A man buying my mother flowers… it’s been a long time since she’s had that.Since someone outside of the family has made her feel special.
It’s a nice feeling.
And I love how much he cares not just about me, but about my family too.
After hugging Mom, Adrian turns to me.For a split second, he hesitates, his gaze flicking between my eyes and my lips.Then, as if making a decision, he leans in.
I don’t stop him.
Our lips brush, just the lightest touch, but enough to send a rush through me.My fingers twitch with the urge to pull him back, to kiss him again, but I’m aware of everyone watching us, Aurora’s shocked expression, Hazel’s knowing smile, and Jasper’s disgusted face.Adrian steps away, about to greet the rest of the room.
Adrian met Aurora briefly the night Mom had her stroke.
Aurora watches us approach.
“Hi, Aurora,” Adrian says, extending his hand with a warm smile.
She takes it without hesitation, her own smile genuine.“Nice to see you again.”
“You too,” he says, letting go of her hand.
Aurora nods before Adrian turns his attention to my other siblings.“How’s everyone else?”
Hazel grins up at him, adjusting her oversized beanie.“Hey, guess what?I’ve done a couple more places, tidying up and grocery runs.”She wrinkles her nose.“Not gonna lie, groceries are the easiest.”
He takes a seat, arms crossed, listening to her with a smile on his lips.The way he gives her his full attention, as if whatever she’s saying is the most important thing in the world, makes my heart ache in the best way.
For so long, I felt like I had to keep my feelings for him hidden, had to downplay what was happening between us.
But not anymore.
Chapter 30
Adrian
“Wherethehellhaveyou been?”Isaac’s familiar voice comes through the line.
I shift my phone to the other ear as I walk down the hospital hallway.The day’s been long, and my brain feels like it’s running on fumes.
“Sorry, man.Life’s been hectic.”
“Everything alright?”Concern is etched in his voice.
I think about Amelia’s mom, the stroke, work, and the festival.How everything in my life has flipped upside down.How my relationship with Amelia isn’t a secret anymore.
“Yeah,” I say after a pause.“It’s all good now.Just, a lot all at once.”
Amelia’s mom isn’t my story to tell, and Isaac already knows I like Amelia.So I go with something I can share.Something he’ll understand.“I managed to raise the funds to fix the CT scanner we had,” I say, rubbing a hand over my face.“But we need a donor to buy a new one.”
Isaac goes quiet for a second.“Wait.They’ve been without one?”
“Yeah.It broke down, so patients had to get sent to the next town over.”
“Shit,” he mutters.“We’ve got six here, and even that never feels like enough.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me.“I know.”My mind flashes back to the city ward...overcrowded hallways, patients waiting hours for scans, doctors stretched too thin.
The contrast hits me harder now.How much we accomplish here with so little compared to the city, with all the resources that never seem enough.
