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“Clearly.”

Elijah lifts his wine glass. “To appreciating the little things.”

I lift my own glass and clink it against his. “I’ll drink to that.”

As I take a sip, I feel a glimmer of something I haven’t felt in a long time—hope. Talking with Elijah has sparked a nearly forgotten part of me. Maybe with his help, I’ll get back to my old self.

“You want dessert?” He points at the menu.

“Oh no. I’m full.” I lean back in my chair, taking the last sip of my wine.

“Good. Grab your coat. We’re going.”

“We’re going?”

“Yes.” He stands up.

“Where?”

“Me telling you why I’m engaged.”

Chapter 16

Istride into the hospital lobby, smelling antiseptic hitting my nostrils.

“Why are we here?” Gemma walks close behind me.

I glance back at her over my shoulder, my expression impassive. “You’ll see soon enough.”

I hate hospitals. The fluorescent lights, the hushed conversations, and the underlying scent of chemicals and disinfectants trying to mask something worse make my skin crawl. But this visit is necessary if I want Gemma to understand.

We ride the elevator up to the fourth floor in tense silence. With each ding announcing our ascent, my palms grow clammier. I jam them into my pockets and stare straight ahead. Gemma fidgets beside me, her fingers toying with the strap of her purse.

When the doors slide open, I lead the way down the sterile white hallway.

I pause at room 417 and turn to the first woman outside our family I allow to see him.

“We need to be quiet. He should be asleep by now.”

Gemma bends forward, starting to take off her heels. So fucking adorable. She honestly thinks being quiet means going into full stealth mode.

“Whoa, hold up there, my gem.” I grab her wrist before she can remove the second heel, amused by her misunderstanding. “What are you doing?”

Gemma blinks up at me with those big eyes. “You said we need to be quiet. I thought... this was the polite thing to do…”

I grin at her innocent earnestness. Kneeling down, I grasp the shoe she managed to wrestle off and guide her foot back into it. My fingers linger on her ankle, savoring the warmth of her soft skin. Up close, I catch the faint floral scent of her perfume. Intoxicating.

Gemma’s cheeks flush under my intense gaze. I love how easily I can fluster her with the slightest touch. She bites that full lower lip, and I’m seized with the sudden urge to run my tongue along the indentation of her teeth.

Our faces are inches apart, her eyes wide and lips parted. God, I want to kiss her right now. I force myself to straighten up and take a step back, trying to prevent myself from doing something reckless, like… yank her against me.

“Don’t worry, my father’s not a light sleeper. We won’t disturb him.”

“Your father?”

“Yeah, my dad’s a patient here. That’s who we’ve come to see.” I push open the door to room 417. But the sight that greets us isn’t what I expected.

Shit. Instead of my old man sleeping, he’s sitting upright in the hospital bed, very much awake. His rheumy blue eyes lock onto me, then flick to Gemma at my side. His wrinkled face lights up.

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