Page 10 of Sins of Bliss

“Miss, please, if you just come back tomorr?—”

“I’ve been on a plane for six hours.Please. Just for a few minutes, at the very least. Just to know he’s okay.”

Itisher. I would recognize her voice anywhere.

Chapter 4

Vinnie

Six hours. It took me six hours to fly here. Over nine, if you count the rest of the travel time on either end of the flight.

Yet it takes less than six minutes to get shot down by an irritated nurse, telling me I have to wait until morning to see the love of my life.

I’m exhausted and hungry. My feet ache in my ballet flats, and I’m feeling too warm in my peacoat for the California weather, but can’t find it in me to take it off. My patience level drops to the point where I want to reach over the nurse’s station and shake the woman, but I know I can’t do that. I can feel myself about to snap at her, even though she’s just doing her job.

Visiting hours have ended, I understand that, but whatshedoesn’t understand is that I don’t care. I refuse to wait until morning to see Sly.

The need to touch him and hear his voice, to know he’s okay, overpowers my instinct to remain polite.

I’ve been worried sick for hours, my heart lodged in my throat, suffocating me as I choked back tears the entire flight here.

The look on the nurse’s face can only be described as pity—but I don’t want her pity. I want her to let me see him.

Exasperated, I throw my hands into the air. “If you won’t tell me where he is, I’ll find him myself.”

Every hospital room has a small window, and I’ll look through every single one if necessary.

“Miss, you can’t,” the nurse pleads as I begin walking to the first door, but she doesn’t make a move to stop me, and I ignore her warnings.

Glancing through the first room, I see an elderly woman asleep in her bed. Quickly, I make my way across the hall, only to find another woman asleep.

The next window I peer through, I’m a little startled to find a woman sitting upright on a cot, watching me. I’m about to turn to head to the next door when my eyes sweep over to the hospital bed and collide with the stunning shade of hazel I’ve been praying to see. Even though his room is dark, the lights from the hallway illuminate his features perfectly, and my heart flip-flops at the sight of him.

“Sly!” I cry as I throw open the door and rush inside his room.

“Vinnie?”

I don’t slow, or think of anything other than feeling his skin against mine as I crash into him.

Instantly, his hand tangles in my mess of wavy curls as he pulls me closer.

“Vinnie,” he breathes against my hair, nuzzling his face against my cheek. “What are you doing here, amore mio?”

Pulling back, his hands encircle my face, brushing the hair away as he looks deep into my eyes.

Tears spike my vision. I’m so overwhelmed right now, I can’t even distinguish which emotions I’m feeling. I can’t stop the tears from flowing over the edge of my lashes, and he wipes them away with his thumbs.

“You honestly think I wouldn’t hear about you being in the hospital, Sly? As soon as I heard, I got on a plane.”

His eyes search mine, and a look I don’t recognize flashes across his face. “Vincenza, your family. Do they know you’ve come?”

Pulling out of his grasp, I settle on the edge of his bed. Sly shifts his lower body slightly, giving me more room, but I don’t need it.

Resting my hand on his chest, I shake my head softly. “If they haven’t figured it out already, it won’t take long now.”

His eyes drop to my hand, and I know he’s looking at the diamond I forgot to remove from my finger before I left. It makes my stomach roll, knowing that he thinks I chose August.

Assuming that is what he thinks. I can’t be sure since we haven’t spoken, but I am well aware of what it looks like.

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