“Here, have some water.” She handed me the cup. “Madi asked me to tell you she wanted to be here, but the nurse made her stay in bed.”
“I’m glad she listened.”
“Eventually.”
Mary’s exasperated tone caught my attention.
I raised an eyebrow in question.
“She tried arguing, but we convinced her it was for the best.”
I could imagine the scene playing out.
“Thank you.” I wanted to see Madi, but not at the expense of her well-being.
“I’ll go to her.” I started to sit up, but Mary focused her fierce mama bear love on me. The kind I’d heard my bosses talk about but had never witnessed or experienced myself.
“You’ll do no such thing.” She pushed me back. “You can call her and tell her you’re awake. Until the nurse comes in and clears you to move, you will stay in your bed.”
“But—”
“Did you or did you not just thank me for telling Madi the same thing?”
Damn. Mary stared me down with her hands on her hips and waited for me to answer.
No wonder her kids were great people. Mary wasn’t afraid to dish out tough love.
“Yes, ma’am.” I sat back and resigned myself to waiting.
“Good. Now, tell me.” Her expression softened and her eyes sparkled. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”
Love her. Cherish her. Spoil her. Protect her. “I love her.”
“That’s no secret.” She laughed.
“Apparently not.” I closed my eyes and thought about how many times I’d heard some variation of that statement. “Mary, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“How long have you known?”
When she grinned, the resemblance between her and Madi was striking.
“The Christmas party.”
What?No way had she known it then. All I remembered feeling was shock.
Well, and pride for how well Madi handled her brothers.
And a physical attraction so strong it almost broke my brain.
“That’s not possible.” I meant it as a definitive statement, but it came out sounding like a challenge.
“Sure it is. You may have had a shit-eating grin on your face while you watched her stand up to her brothers, but your eyes told a different story. You were in love with her, you just didn’t realize it.”
“I think I was the last to know.”
“No, believe it or not, I think Madi was the slow one in your relationship.”
