Page 48 of The Road Ahead
My parents had set up camp at the hospital, trading off every now and then to catch a proper night’s sleep at a nearby hotel, but after the first four days, I was called back to work. The wife of one of my coworkers was expecting a baby, and when she went into early labor, I was needed to cover his shifts. Rio came with me, and we made the drive back to the hospital every time I had a day off work.
Finally, Teresa had recovered enough to be transferred to our local hospital, and so we prepared to make our final drive back to Stony Creek. We’d just said goodbye to her and were waiting in the hallway for my parents to do the same. My eyes were heavy, but so was my heart, and so I pulled Rio into my arms and hugged them tight. “I can’t wait to get home,” I murmured.
“It’s been a long couple of weeks,” they agreed, rubbing my back.
I pulled away a little and then ducked my head down to kiss them softly. “Thank you so much for everything, Rio. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”
“You’ve always been there for me, love. This is the least I could do.”
I kissed them again. “I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate it.”
“As do we,” my dad said from behind us.
Fuck.
I jerked away from Rio and spun to face my parents, who had clearly just witnessed us kissing. “Um. Hi,” I said stupidly.
“Honestly, Coop. Do you really think this is appropriate?” Dad asked me.
On instinct, I stepped to place myself between Rio and my parents. My throat had gone thick and I could feel my fight or flight instincts warring. Did I grab Rio by the hand and run as far away from this confrontation as possible? Or did I risk embarrassing them by making a scene?
Before I could decide, my dad waved at the hallway we were in. “You're blocking the way!” Dad exclaimed. “There’s a nurse with a gurney trying to get by. Save kissing Rio for when we’re outside.”
I stared at him in shock for a long moment before Rio took hold of my elbow and guided me to the side of the hallway. The gurney trundled by but I still couldn’t think of a response to my parents knowing about Rio and me.
“Are you okay there?” Dad asked, waving a hand in front of my face.
“I think you’ve broken him, Emmett,” Mom said wryly. “Rio, are you sure you really want him? He might need to be returned to the store for a refund.”
Rio’s laugh was music to my ears. I could tell they were relieved that neither of my parents seemed upset. “He might not be perfect, but I like him anyway.”
“Well, if you change your mind, just let us know,” my mom teased.
“Hey!” I protested, finally finding my voice.
“Come on,” Dad said, ushering us down the hall. “It’s a long drive home. We should all hit the road.”
We walked down to the parking lot with my parents, and hugged them goodbye before heading over to my truck. I hadjust pulled out of my bay when Rio stopped me. “Get out,” they demanded after I pulled back in.
“Huh?” was all I managed in response.
“Cooper, you’ve yawned four times since we got in the car. You’renotin any state to make the drive home. Get out so we can swap and you can sleep while I drive.”
“I’ll be okay,” I tried to insist. Rio had to be as tired as I was.
“Cooper, I’m not asking,” they said, already unbuckling their belt and opening the passenger door.
I was too exhausted to argue, so I got out and swapped places. I slumped back into my seat, and my eyes fell closed as I leaned against the headrest.
“Get some rest, love,” Rio whispered, and I felt the cool touch of their hand give my cheek a gentle caress before the truck started moving again.
The wordsI love youwere on the tip of my tongue, but before I could utter them I fell into a deep slumber.
I didn’t wake until we were pulling into the driveway of my house back in Stony Creek. I sat up, rubbing sleep from my eyes as I looked around in bleary confusion. “We’re home?” I asked.
Rio smiled gently at me. “We’re home. Come on, let’s get you inside and into bed.”
I groaned at the thought of my bed. I’d been catching some Z’s in one of the bunks at work between call outs, in my truck, or in a shitty bed at the hotel near the hospital, so I’d barely seen it over the last few weeks. I missed my memory foam mattress, quality sheets, and the familiar embrace of my pillow. “Mmm,” I agreed as I stumbled out of the truck and towards the front door.
