Page 88 of First Comes Marriage

“Always.”

She raised her head off the pillow and craned it towards him, whispering in the loudest whisper he’d ever heard. “They gave me pain meds. The good kind! They really work!” Baz bit the inside of his cheek to keep from loosing the relieved laughter bubbling up inside him as she plopped back down on the pillow. “What were you saying?”

Baz turned his face towards her palm, pressing a kiss there. “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes fell closed, a smile splitting across her face, and despite the hospital gown and the IV in her arm and how weak she looked, it was the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. “Don’t be sorry. You have the fancy insurance. It’ssuchgood insurance. Did you know that? They—” She clicked her tongue and spread out her fingers. “—fixed me right up.” She looked into his eyes, her face sobering for a minute. “I’m really glad I married you.”

“Because of the fancy insurance?” he asked, no longer bothering to hold back his smile. She probably wouldn’t remember any of this conversation later.

“No! Because you’re cute—” She dragged out the word.

“I’m not cute.”

“Yup. You are. You’re cute and smart and I like your penis jewelry.” One of the doctors cleared his throat and looked away. Not that Sabrina noticed. She was too busy trying to poke Sebastian’s nose with the tip of her index finger—something that took multiple attempts before she finally landed on her target with a delighted “boop!” Baz caught her wrist and pressed his lips to her palm. Sabrina sighed happily. “I love you.”

Baz’s heart stopped, but Sabrina was already flopping back against the pillow.

“We need to get her to her room,” one of the doctor’s said gently. “Someone will be out to get you as soon as she’s settled and ready for visitors.”

Sabrina’s hand reached out, gripping Sebastian’s, her eyes flying open as she searched for him. “You’ll still be here, right?”

“Yeah, wildflower. I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter Thirty-two

“I can’t wait to take a shower and sleep without being woken up every hour to check my vital signs.” Sabrina sank onto the couch in the condo and dropped her head back against the cushions.

Sebastian kicked the front door closed behind himself, his head and torso hidden behind the obscenely large flower arrangement her parents had sent to the hospital the night before. Sabrina had hardly spoken to them herself, Sebastian filling them in on the details of her surgery and recovery plan, but they’d sounded more concerned than she could remember. Mom had threatened to call the nurse’s station and demand to speak to a manager if she wasn’t being treated well, which was her mom’s equivalent of filling their fridge with lasagna, even if Dad did have an early tee time he wanted to keep and Mom wasn’t inclined to reschedule her brunch plans. It stung, but she knew they loved her in their own way.

And besides, Sebastian’s mother had already filled the fridge with lasagna, and a chicken pot pie and a frittata, because apparently her mother-in-law showed love with casseroles and her parents did it by threatening the staff. Tomato, tomahto.

Sebastian set the flowers down on the kitchen island and moved behind her at the couch, running his fingers throughher hair, lightly massaging her scalp as he went.

“You’re spoiling me.” She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

“I’m taking care of you.”

“You’re hovering.”

“You had major surgery.”

“It was laparoscopic.”

“You were bleeding internally. They removed an organ.”

“A tiny organ.”

Sebastian’s hands stilled in her hair and she opened her eyes to meet his. He was doing that thing where he tried not to smile but it made his lips twitch. It was ridiculously adorable.

“Let me hover, wildflower. I like hovering.”

“I like when you hover.”

He leant forward and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Good.”

Sebastian headed to the kitchen, and Sabrina closed her eyes as she listened to the familiar sounds of him moving about. “Did you tell Tessa I want to go see the baby as soon as she’s up for it?” she called.

“I told her. She says you’re welcome as soon asyou’reup for it. And Gavin and Kyla promised to text us lots of pictures.”

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