“I thought you were going home?” I asked with a huge smile.
“I did.” He leaned against the counter, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “You’re my home.”
I tried not to swoon in the middle of the hospital, but I couldn’t help the ridiculously huge grin on my face.
“I brought you something,” Max said softly. He reached into the inner pocket of his black leather jacket and pulled out 4 little envelopes. He handed them to me.
I turned them over in my hands. “You brought me flower seed packets?” I laughed. “I don’t get it.”
“I was going to stop and buy you flowers to tell you I’m sorry. I should’ve come to you or at least called you last night. But in my defense, I needed to make sure you wanted to be with me. I needed to know that I wasn’t forcing you or pressuring you. But now I see I was wrong. I should’ve went to Cane’s and told you to make sure you were home in the morning. That I wanted you there because you belong with me. And my heart belongs to you. We both know it.”
“So I was going to buy you flowers, but they die,” he went on. “In a week, two tops, they’re done. Forgotten. So I bought you seed packets. You can plant those at our house and then in the spring, we can watch them grow until it gets cold again.” He shrugged. “It’s my way of telling you that I expect you to still be in my life, at our house, this time next year.”
“Oh, Max,” I said, rounding the corner and letting him envelop me in a hug. Everything about being in his arms, surrounded by his scent, his lips on the top of my head, was right.
It was home.
“I love ya, Kari. I woke up this morning without you beside me and I never want to do that again. It really hit me not having you there.”
I squeezed him tighter.
“I’m not letting you leave me. If you still love Blaine—”
“I never loved Blaine,” I interrupted, lookinginto his eyes. “I thought I did, but then I fell in love with you and I realized that what I felt for Blaine was nothing in comparison.”
“So you’ll come home?”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “I’m pretty sure I’m there right now.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
KARI
I slung my bag over my shoulder. “See ya later, Chandra.”
“Night, Kari.”
I brushed my fingers across the seed packets tucked safely in my pocket and smiled. My fingertips touched a stray piece of paper and I pulled out the packets curiously. Attached to the back of one of the packets was a sticky note.
I love you.
I stroked my thumb across the words written in Max’s handwriting.
I pressed the button for the elevator and was relieved when it opened quickly and was empty. I got in and pressed the P for the parking garage when I saw Dr. Manning walking towards me.
“Can I ride with you?” he asked, entering the elevator.
“Sure,” I smiled. “How was your shift?”
“Not bad, not great. No fantastic stories to remember to tell the grandkids one day, but I’ll survive,” he winked.
I laughed. “I should write a book about some of the stuff I’ve seen.”
“I’ll be your co-author.”
The elevator began its descent. “Was that your mother that called for you earlier? Is she okay?”
Connor’s face softened a bit. “Yes, it was. She’s okay, just had a question about her meds.”
