Page 120 of Secret Love

I take it and look up at her. “Can you explain what you meant just now?”

Her head tilts and she bites the inside of her mouth. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what exactly?”

She laughs, but it’s as if the humor takes a minute to catch up, and only later turns into a real one. Her eyes meet mine and she laughs again.

“What?” I say, smiling up at her.

“Do you remember anything from right after your surgery?”

“I remember being really happy to see you.”

She snorts. “Yeah, you were. You weren’t trying to get me to go on any outdoor excursions then!” She laughs and this time it’s so hard, she has tears in her eyes.

She sits on the bed, facing me.

“What did I do?” I make a face. Now I’m nervous.

“You were on a love high…thanks to the anesthesia and meds, I’m assuming. Dr. Cermak and the guys got to witness it too.”

“Fuck me. What did I say? They’ll never let me live it down.”

She presses her lips together, fighting her smile. “You confessed that Penn has had all of your heart from day one.”

“Fuck,” I say, laughing and then groaning because my head is still not right. I rub my forehead. “What did you mean…when you said you weren’t going to hold me to it? What was that about?”

“I’m not holding you to your post-surgery proposal.” Her eyes are bright now and I’m just so damn happy to see her smiling again, I smile back at her, but I’m still confused.

“What kind of proposal?” My forehead creases between my brows and she reaches out and smooths it.

“DoesTru. Trudi...uh, Trudi…Tru Seymour. Dammit. I wanted to say your middle name. Eloise…ring a bell?”

Now when she laughs, I laugh with her.

“Uh…no. But I’m afraid to ask now.”

She threads her fingers through mine. “It was a very funny and charming marriage proposal in front of your surgeon, who suggested it might not be the right time to propose…but you were having none of that.”

“Shit.” I reach up and slide her long, silky hair between my fingers. “I can’t believe I don’t remember any of that.” My cheeks burn and she puts her hand on my cheek.

I lean into it.

“You were also weirdly attached to getting married on the dock by the water with a candlestick in the library,” she barely manages to get out in one breath.

“That makes no sense. The marrying you part does,” I hurry to add, “but I don’t even have candlesticks in the library. Those things would burn the books in an instant.”

“Right?” she agrees. “I don’t know where the candlesticks in the library came in…with the dock by the water. Sounds like two totally different backdrops.” She frowns. “You didn’t marry Bree by the water or in the library, did you?”

“No, we got married in a church.”

She wipes her forehead in exaggerated relief. “Whew. That earns you some points. Hey, how’s your stomach feeling? Do you think you could eat something yet? Ginger ale, maybe?”

“Tru…are we…okay? I can’t believe I proposed and don’t even remember. I’m so?—”

“No apologies.” She leans in and I hope to God I smell like peppermint and not vomit.

This wholebeing knocked on my assbusiness is already doing a number on me. I don’t want to disgust my girlfriend too. Or wait.

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