Chapter 43
Collins
We pulled into the driveway, and before I could even switch off the engine, I spotted my mom’s red BMW parked neatly by the gate.
I groaned softly and turned to Anna. “My mom is here. She might be a bit surprised by…everything.”
Anna twisted her fingers together. “Should I pretend I’m your patient?”
I frowned. “Why would you do that?”
“So I don’t make things awkward for you.”
I leaned closer and gently cupped her face. “Anna, don’t ever think like that. I love you. And I want to show you off to the world—especially to my family.”
Her lips curved into a shy smile, and some of the tension in her shoulders eased.
I got out, helped her into her wheelchair, and rolled her toward the house. Inside, my mom was stretched out comfortably on the couch like she owned the place.
She looked up and jumped to her feet. “There you are!” She said, hugging me.
Then her attention shifted to Anna. She smiled warmly. “Hello, dear.”
Anna lifted her chin slightly. “Hi, I’m Anna.”
My mom took her hand gently, then looked back at me with a sharp little glance. “So…you’re treating patients at home now?”
“No, Mom,” I said, smiling. “Anna is my fiancée.”
“Fiancée?” Her mouth fell open. “What did I miss?”
“A lot,” I said lightly. “But we’ll talk about it another time.”
She turned back to Anna, her expression softening. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I’m his mother.”
“He told me about you, Mrs. Collins,” Anna said politely.
“Please,” my mom said with a grin, squeezing her hand. “Call me Lana, dear.”
“Ian, I’m going to sleep over,” Mom said, stretching slightly. “There’s no way I’m driving back a hundred miles tonight. I’ll head home on Sunday.”
“Sure, Mom,” I said easily. “You can take the guest room. I’ll just crash on the couch.”
“You can share with me if you want,” Anna said softly. “I don’t mind.”
I looked at her, surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said with a small, confident smile. “Positive.”
Mom glanced between us, then nodded. “Well, that settles it.”
“I’ll leave you and your mom to catch up,” Anna said. “I’ll go to my room.”
“Let me take you,” I offered, already standing.
“I’ve got it,” she said gently.
I signalled Zelda, who came over to help her. Once they were on their way, Mom and I settled onto the couch.
She studied me for a moment, then said, “So… if she’s not your patient now, I guess she was. And you fell in love while caring for her?”
“You could say that,” I replied quietly.
Her expression tightened. “Why would you risk that? Isn’t that against hospital policy? You could’ve lost your job. Your license.”
“We only started seeing each other after she was no longer my patient,” I said. “I resigned from the hospital before anything happened. My practice is doing well now.”
She exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.
“I’m glad to hear that. But, son…I just want you to have a good life.
To be happy.” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully.
“Are you sure marrying someone who can’t walk right now will give you a fulfilled life?
Your work already revolves around patients.
I don’t want your whole life to feel like a job. ”
I leaned forward, my voice steady. “I love her. Just being with her makes me happy. Caring for her doesn’t drain me—it completes me. I’ve never been this sure about anything in my life. And I’ll keep loving her, whether she walks again or not.”
She looked at me for a long moment, then slowly nodded. “Then I won’t stand in your way,” she said softly. “Whatever makes you happy…that’s what matters to me.”
After the long, emotional talk with my mom, I finally headed upstairs to the room where Anna was waiting.
She was perched on the edge of the bed, carefully separating the tiny diamonds from the crystal beads.
“What are you doing?” I asked, stepping closer, my voice soft.
She looked up, eyes bright, a quiet determination in them.
“I don’t think the diamonds and crystal beads should be in the same jar,” she said.
“The beads are beautiful, yes—but the diamonds…they’re more than that.
They are tiny tokens of love, each one carrying weight and meaning that deserves its own space. ”
I understood immediately.
I walked to the cupboard and pulled out a small, royal-blue velvet pouch. Turning back to her, I held it out. “Will this work?”
Her eyes lit up, a soft smile spreading across her face. “Yes,” she said, reaching for it, her hands brushing mine.
She carefully placed the diamonds into the velvet pouch before returning it to the jar, tucking it among the crystal beads like a secret treasure hidden in plain sight. She looked up at me, her gaze serious now. “Do you have a safe?”
I smiled, the corners of my eyes crinkling. “Yes. Do you want me to put it in there?”
“Yes,” she whispered, a hint of relief in her voice. “I need it safe…you can place it with the certificates.”
I couldn’t resist. I leaned in, stealing a quick, tender kiss before taking the Jar from her. She giggled, a sound that made my chest warm and light at the same time. I moved a picture frame aside, revealing the safe hidden behind it, and carefully placed the jar inside.
Returning to her side, I tucked the blanket snugly around her shoulders. I brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.
Then I kissed her. There was a quiet smile on her lips—one that made my chest ache in the best way.
I changed into boxer shorts and a T-shirt, then pulled a mattress from the closet and started setting it up on the floor.
She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “You’re not sleeping down there.”
“I don’t want to cross a line,” I said, even though every nerve in my body was already standing on it.
She lifted the blanket and patted the space beside her. “Come here. I want you with me.”
My pulse slammed. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
That word stripped the air from my lungs.
I climbed in slowly, carefully, like one wrong move would shatter us. When she turned into me, fitting against my side, it felt dangerous how perfectly she belonged there—like my body had been waiting for her longer than my mind ever admitted.
Her breath brushed my throat. My hands curled into fists just to keep from pulling her closer.
I rested my forehead against hers. “Tell me if you feel awkward. At any point.”
She didn’t answer with words. She answered by lifting her mouth to mine.
The first touch of her lips was soft. The second was not. It cracked something open in me.
I kissed her like I was starving—but trying not to show it. Slow, deep, controlled on the outside. Chaos underneath. Every second of it burned through me, demanding more, daring me to lose myself.
Her fingers gripped my shirt. My heart slammed. My restraint shook.
I pulled back just enough to breathe, my voice rough. “If I don’t slow down, I won’t stop.”
“Then don’t.” she whispered.
So I kissed her again—but gentler this time, pouring everything I wasn’t allowed to take into what I was allowed to give. Love. Promise. Devotion.
“Make love to me,” she whispered. “I’m begging you.”
I looked into her eyes and said, “I can’t,” even though every bone in my body wanted to. God, I really wanted to.
“Please?”
“No,” I said softly. “But… I can show you how much I want you.”
I laced my fingers through hers, kissed her once more, then traced gentle kisses from her neck to her shoulders—slow, reverent, breathless.
When I finally pulled away, my whole body felt like it had survived a fire.
“With you, I’m home…and lost at the same time.” I whispered. “I’ve waited for you my whole life.”
She curled into me and fell asleep like nothing in the world could touch her.
I stayed awake, burning quietly, holding her like she was both my salvation and my ruin.