, and takes days to recover enough to feel halfway normal. Next thing I know, a nurse is sticking another needle in my arm and hooking me up for another round.
Lying back in the chair in the hospital ward, I stare at the other half-dozen patients getting their treatment. One girl looks about fifteen. She’s lost all her hair, but she’s chatting happily with the nurse who’s checking her IV. An older gentleman is in the chair beside her, and he just looks very tired and very, very sick.
So far, a month in, I’ve kept all my hair. I might be one of the lucky ones. Apart from the aches and nausea, I’ve noticed a lot of forgetfulness—like the time I called my mother because I’d lost my phone for the nth time, only for her to ask me how I was calling her. We laughed about “chemo brain” but I was still horribly embarrassed. But perhaps the most bothersome symptom I’ve had is what the nurses call peripheral neuropathy. I have no sensation in the soles of my feet or the tips of my fingers, and I feel flat-footed and awkward when I walk or try to do things with my hands like do up buttons or pick up small objects.
Maybe that’s the reason I haven’t removed the pendant hanging around my neck, the sapphire hard and cool against my breastbone. Or maybe its slight weight reminds me of my father’s strength all those years ago.
“How’s your niece liking college?” a nurse asks as she bustles around me. “Northwestern, right?”
I smile. “Allie’s loving it. I think she’s enjoying being away from Heart’s Cove, but my sister Candice is gravely insulted that Allie isn’t homesick. Her best friend, Clancy, is at the community college in town and she’s hoping to transfer somewhere closer to Allie. They still talk every day.”
The nurse—Caroline—smiles warmly. “It’s got to be a strong friendship to last through distance.”
“It is. Allie will be back for Thanksgiving,” I say. “And I have a feeling once she feels how cold it gets in Illinois, she’ll be missing our mild winters enough to be glad to come home.”
Caroline chuckles. “You’re all set,” she tells me with a kind smile. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few. You got everything you need?” She nods to my tablet, phone, and stack of magazines.
I nod. “All good.”
“That’s a beautiful necklace,” Caroline tells me, nodding to my neck. “I’ve seen it on you every day and keep meaning to comment on it.”
