Yep. She's good for him.
"I'm tired of living to someone else's standard."
Eden's eyebrows shot up and she inhaled so sharply she choked on her own spit.
He held up his hand. "I know, I'm one of those...idiots who think they have the right to dictate how everyone else lives. But I'm trying to change my ways." He squeezed Eden's hand and locked gazes with her. "Will you please forgive me for all the ridiculous demands I placed on you."
On any other day she wouldn't have been willing to forgive him so easily, but knowing how close she’d come to losing him, she wasn't willing to put off that task.
"Of course, I forgive you." Eden blinked back the tears that filled her eyes as she leaned in and gave him another hug.
"Pardon me for interrupting, but I need to do a quick assessment on your father." A tall, buff male nurse walked into the room.
Eden stood beside Helen while the nurse asked her dad a series of simple questions and checked the pulses in the tops of his feet.
"They have to check him often to make sure he doesn't have a stroke," Helen whispered.
A stroke!
So he's not totally out of danger yet.
When the nurse lifted the blanket to check the bandage near the groin where doctors had gone in to do the surgery, she and Helen turned their backs. Once the nurse was finished, Eden returned to the right side of the bed while Helen sat on the left.
She'd barely settled on the bed when her dad said, "How come Rudy didn't come with you? I'd like to talk stocks with him again."
Just the mention of Rudy's name was enough to make her heart beat a little faster. But then she reminded herself of what he said to Scott on Saturday, and her stomach hardened.
"No. He uh... he wanted to, but I'll probably stay for a while, and he couldn't afford to take the time off work."
"You're staying for a while?" Helen asked, hope lighting her eyes.
"Well, I figured I’d check in with Sam and make sure things don't fall to pieces while you're laid up."
Sam was her dad's second in command, and he was more than capable of running the company while her dad recuperated, but she needed to ensure she wasn't letting her dad down when he needed her most.
"You don't have to do that," her dad said. "I know you hate it there."
"I don't hate it. I just didn't...always enjoy it."
"I understand. Itwillgive me a little peace of mind if you check in with Sam and Dirk. But you need to know...that I want you to be happy. Even if it’s not with DuPont or...here in Spokane."
When Eden blinked back the tears again, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a long moment. Then he opened them again and smiled. "Tell me how things are going with you and Rudy. Are there going to be wedding bells in your future soon?"
I wish!
Tears flooded Eden's eyes, and her efforts to blink them away only succeeded in forcing them out.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Dad squeezed her hand while Helen leaned over and put an arm around Eden's shoulder.
"Rudy and I aren't...in a good place right now."
"What did he do?" Anger filled her dad's voice.
"Nothing."
That was the real crux of the problem. He wasn't ready to deviate from his plans and settle down.
"And everything."
