Page 22 of With You Forever

“I assure you she’ll have the very best team at the hospital to take care of her.” Mayr hesitates. “There is always the chance we get in there and find more that wasn’t present on the imaging. It could change her treatment.”

Lacey hears the unsaid.And her chances.

Apparently so does Seth.

“Wait. What?” Seth asks, his handsome face rigid with pain.

Lacey’s eyes sting with unshed tears. If she never sees a worse sight, it’ll be Seth’s face in this moment, crumpling.

It’s like a bad joke at the wrong, the very worst time. She and Seth were planning a wedding, and now ...

Now what?

“I think,” Sal says, speaking up before Seth can completely lose it, “we should take this one step at a time and get Lacey on the schedule. Soon.” She leans forward to look at Lacey. Her smile is teary. “This is good news.”

As Dr. Mayr launches into specifics and details, Lacey sits there, numb.

Hope.

She doesn’t feel that.

Any of it.

Thirty minutes later, Seth and Lacey leave the hospital with pamphlets and order forms for Lacey’s surgery in three weeks’ time. As he guides her to the Bronco, her heels click-clacking on the cool asphalt, Seth flashes back to Los Angeles, taking Lacey home after her mugging.

His gut twists. He shouldn’t be back here, doing this. He should be at home with Lacey in bed, making her feel good, not here watching the woman he loves fall apart. Because ever since they left Dr. Mayr’s office, she hasn’t said a word.

He knows she’s scared.

Hell, he’s fucking terrified.

There’s poison in her body. Something foreign and monstrous threatening to grow, to take her from him. He wants to find it and rip it the fuck out of her. Make it his. But he can’t do any of that.

Utterly fucking helpless is what he is.

They climb into the Bronco. Lacey curls up against the passenger-side door, her green eyes far away as Seth rips the Bronco out of the parking spot.

Lacey clutches at her necklace. Taps the window as Seth catches a dark shadow scramble across the sidewalk. “Someone from theStar.”

Seth swears, tempted to back up and drive over the guy. Motherfuckers publish photos of Lacey, he’s gonna sue the shit out of that tabloid right before he burns it to the ground.

Lacey sighs, tired. For minutes, they drive in silence, passing over the overpass and then the byway back to their apartment.

Seth’s eyes flick to Lacey. “How do you feel?”

Her cracked voice breaks the silence. “Guess we’re working on the sickness part first.”

A muscle clenches in Seth’s jaw. “Don’t do that.”

She sighs. “I’m sorry. I’m just ...” Tears fill her eyes. “I’m sad, Seth.”

“I know. And you can be sad.” He finds her hand, his heart swelling as her slender fingers curl into his. “I’m sad as hell, Lace. But what you got from the doctor, it’s good news, princess. The best.”

She bites her lip. “Are you worried?”

He wants to lie, but he doesn’t. “Yeah. I am.”

He’s grateful they got lucky and caught it early. He is.

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