shiver worked its way through my body when I heard him call me his wife, which was stupid on its own, but coming from his mouth with that growly tone, it was unexpected.
Not so surprisingly, they left us alone with only one disapproving glance toward Jack. He rolled the wheelchair toward me and gestured with his head for me to sit down.
If he wasn’t using words, we had problems.
Before the nurse could come back, I rushed into my impromptu speech. I could already sense that it wasn’t going to be elegant.
“Jack, I want to stop pretending.”
He came around and kneeled in front of me, his hands resting on my thighs. His face looked a bit softer, the harsh scowl he had flashed to the nurses not there anymore, but there wasn’t a smile in sight either.
He opened his mouth, but I leaned forward and shook my head.
“When I wake up from this, I want us to stop pretending.”
Those beautiful blue eyes I couldn’t stop looking at whenever I had the chance bored into my ordinary brown ones. I had no idea how this was going to go, but we didn’t have much time.
“You like me,” I continued, and he arched an eyebrow. I pushed forward despite that. “You probably won’t want to admit this out loud, but you like me. I know it, so don’t lie to me, and I like you. So, Jack Hawthorne, you asked me out on a date, which I know got lost with everything else happening, but we’re still pretending, and I want us to stop doing that, okay?”
He looked at me for a long moment and I started to think this really wasn’t going to go how I wanted it to go.
“How do you know I like you?”
“You have to. Yesterday…that kiss wasn’t just a pity kiss. A pity kiss would be a quick peck on the lips or just a minute of something a little more, maybe. Neither was the kiss in your office at home.” I shook my head. “Even if it wasn’t that kiss, it’s the things you do. The dinner yesterday, the flowers you bring every week—everything. You must have started liking me at some point during the last two months. I’m not stupid, and I like you more and more with each passing day.”
“No, you’re not stupid. You like me then?”
“Yes. So…I want to stop pretending and start…something real. More than just a date.” As lame as that sounded, I wanted that right to him. He was my husband on paper, but that was it. I wanted a real claim on him.
“Okay.”
“I—what? Okay? Just okay?”
He smiled at me and reached up to tuck my bangs behind my ear. It was smile number ten or maybe twenty, and it was such a good one. Hesitantly, I returned his smile, my heart soaring.
“I already asked you out on a date, didn’t I? You just like to steal my thunder. Why do you look so surprised?”
“You weren’t really committed to the date thing when you asked me out for dinner. You said we could try and see if there is something there. I’m being bold and saying there is something there. I thought you’d put up a big fight and deny liking me.”
“Why would I do that when all I want is you? I want us to stop pretending too.”
The nurse came back in with a stern face. “Time to go, Mrs. Hawthorne.”
Jack’s smile melted and he glowered at the nurse who had taken hold of my wheelchair. He grabbed the armrests and pulled me toward him as the nurse tried to wheel me back.
“Mr. Hawthorne!” she exclaimed in shock. “Let go of your wife, please.”
“We’re still talking here.”
Nervous laughter bubbled out of me as they continued to push and pull for a few seconds. I put my cold hand on his cheek, and he stilled. “It’s okay, Jack.” Leaning forward, I kissed his cheek and took a deep breath through my nose so I could keep his scent with me for as long as I could, and then the nurse wheeled me away.
Jack walked with us all the way to the elevators.
I looked up at him from my seat and he reached out to hold my hand. “Will you come back from work before I wake up, or…?”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m not going anywhere,” he growled, softening his words with a squeeze around my hand. He was still glowering at the nurse.