She’d slept through dinner at the hospital, but Tessa had come back with
food before leaving for the night. Kate was going to sleep in the chair at her
side, even though Erin told her not to, and Mack said she would be sleeping in
the doctor’s lounge. She would be up checking Erin’s face every hour or so for
signs of rejection, but so far, everything was going better than expected.
“I know you want to
talk to Drake,” Kate said with a smile. “I’ll give you some privacy and go take
a walk. I’ve been sitting all day.”
“You should go home,”
Erin protested.
“Shut. Up.” Kate just
laughed before disappearing around the corner.
Erin reached for her
cell phone and dialed Drake’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Erin?!”
“Hi.”
“Mack said it looks
good. She said yours has gone longer than anyone else’s without being
rejected!” His voice was full of genuine excitement.
“I know. I’m trying not
to get my hopes up.”
“She said she fixed
your eye and that was your top priority.”
“It was. If my eyes
look normal, I can use makeup to cover the rest and people won’t be as
uncomfortable when they look at me. Now, when I meet someone new, they do a
double take when they look at me.”
“I didn’t.”
“I was wearing a mask.”
“I still asked my
sister who you were. Sometimes you just know.”
“Know what?”
“What did you feel the
first time you met Shay?”
She smiled, though he
couldn’t see her. “Like I’d just been run over by a truck, but in a good way.”
“And that’s how I felt
when I looked across the room and saw you. There were lots of beautiful women
there that night, but it was you who caught my eye. We click, Erin.”
“I know. It’s kind of
scary.”
“Yeah, but scary in a
good way, right?”
“Is there such a
thing?” She laughed softly.
“There is now!”
“Okay, who’s making my
patient laugh?” Mack demanded, coming into the room wearing clean scrubs and
sneakers.
Erin handed her the
phone.
“Hey, kiddo.” Mack was
smiling since she figured Drake was on the other end.
“Hey, Sis!”
Mack rolled her eyes.
“I’ve talked to you more today than I have in the 31 years you’ve been alive!”
She handed the phone back to Erin with a wink.
“I’ll talk to you
tomorrow, Drake.”
“I’ll call you before
we leave for the airport.”
“Good night.”
In the morning, Mack
was in Erin’s room bright and early. She was smiling from ear to ear as she
brought in a breakfast tray.
“It’s been almost 24
hours,” she said excitedly. “I don’t think it’s going to reject!”
Erin squeezed her eyes
shut. “I can’t allow myself to think that way. I keep telling myself the eye
and the hair are enough—anything else is a bonus.”
“It is, but that
doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this!” Mack put down Erin’s breakfast and sank into
a chair. “I spoke with your ex-mother-in-law this morning. I didn’t realize she
was paying for the hospital stay.”
“We think the insurance
might pay for it, but because it’s not a military hospital, they probably won’t
cover it all so Jan said she would pay for it just because she knows I can pay
her back when I get Shay’s money.”
“Explain who this Shay
person I keep hearing about is?”
“He’s my ex-husband’s
fraternal twin brother. Except he’s the one I should have married, the one I
really loved. He’s the one who died with me in Afghanistan.” Her voice caught
and she took a sip of tea.
“And his mother knew
this?”
“I don’t know exactly
how much she knew, but I know she took my side when Clay divorced me and helped
me get money to buy a condo as well as continued care for my father, who’s in a
nursing home. Without her, Clay would have screwed me out of everything. As it
is, he’s suing me for Shay’s life insurance policy—which is half a million
dollars.”
“Why does he hate you
so much?” Mack wondered aloud. “If you
food before leaving for the night. Kate was going to sleep in the chair at her
side, even though Erin told her not to, and Mack said she would be sleeping in
the doctor’s lounge. She would be up checking Erin’s face every hour or so for
signs of rejection, but so far, everything was going better than expected.
“I know you want to
talk to Drake,” Kate said with a smile. “I’ll give you some privacy and go take
a walk. I’ve been sitting all day.”
“You should go home,”
Erin protested.
“Shut. Up.” Kate just
laughed before disappearing around the corner.
Erin reached for her
cell phone and dialed Drake’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Erin?!”
“Hi.”
“Mack said it looks
good. She said yours has gone longer than anyone else’s without being
rejected!” His voice was full of genuine excitement.
“I know. I’m trying not
to get my hopes up.”
“She said she fixed
your eye and that was your top priority.”
“It was. If my eyes
look normal, I can use makeup to cover the rest and people won’t be as
uncomfortable when they look at me. Now, when I meet someone new, they do a
double take when they look at me.”
“I didn’t.”
“I was wearing a mask.”
“I still asked my
sister who you were. Sometimes you just know.”
“Know what?”
“What did you feel the
first time you met Shay?”
She smiled, though he
couldn’t see her. “Like I’d just been run over by a truck, but in a good way.”
“And that’s how I felt
when I looked across the room and saw you. There were lots of beautiful women
there that night, but it was you who caught my eye. We click, Erin.”
“I know. It’s kind of
scary.”
“Yeah, but scary in a
good way, right?”
“Is there such a
thing?” She laughed softly.
“There is now!”
“Okay, who’s making my
patient laugh?” Mack demanded, coming into the room wearing clean scrubs and
sneakers.
Erin handed her the
phone.
“Hey, kiddo.” Mack was
smiling since she figured Drake was on the other end.
“Hey, Sis!”
Mack rolled her eyes.
“I’ve talked to you more today than I have in the 31 years you’ve been alive!”
She handed the phone back to Erin with a wink.
“I’ll talk to you
tomorrow, Drake.”
“I’ll call you before
we leave for the airport.”
“Good night.”
In the morning, Mack
was in Erin’s room bright and early. She was smiling from ear to ear as she
brought in a breakfast tray.
“It’s been almost 24
hours,” she said excitedly. “I don’t think it’s going to reject!”
Erin squeezed her eyes
shut. “I can’t allow myself to think that way. I keep telling myself the eye
and the hair are enough—anything else is a bonus.”
“It is, but that
doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this!” Mack put down Erin’s breakfast and sank into
a chair. “I spoke with your ex-mother-in-law this morning. I didn’t realize she
was paying for the hospital stay.”
“We think the insurance
might pay for it, but because it’s not a military hospital, they probably won’t
cover it all so Jan said she would pay for it just because she knows I can pay
her back when I get Shay’s money.”
“Explain who this Shay
person I keep hearing about is?”
“He’s my ex-husband’s
fraternal twin brother. Except he’s the one I should have married, the one I
really loved. He’s the one who died with me in Afghanistan.” Her voice caught
and she took a sip of tea.
“And his mother knew
this?”
“I don’t know exactly
how much she knew, but I know she took my side when Clay divorced me and helped
me get money to buy a condo as well as continued care for my father, who’s in a
nursing home. Without her, Clay would have screwed me out of everything. As it
is, he’s suing me for Shay’s life insurance policy—which is half a million
dollars.”
“Why does he hate you
so much?” Mack wondered aloud. “If you
Similar Books
