“There’s no going back for me, Kenna. I was inside you last night. That means something to me.”
My heart leaps into my throat. “Rip?”
He leans in close. His mouth’s a breath from mine. “I made love to you last night, McKenna. The details are a little fuzzy, but I remember enough. I remember feeling like I was finally home.” His eyes are soft. “I hate that I can’t remember every single second of our first time together.”
“It was a thing, but now it’s over. No harm done.” Except maybe to my heart. The way it’s beating frantically in my chest, it seems as though that forgetting won’t be an option for me. Not for a while, if not ever. I can’t believe we spent the night together and I can’t remember it.
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“I don’t want it to be over.”
“Rip.” I sigh. “If this is some kind of weird sense of responsibility thing you have going on in that head of yours, you can drop it. We don’t have to make this a thing.”
“We do.”
“No, we don’t.”
“We’ll see,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.
I don’t have the energy to argue with him, and I certainly don’t need every damn person on this plane involved in our private life. He’s not thinking clearly. I never want him to feel trapped like my father. I’ll give him some time to think about it, and once I see that Gramps is going to be fine, I’ll figure out how to navigate being friends who have seen each other naked.
Chapter 17
Rip
As we approach the entrance to the hospital, my hand on her thigh gives a soft tap, letting her know I’m here for her. Guiding our rental into the parking lot, I rush to grab the keys and my phone and catch up with her as she power walks her way to the main entrance. When we landed, we called to check on Harold. Agnes had informed us that the surgery went well, and they were admitting him to the cardiac floor.
Catching up to McKenna, I entwine my fingers with hers just as we’re entering the hospital. I wish there was something else I could do other than hold her hand and drive her to the hospital. I know her heart is aching at the thought of losing her grandfather. Her dream has always been to work side by side with him before he retires. She’s busted her ass to finish college early, only to be faced with the uncertainty of her grandfather’s future.
“Harold Dawson,” she says when we reach the reception desk.
“Are you family?” the lady behind the desk asks.
“She’s his granddaughter,” I answer for McKenna.
“And you are?”
“Her husband.” There’s no way I’m letting her go back there alone, and if they don’t think I’m family, they won’t let me. Boyfriend isn’t a good enough title in these kinds of situations.
“He’s on the fifth floor, the cardiac until. I’m not sure if he’s been assigned a room yet. Take that elevator”—she points to our right—“and the nurse at the desk will be able to help you.”
“Thank you,” I say, my feet already moving, guiding McKenna to the elevators. Once the doors close, I hit the number five on the wall and wrap her in my arms. She feels right.
“I’m so scared,” she murmurs into my neck.
“I know, I am too, but I’m going to be right beside you the entire time. Your gram said the surgery went well. He’s going to be okay.” She doesn’t say anything. Instead, she snuggles closer to me, soaking up the comfort I’m so desperately trying to give her.
We exit the elevator hand in hand, and when we approach the desk, I speak for her… for us. “Hi, we’re looking for Harold Dawson.”
“Are you family?”
“Yes, my wife is his granddaughter.” I can feel McKenna’s eyes on me when I once again refer to her as my wife. That’s something that I could definitely get used to.
“They just brought him up. I need to check on him again. Why don’t I show you to his room?” she offers. “Follow me? We have a two-visitor rule, but as long as you don’t upset him and let him rest, it will be fine.” She gives me a flirty wink. I’m ready to chastise her for flirting with me in front of my wife when McKenna demands her attention.
“Thank you,” McKenna says, pulling the nurse's attention.
“Of course.” The nurse must see the look on McKenna’s face because all hints of flirtation are gone as she leads us to Harold’s room.
“Mr. Dawson, you have visitors,” the nurse says after knocking lightly on the door.
“Mac.” Harold holds his hand out for McKenna, and she drops mine, racing to him.
“Hey, Gramps,” she whispers through her tears.
I make my way to them and place my palm on the small of her back, letting her silently know I’m here for her. “You gave us a scare,” I tell Harold.
“Oh, I’m fine now. Right as rain, in fact. The doc fixed up my ticker, and Agnes is already talking about taking all the good food away from me. I’m going to be just fine.” He chuckles, and although he’s a little pale, he sounds like himself.
McKenna’s lip quivers. “I was so scared,” she tells him, her voice cracking.
“My sweet girl,” he says but stops and looks at where her other hand is clasped tightly in mine. “What’s this?” He looks up, and the grin on his ashen face is not something I expected.
“Oh my word, is that what I think it is?” Agnes says from her post on the opposite side of the bed. “Rip?” she asks since McKenna seems to be struck speechless.
“I’m working on convincing McKenna to be my girlfriend,” I tell them.
“Congratulations, you two.” Harold smiles at us.
“Gram, Gramps, this is a mis—” McKenna starts, but Harold talks over her.
“I couldn’t think of a better man for you,” he tells her. There’s nothing but honesty and acceptance in his gaze. “I’d say this news turned a bad day into a great day.” He looks at his wife.
“Yes,” Agnes says, wiping at her eyes. “I’m so happy for both of you. I always hoped this would be how the two of you ended up. Come here.” She walks to our side of the bed, wrapping us both in a hug.
“Grams—” McKenna starts. This time it’s me who’s talking over her.
“Thank you. I’ll make her happy. I promise you.”
“Oh, Rip, we know that you will.”
Bending, I place a kiss on McKenna’s temple. She stares up at me like I’ve lost my mind. That’s okay. We’ve yet to really talk about us and our night together, other than me telling her I wanted her to be mine. We will. I needed her to see her family. I needed her to be able to see with her own eyes that Harold was going to be okay. At least, I hoped that was the outcome we would find when we arrived. Luck happened to be on our side, and he’s going to be fine. He’ll struggle through some diet modifications, but I know for a fact he’ll do whatever Agnes tells him. That’s what you do for the woman you love, no matter if it’s to save your life or not.