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Spiteful words sprang to mind, but he held his tongue. It began to ache with the effort. “Looking forward to getting out of here.”
“I’ll bet.” Her arm tightened around him, and she lowered her voice. “Listen, I’m sorry for not stopping by sooner, but I needed to take care of a few things.”
Why is she whispering? “Yeah, Dad said you were working at the firm. I appreciate it.”
“Well, yes, I’ve been at the firm.” She glanced at Dad, but he had wandered over to the window and was staring pointedly out at the parking lot. “But I’ve also been with Rose.”
A flash of hot rage shot down his spine as he pulled away. “Seriously? You’ve been comforting her? Need I remind you she broke up with me?”
To his surprise, his sister rolled her eyes. “Oh, get over yourself. Don’t act like you had no part in her decision. Besides, you should thank me. I was doing damage control.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I convinced her not to cancel the wedding.”
You did what?
Even Dad spun away from the window, betraying the fact that he’d been listening to their every word. Steven gritted his teeth as he tried to process what she’d said.
“Why would you do that?” he demanded. “She might still be able to get some of the money back if she cancels now.”
Lanie stared at him as if he was the one being obtuse. “As long as there’s a wedding, you won’t lose any money.”
Maybe Lanie had lost her mind. “Um, how is there going to be a wedding when Rose broke up with me?”
She lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “Do I have to spell everything out for you?” Shaking her head, she sat on the bed and took his hand. “Rose didn’t want to break up with you. She still loves you, but she doesn’t trust you to actually follow through on your promises, and she’s scared she’s going to lose you soon after the wedding.”
Pulling his hand back, he scowled at her, but she ignored him.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but this latest health episode seems to have been the wake-up call you needed.”
Steven nodded, not quite sure where she was going.
“Better late than never,” she said under her breath.
“Can we cut the shaming and get to the point?”
“If you can prove you’re taking things seriously this time and that you’re doing it for yourself, for your health…” She took a deep breath. “I have reason to believe Rose will give you a second chance and the wedding can move forward as planned.”
“But it’s barely a month away at this point,” their father piped up. “And we don’t know how long Steven will be in rehab.”
“The doctor said if I follow the advice of my therapists, I could be out in a couple of weeks.”
“Perfect.” Lanie searched his face. “I assume you’d still like to be able to walk at the wedding as well?” At his nod, she smiled. “Great. And what about the first dance?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Are you going to visit Steven before he leaves?”
Rose started at the sound of the voice and spun around. Dr. Myers leaned against the doorframe of the nurses’ station, one eyebrow raised.
“I doubt he wants to see me.” She turned back to her paperwork to hide her face. How she had any tears left at that point was beyond her.
“You’d be surprised.” He snatched the patient file from the desk, which forced her to face him again.
After making a few attempts to reclaim her file, she crossed her arms and glowered at him. “Why do you care? Weren’t you the one who warned me away from becoming his caretaker? How did you put it?” She tapped her chin. “‘Don’t become the next Melissa.’”
To her immense satisfaction, he shifted uncomfortably. “That was a different situation.”
