Page 3 of Dead and a Best Friend
"How can I hear you?"
"I was waiting outside when the technician's door opened. I heard you panicking, so I pushed my way inside."
I snickered. "You probably flashed your panty-dropping smile, and they let you in the room."
"Not true, babe. I save that smile for you." Paused. "Do you want to hear a confession?"
"Yes." My heart stuttered.
"I've been in love with you since before we lost Monica." Paused. "Your father saw how I looked at you and made me promise to stay away."
"Oh," I sniffled.
"Babe, you've been a pain in my ass for a long fucking time. Ten years, in fact."
"I was seventeen. There's no way you loved me then.” I refuse to believe that he ever loved me, let alone for any length of time. More recently, I knew he was attracted to me, just as I was to him.
"Tallulah James, I love the hell out of you. How's that for a confession?" He paused. "Babe, you could say something right now because the staff are swooning."
I burst into tears, and then I felt the machine move me out. Gentle hands removed my eye mask and cupped my face. I looked into Carlisle's gorgeous blue eyes. "Hi," he said, brushing his lips over mine. "I meant every word, babe. I love you."
Tears continued to fall as he gathered me into his arms. I clung to him. "I love you, too." I cried all over his shirt, but I couldn't stop. What an emotional wreck I was!
"Doctor Shepherd is going to review the scans," a nurse said. I lifted my tear-stained face and looked at her. She smiled softly and said, "If you get dressed, you can go back to the waiting room. The doctor will call you back in to see him shortly."
She left, and I buried my face in Carlisle's neck, inhaling his scent. "I panicked."
He held me in his arms but took a small step away. A smile slipped onto his face as he wiped my tears away with his thumbs. "Tallulah, I love you, but you're a bit of a mess right now."
"Oh, you!" I gasped, snapping out of it.
He laughed and pulled me close again. "You need to get dressed." The sneaky man led me into the small cubicle where I had left my clothes for the MRI. "Do you need help?"
How should I answer? My hands were trembling, and I knew it would take me forever to get dressed, but, on the other hand, did I want to undress in front of Carlisle, given the way he was looking at me?
"I can behave." He turned me around, helped me out of the gown, and before I could blink, he had pulled my shirt over my head and forced me to sit down. He crouched down, tugged on my jeans, and stood up. His lowered gaze met mine. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Can you manage?"
"Are you chickening out of pulling them over my bottom?" I tilted my head to the side and watched a blush work its way onto his face.
He waved a hand, indicating that I should stand. Once I did, he carefully pulled my jeans up my legs. His eyes lingered on the black lace covering my modesty. His hands trembled as he pulled the jeans over my butt. He shook his head and stood. "You better fasten those."
I snickered. "Too much to handle, huh?"
"You have no idea how inappropriate my thoughts are right now," he grumbled.
"You can tell me later." I sighed. “Do you think there’s something seriously wrong with me?”
“I don’t know what to think.” He took my hand, and we headed out to find the doctor.
"So,I went through the stress of the MRI for nothing." I huffed out a breath.
Pen had been listening to me for the past twenty minutes while I told her about my trip to the hospital.
After we found the doctor, he said my MRI and blood work were fine. He attributed it to anxiety given everything I'd gone through not too long ago. I'd put it down to stress myself. Losing my brother the way I did kept me up at night.
"Carlisle took you to the hospital, right?" She narrowed her eyes. "What else did you do with him while you were there?"
My grin split my face. "He loves me," I admitted, feeling giddy.
