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“I missed you,” she says, wrapping her legs around my waist and hoisting herself up further.
I drop my duffel in the hall, kicking off my shoes as I wrap my arms around her butt. “You saw me yesterday,” I tease, loving how much she cares.
“Doesn’t matter. I had to sleep alone last night which was awful.”
I slap her ass as I walk us to the couch, a yelp rising from her throat. I shove her textbook and papers to the side and toss her down, tearing off my jacket as she bounces. She lays back, opening her arms, reaching out, and ushering for me to lay on top of her.
I gladly oblige, laying down and kissing her hard as my hands work their way down her body. My head eventually rests on her chest, and I nuzzle in to find my perfect resting spot. She’s always complained her boobs are too small, but they’re the perfect pillow after a long day. She wraps her arms and legs around me like a koala, fingers combing through my hair, and I release an exaggerated exhale, feeling the very last pocket of stress melt away now that I’m in her arms.
“How was it?” she asks.
“Long. Tiring. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been puked on today.”
“Gotta love flu season.”
“You sound like you might miss it.” It took a lot of convincing, but Lainey agreed to let me take over the household expenses so she could cut down the number of hours she worked. NP school is hard enough, she doesn’t need to burn herself to the ground working sixty hours a week when I make enough to support us both. She insisted on keeping both jobs, because of course, she loves what she does. She did agree to cut hours, though, and it didn’t take long to see her come back to life.
“I talked with Corey; your mom meets with the transplant specialist tomorrow afternoon.”
Over the last few months, Lainey has been my constant support in getting to know my mom. After several awkward lunches and Sunday afternoon visits, our relationship is…tolerable. I don’t know if I will ever forgive and forget, but I can accept that she’s made mistakes and lives with her guilt. I won’t force myself to make up for the time we lost, but I’m okay starting a relationship with my mom as the person she is today.
Only time will tell how far that takes us.
Between me, Lainey, and my sister, we try to stay involved with my mom’s health enough to ensure she knows what’s going on, and what she is responsible for. Her lifestyle has caught up with her and now she’s facing stage four liver cirrhosis. We were able to convince her to follow through with seeing a specialist, and she’s been on the wait list for several months.
“I’ll call her later, maybe I can swing by her appointment.” Hopefully they’ll be able to give her some realistic options.
“Just think, thirty-seven days.”
I smile against her skin. “Thirty-seven days.” Thirty-seven days until we are in Fiji, spending her spring break on a deserted beach, only the two of us.
“Crystal clear blue water. White sand beaches. Cold drinks.” She pulls one of the thousand throw blankets we have lying around this house and lays it over us. I settle in, practically falling asleep.
“Tiki hut all to ourselves,” I mumble. “Clothing optional.”
She snickers against my hair. “The swimsuits I bought won’t leave much to the imagination, anyways.”
I groan, feeling myself harden at the thought of that. Something that I thought was physically impossible given how exhausted I am.
“Hungry?” she asks, moving to get up.
I wrap my arms tighter around her, not letting her move. “Starving, but stay here a bit longer. Tell me more about these slutty swimsuits you bought. I think I need a fashion show, first.”
She laughs, a beautiful melody to my soul. I can’t wait for Fiji, for no cell phone service, no work calls, and no school for Lainey. Just me, her, and the diamond I have hidden in the back of my closet that’s itching to rest on her finger. I bought it a month after the incident at the hospital, my sister nearly pissed herself when I told her.
I had plans to propose immediately, but Lainey loves her family, so I knew I couldn’t do it without meeting them and getting her dad's approval. We flew to Minnesota for Christmas, and I pulled her dad aside and asked for his permission to marry their daughter. I almost proposed on New Year’s Eve but decided against that cliché. We were out all night with our friends, and I have a feeling that when I do it, I’ll probably cry like a pussy, so I want us to be alone.
Soon, she’ll be my fiancé, and then my wife. And sometime within the next two years she’ll graduate and get her NP license. Maybe we’ll work together at Grace General, maybe we’ll both quit and open our own geriatrics practice. I’d be happy either way. As long as I have the girl laying next to me, that’s all I’ll ever need.
Acknowledgements
Lainey’s story is a very special and personal one for me. While my experiences were not as intense or extreme as hers, I think someone who has suffered through any sort of emotional, sexual, physical, or mental abuse can identify with her character. It is my hope that those who read her story can connect with her and know that they are not alone.
A big thank you to everyone who helped bring this book to life! Valerie, Sarah, Dessi, Anna, and Marissa – I am eternally grateful for your expertise with editing, proofreading, formatting, and design! Thank you to the staff @greyspromo for promotional assistance.
Thank you to the readers, ARC reviewers, bookstagram folks and romance lovers in the world. There are some that have supported me since they first read Jenna and Emmett’s story, and I hope you know how eternally grateful I am for each and every reader you recommend my book to.
To my friend Liz, who was the very first person I ever told that I had written a book (besides my husband) – thank you for being the ultimate hype girl!
