Young Love (Bloomfield #4)

by Janelle Stalder

  I wiped at my face, nodding like a mad woman, my words lost.

  “Does that mean you forgive me for being an idiot?” He said, amusement in his voice.

  “Yes, Grey,” I said, laughing through my tears. “I forgive you. I’ll always forgive you, because I love you too.”

  “Thank, God,” he said on a breath. He leaned in, kissing me gently on my lips, no doubt tasting my tears.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

  We leaned away from each other and both looked up to see Perrie standing there with a smile.

  “No, you’re not,” I said, smiling what felt like the first genuine smile I’d made in the last week.

  “Good. So I’m guessing you forgave this moron?”

  I nodded, looking at Grey who didn’t seem to care my cousin was calling him names.

  “Good. He’s been moping around here since the night of the accident. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take of it.”

  My smile widened at the look of embarrassment that crossed his face.

  “I think even the nurses were starting to take pity on him,” she added.

  He just gave me a shrug, and I couldn’t help but laugh, something I hadn’t thought I’d be able to do at a time like this. Grey made it easier to be happy. He made me realize that not all was lost. I was alive and, mostly, intact. That, along with this man’s love, was more than enough to make me thankful.

  Chapter 30

  Grey

  It’s funny how those popular sayings you hear all the time always end up ringing true down the road, such as, if only I knew then what I know now, or, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

  That couldn’t have been more true in my case. I’d already figured that out when I had screwed things up and broken up with Honor, but the saying had taken on a whole new meaning when I had thought I’d lost her for good. Thinking the worst, fearing that she had actually been taken from this world – it had put a lot of things into perspective for me.

  I had ended up waiting there at the hospital for the entire day and half that it had taken for her to wake up after surgery. The rest of our friends had eventually gone home, and Perrie had tried to insist I do the same, but I had refused. There was nothing, and no one, who was going to get me away from Honor until I’d had a chance to speak with her.

  I wasn’t going to waste another second of our time without telling her what an idiot I was, and how much she meant to me. I might not have intended to confess my love as I’d ended up doing, but the moment I had seen her awake, and she’d looked at me with those big eyes, I knew there was no denying it.

  How could I not love someone as amazing as Honor Jacobs? She was facing one of the hardest moments in her life, and she still managed to look at the brighter side of things. Not many people could do that.

  After the doctor had looked at her again, and she had eaten a bit, I sat by her side and watched her fall asleep as the pain medication hit her system again. Even knowing that we were okay, that she was okay, I still couldn’t bring myself to leave her.

  While she ate, Honor had talked about working hard and getting back on her feet, no matter what the doctors said. She wanted to teach again, even if that was all she could do, and she was set on doing whatever exercises and rehab she needed to achieve it.

  I was in awe of this woman. Where most people would fall into a depression over losing their dreams, Honor was even more determined than ever before.

  “Are you just going to sit there and watch her sleep all night?” Perrie asked as she appeared beside me.

  “I don’t know if I can go home,” I admitted.

  “You haven’t slept in days, Grey. You need to go home. Take a shower, get some sleep, and come back in the morning.”

  I rubbed at my eyes, knowing that she was right, but reluctant nevertheless.

  “Seriously,” she said, squeezing my shoulder. “You won’t do her any good if you collapse from exhaustion.”

  “I know,” I said, leaning forward to gently take Honor’s hand in mine.

  “She’s okay now, Grey. There’s nothing to be worried about. She’ll be right here when you come back in the morning.”

  “Fine,” I said, giving in. I stood, stretching the kink out of my back from sitting in that damn chair for so long. Hospitals were so not comfortable.

  “If you really want to get brownie points, you’ll come here with Starbucks tomorrow.”

  I chuckled as I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair. “Text me what you all want.”

  “You’re the greatest,” she said with a grin.

  I dropped a quick kiss to Honor’s forehead and then headed out. It only took me three seconds once I got out of the shower to fall asleep, the strain of the last week finally taking its toll.

  ***

  The day Honor came home from the hospital, I had Perrie bring her in on the wheelchair straight into my apartment. While she could use crutches, the Doctor had suggested staying off it completely for a few more days, just to insure the pins remained in place.

  That meant there was no way I was letting her live by herself over in her place. We set her up in my bed as she complained the entire time that she wasn’t an invalid, but I simply smiled and kissed her soundly on the lips before tucking her in. The huff that came out of her mouth told me whatever fight she’d been planning was gone - for now.

