Page 98 of Unexpected Kisses

God, I hope he’s going to be okay. I can’t lose him.

Glancing at Eric, I find him gazing out of the window, but I doubt he’s seeing the traffic. He looks vacant. “He’ll be okay,” I tell Eric, but the affirmation is more for myself than for him.

Eric huffs. “Why was Dylan calling you?”

I squeeze my hands together, twisting my fingers. “Uhm …”

Eric turns his head toward me, his eyes searing into the side of my face. “Sarah?”

“Uhm … I …” I swallow the sudden build-up of saliva that’s pooled in my mouth. “We … uh …” Damn it, just spit it out, Sarah. “AJ and I were living together.”

“What?” He spins in his seat, facing me properly and I drop my gaze to my lap, so I don’t have to meet his narrowed eyes and downturned mouth. “Explain.”

We’re probably another fifteen minutes away from the hospital at this point. I start at the beginning when I met AJ atClub Rumorsat the beginning of June. I explain how he offered to be my donor and how our relationship changed and grew into more. I mean, I leave out the intimate details because he doesn’t need to know all that. The expression on his face filters through various emotions, the last one being guilt. He must know that I know he lied about his grandson.

“If you want me to resign from my position, I’m happy to do that.” I rush to add.

He swipes his hand through the air. “There’s no need to make rash decisions.”

Finally, we pull into the hospital parking lot and I jump out of the car and head straight to the emergency doors, barreling through like my life depends on it. I head straight to administration. “Hello. I’m here for—”

“Sarah!”

I spin on the spot at the sound of my name to find Hayley hurrying toward me. I race to her, embracing her tightly. “Do you know anything?”

She shakes her head, tears gliding down her cheeks, her nose red. “Nothing yet.” She pulls away and takes my hand, leading me toward Lisa, Dylan, and an older couple I’m guessing are AJ’s parents. They look exactly the same as they do in the photograph on Eric’s desk, only older. “Sarah, this is our mom and dad, Elaine and Adam. Mom. Dad. This is Sarah. AJ’s girlfriend.” Hayley mustn’t know about our argument.

Their eyes widen, obviously unaware that AJ had a girlfriend. Not that I’m certain if we’re still a couple or not. AJ’s dad is the first to reach his hand forward. “Nice to meet you, Sarah.”

His mom steps forward with a shaky smile. She’s obviously been crying if her red-rimmed eyes are any indication. “It’s lovely to meet you, Sarah. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”

I swallow the lump in my throat carefully—so I don’t choke—and take her hand in my shaky one. This is not how I imagined I’d meet AJ’s parents. Thank goodness I’ve already met Hayley, Lisa, and Dylan. “Nice to meet you both.”

Dylan comes over and embraces me, then steps back, holding my shoulders. I read the unspoken question in his eyes and give him a shaky smile. “I’m okay. Holding it together the best I can.”

“Father.” Elaine walks with quick steps toward Eric.

“How is he? Any news?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing.”

“Well, that’s not good enough.” He stomps over to the registrar, demanding answers. The woman behind the desk remains calm, obviously used to dealing with anxious family members. He steps away from the counter, shaking his head, his face red.

“Mr. Wainwright, why don’t you come and sit with your family. We may have to wait for a while. I’ll go and get you a cup of tea from the cafeteria.” Look at me being all cool, calm, and collected. If I stay busy, I have a better chance of holding myself together. He smiles softly at me, nodding as he takes a seat next to his daughter, who is looking at me as if she’s trying to solve a puzzle.

Hayley flicks her eyes between me and her grandfather. “Do you know each other?”

I glance at Eric and before I can open my mouth to answer, he does. “Sarah’s my assistant.”

Everyone’s eyes widen; everyone except Dylan. I’m assuming AJ told him who I was before he went climbing. Hayley’s mouth actually drops open and she comes to stand next to me, leaning in close. “Oh my God, how have you managed to work with him? He’s intolerable,” she whispers. She links her arm through mine and then turns to her family. “I’ll go with Sarah to get drinks for everyone. I think we’re gonna be here a while.”

We head off in search of the cafeteria, leaving everyone behind, and weaving down hallways until we find it. All the while my heart hammers wildly in my chest and I’m concentrating hard to control my shakes. I need to know AJ is going to be okay. I need to apologize, beg for his forgiveness, and then I need to tell him I love him. I was holding back before. Too scared we were moving too fast and worried things wouldn’t work out. But I might not get the chance and that thought devastates me. I don’t want to lose the best thing that’s happened to me in a long while—if ever. I can’t believe I thought it would be better to hold onto my job instead of him. I must be the world’s biggest idiot.

While we’re waiting for our order to be filled, Hayley turns to me. “Did you know Grandfather and AJ were related? AJ never mentioned anything and I had no idea you were Grandfather’s assistant. He’s never even mentioned your name.” AJ said something similar and it doesn’t sting any less, considering I’ve worked for Eric for more than ten years and I thought we were close.

I shake my head. “No. Neither of us had any idea and Mr. Wainwright only just found out on the way here that AJ and I are in a relationship.” Or should that be past tense? I shake my head. “We didn’t have time to unpack the situation properly.”

“This is crazy. Did you know Grandfather wants AJ to take overFutureTech?”

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