Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 788(@200wpm)___ 631(@250wpm)___ 526(@300wpm)
“How do—”
“I’ve had my fair share of time with IVs.”
His reply jars me, a reminder of his history and so much I don’t know.
“I can walk,” I say when he stands with me in his hold.
He doesn’t reply, carrying me to the bathroom where Grandma is waiting.
“I’m outside the door.” He places me on my feet. “Yell when she’s done.”
Once the door shuts, she spins around with a gleam in her eyes and a wide grin. “I love him!”
“Shhh!”
“No shushing me. I do. I adore this man. Thank God he’s not your patient anymore and you can finally be together…” she blathers on, but the words are drowned out by the ringing in my ears. Only one thing she says sticks.
I press a finger to her lips to quiet her, then rinse out my mouth with cold water, gurgling a few times to try and soothe my throat. There is still burning, but I push through it. “What do you mean he’s not my patient anymore?”
There’s a flicker in her gaze and she gives a little head nod. “Talon will explain.”
I start to push but my reflection catches my attention. All my questions evaporate as terror sinks in. “Oh my God, I look horrid!”
My skin is pale with little pink blotches popping along my cheeks and forehead. My hair is matted and tangled, resembling a true rat’s nest, the ponytail gone. One side of my lip is swollen with a bump that has a speck of deep crimson, surrounded by a purplish bruise.
“Talon saw me like this?” I whisper-shriek.
“You should have seen yourself a few hours ago. There’s a reason we were all frightened.”
She urges me to sit on the toilet. “Let me clean you up.”
I lean back, close my eyes, and groan in appreciation when she places a cold cloth over my face. “Bear with me, baby. This may sting a little.” She then cleans the area on my lip and applies some kind of ointment.
With gentle hands, she works my brush through the tangles, scaling her nails along my scalp in a soothing motion she used when I was little.
The water cuts on and she replaces the cloth with a fresh one, pressing it to my cheeks. “This should help with the splotching.”
“I don’t understand. This is all so odd. Peanut butter allergy? At twenty-six?”
“Stranger things have happened,” she muses, but there’s a hitch in her tone.
“Do you think it’s an allergy?”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“No, but you’re a specialist in a lot of areas.” I lift one side of the cloth to get a look at her. She secures my hair in a ponytail, avoiding eye contact. “Grandma?”
“I don’t know, Willow. It was extreme for an allergic reaction in my opinion.”
She’s voicing exactly what I’m feeling.
“But one thing is certain, Talon hasn’t left your side. Chase kept us up on the details, but we had to wait to see you. Imagine your grandpa and my surprise when you were transferred to a room and we found you curled into that handsome boy. You should have seen your dad’s reaction. Sterling was shocked still. Wish I had that on video. If the situation wasn’t so intense, I’d have laughed.”
I can’t let her assume more than there is going on. “Talon and I aren’t together. It’s—”
“Complicated,” she finishes for me. “Talon clarified.”
My heart races. Please, God, don’t let him reveal how we first met. “What exactly did he clarify?”
“It’s understandable you were resistant to get involved with a patient. But that’s over now.”
“About that…”
“It’s lucky for us that young man is persistent and came to check on you. And Wolf, he didn’t hesitate to put that pup in his truck and get him help. It was like Wolf knew he was a good guy. Like maybe they met before.” There’s an unspoken insinuation in her statement.
She knows something deeper is happening. Her raised eyebrows and profound stare prickle into me as she waits me out.
“They have met before,” I murmur.
“Mmhmm, that much was obvious. Seems like Chase wasn’t surprised by Talon’s presence either.”
“Yeah, they met before, too.”
“Seems like my darling granddaughter is keeping things.”
“Like you guessed, it’s a little complicated.”
Her eyes light with amusement. “There is nothing little about that man. Including his interest in you. Nothing wrong with playing hard to get, but don’t chase the good ones away.”
“I’m not playing hard to get. I have my reasons for being cautious.”
She rips the cloth from my fingers. “Time to throw caution to the wind. Although I don’t think you have a choice with this one. He’s strongminded,” she states with such delight that I can’t burst her little bubble.
“He’s a great guy.”
“And so handsome.”
“Yeah, handsome… he’s HOT, Grandma, you can say it.”
She smiles wide, smoothing some lotion on my face. “You’re already glowing brighter.”
I get up slowly, thankful no dizziness hits. My color isn’t normal, but it’s much better and the blotching has subsided.