“And giving up something you want in the process.”
“Yes.” He agrees. “Something I want more than I ever wanted anything.”
“Twenty minutes!” Winona shouts, coming around the corner from the kitchen. “Time to put your ice pack on, Greyson.”
I pull my hand back from his and make room for Winona to step closer.
My heart sinks like a weight into my belly.
Greyson’s eyes meet mine in a look that tells me he’s made up his mind, even though both our hearts will be broken in the process.
Chapter 37
Greyson
Love is not something you protect.
It’s something you risk.
~ Gayle Forman
Winona flutters around, carefully placing the ice pack and handing me a glass of water and my next dose of meds.
“I have to take your vitals,” she says in her usual bubbly tone. “I really can’t tell why they call it taking. You’d think I should leave the vitals right where they are.”
She wraps the cuff around my bicep and Hallie looks on.
“You need them, after all,” Winona says. “That’s why they’re called vitals.”
I chuckle at her logic, but my laughter falls when I look into Hallie’s eyes.
Everything in me wants to tell her I can take the risk. She’s offering me exactly what I wanted. I’ve been waiting for her green light. But the fire changed everything. I can’tguarantee I’ll be the man they need me to be if my life is regularly on the line.
Winona places the thermometer to my forehead. Then she reads it out loud, pronouncing, “Normal. And your heart is in tip-top shape.”
She looks between me and Hallie. “Well, I’ll just get out of your hair—and your house. I’ll be back tonight to see what you need before bedtime.”
“Thanks, Winona,” I say.
“It’s my pleasure,” she says. “Stay off that leg.”
She picks up her purse and heads out the door.
“If Amelia Bedelia were a nurse,” I tell Hallie.
She smiles softly and then her eyes drift so she’s staring out the front windows, across the lawn. I don’t say a thing. What can I say? Nothing I could say would make this easier for her.
A few moments later there’s a knock at the door.
Mrs. Kinkaid pops her head in. “Oh! Hallie. You’re still here. I forgot my pot holders. I’ll just grab them and go.”
Hallie stands abruptly. “Actually, I was just leaving.” Her eyes dart around the room, avoiding mine. “I think I’ll go meet my sister and my daughter for some celebration ice cream.”
Mrs. Kinkaid says, “Don’t go on my account.”
Hallie says, “I think Greyson might need some company—besides mine.”
Mrs. Kinkaid laughs, unaware of what Hallie’s actually saying. “Well, enjoy your ice cream.”
