“Boston…” I don’t want to say that time isn’t something we have right now. So, instead, I say, “I’ll be there with you the whole time. I’m not leaving you. We’ll be together at the hospital.”
“Not the whole time.”
I know she’s thinking of the surgery. I’m thinking of the surgery.
I’m afraid for her. I’m afraid for me. But she has to get through this because, for me, there isn’t a world where Taylor isn’t breathing and alive and with me.
“I’ll be with you right until it’s time, and then I’ll be there when you open your eyes. I need you healthy, babe, and the only way that will happen is if I get you back to the hospital. And, as soon as you’re well, I’ll take you on a holiday, and we can spend every second of every day together. And, after that, we can spend our lives together.”
“You mean that?”
“I never say anything I don’t mean. Especially with you.”
She’s staring into my eyes. Emotions are moving so quickly through them that I can’t grab ahold of one.
“Okay,” she breathes. “Let’s go to the hospital.”
“Well, we can either take a cab, or I can call Paul and have him drive us.”
“Where’s your car?”
“It’s currently sitting at Heathrow Airport with a clamp on the wheel.”
Her eyes round. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” I chuckle.
But she’s not laughing. She looks sad.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“It’s my fault.” Her tone dips along with her eyes.
I place my fingers under her chin and tilt her face up to mine. “What’s your fault?”
“Your car getting clamped.”
“And why do you say that?”
“Because you went to the airport, looking for me.”
“Hush.” I kiss her on the lips. “It’s just a clamp.”
“On a million-dollar car.”
One point seven million, but who’s counting? “Boston, the car’s not damaged. It’s fine. And I’ll be getting her back tomorrow. Now, are we getting a cab, or am I calling Paul?”
“Call Paul.”
“Okay.” I lead her back over to the sofa.
She sits down. I get my phone out of my pocket and take the seat beside her.
“I can’t believe your car got clamped.” Apparently, she’s still on that.
I guess it is better than talking about where we’re about to go and how difficult these next few days…weeks are going to be.
“Well, I did leave it in a no-parking zone.” I shrug. “They probably did me a favor by clamping it. It would probably have gotten stolen, if not.”
“I can’t believe how blasé you’re being about it.”
“It’s only a car.”
“An expensive car.”
“And you’re worth more.”
Her eyes soften on me, and she leans in close, kissing me with a featherlight brush over my lips. “I love you,” she says the words like she needs to keep saying them to make it real.
And I’m far from complaining.
For that time, thinking Taylor didn’t feel the same as I did about her…it was fucking torture.
To know she loves me…is the best feeling in the world.
“I love you, too, Boston. Now, stop trying to distract me with your hot mouth, and let me call Paul.”
“I wasn’t trying to distract you.”
I lift a brow, and she laughs.
“Okay, maybe I was trying to distract you a little bit.” Grinning, she shows an inch with her thumb and forefinger.
Shaking my head, I laugh.
Fuck, it feels good to laugh.
I put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her to me. She lays her head on my shoulder.
I call Paul, and he answers on the first ring. I tell him to come and pick us up from my apartment.
“Paul will be here in fifteen minutes,” I tell Taylor as I hang up the phone. I slide it back into my pocket.
She doesn’t say anything. And I notice how tense her body is with her fingers curled up in her lap.
“Hey.” I lift the shoulder her head is on, gently nudging her.
She slowly lifts her head and looks at me. Her eyes are shimmering with tears.
“Babe?”
She shuts her eyes and lets out a ragged breath. “I’m afraid, Hunter.”
A vise clamps itself around my chest and squeezes hard.
Turning to her, I take her face in my hands. “Don’t be. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m here. And I’ll be here with you the whole time. I’ll keep you safe. I will always keep you safe.”
But that’s a lie.
Not that I won’t keep her safe because I will. I’ll always do everything in my power to keep Taylor safe.
But this…this is out of my hands, and that scares me.
No, fuck scared. It terrifies me.
Part of me is afraid that the surgery won’t work. That, after all of this, I will end up losing her anyway.
But I don’t vocalize it. I hide it.
And, when she opens her eyes and gives me a weak smile, I return that smile, forcing mine to be stronger. All the while, I conceal my fears as I lean close and kiss her forehead one last time.
The room is dark, except for the soft glow coming from the television across the room.
We’re back to where we were last night—Taylor in a hospital bed and me by her side. But I’m sitting this time, not pacing around the room, pleading with her to live.