eyes.
“Why’d he go out there?” Emma asked. “Amanda?” Her sister met her stare hesitantly. “What’s up? Why are you acting so weird?”
Amanda sighed and glanced reluctantly at the closed curtain and then back at Emma.
“He went out to the waiting room because Vanni is out there.”
“What?” Emma said incredulously, sitting up straighter on the bed, her skin tingling, her muscles shouting at her to
move
.
“I’m sorry . . . I didn’t want to bother you with it, but—”
“That’s all right, just tell me why he’s here,” Emma interrupted hastily.
Amanda explained about running into him as she left the apartment earlier. “I assumed he knew about you somehow, because of the timing and well . . . I was in shock myself. I told him what hospital you were at before I realized he wasn’t there because he knew about your accident,” Amanda admitted ruefully. “He arrived here just after Colin and me, but of course, they wouldn’t let him back. A couple security guards actually had to restrain him, and they threatened to call the police before Colin and I intervened,” Amanda said worriedly, her blue eyes huge. “Emma . . . he’s a wreck.”
“A
wreck
?” Emma asked in alarm. She swung off the sheet that covered her lower body and looked around the tiny space frantically. “What did they do with my clothes?” she demanded.
“Emma, lie back down! I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
“What are you talking about? Of
course
you should have told me. Is Colin—”
“
Yes
,” Amanda said, her hand on Emma’s medical-gown-covered shoulder, urging her back onto the bed. “He went out to tell him you’d be fine!” Amanda insisted.
Emma grabbed her sister’s wrist, forcing her to meet her stare.
“Amanda, listen to me. Go and get him,” she directed. “Go and get him and bring him back here.”
“But—”
“There’s no ‘but’ about it. You don’t know everything about Vanni. He’s lost a lot of people in his life. This must be hell for him. He
needs
to see for himself that I’m fine.”
“But
you’re
the one I’m concerned about,” Amanda argued.
“If you
are
, then you’ll go get him,” Emma said firmly. “Because
I
need to see that he’s all right, too.”
“But what about—”
“Damn,” Emma said, flipping back the sheet again in preparation to go herself.
“All right, I’ll get him!”
“Hurry,” Emma directed succinctly.
Amanda blanched. She looked highly uncertain as she grabbed her purse and left the curtained-off space, and Emma knew why. She was concerned because Emma had said she would never see Vanni again. Emma and she had both agreed it was for the best, given the situation. But Emma didn’t care about that at the moment. She didn’t care about caution, or Vera Shaw’s threats, or her vulnerable heart.
She only wanted one thing with every fiber of her being: to see Vanni’s face again.
* * *
It felt like an eternity, waiting, but Emma knew it was probably only a matter of seconds. She held her breath at the sound of rapid, firm footsteps approaching on the tile floor. She jumped slightly when the curtain whipped back.
He looked far too tall and large for the cramped little space when the curtain fell back into place behind him. She recognized the soft gray T-shirt he wore with faded jeans; she’d seen him wear it during their golden, heaven-sent days at La Mer. He looked both wonderfully familiar to her and fantastically new, like she was witnessing a miracle firsthand. Her gaze traveled over his tense, bold features with a frantic hunger. Something wild leapt into his sea-colored eyes.
“It’s okay. I’m fine—” she sputtered, but she was cut off, because suddenly he was stalking toward the bed, a blazing look in his eyes, and he was bending down and squeezing her against him.
“Don’t leave me, Emma,” he said roughly, his face pressed against her neck. Her face scrunched tight with swelling emotion.
“Why’d he go out there?” Emma asked. “Amanda?” Her sister met her stare hesitantly. “What’s up? Why are you acting so weird?”
Amanda sighed and glanced reluctantly at the closed curtain and then back at Emma.
“He went out to the waiting room because Vanni is out there.”
“What?” Emma said incredulously, sitting up straighter on the bed, her skin tingling, her muscles shouting at her to
move
.
“I’m sorry . . . I didn’t want to bother you with it, but—”
“That’s all right, just tell me why he’s here,” Emma interrupted hastily.
Amanda explained about running into him as she left the apartment earlier. “I assumed he knew about you somehow, because of the timing and well . . . I was in shock myself. I told him what hospital you were at before I realized he wasn’t there because he knew about your accident,” Amanda admitted ruefully. “He arrived here just after Colin and me, but of course, they wouldn’t let him back. A couple security guards actually had to restrain him, and they threatened to call the police before Colin and I intervened,” Amanda said worriedly, her blue eyes huge. “Emma . . . he’s a wreck.”
“A
wreck
?” Emma asked in alarm. She swung off the sheet that covered her lower body and looked around the tiny space frantically. “What did they do with my clothes?” she demanded.
“Emma, lie back down! I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
“What are you talking about? Of
course
you should have told me. Is Colin—”
“
Yes
,” Amanda said, her hand on Emma’s medical-gown-covered shoulder, urging her back onto the bed. “He went out to tell him you’d be fine!” Amanda insisted.
Emma grabbed her sister’s wrist, forcing her to meet her stare.
“Amanda, listen to me. Go and get him,” she directed. “Go and get him and bring him back here.”
“But—”
“There’s no ‘but’ about it. You don’t know everything about Vanni. He’s lost a lot of people in his life. This must be hell for him. He
needs
to see for himself that I’m fine.”
“But
you’re
the one I’m concerned about,” Amanda argued.
“If you
are
, then you’ll go get him,” Emma said firmly. “Because
I
need to see that he’s all right, too.”
“But what about—”
“Damn,” Emma said, flipping back the sheet again in preparation to go herself.
“All right, I’ll get him!”
“Hurry,” Emma directed succinctly.
Amanda blanched. She looked highly uncertain as she grabbed her purse and left the curtained-off space, and Emma knew why. She was concerned because Emma had said she would never see Vanni again. Emma and she had both agreed it was for the best, given the situation. But Emma didn’t care about that at the moment. She didn’t care about caution, or Vera Shaw’s threats, or her vulnerable heart.
She only wanted one thing with every fiber of her being: to see Vanni’s face again.
* * *
It felt like an eternity, waiting, but Emma knew it was probably only a matter of seconds. She held her breath at the sound of rapid, firm footsteps approaching on the tile floor. She jumped slightly when the curtain whipped back.
He looked far too tall and large for the cramped little space when the curtain fell back into place behind him. She recognized the soft gray T-shirt he wore with faded jeans; she’d seen him wear it during their golden, heaven-sent days at La Mer. He looked both wonderfully familiar to her and fantastically new, like she was witnessing a miracle firsthand. Her gaze traveled over his tense, bold features with a frantic hunger. Something wild leapt into his sea-colored eyes.
“It’s okay. I’m fine—” she sputtered, but she was cut off, because suddenly he was stalking toward the bed, a blazing look in his eyes, and he was bending down and squeezing her against him.
“Don’t leave me, Emma,” he said roughly, his face pressed against her neck. Her face scrunched tight with swelling emotion.
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