over but I’ll sneak you in considering I waylaid you outside.”
“Thanks, so what’s up with your mom? Why is going to visit her on par with the dentist?”
She made a noise in her throat and leaned against the other side of the elevator. I wanted to hit the panic
button and trap us in here together for an hour or two so I could see if I could get her to put her mouth on
mine again.
“She’s always kind of been a difficult woman, even in the best of times, but now that she and my dad
are getting a divorce, she’s turned into something else and I long for the days of difficult.”
This was the most she’d ever told me about herself.
“How long were they married for?”
“Long enough to decide that they didn’t like each other very much anymore.”
“That sucks, but isn’t that how all marriages end?”
She lifted an eyebrow at me.
“Your mom is still married, and what about Rule? Didn’t he propose to his girlfriend right here in the
hospital? And Jet Keller got married, didn’t he?”
“My mom is obsessed with Grant. She would fall apart if that relationship didn’t work out, and that’s
not a marriage to me. Rule and Shaw are meant to be, and Jet totally married the right girl. I see those
unions lasting the test of time, but who knows? People change, and stuff you thought you liked about a
person can suddenly bug the crap out of you twenty years in.”
It was probably the most honest I had ever been with any girl I was attracted to when it came to my
thoughts on relationships and forever. I typically spent time with girls that didn’t want to talk about long
term or knew that if they did I was out the door.
“So you don’t think you’ll ever get married or have kids?” She sounded curious but also something
more.
I shrugged and reached up to pull my hat off of my head and shove it into my back pocket.
“I doubt it.”
She muttered something I didn’t catch under her breath and walked with me to the desk. She talked to
the night nurse, signed something, and came back over to where I was hovering off to the side.
“You’re all set. You can only go in for a half hour, but that’s better than nothing.”
“I appreciate it.”
She cocked her head to the side and blinked those cloudy eyes at me like she was trying to find
something to say. I thought she was extra cute when she was all unsure like that.
She gave me a really sad smile and slipped my hoodie off to hand it back to me. I wanted to put it to my
face and see if it smelled like oranges now instead of cigarette smoke.
“It’s devastating when someone you think you can love ends up disappointing you in the end, so I
understand where you are coming from. Thanks, for, well, everything tonight, I guess. I’m actually glad I
ran into you.”
She was walking away from me. I could never seem to get a handle on this girl or really understand
why I wanted to handle her in the first place. Maybe it was because we were talking about weddings, or
maybe it was because I wanted to kiss her and a whole lot more, but I couldn’t stop myself from blurting
out, “Come to Rule’s wedding with me.”
She stopped and went absolutely still. She glanced at me over her shoulder and I could see her trying to
say no without using the actual word. I lifted an eyebrow at her and gave her a grin.
“It’s on Christmas Eve in a week. Don’t say no, just think about it.” I hooked a thumb at the closed door
where Phil was at. “Come find me if you decide you want to give it a shot. It’ll be fun … well, as fun as a
wedding can be when the bride hasn’t told her parents she’s getting married and the groom is as
unpredictable as Rule. Just think about it.”
Before she could outright reject the notion, I slipped into Phil’s dark room and closed the door behind
me. I was surprised he was still awake, but those eyes that were so like mine were wide open and watching
me with unmistakable humor.
“The redheaded
“Thanks, so what’s up with your mom? Why is going to visit her on par with the dentist?”
She made a noise in her throat and leaned against the other side of the elevator. I wanted to hit the panic
button and trap us in here together for an hour or two so I could see if I could get her to put her mouth on
mine again.
“She’s always kind of been a difficult woman, even in the best of times, but now that she and my dad
are getting a divorce, she’s turned into something else and I long for the days of difficult.”
This was the most she’d ever told me about herself.
“How long were they married for?”
“Long enough to decide that they didn’t like each other very much anymore.”
“That sucks, but isn’t that how all marriages end?”
She lifted an eyebrow at me.
“Your mom is still married, and what about Rule? Didn’t he propose to his girlfriend right here in the
hospital? And Jet Keller got married, didn’t he?”
“My mom is obsessed with Grant. She would fall apart if that relationship didn’t work out, and that’s
not a marriage to me. Rule and Shaw are meant to be, and Jet totally married the right girl. I see those
unions lasting the test of time, but who knows? People change, and stuff you thought you liked about a
person can suddenly bug the crap out of you twenty years in.”
It was probably the most honest I had ever been with any girl I was attracted to when it came to my
thoughts on relationships and forever. I typically spent time with girls that didn’t want to talk about long
term or knew that if they did I was out the door.
“So you don’t think you’ll ever get married or have kids?” She sounded curious but also something
more.
I shrugged and reached up to pull my hat off of my head and shove it into my back pocket.
“I doubt it.”
She muttered something I didn’t catch under her breath and walked with me to the desk. She talked to
the night nurse, signed something, and came back over to where I was hovering off to the side.
“You’re all set. You can only go in for a half hour, but that’s better than nothing.”
“I appreciate it.”
She cocked her head to the side and blinked those cloudy eyes at me like she was trying to find
something to say. I thought she was extra cute when she was all unsure like that.
She gave me a really sad smile and slipped my hoodie off to hand it back to me. I wanted to put it to my
face and see if it smelled like oranges now instead of cigarette smoke.
“It’s devastating when someone you think you can love ends up disappointing you in the end, so I
understand where you are coming from. Thanks, for, well, everything tonight, I guess. I’m actually glad I
ran into you.”
She was walking away from me. I could never seem to get a handle on this girl or really understand
why I wanted to handle her in the first place. Maybe it was because we were talking about weddings, or
maybe it was because I wanted to kiss her and a whole lot more, but I couldn’t stop myself from blurting
out, “Come to Rule’s wedding with me.”
She stopped and went absolutely still. She glanced at me over her shoulder and I could see her trying to
say no without using the actual word. I lifted an eyebrow at her and gave her a grin.
“It’s on Christmas Eve in a week. Don’t say no, just think about it.” I hooked a thumb at the closed door
where Phil was at. “Come find me if you decide you want to give it a shot. It’ll be fun … well, as fun as a
wedding can be when the bride hasn’t told her parents she’s getting married and the groom is as
unpredictable as Rule. Just think about it.”
Before she could outright reject the notion, I slipped into Phil’s dark room and closed the door behind
me. I was surprised he was still awake, but those eyes that were so like mine were wide open and watching
me with unmistakable humor.
“The redheaded
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