Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
“Hi, Eve. It’s Anne. Sorry it took so long. Kyle is out of surgery. It went well. All of his other injuries are minor. He’ll be here for a couple of days, but then they anticipate releasing him. Your dad just headed home. And I’ll leave soon too. Fred is staying the night with Kyle. How’s Josh?”
The tension released from my body, and it sagged in relief. “That’s really great news. Josh is asleep. He asked me to stay here tonight. So if it’s okay with you—”
“Of course. That would be great. If you’re going to stay, I might hang out here a little longer. Fred hasn’t eaten anything, and I want to get him some food.”
“Take your time,” I said.
“We don’t want to wake you, so you can sleep in Kyle’s bed if you don’t want to sleep on the sofa. I don’t know if there are clean sheets in the upstairs linen closet, but you could check.”
I didn’t need clean sheets; I wanted them to smell like him.
“Thanks. If he wakes up, tell him …” I paused.
Tell him I love him.
“Tell him I’m taking good care of Josh, and we can’t wait to see him.”
“I will. Thank you, Eve.”
After she disconnected the call, I slowly hung up the phone. “He’s out of surgery, and he’s going to be okay.”
Erin nodded. “That’s a relief. Are you going to go see him at the hospital?”
“Would that be weird?”
“No. It wouldn't be weird even if you weren’t in love with him. You babysit for him, and he’s a good family friend.”
I nodded. “Maybe I’ll go after church tomorrow.”
“Good idea.”
It was a good idea if my heart could survive seeing him in a hospital bed without wanting to hug him and expose all of my feelings in front of his family.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PAUL YOUNG, “EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY”
Eve
“Wake up, Eve,” a soft voice whispered above my face.
I was tangled in Kyle’s sheets, hugging his pillow, and I peeled open my eyes.
“Good morning,” I murmured to the smiling face before me.
Josh pulled the pillow away from me and slid under the covers so I’d hug him instead. It was the perfect trade. My poor heart was so invested in Josh and his daddy.
Clifford jumped onto the bed and licked my face.
“Aunt Anne is making breakfast,” Josh said.
“That’s nice of her. Think we should go help?”
He nodded and began to wiggle out of my embrace, but I didn’t let go.
“I need to hug you for ten more seconds.”
“Daddy says I’m his favorite teddy bear.”
I hummed. “I can see why. You’re so cute and cuddly.”
Josh let me steal an extra thirty seconds instead of ten before breaking free and running down the stairs.
After using the bathroom, I shrugged off Kyle’s T-shirt and dressed in the previous day’s clothes.
“Good morning,” Anne said. “Thank you so much for staying.”
I smiled.
“There’s my girl,” Mom said, sipping coffee at the table while Anne pulled cinnamon rolls out of the oven.
“Hey, where’s Dad?” I yawned.
Mom slid Josh’s cup of juice closer to him as he climbed into his booster seat. “He and Gabby headed to church. I thought I’d watch Josh and the dog this morning if you want to go to the hospital with Anne. I figured you’d want to see him.”
“You did?” I said slowly while sitting next to Josh.
“Of course. You’ve been watching Josh for almost two months. I know you’ve become good friends with Kyle.”
Good friends.
With a tight smile, I poured a glass of orange juice and took a sip.
“When do you think you’ll be ready to leave?” Anne asked me, setting the plate of rolls on the table.
I gulped down my orange juice. “I need a quick shower.” I stood. “These look amazing, Anne. I’ll eat one on my way home and be back in less than an hour if that works.”
“No rush, honey,” she said.
There was an enormous rush. I needed to see my guy. My lover.
As we walked through the hallway toward Kyle’s hospital room, nerves quaked throughout my body, and my heart raced. When we walked inside the room, Fred was talking on the phone. He nodded at Anne and smiled.
“How are you doing this morning?” Anne stood beside Kyle’s bed, and rested her hand on his right arm, the good one.
I remained a few feet behind her, wishing I’d stayed home because it hurt too much to see his bandaged arm—scrapes and cuts on one side of his face—and not be able to hug and kiss him and tell him how scared I was yesterday.
“I’m in a little pain,” Kyle whispered with a forced smile. His groggy gaze shifted to me as if he just noticed I was in the room. “Hey,” he said, and his smile changed.
It felt real.
“Hey.” I swallowed my emotions.
“Mom and Dad said they can come stay with you after we leave if you need help,” Fred said, hanging up the phone.