Major put his arm around Maurice’s shoulder and walked him onto the elevator when it opened. “If you think this was a day, wait until you let yourself realize you’re in love.”
He was in love. As he’d sat in his childhood room thinking back to that night he’d come home from the hospital—while India had been going in for her first surgery—he knew what he felt for Des was totally different. He’d been so young when he was with India, and the trauma from that night had blemished his soul from that point on. But the moment he’d begun that anonymous email exchange with Des, everything changed. The way he thought about his life, all the women he was dating, how his behavior affected his family, the more he’d realized he had to change. Des had been that change, the second he saw her at the ski resort.
“And to top that wonderful news off, we found out that guy, Travis Milhouse, is a freelance reporter looking for his big break. He tried to sell the paternity story to the New York Post, but his girlfriend was the one who came up with the blackmail idea.”
Maurice didn’t know who Travis Milhouse was, and right now he didn’t care. He just wanted to see Des. He needed to see the woman he loved and to tell her how sorry he was, for everything.
Desta had a terrible headache. That was her first thought when she opened her eyes. Her second thought was to quickly close her eyes again because opening them hurt far too much.
“Just take it slow, sweetheart.” A woman’s voice and a hand over hers soothed some of the edges around the blinding pain, but not all. “Did they give her something for the pain? It seems like she should have some type of medication?”
“Relax, Mom. They will. They wanted to wait for her to wake up first so they can check all her vital signs again.”
She knew that voice and took a chance on cracking her eyes open slowly once more.
“Hey, there,” Riley said, waving a hand.
The action made Desta moan as memories floated back into her mind, and she saw Kelli with her goofy grin.
“Maurice.” It hadn’t hurt to say his name, but damn, the light in the room was causing all kinds of tingles to shoot from her temples down to the rest of her body. “Turn out the light. Where’s Maurice?”
Riley looked to someone, but Desta wasn’t going to risk turning her head because she had a sinking suspicion that would only cause more pain.
“He’s on his way, dear. Do you need something to drink? Do you want to sit up?” She knew now the voice belonged to Marva, and Desta sighed slowly, accepting her motherly presence.
“No,” she finally managed. “Where am I?”
“In the hospital. There was a three-car pileup about a block away from Maurice’s house. You were car number one so you got the least amount of the damage.” Riley shrugged. “Even though that still landed you here with a concussion.”
“A concussion.” She moaned because saying the word triggered more spikes of pain.
“Yes, dear. The doctor said you’ll need to stay here at least for tonight. So Ron and I thought it was best that your mother and your grandmother be here with you. They should be arriving soon.”
Oh joy, Edna and Sheryl were on their way to New York to see her lying in a hospital bed. That was going to be a treat.
“My car?”
“The good news is you’re awake and talking and your prognosis is good,” Riley said and waited a beat. “The bad news is your car’s totaled.”
She groaned, fully expecting the pain that followed. The doctor and a nurse came in soon after that, poking and probing, and asking her all sorts of questions. They said she was going to be fine, before finally giving her something for the ferocious headache and leaving the room.
There were a few minutes of silence, when nobody was in that room with her, that Desta simply lay there thinking about all that had happened. The accident had occurred so fast. She’d been waiting for Maurice to arrive one moment and then the next she’d been thinking that maybe he’d stood her up.
Recalling those moments made her irritated, and she frowned when she looked up to see him walking through the door.
“You hung up on me.” That’s the first thing she thought to say, even though the warmth rolling over her skin indicated she should probably say something else.
He came closer. “I’m sorry.”
“I had to tell you something really important.”
Dropping the bag he was holding on the floor, he came closer to the bed. “I’m sorry.”
How was it possible that he looked worse than she felt? His eyes seemed a little puffy, like maybe he’d been crying, and his shoulders were slumped, like he was carrying a heavy weight. “I waited for you, and you didn’t come.”
He shook his head. “I was late, and I’m so, so sorry.” Leaning over her when she thought he would’ve kissed her, he eased the pillow he’d been carrying beneath her head instead.
Then he went to the duffel bag and took out her phone charger and the unicorn figurine that sat on her nightstand. “You went to my house?”
“Nessa let me in.” When he set her favorite tumbler with the bright blue straw on the table beside the unicorn, she wanted to cry.
“I have to apologize now.”
“No, baby. There’s nothing you need to apologize for. I was late. If I’d been there when I said I would, you wouldn’t have been in the accident. And Des, I need you to know I’d never do anything to hurt you. I’d never be careless with you in any way. I didn’t father a child and walk away, and I’m not interested in dating multiple women anymore.” He’d taken her hand and was holding it tightly. She could feel his fingers trembling in
