Page 63 of Devoured By You
“Do you even need to say that, Dad?”
His father’s face crumpled. “No. No, I don’t.”
Nolen patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re all in shock.”
“I want to see him.” His mother squared her shoulders. “I want to see my son.”
“The doctor said he’d come get us when we could see him.”
“I want to see him now.” She took hold of her husband’s hand, and the two of them strode away.
Nolen gave a crooked grimace. “Poor doc had better prepare himself. He’s about to come face-to-face with the indomitable Sandrine Kingcaid. We should send help.”
Somehow, Aspen managed a grin. “Yeah, when Aunt Sandrine gets going, everyone ducks for cover.”
The Kingcaid in-family jokes circled around me. I’d never felt like more of an outsider than I did right then. They didn’t mean it, but I felt it all the same.
“Maybe… maybe I should go. Leave you all to it. You’re his family.”
Aspen’s eyes flashed open wide. “Excuse me? You do know my cousin is in love with you, right? Even if he is a distance away from being able to admit it to himself. But that’s Blaize. An asshole at times. Make no mistake, though. That man is deep, deep, deep in love with you. Which means you have as much right to be here as any of us do.”
The unexpectedness of her statement shook me to my core. She had it wrong. She had to. Blay didn’t love me. He lusted after me, liked spending time with me. We enjoyed each other’s company. But love? No. He’d made it clear that relationships were a distraction, and while he’d tentatively broached the subject of us continuing to see each other after the cruise was over, I doubted he’d meant in a boyfriend-slash-girlfriend scenario. More of a “Hey, you’re in town. Fancy a hookup?” kind of thing.
“I-I…”
“Jill.” Aspen clasped my upper arms. “Blaize is going to need us. All of us. Especially you. I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice what a self-sufficient, confident man he is. That he’s lost a limb is going to hit him hard. If you leave now, what does that say to him?”
Horror struck me in the chest. She thought I was looking for a way out because Blay had lost his leg? “Wait a minute… That’s not why I said what I said.”
“I know that, you silly girl.” She gave me a little shake. “Good God. Do I have to bash your head against the wall?”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” I muttered.
She smiled then, far more genuine than the one she’d summoned for Nolen. “I know you don’t believe he loves you. It’s written all over your face, which means he hasn’t told you yet. And maybe he isn’t even aware of how deeply he’s fallen. But I know my cousin. He needs you, now more than ever.” Her face grew serious. “What you have to answer is whether you’re in this for the long haul, or, for you, if this was just a fun interlude, a holiday romance, if you will.”
It had started out like that, but now? No. What was the moment it changed? I couldn’t pinpoint it. The days had blended into one another, a seamless stretch of time.
“If I’m welcome, then I’m staying.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Aspen turned to look at her family. “Right?”
“A hundred percent,” Nolen said.
Marlowe nodded. “Absolutely.”
“And my aunt and uncle will feel exactly the same.” Aspen kissed my cheek. “Welcome to the Kingcaid family. Buckle up, buttercup. It’s a hell of a ride.”
* * *
“You can go in now.”
Legs trembling, I got to my feet, acknowledging Nolen with a small dip of my chin. Rightly, I’d waited until his mum and dad and Nolen and Marlowe had spent some time with Blay, although Aspen had given up her place in the line to me. I’d protested, but she’d insisted that it was what he’d want. Blay’s other brother, Kadon, still hadn’t arrived from France, where he lived.
The clock on the wall showed that eighteen hours had passed since Blay and I had reboarded the ship after an idyllic day spent in Barbados. Eighteen hours in which everything had changed.
My heart hammered my rib cage as I made my way toward the intensive care unit. I wasn’t sure what to expect, or how I’d react, but whatever happened, I had to hold it together. Breaking down wouldn’t do me any good. I needed to draw on my reserves of strength and put on a brave face no matter how desperate the circumstances.
He was alive. That was all I cared about.