“Thank you,” I say. “Have you heard from her?”
“Not yet,” Miles says. “Sergio is with her, though. If he had an update, he’d give it to me.”
The lightbulb clicks, remembering Sergio is the name of the guard. I repeat both Miles' and Sergio’s names over and over so that they’ll stick in my brain on my next visit.
The half-hour ride is silent while I recap the lies I have to tell when I return home. I can’t keep coming to New York so often, especially in emergency situations like this. The secrets are becoming too much, and I know when I get home I’ll have to come clean to Callum. I’ve been avoiding it this whole time because I already know what will happen.
He’ll arrange a marriage alliance between our families, and I don’t want that. Growing up in a home where my parents loved each other makes it harder to believe I should settle for something I don’t feel. Like walking away from Griffin seems so wrong, and I know deep in my bones I shouldn’t settle for anything less than what we had. Camille isn’t the one I love. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking the night I hooked up with her, except that I wasn’t thinking.
She’s too materialistic, too involved in the status quo, and our differences make it difficult to hold any type of conversation. Imagining the rest of my life bored to tears, raising a child in a loveless marriage, makes my skin crawl.
But what other choice do I have? Holding out for Griffin isn’t an option. He’s made it clear he can’t forgive me. What I’ve done isn’t something he can get over. I have to let him go, which means accepting my responsibilities in both the family business and for what I’ve done.
CamilleisrestingwhenI finally make it to the hospital. I knock on the open door to her room to let her know I’m here, but she doesn’t stir. Not even when I enter, my dress shoes clicking against the tile floor.
I pull up a chair to the side of her bed, dragging the metal legs to create more noise. Still not so much as a flinch from her. I’m a light sleeper, waking even at the softest of touches, so this is surprising for me. Crossing one leg over the other, I watch as her chest rises at a steady pace. Camille’s not wearing the typical hospital gown that would come with being admitted. No, she’s wearing black satin pants with white trim along the ankles, and a black satin button down top with the same white trim along the waist and cuffs of her waist.
They’re definitely pajamas brought from home, probably fetched by Miles himself when she realized she’d be staying overnight to monitor the baby. The last few buttons on her shirt are undone, and there’s some type of device wrapped around her belly.
My gaze shifts to the monitors on the other side of her, trying to decipher what exactly they’re reading. Finally, Camille stirs, her neck turning. Then her eyes flutter open, and it takes her a second to realize I’m sitting with her. When she does, she offers me a sleepy smile and sits up.
Her hand falls to her stomach. “You made it,” Camille says, voice raspy from sleep.
“Yeah,” I say.
She yawns, then rubs her eyes with both hands. “What time is it?”
“Eleven at night. The nurse said you’ve been knocked out for two hours.” I reach forward, resting my hand on her knee. “How are you feeling?”
She makes a soft whimper, grabbing her wrist. “My hand is sore. I think from the fall. And my stomach hurts.”
“I’m sorry that I wasn’t here when it happened. The doctor said that you’re both okay.”
“Yeah,” she says, her head nodding in agreement. “They’re just keeping me overnight to monitor, to be sure. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course. You can always call me.” I reach for the cup of water that's sitting on her nightstand.
She accepts it from me, taking a sip. When she’s finished, I put it back. Clearing my throat, I steel myself to have the conversation that I already know will go nowhere. “But I think this would be a lot easier for both of us if you’d move to Boston.”
To my complete and utter shock, Camille nods frantically, her hand falling to her stomach again. “I agree.”
I take a few beats before answering. “You do?”
“Patrick, I know I’ve been fighting you on this. But being alone when I fell today was so scary. I don’t want to be away from you if something like that happens again. And if you won’t come here, then I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Wow. This is too easy. I’d been expecting a huge fit and my dumbass dragging her onto the plane with me. But I’m not about to continue to question it. I’m going to put the plan in motion before she can change her mind.
“You do know this means we’ll have to tell our families?” She asks, skepticism written all over her face.
I chew the inside of my lip. “I think it’s time we stop hiding from this, don’t you?”
A bright smile creeps across her face. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
I move my hand from her knee, sitting straighter in my chair. “My sister, Saoirse, is great at finding real estate. She can help you find a good home and decorate it while we get you settled.”
She frowns. “What’s wrong with your place?”
“Oh…” I pause, not wanting to upset her. “Nothing, I just thought you’d want to find a home to raise a baby. I live in a bachelor pad. Not really family material.”
