Chapter 38
Ihated to leave without saying goodbye. But the past week had taken its toll on Snow, and sleep hadn’t come easy for her. So, instead of pressing my lips against her forehead like I desperately wanted to, I tucked the note under her empty teacup from the previous night.
My gaze lingered on her sleeping form. So peaceful, so fucking gorgeous…and she was mine. I brought my hand up and brushed my fingers over the spot where my heart thundered furiously behind my ribs.
How the fuck had I gotten this lucky?
I couldn’t answer that, and honestly, I didn’t want to ask that question out loud. There was no reason to make the universe aware because heaven knew I wouldn’t survive if I lost her.
“I’ll be back soon,” I whispered before I slipped out of the bedroom and headed to the airport. My plane was ready and waiting, and about ninety minutes later, I walked through the doors of Riverview Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.
I’d arranged to meet with the administrator first to ensure Snow’s father’s bill was paid in full. Then, I saw that the rest of his hospital stay and whatever else he may’ve needed was also covered.
Thankfully, Mr. Abernathy didn’t protest. The hefty donation I made to the hospital might have contributed to his agreeability, but I didn’t care—as long as Snow’s father was taken care of.
Surprisingly, that was the easy part of my trip. I walked down the hall toward the room the nurse had pointed out, and my heart just about leaped from my chest. My hands were uncharacteristically clammy, and my stomach pulled in so many knots I feared I might throw up.
But I couldn’t back out now. I wouldn’t. It was too important.
Swallowing down the nerves rattling my bones, I took a fortifying breath and ducked into room thirty-four. My gaze was immediately drawn to the patient on the bed. Eyes closed, and tubes coming out of his mouth and nose; he seemed weak and frail. Not at all like the man smiling so proudly on the photo Snow had on her bedside table.
A tiny jolt shot through my heart. He was the reason Snow had agreed to marry me. He was the reason I’d found her. Holding my breath, I took a few slow steps closer. The only thing louder than my thundering heart was the eerie beep-beep-beep of the monitor beside Mr. Sutton.
Another hard swallow worked its way down my throat. The shell of a man taking up so little space on the already small bed did not look good. I trailed my fingers over the ink scribbled on my ribs, I tried to imagine what he’d looked like a few weeks ago, a few days ago, before he’d finally had his surgery.
My chest squeezed tight. I tried to put myself in Snow’s mother’s shoes. What hell it must’ve been like to watch the person you love most slip from you, knowing there’s nothing you could do about it.
The squeeze behind my rib cage morphed into something big and painful when my mind provided me with an image of me and Snow in this very position. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t envision a time and place in this world where she wasn’t in it.
“What are you doing here?”
I jumped at the sudden angry female voice from somewhere behind me. Snow’s mother. Closing my eyes, I begged for the courage to say the things I came here to say.
One more deep drag of air, and I slowly spun around. And holy shit, it was almost as if Snow herself stood a few feet away from me. Sure, Mrs. Sutton’s inky hair was shorter and sprinkled with a healthy dose of gray. Her skin a bit more tanned and covered in a light dusting of freckles.
But other than that, the resemblance was uncanny.
“Mrs. Sutton.” Meeting her where she stood, I held out my hand. She even had the same green eyes as her daughter. “My name is—”
“I know who you are,” she sneered, ignoring my outstretched hand. “Why are you here?”
All at once, I felt helpless and small. This woman did not like me, and after the article she’d read, I couldn’t find it within me to blame her. Still, I squared my shoulders and clasped my hands in front of me.
“I’m here because of your daughter. Everlee—”
“Don’t you dare say her name,” Mrs. Sutton snapped.
Somewhere behind all that fury, I didn’t miss how her eyes softened at the mention of Snow.
“Paying for sex. Paying for a wife. That’s the problem with you spoiled little rich kids. You think the entire world is for sale. My Evie had good values; now all she has is a bad reputation, thanks to you. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
She wasn’t wrong. The whole unsavory article was because of me. What she didn’t know was that in about two hours, that same newspaper would issue a personal apology to my wife or that the reporter who’d penned the article no longer had a job.
I wasn’t about to enlighten her either. I wasn’t there for me. I was there for Snow.
“You’re right,” I told her. “Everlee deserves better. Better from me, and with all due respect, Mrs. Sutton, better from you.”
Her eyes widened in fury, but just as she opened her mouth, I gently cut her off.
“You’ve raised an incredible daughter. She’s beautiful, smart, and far too good for someone like me. She has those values you believe she lost. She has them in spades. And her heart?” I shook my head. “I’ve never met anyone with a heart as big as hers.”
Tears welled up in Mrs. Sutton’s eyes, the sight of it clogging my throat with emotion. I swallowed once, twice, three times before I could finally speak again.
“She’s selfless. So selfless. Always putting the people she loves first without expecting anything in return. Even people she doesn’t know. People who don’t deserve it.”
Snow’s mom cried openly. I wanted to comfort her but hadn’t said everything I’d wanted to say yet.
“When we met, I gave her every reason to turn around and walk away. But she stayed. And not only that, she saved me. Not my company or inheritance. Me. Your daughter showed me how absolutely wonderful and terrifying it is to love.
“I love Everlee, Mrs. Sutton. With my entire being, and it bloody terrifies me. But not loving her, not having her in my life.” I shook my head again. “That scares me even more. I know we didn’t come together under normal circumstances or even circumstances you approve of. And for that, I apologize. What I won’t apologize for are the feelings that came from it. Real feelings.”
I took a step closer and softened my voice. “Everlee loves you, and she wanted to help carry a burden that was too heavy for one person to carry. It was never to defy you. That’s the daughter you raised, Mrs. Sutton. I know you have no reason to believe anything I say or put any value on my words, but know this: Everlee’s reputation is just as important to me as it is to you. And I will do everything I can to keep it from getting tarnished. Just as I will do everything I can to make her happy. But there are things I can’t give her, no matter how desperately I wish I could. Things like a mother’s love and forgiveness.”
My throat and mouth felt dry. Slicking my tongue over my lips, I reached inside my pocket and pulled out an envelope. I held it out to Mrs. Sutton and almost fist-bumped the air when she reached forward with shaky fingers to take it from me.
“I hope you’ll accept. Everlee misses you and your husband terribly.” With that, I took a wide step around her and walked into the corridor.
I’d made it halfway down the hall when Mrs. Sutton called out my name.
I spun around to face her and my heart squeezed at the sight of more tears streaming down her face.
“How is she?” She could barely speak.
Not about to hurry her, I waited patiently until she could.
“How’s my Evie? Is she happy?”
“I’d like to believe she is, Mrs. Sutton.” Closing the distance between us, I set my hands on her shoulders. I considered it a small win when she didn’t shrug me off. “Would you like to get a coffee somewhere? We can talk more about Everlee.”
For a moment, it looked as if she would refuse my offer, but then she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and tilted her head to meet my gaze.
“I’d like that.”