They chatted together for a little while longer. “It’s late. Gwen is medicated for the night. We need to get your meds, do your ostomy care and get you to bed,” Tim said.
“I’ve got my care. I’ll see you in the morning,” Troy said. “I’ll check on Gwen then head to bed.”
* * *
Gwen pushedup on her elbows as Troy knocked and opened her door.“Hey.”
“I’m sorry if I woke you,” he worried.
“No, I was up. I had to pee,” she giggled. “TMI.”
“I guess the pain isn’t too bad at the moment?”His eyes twinkled.
Her brows rose. “I’m okay. Tim is tough to lie to.”
“Yeah, no BSing him. I’m sorry to have left you hanging for so long. And I’m sorry your dad had to leave.” He interlaced his fingers with hers and raised her hand to his lips. “I should let you rest.” He stood.
“I slept too much. I want my tour. Janice checked in before she went home—she said it’s spectacular.” I want to kiss your face off.She was thankful she kept that to herself.
Troy opened the wheelchair that was standing in the corner, rolling it to her side. Gwen watched Troy carefully as she slowly stood in her green and pink silk pajamas. His eyes told her how he felt, sending a shiver down her spine.
Troy wrapped his arms around her, and she felt his lips against her crown of hair. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” As much as she didn’t want to, she pressed out of his embrace. “Tour please.”
Troy pushed her throughout the palatial home. He chose the lanai, furnished with teak furniture and low lighting, as their last stop. He locked the wheelchair and extended his hand. “Come sit. We haven’t had a minute to talk.”
Gwen sighed as she curled up in his arms. “The house is beautiful, but I’m going to need a map to find my way around.”
“Don’t laugh, but Owen sent me one. I dropped it in your email.” He hugged her closer. “Tell me honestly, how are you feeling? Though they did things laparoscopically, I think the surgery was tough on you.” His rubbed up and down her back.
His hand felt so good. Warm and strong. “You know?”
“Your dad explained some things. Sweetheart, he adores you. He told me because he knows how special you are to me. I enjoyed his company very much.” He continued rubbing her back.
Gwen was tense, but at Troy’s words and touches, she relaxed. “I have an appointment with the GYN people in two weeks. They plan on going over what having one ovary means. More tests and scans to rule out the old infection and any new resistant bugs.”
“I’m sorry. And I get it,” he said.
“Oh, God, I feel terrible. You’ve had a hard day too.” Her big green eyes teared.
“I did, but that doesn’t make your day any less bad.” Troy helped her sit up. Using two fingers, he lifted her chin, then leaned down, his lips pressing against hers. He nibbled her lower lip as his tongue swept along, probing to get inside her mouth. He kissed her like a starving man, and she ran her hands through his hair, returning the kiss. Though she felt stressed from her situation, this kiss was unlike the one in Virginia.
They kissed for what felt like forever. Troy released control of her mouth, kissing the tip of her nose before resting his forehead against hers. “Gwendolen, my beauty, I said I wanted to wait until I sorted things out, and I know I’m a terrible bet, but I want to be with you. Start a relationship with you. I’m changing the rules in the middle of the game. And…”
“And I’m a terrible poker player, but I’ve won my share. I’ll take this bet.” She held his face between her hands. “I’m all in.”
Troy slid her into his lap. Wrapped in his arms, she felt at peace.
A few minutes later, a flashlight flickered outside, one of the night patrols. Troy coughed. “Right on time.” He scanned his watch. “I realized in all the conversations we’ve had, you never told why you’re called Witch?”
She chuckled. “My mom and dad named me Gwendolen. Instead of the letter Y in the last syllable, my parents replaced it with the letter E. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Shields, was a retired nun. Did you know they exist? My mom said she fell in love and wanted to get married. On my first day, we did a math sheet. I got every answer correct, but she crossed out the E in my name in red marker and replaced it with a Y. I told her my name was spelled with an E. She called me a little witch, so I called her a nasty bitch.” She shrugged. “Yes, I had a big mouth even then. She dragged me to the principal’s office.”
“You were eight, and your teacher called you a witch.” Troy was incredulous.
Gwen smiled. Her man was defending her.Her man—she could get used to that. “My mom came in her full-dress uniform. Uh oh, I thought, I’m in trouble. And I was. At home that night, I was reminded about using language instead of mean words. That was after we ate ice cream cake. The top of it had a big Y crossed out with an E beside it. They were happy I stood up for myself.”When did you lose that ability, Gwendolen?
“My mom gets up and returns to the table with a large leather-bound book of the life of Merlin. He was King Arthur’s doctor, counselor, and wizard. Gwendolen was Merlin’s wife and enchantress. My nickname became Witch.”
