understood him, but he had surprised me at every turn from day one. I couldn’t believe I’d thought the man lying next to me was cold and detached. He had proven otherwise with his actions countless times.
With all of that in my mind, I was feeling surprisingly torn about leaving the hospital, feeling afraid things would change once we got back to the real world as Dr. Martin gave me his last warnings on the day I was set to be discharged.
“You’re on bed rest for two weeks, Rose.”
“Can I get back to work after that?”
“You have a cafe, right?” he asked.
“Yes. I won’t work too much, but I’d like to get back out there as quickly as I can.”
“Fine. You can go back to work, but you can’t work like you used to. Don’t overdo it. Sit down and look over things, and only a few hours at first. Listen to your body—if it tells you it’s tired, you stop doing whatever you’re doing. No heavy lifting, nothing more than a few pounds. No sneezing whatsoever. No sex, no alcohol. You have to take it easy.”
I only latched onto one thing. “No sex?” I could feel Jack’s eyes burning into me, but I maintained eye contact with the good doctor.
“Yes, no sex for quite a while.”
“What’s quite a while exactly?” I pushed, probably surprising everyone in the room.
“At least three months. No alcohol for at least three months either, and no plane rides, because that kind of pressure can undo our work. Anything that can create pressure in your skull is to be avoided.”
“Okay. No sex for three months.”
Dr. Martin let out a loud laugh, and I couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“I want to see you back here next week, and in another two weeks, we’ll take out the stitches in your stomach.” He turned his attention to Jack. “You have my private number if anything happens or if you have any questions, and don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll see you two next week.”
The doctor left and we were alone once again. Jack turned to me with a scowl on his face.
“I’m sorry,” I started before he could say anything. “I know you can’t keep your hands off of me, so this is gonna be tough for us. After all the sex we’ve had so far in our marriage, three months will feel like an eternity. I hope you can survive.”
“Smartass,” he muttered. Shaking his head, he went to the little closet and took out my bag so I could change into my clothes. I slid down from the edge of the bed and took it from him, but only after I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. There was something about being able to kiss him when there was no one around that appealed to me. He thought I was being ridiculous, but I didn’t see him try to stop me even once. He always put his hand around my waist, holding me to him for longer. I was pretty sure he liked it too.
“How do you not sneeze, by the way?” I asked while rummaging around in my bag without looking down into it, trying to find some socks to wear.
“I have no idea, but you’re not allowed to sneeze, so I suggest you figure it out fast.”
After an hour of sitting around and signing stuff, we finally walked out of the hospital and straight into the cold. The sidewalks were muddy and wet with melted snow, but the air…God, finally being hospital-free and outside, holding Jack’s hand all the way to the car…it was indescribable.
After saying a quick hello to Raymond, the first thing I asked him to do was take me to Around the Corner.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jack
We had just stepped into the apartment. I dropped her bag right next to the door and helped her out of her coat. Then I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I gripped her waist and pulled her toward me, gently. She braced herself with her palms on my chest, but she didn’t push me away.
I stared down into her eyes. “Hi.”
Her lips twitched. “Hi back. I’m angry at you.”
“I know.” She was annoyed with me because I hadn’t let her take a quick look at Around the Corner. Before a protest could leave her tongue, and I didn’t doubt it would, I slipped mine into her mouth and stole her breath, again being gentle. Her fingers slowly curled in and she fisted my sweater