I give her a look that tells her I don’t care who’s here. I’m going to be here too. “I’ll be back. Can you think of anything else she might want or need?”
“She only likes the red Halls cough drops, and maybe some Sprite? Oh, and since you’re going out, grab some tissues. The box she was using last night was halfway empty.”
“Got it. I’ll be back.” I wave to them and head out. In my car, I call the office, and Layla answers. “Hey, Layla.”
“Morning, Conrad.”
“Aspen isn’t feeling well, so I’m going to take the day off. I had one meeting this afternoon with a new vendor who’s trying to get us to switch servers. Can you call and move them to wherever next week?”
“Sure. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, just a cold. I’m on my way to pick up a few things and take them back to her.”
“Aw, well, take good care of her. We’ll handle things here.”
“Thanks, Layla.”
“You’re welcome.”
I hit End on my steering wheel just as I pull into the parking lot of the pharmacy.
Thirty minutes later, after parking in the back of the bakery next to Aspen, I’m walking through the back door with my arms loaded down with bags.
“What in the world?” Aurora says when she sees me.
“I wanted to make sure she had options.” I shrug and start my trek up the stairs.
“Conrad.” I hear Aurora call up the steps. Turning, I look down the stairs, giving her my attention. “She’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.” Turning back around, I manage to turn the knob and open the door without dropping any of the bags. Setting them on the small kitchen table, I begin to unpack them. First things first, I grab the medicine, the tissues, the cough drops, the vapor rub, and a bottle of water, and head back to her room.
“What’s all of that?” Aspen asks weakly when I enter her room.
I kneel at the side of her bed. “Can you sit up for me? You need to take some medicine.”
She groans and coughs a deep barky cough but manages to sit up. I hand her two tablets and the bottle of water, and she takes them without complaint. “Now, cough drop?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She unwraps it, then pops it into her mouth.
“This will help with the congestion. You can put it under your nose and on your chest. That’s what the pharmacist told me. My mom used this stuff on us when we were kids, and it’s a miracle worker. It smells bad, but it works.”
“We used that too.”
“Do you want me to put some on you?”
“Please.” She nods and eases back down on her mound of pillows.
After opening the jar, I place a tiny bit on the tip of my index finger and rub it along the top of her lip under her nose. “Want some on your chest?” I ask.
“Might as well,” she says over a cough.
This time I use two fingers to swipe through the container, getting a bigger glob. Pulling back the covers, I lift her shirt and begin to gently rub the salve onto her chest. She’s wearing nothing but cotton panties and a T-shirt. I know she’s sick, and thinking about her in any other way than to take care of her is a dick move, but she takes my breath away. I’ve missed the feel of her smooth skin beneath my fingers.
“There,” I croak. “I’m going to go wash my hands, and then I’ll set up the vaporizer.”
“Conrad.” She rasps my name when I get to the door.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
After washing my hands, I put the Sprite, 7UP, and orange juice I brought in the fridge. Opening the three-pack of tissues, I pull out a box and take them back to her. Next, I tackle the vaporizer. Unpacking it from the box, I take a seat on the chair to read the instructions. It’s not complicated, but I don’t want to mess it up. Filling it to the appropriate line with water, I add the liquid-vapor and head back to her room. She’s resting, so I try to set it up on the nightstand, being as quiet as I can.
“You think that will help?” she asks.
“I’m not really sure. My mom says it will, and I remember her using one for us as kids when we were sick.”
“My mom did too.”
“Can I get you anything?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed once the vaporizer is running.
“You’ve already done too much.”
I smooth her hair back out of her eyes. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me. Just yell for me, or your phone is on the nightstand.”
“You’re not going to work?”
“No. I’m going to be right here in case you need anything.”
“Conrad, it’s just a cold.”
I nod. “I know, but I want to take care of you.”
Her eyes well with tears. “Will you lie with me?” she asks. “I-I miss you.” Her whispered confession in her scratchy voice is like music to my ears.
Standing from her bed, I kick off my shoes and slip out of my suit jacket, shirt, and tie, then drape them over the chair in the corner of her room. Next, I remove my pants and socks, place them over the rest of my clothes before rounding the bed and sliding under the covers. I pull her into my arms, and as soon as our bodies touch, it’s as if two pieces of a puzzle are finally in the right places.
“I missed you. I missed this,” I confess, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m weak.”
“I know, babe. A few days and you’ll feel good as new.”
“No. Well, that too, but I meant I’m weak when it comes to you.”
“You’ve been putting up a pretty good fight.”
“I don’t want to resist you anymore.”
“Then don’t.”
She turns to face me. “Don’t break my heart, Conrad Riggins.”
“Never.” I hold her close as she rests her head on my chest and falls back to sleep. I don’t know if it’s the cold medicine, the cold, or maybe a little of both that was talking, but I can’t help but hope that it was her. That I’ve finally proven to Aspen that she’s the only woman for me. With her in my arms, I too drift off to sleep.
Chapter 23
Aspen
This has been the longest week. I hate being sick, but I must admit that having Conrad take such good care of me has been a perk. He stayed with me Monday. We lay in bed all day until Aurora came up to check on us when the bakery closed. She came with a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup that Lena dropped off. Aurora offered to stay, but Conrad ushered her out the door. We ate soup and went back to bed.
He stayed with me all night. I didn’t need him to. It was a head cold, but I also didn’t want him to leave. It’s been pure hell turning him down day after day, and when he dropped everything to take care of me, and buy me half of the pharmacy, suddenly my fears were not that big. Sure, I know he can break my heart, but that’s a risk I’m taking.
He just doesn’t know it yet.
After my whispered confession, neither of us brought it up again. I know he thinks it was the cold medicine talking, but it was more than that. The minute he wrapped his arms around me, I knew. It doesn’t matter how many times I turn him away. It’s his touch that I’ll crave. Over the last month, he’s found little ways to touch me, a brush of his hand against mine, his hand on the small of my back, and a hug whenever he gets the chance. Each one chipped away at my resolve. However, when he climbed into bed with me, knowing I was sick, and his arms held me tight, there was no more resistance left in me.