Chapter 25
I t seemed Ethan had barely left the room when Piedmont entered, a large bouquet under one arm. Maggie had texted him before the bombshell marriage announcement, but he had been stuck in court and unable to get away. Now of course she regretted the contact, but she couldn’t leave him hanging when he had been so worried for so long.
“Hey, how is she?” he asked, his eyes and tone filled with worry.
“She’s fine. It was a cyst on her ovary that ruptured. It caused a lot of pain, but she’ll recover completely,” Maggie told him.
“A cyst ruptured? What causes that?” he asked, and Maggie choked, turning away to cough into her hand. The noise woke Amelia who stared up at Piedmont, blinking in confusion.
“Hey, bunny,” he said, moving closer to the bed to smooth the hair away from her face.
“Piedmont-t-t-t-t-t,” Amelia said, seeming to get stuck on the last syllable.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“T-t-t-t,” she continued to stutter.
“They gave her something for the pain, perhaps a bit too much,” Maggie said, squinting at the IV to try and read the label. Whatever it was, she planned to request it next time she had to be in the hospital. Perhaps even if she was just going as a visitor. Whatever it was, Amelia was flying high and feeling no pain.
“I’m going to stay here with her tonight, make sure she’s okay,” Maggie said.
“I think I should stay,” Piedmont said.
“Um, yeah, that’s really nice, but you’ve had court all day. I’m sure you’re exhausted,” Maggie said.
“I’ve been going out of my mind for days, and now that I have the chance to be with her again, I’m not going to waste it,” he said.
“I think she would feel more comfortable having me here, in case she gets sick or something. She hates throwing up in front of people,” Maggie told him.
“I’m not exactly people, and I’m going to see her throw up eventually.”
Maggie began to sweat. There was a good reason he was a topnotch litigator. But this was an argument she couldn’t lose. Her sister was married . There was no way she could let her boyfriend stay the night while Amelia was unaware. Who knew what she might say or do? In her current state, she could marry Piedmont. Plus she knew Amelia wouldn’t want him there when she came back to her right mind.
“I’d feel more comfortable if I were the one here,” Maggie said.
“I don’t want to pull rank on you, but I’d rather be the one to stay,” Piedmont said.
“In the scheme of rank, I think sister is higher than boyfriend,” she said. In the past, she might have given in and backed down because she hated confrontation and disagreement. But Cam had taught her a thing or two about standing strong and not backing down, and she wasn’t going to lose.
“I may be her boyfriend now, but we both know it’s headed someplace deeper,” Piedmont said.
“Until that time occurs, I want to be the one to stay,” Maggie said.
“Why don’t we ask Amelia what she wants?” Piedmont suggested. They turned to look at her while she eyed them owlishly, blinking slowly, one eye occasionally going crossed before straying back into its lane.
“A half hour ago she asked me to buy her a wallaby, so I’m not sure she’s the best judge of what she wants right now,” Maggie said.
Piedmont leaned over the bed and took Amelia’s hand. “Amelia, who would you rather have stay with you tonight, me or your sister?”
“Ethan. I want Ethan,” Amelia replied. She tried to sit up and look around. “Where did he go? Why did he go away?”
Piedmont stood looking at her a few seconds and then released her hand. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“She’s had a rather intense week, and they’ve been together nonstop,” Maggie hedged.
“I get it, Maggie, I’ve met the guy. I could see how a woman like Amelia could be bowled over by that sort of protective masculinity, and I’m sure it didn’t help matters that he was literally her rescuer. I guess my question is do you think it’s permanent?”
“I think this is something you need to talk about with Amelia,” Maggie tried.
“Do you think it’s permanent?” Piedmont demanded in his best Law and Order tone.
Maggie nodded. “I think it’s permanent.”
“No one gets perms anymore,” Amelia muttered.
Maggie gave her a pillow. “Take your wallaby.” She took the pillow and cuddled it close. “I’m sorry, Piedmont. I’m sure Amelia will want to have a conversation with you, one on one, when she’s lucid again.”
“What’s the point of that?” he asked. “I worry he’ll break her heart. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who will stick around.”
Maggie didn’t say what she knew about Ethan—that he was slow to make a decision but, once committed, would never go away again. The question in her mind was whether he had actually made that sort of commitment to Amelia or if it had all been part of the heat of the moment of the mission.
“I think this is the first time I’ve ever not gotten something I wanted,” Piedmont said, his tone dismal.
“I’m sorry,” Maggie said, although she couldn’t actually relate to a nearly thirty-something man who was only now facing his first disappointment.
“I’m not really sure what to do now,” he said.
“You go on, minute by minute, day by day, and then suddenly you look back and it doesn’t hurt so much anymore and you realize you’ve moved on,” Maggie said.
He blew out a breath and, reluctantly, turned and walked away. Maggie waited until he was gone and then flopped onto the bed beside Amelia, stretching out, drained of all energy.
“That was definitely above and beyond the call of duty. I don’t think it’s anywhere in the sister code you’re supposed to break up with her boyfriend for her,” Maggie said. “Ugh, I feel terrible, and I’m not even the one who broke his heart.”
“Jones knew a bloke who got a stick lodged in his heart,” Amelia muttered.
“What?” Maggie asked. She turned to look at Amelia and was answered by a few soft and gentle snores.