“Yes. He told me in the car on the way back to the house that day. I asked him to let me know how they got on at the hospital. They were going for a scan, and he wanted to know the sex of the baby.” Jake inhales my scent, making me wince. “I must smell awful after being in that hospital for four days.”
I feel him nuzzle his nose into the back of my neck. “You always smell wonderful.”
I turn around, wrapping my arms around him and give him a light kiss. “That’s very kind of you to say so, but I would still love to get a shower as soon as I’m done with my noodles. I’m starving.”
Jake laughs and pats me on the backside. I look at the other notes attached to the flowers. There are some colorful chrysanthemums from Jessie, wishing me well and begging me to call as soon as I get the note. I must give her a ring after my shower.
There’s a big bunch of summer flowers from everyone in our office and another surprise one from Mandy. I pick the note up and read it.
I’m so sorry to hear about your ordeal. I hope you get well soon. I’m looking forward to seeing you back at work. Love, Mandy. P.S. I’m still going to hold you to that drink.
I laugh at that and show Jake the note. He looks at it and raises an eyebrow. “A drink, huh? When was this planned?”
I sit down, sighing. “Jake, seriously? You’re going to go all caveman on me now?”
His face softens as he sits next to me. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I guess some things never change.”
29
The rest of the afternoon passes into the evening with everything going really well. Matthew brings out some chicken-flavored noodles for everyone. It tastes great, but my throat’s still sore, which doesn’t help. It’s hard to eat it all, but I thank Matthew for making the effort for me.
I take a couple of the tablets the doctor prescribed for me to help ease the pain. They do seem to help after a while. We talk about what’s been happening for the last few days, and the mention of Cindy makes Matthew look a little uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” I ask.
“No, it’s not that. I did ask Dad about having her over, and he said we would have to see. You obviously need some time to relax first.”
I look at Jake. He isn’t amused. “Don’t be silly,” I protest. “I’m as fit as a fiddle, and I really want to meet her.” I quickly snap my head to Jake. “She can come over … can’t she? Maybe this Friday or Saturday?”
Matthew beams and looks at Jake expectantly. “Okay. Invite her over for Friday.” Matthew gives us each a big hug and runs off to call Cindy.
Jake looks at me with a worried expression. “Are you sure about this? You are much more important at the moment. Cindy can wait.”
“Stop worrying. I’m fine. In fact, I’m really looking forward to it. I need normality back in my life. I want things to go back to the way they were.”
Jake pulls me into his arms. “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”
I bury my head in his chest, not wanting to let go. “You’re pretty awesome yourself, Mr. Bennett.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I love you, Ana. I will never let you be taken away from me like that again. I never want to feel that hopelessness. Ever. It was torture!”
I sigh with a smile. “I love you, too, and I’m not going anywhere. This is exactly where I want to be.” I stare into his beautiful green eyes. Those piercing eyes of his which I have dreamt of every night for almost a year. Those eyes that—at one time—I could only wish to see them looking at me the way he is actually looking at me right now. If I had died that day and confirmed that heaven is real, I’d have wanted to stay here.
Jake opens his mouth to speak, but Matthew walks back in the room. “That was Cindy. She says that she would be honored to come over on Friday for dinner.” I chuckle at Matthew’s bashfulness.
“Honored?” Jake asks in surprise. “I wonder if she’ll still feel that way once she’s actually sitting at the table with us.”
I slap Jake’s arm, and he cowers. “Hey, we’re not that bad. I’m sure she’ll love us. We’ll certainly do our best to make her feel welcome, Matthew.” He smiles at me in gratitude. “Right, I’m heading upstairs. I really need to take a shower.”
I make my way to the stairs with Jake following behind. I set myself down on the bed, feeling exhausted from the day. I rub my shoulder and sigh.
Jake points to my shoulder. “Is that sore?”
“A little,” I admit.
“Hold on one moment.” Jake rushes to the bathroom, and I quickly hear the sound of running water. Once done, he walks back over to where I’m sitting and starts rubbing my shoulders. I moan my appreciation.
“Is that good?”
I nod, humming my approval. “Hmm, yes, thank you.”
We stay like that for a while until the bath’s full. “Right, I think this is ready for you.”
I begin to get up, but Jake stops me and picks me up. “You know, I’ve just remembered the funniest thing,” I say.
“Uh huh … and what’s that?” he asks.
“There’s this part of everyone’s anatomy called legs. They’re a marvelous invention. I believe they were invented to enable us to walk. I’ve been told they will catch on one day, but I’m not sure you’ve quite got the gist of that yet.” I smile at him cheekily, causing him to chuckle with an amused shake of his head.
“I just love carrying you everywhere. Especially if it means holding you close to me.”
How can I possibly argue with that?
Jake takes special care of me after that. He undresses me and carefully places me in the bath. He bathes me tenderly, not once trying to squeeze a nipple or cop a feel … nothing like that. I almost feel neglected, and I wonder if Jake feels repulsed by me after what’s happened. This sudden thought—silly or not—has me panicking.
Once he finishes bathing me, he gently lifts me out of the bath and towels me dry. Again, he doesn’t touch me or linger his gaze on me the way he used to. The concept threatens to bring tears to my eyes. The quick stabbing in my throat helps me to hold them back. I know I’m being unreasonable, but after what’s happened to me, I don’t feel very reasonable. Despite everything that’s taken place, I still want him to desire me.
He disappears for a few moments then walks back with a white, fitted, slip-on nightie. He carefully slides it over my head and takes me to the bed where he makes sure I’m comfortable.
“Better?” he asks.
“Much better, thank you.”
He gets up to leave, making me panic. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back. I’m just going to talk to Matthew for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”
He wanders off, leaving me feeling a bit hollow. Normally, Jake’s all over me by now. He’s always known how to make me feel wanted and special, but now there’s nothing. Instead, I feel isolated and undesirable. The thought—although stupid—rattles me to my very core.
Knowing my feelings are silly, I turn around to one side, grabbing the sheets and hugging them to me. Jake makes his entrance a little after that.