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“What’s wrong?” he instantly asks.
The doctor looks between me and Diego until deciding to focus his eyes on me. There’s a plea in them.
“Diego,” I call, reaching my hand out for his.
He doesn’t hesitate to take it. I give it a squeeze, urging him to relax a little. He exhales and rolls his shoulders, doing his best to answer my plea. My heart almost explodes in my chest with how much I love him.
How I could’ve ever thought of marrying someone else is beyond me. A trick my mind played on me when I truly believed I couldn’t have Diego.
But can you have him now?the small voice in the back of my mind asks.
“All of the tests we’ve run so far have come back and there isn’t anything that’s concerning in them,” the doctor continues, bringing my attention back to him.
What he’s saying is a relief but not completely. The last time I was in the hospital I was there with my fiancé, but by the time I left our relationship was over. He couldn’t handle the ups and downs of life with me.
I know Diego would never leave me like that. But can I subject him to this life with me? Will I have to push him away to keep from bringing him down?
Like I already did once in his life?
CHAPTER32
Diego
“Are you sure you slept enough? I could’ve extended our stay at the hotel,” I tell Monique as I glance over at the passenger seat.
We’re on our way back to Williamsport from the art fair. Monique and I were at the hospital until a little after midnight. Though the first round of tests came back positive, I wasn’t satisfied. I asked—maybe demanded—the doctor run the tests again just to make sure everything was stable.
We still aren’t sure what it was that made her numbers drop so rapidly yesterday. Monique suspects it was a recent update in the monitor she uses. She’s already ordered a new one that should arrive today.
Though everything’s been stable since we left the hospital, I’ve felt an unease from her that I’m not sure is a result of yesterday’s medical emergency or something else. She’s been quiet since we started driving a couple of hours ago.
“I know you don’t like to sleep in cars,” I say, “but maybe you should try. We have a few more hours before we arrive back home. And we’re expected at Aunt Kayla and Uncle Josh’s place for their barbecue. But I can cancel that if you want,” I quickly add.
“No way.” Monique shakes her head adamantly. “Our families will be there. They’ll ask questions if we don’t show up. Aunt Kayla texted me twice this weekend to make sure we were still going.”
I grind my teeth together. Monique hasn’t told her parents or family about our trip to the ER. She begged me not to call them or tell my family. Because our families are so close, if mine found out there’s no way her mother and father wouldn’t know about it.
I let out a sigh that I can’t hold in.
“Babe, it’s not a big deal to tell our families what happened. They’d want to know.”
“I know,” she turns to me. “We can later. I just don’t want them to worry. You know how my parents can be. Since all of the tests came back positive and my numbers have been stable for hours now, I just don’t want to add to anyone’s stress.”
“What stress?” I ask. “Caring about you? You know your family, and mine,” I add, “would be more stressed over the fact of finding out that you were in the hospital and they didn’t know about it.”
“It was only a few hours. I can tell them later when I see them. Let’s just get home, go to the barbecue, and have a good time. Plus, I get to share that I finally have all of my artists chosen for opening night.”
She smiles over at me, and for the first time today, it’s genuine. I reach over and take her hand into mine, kissing the back of her palm.
“It’s going to be amazing.”
“Thank you. I explode with anticipation just to see all of their beautiful paintings hanging on the walls of my gallery.”
“Stolen Voices,” I say, repeating the name of her art gallery.
She squeezes my hand. “What do you think of the name?”
“It’s perfect.”
