Page 130 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

Let her rest. She looks like she went a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Waiting for a scan. Police are coming soon.

Thanks, Nan. Won’t be long.

Travel safely. And don’t worry, I brought my knitting so I can sit with her while she sleeps. I’ll text you where to go when you get here.

The idea of Nan keeping watch made his pulse drop for the first time since nine o’clock. “Nan’s with Zoe,” he told Ben and Matt who were in his cab.

“Did she bring cake?” Ben asked.

Alex glared at him. “How the fuck should I know? Wasn’t exactly my first thought when she texted to say she was with Zoe.”

Matt bit back a laugh. “Sorry. I know it’s not funny. But I’ve wondered at least three or four times on the flight home whether Nan might bring cake.”

Despite the stress, Alex sighed and smiled. “You two are arseholes.”

Ben grinned. “Yeah, but we’re still here in a convoy of cars with you, bruv.”

“I love her,” Alex said, without thinking. “Did I tell you that? Think I’m going to ask her to move in with me.”

“I think that’s a brilliant idea,” Matt said. “I love living with Iz. Best feeling in the world to go home after being on the road, knowing she’s there. And it’s not just the shit she does. Like the fridge is always full and my clothes are always washed because she’s a sweetheart like that. It’s just…her. Knowing that I get to shoot the shit with her, go for a walk with her, sit on the sofa and watch a movie with her.”

Ben rubbed his hands over his face. “That sounds utterly predictable.”

Alex turned to face his brother. “You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. Zoe gave me what I was missing. That groupie this morning, she looked like someone we know. You can’t want that forever…unless it’s the only thing you can deal with because you can’t have who you actually want.”

“Fuck off,” Ben muttered.

Once in the hospital, they followed Nan’s instructions until they came to a bank of cubicles separated by curtains, and Nan sat on a plastic chair in the hallway knitting.

“Lads. Cerys,” she said, putting her knitting in her bag before standing to give them a hug. “She’s in there with the doctor, they asked for me to step outside so they could have some privacy.”

Fuck doctors and privacy. He wanted to see her.

“Give her a minute, Alex,” Nan said, reaching out her hand to stop him. “Let her decide what she wants to share with you. Don’t just barge in.”

Nan’s words stopped Cerys in her tracks too.

“Let Alex go to her first, sunshine,” Jase said.

When the curtains opened and the two doctors stepped out, Zoe’s eyes went wide in surprise, then she promptly burst into tears. Alex hurried to the narrow bed and pulled her gently into his arms.

“We’re here, Rocky. It’s okay,” he murmured. Tears stung his own eyes as she fell apart.

“I’m sorry if it interrupted your tour, but I needed you.” Her words were muffled by his hoodie.

Cupping her cheeks gently, he kissed her tears. “I’m glad you needed me and called. Remember. I want to be there for you. This is a very extreme way to prove you’ve made progress.”

Zoe sniffled and laughed. And after finding a small box of tissues on the table, he used one to clean up her face.

“What happened?” He brushed her hair back from her forehead.

“I’d decided to go into town to grab some stuff and couldn’t face driving and finding somewhere to park. So, I took the tram and got off at St. Peter’s Square. I debated walking up to Market Street, but it was raining so I decided to wait for the next tram headed in that direction. I could see it approaching, coming by the Midland Hotel, but then, someone shoved me really hard, and the next thing I knew I was flat on the tram track.”

“We’ll figure it out. I’m glad you needed me, Rocky.”

“I’m glad you—” she glanced around him “—all came.”

At that, Nan opened a large container nestled in her bag. “I thought you might be hungry. I was in the middle of finishing up some Parkin and Madeira cake for church when Alex called.”

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