Page 67 of The Marriage Agreement (Agreement)

“I’m sure she will when she’s free, Dad.”

“Bye, Son.”

“See you later, Dad.” I leave his place and return to work. Still, I can't understand why he thought I’d stop Dele from visiting him. I just didn’t like being in the dark about it, but I’m glad she thought of him while I was away. He's right—that’s something Lily would never do unless there was something to gain. I’m thankful for the chance encounter that blew in Dele and me that Halloween night. I felt the power of our connection and the flicker in my heart. I know she feels it, too. My mission is to turn the flicker into a radiant sparkle that never fades and burns bright forever in us.

Chapter 44

DELE

It’s been great having Luke back home. I honestly prefer it when he’s home and not traveling, though the last few days have been hectic for him—back-to-back late nights. He’s now the one doing the rinse and repeat cycle. I understand the grind, even though I dislike going to bed alone. He crawls into bed and wraps his arm around me every night.

Every day for fun, I leave something in his pants or jacket or send him a photo. Today, I left a black lacy thong in his jacket when we left together this morning. I’m still waiting for the cheeky messages he sends whenever he finds my items. For now, I focus on work. I say hey to Jax and clock in.

I set my bag in the usual spot, sight Dr. Beiz, and move in the opposite direction. He’s been staring at me lately, and I don’t like it. It doesn’t help that Jax has noticed it too and teases me about it. I can’t exactly tell him to stop staring at me, so I stay as far away as possible and only speak to him only when needed.

Transport comes to take my patient for an MRI, and I return to the nurse’s station, only for Jax to hand me the information for my new patient. I stare at the name in disbelief.

“Can you take her?” I ask Jax.

“No, somehow it got assigned to you, though based on the rotation, Lynda should've gotten her, and Matron said we can't switch,” she replies. I sigh. Matron is the head nurse, and Jax likes to joke about her like she’s a mean drill sergeant. I honestly don't want to speak to this patient, but I have no choice and need to put on my big girl pants.

I step into the room. “Hi, Miss McIntyre. I’m going to be your nurse today. I’m Dele.”

“Hi, Dele.” Her shrieking voice pierces my eardrums. She’s grinning as if she’s found her best friend. We both know we can’t stand each other.

“What brings you to the ER today, Ms. McIntyre?” I ask.

“I have this headache that’s non-stop. It feels as if someone is jackhammering my head, and my eyes are getting blurry,” she says. I take notes and begin to check her temperature and blood pressure, which are both normal, thankfully. I ask a few more questions, then inform her.

“The doctor will be here in a few minutes. In the meantime, press the call button if you need anything.” I leave to complete her chart.

Back at the nurse’s station, I grab my next iPad and move on to my next patient, trying to keep moving and not think about the woman under my care. I make two stops before returning to the nurse’s station.

“Hey, your new socialite patient has been pressing the call light,” Jax says.

“Did the doctor see her yet?”

“Yes, and she ordered an MRI for her. I went to see her, but she insisted that she wants to speak to you.”

“Fine. I’ll go talk to her.” I sigh.

I pause at the door, inhale, and exhale before going in. “Hi, Ms. McIntyre. I hear you want to see me. What can I do for you?”

“Call me Lily,” she interrupts, and I nod.

“Your transport for the MRI should be here soon.”

“Good, because the wait is killing me.”

“I understand, but I’ll check to find out how long.” I turn to leave.

“I was with Luke two nights ago.” I freeze in my stride. “We had a great time together. When he told you he was working late, he was with me.”

I force my whole body to relax, then turn to face her, keeping my expression neutral. “You see, he’ll always return to me, no matter how many times he samples the ethnic girl. He’ll come back to me because I make sense to him.” She rolls her eyes.

I maintain a straight face. “I know you are a fast track to his inheritance, so I understand why he married you, but he's back with me now, and I don’t share.” She stops talking.

“Would you be needing anything else, Ms. McIntyre? Otherwise, I have other patients to attend to, and I’ll let you know about the MRI,” I say, my voice controlled.

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