does that mean?”
“The day I turned eighteen, I signed up to be a bone marrow donor. Angel Fire had just hit it big, and I didn’t want that press spilling over on her family, so I kept it quiet. The procedure was simple. A few days of tests, then the harvest, and I was back and playing like nothing happened. A few months later, she regressed, and the doctors called me again for a stem cell harvest.”
“You’re a bone marrow donor?” Skye cocks her head. “I never would’ve thought—but it makes sense. Although, it doesn’t explain all your disappearances. Donors rarely get called twice.”
“I just made another donation a few months ago to a kid named Ian, Ian Lovecraft. He was discharged from the hospital a few weeks ago.”
“I still don’t understand.” Angel pushes back her hair. Several tendrils are wet and matted from her tears.
“Lucy is like family to me. I kind of adopted myself into her family. She’s having a baby. Right now, as a matter of fact, but it’s not my baby. She’s married to an awesome guy. Jacob and Trevor are with her right now. I’m supposed to be with them.”
“Wait a second. Who’s Trevor?” Angel takes a cautious step forward.
“Trevor is my second bone marrow recipient.”
“I don’t…” Angel struggles to understand.
Ignoring everyone else in the room, I close the distance and take her hands in mine. “After Lucy’s transplant, I went back a year after Donation Day to celebrate with her family. They started inviting me to all the big events in her life, things they wouldn’t have been able to celebrate if not for the bone marrow transplant. Things like prom and graduation. I met her boyfriend, Jacob, and stood as his best man during their wedding. When I got called for Trevor, I introduced him to Lucy. He was fourteen, the same age as Lucy at the time, and it really helped him to have someone to talk to who’d been through the same thing. Over the years, the three of us bonded.”
“I wish you’d told me.” Angel grips my hands, the first positive response I received. She closes her eyes and breathes out. Then she takes in a long, steadying breath. “I overheard you talking to her. I heard you say I love you, Lucy, and my brain…” She releases one of my hands and makes a circling gesture near her ear. “It went to the darkest place. I know all about your past, and all those women are ghosts I battle each day. I still want to pinch myself knowing you love me, that you want me to be your wife.”
“Wife?” Bash’s growl comes low and threatening. “What the fuck?”
Out of the corner of my eye, Ash places his arm in front of Bash, urging him back. No matter how my conversation with Angel ends, I’m going to have to face the fury of my friend. That’s okay. I’m good with that. As long as Angel and I are good, I don’t care about anything else.
“I was going to tell you. I want you to know everything about me, and I want to share Lucy and Trevor with you. Well, and Ian too. His parents are on board with it. But Lucy called, she went into labor early, and all I could think about was rushing to be with her and Jacob. I couldn’t imagine missing out on that. But you have to believe me, out of everyone in my life, you are the one I want, and I want you to be a part of everything. Lucy and Trevor are eager to meet you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, they know all about you. They’re the ones who helped me keep it together the first year after you got here.” I draw Angel into my arms and ignore Bash’s furious snort.
He doesn’t matter. I hold my entire world in my arms.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I caused you to doubt me like that. I would never do anything to hurt you. Can you forgive me?”
Angel tilts her head back, and my heart leaps when I see forgiveness in her eyes.
“You don’t have to apologize to me. I’m the one who snooped, who leapt to conclusions, and who didn’t give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m sorry I doubted you at all.”
“Where were you?” I smooth back her hair. “I came back and couldn’t find you. I was so worried.”
The corner of her mouth tics up. “I ran out of gas.”
“You, what?”