I rummaged through the edge of the bouquet and found the envelope with the note inside. I opened it and read it aloud so my father could hear.
“I’m so sorry; this is all my fault. Hope I can see you soon. Your Secret Admirer.”
I put the card down, feeling my heart surge. Suddenly, the agonizing soreness of my ribs and the sensitivity of my skin to touch didn’t seem quite as bad as it had before.
“Is it his fault?”
“Oh, Dad, no, that’s just…that’s just Nick trying to take responsibility when he really has none.”
“But that photo—”
“Wasn’t his fault, Dad,” I said. I knew he was just trying to be a protective father, but he didn’t need to now. “Nick has been the best thing to happen to me since I moved back to the Bay Area. He’s kind, he’s sweet, he’s funny, and now he’s showing he’s concerned for me. He’s everything Malcolm is not.”
My Dad sighed, but with a gentle smile on his face.
“You know I’m just the Papa Bear for you right now, honey,” he said. “Your mother is so nice, but someone has to play the role of grumpy gramps to make sure people don’t get hurt.”
“I know, I know,” I said. “But trust me. Even at the beginning with Malcolm, there was always a gnawing feeling in the back of my mind that he could be trouble. But I don’t have that with Nick. The only thing I worry about is if the public catches wind, but since Malcolm is in jail…”
Of course, left unsaid was that that had happened, and I was currently paying a devastating price for it. I didn’t want to say it was worth it because it was absolutely not. This would scar me and remain with me for most likely the rest of my life.
But…there was something, as fucked up as it sounded, to be said for the worst happening and having survived it, so now we could move forward as a couple.
“I understand,” my father said. “Your mother wants me to help clean the garden, so I suppose I’ll go do that. But you call me the instant you so much as get a fleeting suspicion that Malcolm might be out or have escaped. Understood?”
“Yes, Dad,” I said with a gentle eye roll. “Go help Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”
“All right, sweetie, love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
And with that, I was back alone in my hospital room.
But in some sense, with the stash of flowers still in my lap and the handwritten note, I wasn’t really alone, not as much as I thought I was. I knew that he wasn’t going to be able to visit me right now, not with a “family only” rule in place for the first little bit, but given that the doctors said I could be discharged by the end of the day, I had hopes that I could finally get free tonight.
A knock came at my door.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
And wouldn’t you know it, Nick Ferrari stood there, looking as handsome and sexy as ever. He was wearing a leather jacket—it was a cool day outside—a white t-shirt, tight-fitting jeans, and a San Francisco Giants hat. For someone who had wanted to go incognito, it was almost like he wanted the world to know that I was his.
I was so enamored with his appearance, in fact, that I failed to see the second bouquet of flowers in his left hand.
“Are you growing a garden at your house?” I said. “That, or you’re keeping all of the florists in business.”
“One of the two,” he said with a smirk as he shut the door. “How are you?”
“Good,” I said as he leaned forward to kiss me. He was extraordinarily cautious not to touch any part of my body except my lips, but I nevertheless put my hands on his face and held the kiss in close. “Really, I’m good now that you’re here.”
“You’re too sweet,” he said. “Especially since—”
“Don’t say it,” I said. “This is not your fault, Nick. You’re not responsible for a sociopath’s decisions or for my deciding to date that asshole.”
Nick looked like he wanted to combat me, but for the moment, I’d stymied him from saying anything else.
“The only thing you’re responsible for in this is how you treat me and what you say about me, whether that’s with your family or in the public. And so far, you have been nothing but an absolute joy.”
“Like I said, you’re too sweet,” he said with a sigh. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier. Hospital—”
“Rules say family only, I know. I guess they relaxed that?”
“More like I just kept calling until someone fell for the fact that a famous baseball player wanted to visit a patient,” he said with a guilty smirk. “They probably think I’m doing some Make-a-Wish foundation thing or something. I suppose I should do one of those soon before karma kicks my ass. But I just had to see you, whatever it took.”
“Aw, Nick, that’s the sweetest fucked up thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
We both laughed. I had to stop because my ribs still hurt like hell, but the joy Nick gave me didn’t stop.
“How long do you have to stay here for?” he asked.
“I can actually go later today,” I said. “They just want to make sure my vitals remain stable, and then they’ll let me out.”
“Really!” he said with an exuberant smile on his face.
I knew that my affection and attraction to him made it hard for me to see him any other way other than as the handsome, sexy man that I’d slept with a few nights ago, but man…he just looked so damn gorgeous.
He pulled up a chair close to
