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Chapter 62
Emilia
Dad and I stand in his dialysis room with huge grins on our faces. It’s been two weeks since his surgery, and his body seems to be accepting the transplant. He’s still on medication, but he’s doing well. Thanks to the medical care Carter was able to provide, Dad got to do most of his recovery here at home. It’s astounding how different he looks these days. Even though he’s still healing, he looks so much healthier. There’s a spring in his step that he’d lost. His smiles are wider, and the fear that I used to see in his eyes is gone. He’s filled with life now, and it feels like I truly have my dad back.
“I can’t believe I won’t ever have to be hooked up to these machines again,” Dad says. “I thought I’d spend my last days in this room.”
I drop my head to Dad’s shoulder, a flash of sorrow coming over me. He hid his fears so well.
“I can’t wait to donate all this equipment.”
I straighten when I hear Carter’s voice behind me, a smile spreading across my cheeks involuntarily. He slips his arm around my waist and I melt into him subconsciously. He looks at me and smiles.
“We can remodel this entire room,” he tells me, and I grin. He’s been doing this a lot. He keeps saying us and ours, and it makes me giddy every single time.
Dad smiles. “Looks like I’ll be able to walk you down the aisle after all,” Dad says, his eyes moving from me to Carter.
My eyes widen and I take a step away from Carter self-consciously, my cheeks heating. Carter and I haven’t really spoken about our future together. When we got together I told him that whatever we had would be temporary, but as time passed that all changed. I’ve told Dad that I won’t leave him again, but Carter and I haven’t actually spoken about what the future might hold for us. Every time I’ve wanted to have that talk, life interrupted.
“What should we do with the room?” he asks, and Dad grins.
“Turn it into a nursery, of course,” Dad says.
I look at Dad in outrage, my cheeks bright red. I can’t believe he just said that.
“I’m not getting any younger,” he says, looking at Carter, a dead serious expression on his face. “I need cute grandchildren to play with. To spoil.”
I hold my hand up. “Um, what about me? I’m cute. You can spoil me.”
Dad looks at me in dismay and then turns back to Carter, dismissing me. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, and I end up shaking my head. “Carter isn’t even married yet. He can’t give you grandchildren.”
My stomach twists painfully at the thought of him having children with anyone but me. If I’d left like I was planning to, he eventually would have. There’s no way that’s happening. I’m pissed off with him just at the thought of it.
Dad crosses his arms over each other and nods. “That is a bit of an obstacle, isn’t it? I know a cute girl for you,” he says, a thoughtful expression on his face, and I freeze. Carter and I haven’t told Dad about us, and we haven’t been affectionate in his presence, but there have been touches Dad would have had to be blind to miss.
Dad smiles at me. “That reminds me, when will you be going back to London? You’ve been here for months. Didn’t you say your boss wanted you back?”
I look at Dad through narrowed eyes. What the hell? It sounds an awful lot like he just wants me out of the way. What for? So he can match up Carter with some girl?
The doorbell rings before I can give Dad a piece of my mind, and Carter visibly exhales in relief.
“I’d better go check that,” he says, walking off in a hurry. I follow him, an irrational anger thrumming through my veins.
He opens the door and looks surprised to find his parents at his doorstep. I pause and look at them in confusion as I walk in, my heart filling with bitterness. They haven’t come to check up on Dad even once since he got back from the hospital.
“Emilia,” Helen says, smiling. I nod at her and glance at Carter, who’s helping William carry in a box of groceries. “It’s been a while since we did Sunday lunch, so I thought it might be nice to cook here instead of at ours. That would be easier for your Dad, I think.”
Kate walks in, her steps slow. She looks pale, sick even. She looks up at me and stares at me for a few seconds, a relieved expression on her face. “Hi,” she murmurs. “I’m glad to hear your Dad is doing well. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come visit sooner.”
I frown at her and nod. My feelings about her are incredibly mixed. I’m not as mad as I used to be, but I can’t forgive her either.
“You really should call before you drop by,” Carter tells his mom, his gaze on me. I feel bad instantly. I just know he’d have been happy to have her over had I not been here. Is this what our life is going to be like? Carter just having to choose between his family’s happiness and mine, every single day?
Kate places her hand against the wall, a drop of sweat running down her temple. She closes her eyes and drops to the floor, a small groan escaping her lips. I jump into action without thinking and wrap my arm around her, worry overtaking me.
“Kate,” I whisper. “What’s going on?” I press my hand against her forehead, but her temperature is fine.
Helen drops the jar she’s holding, the glass shattering on the floor. She barely even notices it as it crunches underneath her shoes. She cups Kate’s cheeks, her eyes wide and panicked. “Catherine,” she murmurs.
