Page 46 of The Virgin's Baby
I hadn’t ever thought about it that way. “No. Don’t think of it like that.”
“I have to.” He pulled me along with him. “It’s true. You carry our DNA, Aspen. You’re our blood now.”
The jolt of electricity that shot through me almost made me faint. Was I really part of the Whitaker legacy?
Was I part of a family?
It had been so long since I’d been part of one. And I didn’t expect the flood of emotions that swept over me. My knees buckled, and Ransom stopped pulling me along as he realized something was wrong.
When he saw me crying again, he pulled me into his arms, hugging me. “Have I overwhelmed you with all that?”
“No, you just made me feel like a part of a family again. It’s been so long. You have no idea how this feels after losing it.” His arms held me tight as he swayed with me.
And I wondered why it couldn’t always be like this. I felt wanted. Loved even.
It wasn’t so hard to do. It was easy, really.
His lips pressed against the side of my head. “Don’t cry. Everything is great. And Grandad is going to be over the moon. I hope it gives him more incentive to fight this damn cancer.”
He was right. We needed to let that man know there was a future worth staying around for. I bucked up, wiped my eyes then blew my nose on a handkerchief Ransom handed me. “Let’s go. I want to see his face when you tell him the news.”
“I would love it if you would tell it to him, Aspen.” He held both of my hands and gazed at me. “He thinks the world of you. I haven’t ever told you that, but he does. And I do too. You’re the bravest, smartest, strongest person I’ve ever known. I think you should know that.”
It felt weird, him saying those things to me. Mostly because I had no idea he felt that way.
“I’ll tell him then if that’s what you want.” I felt like I should say something nice to him too. I had to dig deep since I’d been putting up walls where he was concerned. “Ransom, I think you’re very sweet. You’ve been right by my side with all thisin vitrostuff. I thought I was going to have to do this alone when I signed up for it. It’s been nice to have you in my corner, and you’ve been a great supporter.”
“Thanks.” He kissed me on the cheek. “I think this is where it all really begins, Aspen. I really do. I’ve never felt like this before.”
So, away we went to tell his grandfather the fantastic news. The nurse was waiting outside his room when we came in. “Hush now. He’s with the doctor. We may have to move him to Houston to MD Anderson Cancer Center.”
My heart felt heavy as Ransom squeezed my hand.
Is it all going to come too late?
Chapter Twenty-One
Ransom
Lubbock, Texas – September 10th
Knocking on Aspen’s door at six in the morning, I was sure I would be waking her up. I hesitated to do that since she’d started classes for the last semester of college.
My grandfather took an unfortunate turn during the night. His nurse came and woke me up to tell me an ambulance was on its way to pick him up to transport him to MD Anderson, a hospital that specializes in cancer in Houston.
We’d expected this day to come for a couple of weeks. Funny how knowing it would inevitably happen hadn’t made it any easier to take. My stomach hurt, my body felt shaky and weak, and I couldn’t think straight.
Pulling the bedroom door open, Aspen stood there in an adorable little pajama set. “You’re up early, Ransom. Is everything okay?”
“Grandad is about to be taken to Houston in an ambulance. I’m going to follow in my car. I just wanted you to know.” I turned to go back to my room to finish getting ready. I’d put on jeans and a T-shirt but hadn’t put any shoes on yet.
The touch of her hand on my arm sent a wave of electricity through me. “Wait. I want to come with you. We can go in my car. It’s roomier, and that’s quite a drive. We can trade off driving every couple of hours, so neither of us gets too tired. Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll be ready to go.”
Turning to look into her eyes, I wanted her to know that I hadn’t expected her to go with me. “Aspen, you’ve just started classes a little over a week ago. I can’t ask you to miss any of them so soon in your last semester.”
She shook her head as she turned to go back into her room. “I’ll figure things out. Being there for you and your grandfather is the most important thing right now. Meet me in the garage in fifteen minutes. I’m not going to let you go through this all alone, Ransom.”
My heart swelled. My head went fuzzy. And all I could do was let her do what she wanted to. Be there for me. “Thank you, Aspen. It would be nice not to be alone. You might want to pack a bag. We’ll probably need to stay for a few days.”
