Paul and Jacob’s father look unsurprisingly pissed to see me, and Lily, too, but Jacob’s mother’s face is flat and expressionless, which is somehow even worse. They all pause at the door as I rise to my feet. I force the words out quickly, before Paul can spit out whatever he’s about to say.
“If you could just hear me out, please,” I say, as calmly as I can. Paul starts to say something, his furious face beet red, but Jacob’s father raises a hand and he falls silent. I snatch a breath.
“I know that this has been a huge shock,” I say, trying not to stumble over the words I’ve prepared. “And I understand your concerns about Jacob’s future. I know he should have told you sooner—we should have told you sooner—but I can’t go back and change that now.” I force myself to take another breath. “Jacoband I have been together for over a year now, and I really, really care about him.” Heat is rising to my face. I can’t believe I’m saying all this out loud. I force the rest out. “I’d never do anything to mess up his career, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep this out of the press.” I glance at Jacob. He’s still asleep, his breathing slow and even. “I don’t want to fight with any of you,” I finish carefully. “I just... I just want to be here and help.”
None of them answer me, except Paul, who snorts derisively. The silence stretches out, growing tenser by the second. I look to Jacob’s mother, but her face is still expressionless.
“I’d like to visit with my son,” she says finally. She walks to Jacob’s bedside without looking at me.
Jacob’s father clears his throat. “I think you’d better go.”
My limbs grow heavy with disappointment. “I’ll be back later,” I mutter, stepping past him.
“Don’t bother,” Paul snaps.
I’m waiting for the elevator when the unit door opens again. Jacob’s sister, Lily, emerges, clearly looking for me. A fragile thread of hope starts to form in my chest.
It vanishes when she opens her mouth.
“Don’t come back,” she says. “Jacob doesn’t want you here.”
I stare at her face, feeling hollow and dull. She’s a beautiful girl, but the look in her eyes makes her ugly. The elevator arrives with a ding. I exhale heavily as I step into it. I don’t know what to say to her, so I don’t bother saying anything at all.
“Don’t come back,” she says again, as the doors slide shut.
15
Not a Big Deal
Heather keeps me busy for the rest of the day, dragging my sorry ass down to the hotel gym and guiding me through a brutal workout while she drinks an iced coffee and returns e-mails on her phone.
“That article about you and Antony’s gone off that site,” she tells me as I chug a bottle of water. “And look what’s popped up in its place.”
She hands me her phone, open to an article with a picture of her and me at the airport and the title ‘F1 Driver Travis Keeping Jets to France with Hot New Girlfriend!’
I roll my eyes. “Sorry about that.”
She shrugs. “No worries. I do have a boyfriend, though, so don’t get any ideas.” She winks and hip checks me. “Now c’mon, let’s go grab some food.”
We have lunch at a restaurant nearby, then she drives us a little ways out of the city to a hike through a national park. We don’t talk much, but it feels good to be out and moving. It gives me the illusion of accomplishing something.
Afterward, she books us in for dinner in the city’s nicest restaurant. “This is on you, by the way,” she tells me as we sit down. The food is good, but I’m getting antsy being away from the hospital so long. I get the feeling Heather is eating slowly on purpose, forcing me to take some time away. After a painstaking hour, she finally asks the waiter for our check.
“You can go to the hospital now,” she tells me outside the restaurant. “Remember what we talked about.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
On the way to the hospital, I force myself to run through the new speech I’ve prepared for Jacob’s parents. I’m going to tell them about the article about Heather and me, and reassure them again that I won’t do anything to wreck Jacob’s career. Like Heather said, sometimes people need to hear things a few times before they really listen. I’m kind of hoping Jacob might’ve talked to them, too, though I don’t want him stressing himself out about it.
I press the buzzer in the waiting room and wait patiently for a nurse, praying it isn’t the older blond woman. When Jean’s semi-friendly face appears, I can’t help feeling like it’s a sign. Maybe this time, I’ll make some headway.
This hopeful thinking carries me to his room, where Dr. K is standing at the foot of his bed, talking with his parents. Paul and Lily are nowhere to be seen, which I think is another good sign. Jacob is sitting up further in bed. A warmth spreads through my chest at the sight of him. His skin’s got a bit of color in it and his eyes are clearer.
“Ah, Monsieur Travis,” Dr. K says pleasantly, turning to greet me.
“Sorry,” I say awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
I sneak a glance at Jacob’s parents but glean very little from their cold expressions.
