“Why did you bring her?” I asked, turning toward him, as I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “You knew it would piss me off. So, why do it? Do you really hate me that much, Roman?”
His expression hardened. “You know, not every-fucking-thing in this world revolves around you, little brother.” He stood swiftly, swaying slightly, and he stepped away from the bar. “I think I’ll go find someone else to drink with tonight. Drinking solo wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind.”
He threw down a twenty for the drinks we had yet to be served and bailed, leaving me confused and alone at the bar.
Our drinks arrived moments later, and as the bartender set them down, he looked around and asked, “Your friend all right?”
“I have no idea,” I answered honestly.
With Roman, I never did.
“RISE AND SHINE!” I announced, spreading the heavy curtains apart to let the golden sunlight stream into the previously dark hotel room.
The large space was immediately flooded with blinding bright light from the world outside, and I turned to see two unhappy people gazing up at me from the beds across the room.
“You know, when I agreed to this sleepover, I assumed it would include sleep—or at least more sleep than I usually receive during a normal night at home with an infant and a husband who swears he doesn’t steal all the covers. He does, by the way.”
I giggled softly as I looked over at my poor sleepy friend. I tried covering my mouth, but it in no way hid the smile peeking out. “It’s my wedding day!” I said happily. “We’ve got things to do!”
“Sweetheart, you know it’s only”—my mother glanced over at the alarm clock on the nightstand separating the two beds—“five in the morning!” She let out a groan as her head hit the pillow.
“The hairdresser won’t be here until noon!” Grace nearly cried, pulling her pillow over her head in an effort to turn off the sun.
“Yes, but I thought we could get breakfast and then maybe, um . . . I don’t know.” My voice drifted off.
“You couldn’t sleep,” my mother guessed, her lethargic mood transforming into a warm smile.
“No. I’m too excited.”
“Well, let’s all get up then,” Grace said begrudgingly.
I skipped across the room and wrapped her in a tight hug. She returned the gesture, and I felt her mouth curl into a smile against my cheek.
“You know, there isn’t another female on the planet I would get out of bed for this early—or one who could get me into a green dress.”
I pulled back and met her gaze. “It will be stunning—I guarantee it—even if it’s not pink.”
“Okay, but if not, you have to promise to do all of this over again—in pink.”
I laughed as my hands wove with hers, and she gave them a tight squeeze.
“Deal,” I answered.
“So, what’s on the agenda first, boss lady?” she asked, covering a yawn with the back of her hand.
“Well, why don’t you go jump in the shower, and I’ll order room service?”
“Okay, but make sure you order at least a gallon of coffee. No, make that two. And let me know if my phone chirps while I’m in the bathroom. Brian said he had a handle on things, but I’m still waiting for that panicked phone call.”
“Has he never had Zander alone?” my mom asked. She was now sitting up in bed with a warm robe she’d grabbed from her suitcase wrapped around her.
“A few hours here and there but not overnight—and vice versa. I’ve never been without him this long. I know he’s just down the hall, but it still feels weird to wake up and not jump out of bed to check on him.”
I smiled, seeing the way my best friend had changed over the last two years. Her heart had doubled in size from becoming a wife first and then adding the role of a mother. She breathed out love from every pore in her body, and I felt nothing but pure joy for her happiness.
There were times in my life when those I loved had been timid, nearly scared to share with me the joy they felt in their own lives because of the situation my sickness had presented in my own life. What they hadn’t understood was that seeing excitement, hearing about their accomplishments, was what helped make the rough days and nights a bit more bearable.
I had known my life would never be like the nurses who had befriended me or the patients I’d met who eventually left and moved on. But knowing them and becoming a part of their lives, for even a brief moment, had helped ease the loneliness and given me a window to the outside world, making the walls around me feel just slightly thinner.
Now that I was free, no longer a slave to the heart that had held me captive for so long, my friends and family would freely share their ups and downs with me, and it was a wondrous feeling.
It felt normal.
And being normal was all I’d ever wanted.
“Well, so far, no texts and no missed calls,” I said, holding up her iPhone in its bedazzled pink case. “So, I think your knightly husband is handling the infant just fine. Go get in the shower, and I will order us food!”