Chapter 36
DELANEY
“He’s here,” my mother said from the door. She’d gone to the nurse’s station to ask them a question and apparently found Parker along the way.
Dad was sleeping, finally. It was my mother, after I’d told her all about what was happening with Parker and me, who said I should tell him to come.
“Texting is so impersonal,” she said. “Talk to him in person.”
Since I refused to leave the hospital, I asked him to come. Heading into the hallway, I made the strangest introduction ever.
“Mom,” I said, “this is Parker.” And since I had no idea where we stood at the moment, I left out, “my boyfriend.” “Parker, this is my mother.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mrs. Thorton, and am sorry it’s not under better circumstances.”
“Thank you, Parker,” my mother said.
He looked at me. “He’ll be alright,” I said. “But there were some complications with the anesthesia. He had some difficulty breathing after it wore off. Apparently there’s a mucus buildup in his lungs, a rare side effect, and they are keeping him to watch for any signs of a lung collapse.”
“But he’s going to be okay?”
“God willing,” my mother said.
I tried not to roll my eyes, remembering my mother had been through a scare today. “The doctor said he will be fine, but they just want to get his breathing under control before letting him go. There’s a lounge,” I said, then to my mom, “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“You don’t have to stay,” she said. “He’ll probably stay sleeping for the night.”
“I know. I’ll leave at ten.”
“It was nice to meet you, Parker,” she said as I guided him down the hall toward the family lounge area. With luck, everyone would be gone by now.
“Why ten?” he asked as we walked.
“Because that’s when they’ll kick me out.”
Thankfully, the lounge was empty.
The second we walked inside, Parker pulled me into him. Slammed against his chest, engulfed by his arms, I didn’t know what to say. So, of course, I cried.
I cried to be in his arms after wondering if it would ever happen again.
I cried because my dad would be okay, and because for a little bit this morning, I hadn’t been certain.
I cried because the meeting with Paul left me more certain, but scared, about my decision.
He held me, saying nothing. When I finally picked my head up, thankful Parker wore a sweater that had soaked up most of my tears, words failed me.
Turns out, I didn’t need them.
Bending his head down, Parker’s lips found mine. He kissed me so tenderly that for a second I thought maybe it was a parting kiss. A goodbye.
Breaking the kiss too soon, he stood back.
Grasped my cheeks in his hands.
“I love you, Delaney.”
His words sank in. And when they did, I could only think of one thing to say. “I love you too, Parker.”
This second kiss was more demanding, one that could easily spiral out of control had we not been in the visitors’ lounge of a hospital. A beeping from the nurse’s station reminded us of the fact. Pulling away, I looked up at him.
“Where is your jacket? It’s like ten degrees out there?”
“Seventeen,” he clarified. “I didn’t stop to put one on when you called.”
“I’m sorry if I scared you. I just… wanted you here.”
“I’m glad you called,” he said. “And I am so sorry for having left that night. I just…”
“You don’t have to explain. The important thing is that you’re here now.”
“And I am not going anywhere, if you’ll still have me?”
“Are you kidding? The last few days have been miserable without you. I wanted to tell you that night, wanted to say that I loved you, but”—I stopped, unwittingly reminding him of why we’d never finished our conversation—“I get why you left.”
“Come here.”
Parker pulled me back into his chest, and I stayed there for another few minutes. Would never have moved if my mom hadn’t come to find us.
“Your dad is awake. I thought maybe you’d want to introduce him to your boyfriend?”
I looked up at Parker, who smiled at me.
It was all the confirmation I needed. He was still my boyfriend, and I his girlfriend, except we were even more committed to each other tonight.
Those words, “I love you,” had never meant more coming from a man, mostly because I knew they were true.
Him being here, without a jacket… the look in his eyes…
saying it had only sealed the deal. He loved me, and I loved him.
“So much for us being two people, afraid of commitment, who like cupcakes,” I whispered as we followed my mom back to my dad’s room.
“Speaking of, I got some for you at a place near Cole’s that’s supposed to be famous for them.”
“Oooh, now I’m excited.”
“Good,” he said. “That’s what I was going for.” Not expecting him to slap my ass, I started laughing as the nurse caught him and smiled. Parker pulled his hand back and smoothed out his hair just in time as my mother looked back at us.
Suddenly, he was the picture of innocence, smiling at my mother as if he were a damn altar boy.
“Oooh, you are wicked,” I whispered to him.
“Just wait until you see what I do with one of those cupcakes you’re excited about, and you’ll know the meaning of the word.”
“Is it ten o’clock yet?”
Parker barked out a laugh just as we headed into my dad’s room.