Page 71 of This Is Love (The Light to My Darkness 3)

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door. “Let’s go see that healthy, beautiful, perfect baby boy we made.”

I almost felt like a teenager as we walked hand-in-hand through the hospital. Joking around with James. Laughing. For just one little moment, my thoughts were all as light as air. And just thinking it made me feel guilty. It wasn’t fair for my thoughts to be as light as air when James’ were still heavy.

I stopped him outside of the NICU. “I love being this happy.”

“And I love when you’re happy.”

I searched his eyes. “Tell me. Tell me everything. Just rip the Band-Aid off. Don’t let me start guessing until I come to some wild conclusion like you cheated on me and I end up…” I glanced around the hospital, “throwing a full bedpan at you.”

James laughed. “We’re escalating to flinging poo now?”

“I’m being serious.” I stepped closer to him, trying to ignore the busy hallway. “I can tell you thought Dr. Young was crazy. I get it, he looked crazy and acted crazy, but he’s brilliant in his field. You have to tell me what he said. I can’t take another second of suspense.”

He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “He thinks if I take it easy the next few days that my heart will have time to heal. And he thinks if it heals properly, there’s no reason why I should need surgery. Ever.”

I nodded. “Ever?”

“Ever.”

I squealed and threw my arms around him. “I feel like I’m so full of good news I could burst. We need to call everyone and tell them. And we need to go see Liam. And…”

He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me into a soul crushing kiss. He felt whole. And strong. And so much himself again. I gripped the front of his shirt, deepening the kiss until I was practically moaning.

“We need to find a way to alleviate your stress,” I said when I finally willed myself to pull away. “Maybe I’ll give in to the naked yoga thing.”

“Let’s take the next two days really slowly.”

“Slow motion.” I nodded. “I. Got. It.”

James laughed. “You don’t have to speak slowly. But…let’s just hang out here and be happy. Let’s be young and in love in Newark, Delaware.”

“That’s easy. We don’t even have to play make-believe. That’s just what we are.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him again. “We get to bring Liam home.”

“One big, healthy family.”

“Happy too.”

He ran his hand down the side of my neck. “I hope you’re happy, Penny.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.” I pressed the side of my face against his chest. Nothing could have been better than this moment.

***

I turned off the movie when the credits started rolling and turned to James. “So? What did you think?”

“It was funny.”

My feet were resting in his lap, so I gently kicked his thigh. “What do you mean it was funny?”

“It is a comedy, right? I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s listed as.” He set down his slice of pizza, like he was ready to prove his point. Instead of continuing though, he just stared at me. Waiting patiently to understand the importance of this romance.

“Yes, a romantic comedy. But what did you think about the whole meaning of their relationship?”

He stared at me skeptically. “I thought Westley looked an awful lot like Tyler. It was hard to look past that.”

I laughed. “They don’t look that similar. Just like the…hair and eyes. But James, it isn’t about what he looks like. That has absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“Then I don’t get it.”

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