Page 3 of Fragile Love (Fragile 3)
“I think I’m going to do it,” Lillian whispered.
“Come on, let’s go.”
She looked at the clock. It was just after three in the morning. “Will they let us in this late?”
“I may or may not have booked a room online earlier.”
“Of course, you would have.” It was too late to protest. He knew exactly what he was doing—her energy was beyond depleted.
“We’ll come back in the morning,” he promised. “Come on. It will only be a few hours.”
“What do you think?” she asked Andrew, and leaned down to put her ear next to his mouth. “Yeah?”
“What’s he saying?” Cayden asked.
She looked at Cayden. “I think he said to screw it and go take a shower. You’re right—I stink.”
“I mean, you don’t stink, per se. It’s more like a musty, days’-old smell.” His face twisted. “I don’t mean that badly.”
“Let’s just leave already. My brain has never felt more like mush.” With a grunt, she stood up and weakly pulled her bag over her shoulder. “Frances said she gave the doctor my number as the primary contact.”
“How come?”
“Probably because she’s not very technical. She opens a flip phone with two hands. Bless her.”
“See ya, Drew,” Cayden called back to the sleeping body in the hospital bed.
“He hates it when people call him Drew—just an FYI.” Lillian blew a kiss back at him and they closed the door as they walked out. “Some dumb kids in school called him Drew when they were teasing him, and it made a really negative imprint on his mind.”
“If he hates it enough, he’ll wake up and tell me to shut the heck up.”
“Is it too cold in there? It feels so much warmer out here.”
“You know why, right?” Cayden winked.
“No,” Lillian grunted.
“Because you’re out here.”
Oh, boy. “That is such a middle-school-level joke.”
“I wasn’t joking.”
“Thanks, I guess.” She felt her body sag more and more with each step.
“Someone’s cranky.”
Lillian rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m cranky, Cayden. I’ve barely slept in two days. I haven’t left the room except to go get food from the cafeteria and to pick you up at the airport. I haven’t even had a shower.”
“You could have gone to Andrew’s parents’ house, you know. No one is tying you to this room.”
The words hit her like a ton of bricks. He had a point, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it he was right. “I know,” she muttered in a low voice, her eyes glued to the floor.
She knew he sensed her mood shifting. His body grew softer as he pulled her close when the cold night air bit their skin. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s literally almost morning. The hotel breakfast will be set up in a couple of hours. Think of it—a glorious continental breakfast. All the cereal and orange juice and waffles you could dream of.”
“I think you’re the most excited about it,” she said.
“Probably.” He nodded. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for free breakfast.”
