Page 89 of A Really Bad Idea

Mom beams when she sees him. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? I didn’t want to come, but someone”—she thumbs in my direction with a twisted expression—“bullied me here.”

He looks my way with a gleam in his eye and laughs with that deep baritone. “Meadow is hard to say no to. She held me hostage the other night, eating lasagna on the couch until midnight.”

“Such a heavy meal. That’s no good for the waistline.” Mom tsks in my direction.

I scowl at my mother as Christian defends, “Meadow has a perfect figure, just like her mother.”

Mom soaks up Christian’s charm, which makes Brian rub his forehead and look at his watch. Dad doesn’t even react. He knows this is Christian’s way of making Mom smile. And she is, ear to ear.

Christian takes a seat on the edge of Mom’s bed and puts a hand on her calf. “I wanted to pop in and see these legs. I heard you had some fluid.” He does a quick assessment and doesn’t show a negative reaction at all. “I’ll stop in tomorrow afternoon to see if the swelling is down. Just relax and enjoy the vacation.”

He kisses Mom on the cheek and bids Dad and Brian farewell. I excuse myself from my family and follow him out.

When we’re in the hallway, we step to the side to make room for a nurse coming down the hall with a medicine cart.

“Thanks for coming by,” I say to him, clutching the wishbone necklace around my neck.

“I have surgery tomorrow, so I was seeing a patient when Dad texted that your mom was coming up. I couldn’t not come to see her even if I wanted to.” His words are tender as he puts his hand on my jaw and raises my chin. “You okay?”

I blink back the emotion I’ve suppressed the last few hours and take a heavy inhale. “I’m angry with myself for dropping the ball. I should have known she was in heart failure. I should have—”

“Don’t blame yourself. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be here, getting the care she needs.”

I look up and away, breathing in the emotion that I have been neglecting to feel. “She scares me.” My chest collapses in as I exhale. “I complain about her all the time, but I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

He pulls me in for a hug, and I fall into it, seeking comfort in the warmth of his chest and that woodsy scent I love. My arms cling to his back, and I grip onto him like he’s my lifeline.

“Don’t worry. I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure she walks out of here, healthy and happy. She’ll be prying into your life again in no time.”

I laugh into his chest. “Oh, a little heart failure won’t stop her. Thank you though.” I sigh. “I know you’ll take care of her.”

He leans back and looks down at me, appraising me as he caresses my cheek with his thumb, brushing my hair away from my face. “Is that all?”

I close my eyes and shake my head. Part of me doesn’t want to say anything, but it’s silly at this point to keep anything from him. “I’m not pregnant. It’s nothing. It just surprised me.”

“That just means, we try again,” he says easily.

I open my eyes and see he has smile crinkles on the sides of his eyes. I can’t ignore the way chills rush through my body at his easy way of saying we’ll try again.

“Unless you want to stop?” His brows rise, making a line appear on his forehead.

“No. I still want this,” I answer honestly. “You?”

That tender smile widens, showing off gorgeous pearly whites and the cleft of his chin. “Yes.”

His attention fixes over my shoulder, and I turn around.

Brian is in the hallway, staring at us. “I’m heading out,” he says, walking past us.

“I’ll head out with you,” Christian says to him and then kisses the top of my head. He places his hands on my shoulders and lowers his eyes to mine. “We’ll get her fixed as soon as possible.”

“I know.” I give a closed-mouth smile in agreement as he backs away.

“Good night.” My brother kisses me on the cheek, and I watch as the two men walk away.

Brian has always had respect for Christian’s medical opinion, so I’m sure he’ll use this opportunity to ask him all the questions that have been eating him away all night.