  The weeks afterward revolved around her needs, and trying to ease, not just her physical healing, but her mental and emotional wellbeing too. I held her each night; sometimes she’d cry, other times she’d have that firm determination back. It was easy to understand how conflicted she still felt.

  After a week, she finally declared she was going back to school because she couldn’t handle staying in my apartment one more second. I ended up rescheduling my appointments so that I could drop her off at the campus, and walk with her to her first class, just to make sure she got there okay.

  “I hate how you’re fussing over me,” she muttered.

  We stopped just outside her class door. I turned to her with a smile, cupping her face. “No you don’t,” I said, leaning down to kiss her on the mouth. She leaned in, opening her lips to mine, and I couldn’t hold back the growl that worked its way up my throat. I wanted this girl so badly, but not until I knew she was out of her cast and on her way to being healed.

  Eight weeks was going to kill me, at this rate. Having her in my space constantly, and falling into a routine with her that made it feel as though we’d always been together, made me want her even more than I ever had before. But she was worth the wait. I would do anything, if it meant helping her.

  I pulled back, laughing at the pout that instantly formed on her face.

  “When are you going to stop treating me like I’m made of glass?” she said.

  “When you’re not hobbling around,” I replied, kissing the tip of her nose.

  She let out a sigh. “You suck.”

  I winked at her. “But you love me.”

  She shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Honor,” I warned, biting back a laugh.

  “Will you be here to pick me up too, chauffeur?”

  “Yes, smartass, I’ll be here. Chloe will help you get to your other classes.”

  “Great, I’m a community project.”

  I gripped her shoulders. “Hey, we’re all just worried about you, okay? We could have lost you that night. No one wants to see you get back to your old self more than your friends and family.”

  “I know,” she said, her shoulders slumping. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I’m just sick of lying around, and this stupid cast itches like crazy. I’m used to being able to move. It’s torture being like this.”

  “I know, doll,” I said, pulling her into my chest.

  “I better get in there,” she said, her voice muffled against my chest.

  “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  “Okay.” She leaned up and kissed me again, before tu
rning awkwardly on her crutches and hopping into the room.

  I turned to leave, and froze. Adrien stood just a few feet away, his eyes still watching the spot where Honor had disappeared. Slowly they looked to me, and I could see the guilt in them.

  “I’m so sorry, man,” he said.

  “It’s not me you need to apologize to,” I replied coldly.

  He simply nodded, his face falling forward. I left, unable to look at him any longer unless he wanted my fist in his face.

  ***

  “Hey there, pretty lady,” I said, pushing up from where I was leaning against the hood of my car. Honor hobbled her way toward me, her mouth pressed in a line that told me she was hurting but didn’t want to let it show. She was one stubborn woman when it came to being in pain.

  She stopped in front of me, blowing a piece of hair from her face. “I hate these things,” she said.

  I chuckled. “I bet. You look like you need to sit down and let your man make you something to eat while you relax.”

  She sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this after wanting nothing more than to get out of there, but that sounds like heaven.”

  I grabbed her bag from her shoulder and helped her to the car, lowering her in carefully before placing the crutches in the back seat.

  “You’re pretty exhausted, huh?” I said as I lowered into the driver’s seat.

  She nodded. “Walking with those things takes a lot of energy out of me. And I feel like I’m scrambling to make up the lost time in all my classes, even though my teachers sent me what I missed.” Her head dropped back on the seat.

  I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. “You’ll get back into things,” I reassured her. “Your body is just tired from all the healing it’s been doing. Soon you’ll start to feel normal again.”

  She snorted. “I can’t see that happening until I get this stupid thing off my leg.”

  Reaching over, I gripped her hand in mine. We lapsed into a comfortable silence until she shifted her body slightly toward mine. I glanced over at her, noticing how she bit at her bottom lip. That told me she was debating on whether or not to tell me something.

  “Spit it out,” I said.

  She huffed. “I don’t want you to get all mad.”

  “I promise, whatever it is, I won’t get mad.”

  “You say that, but I know you.”

  “Out with it, woman.”

  She hesitated for a moment. “I spoke to Adrien today.”

  I bit back my smile. That’s what she was scared to tell me? “I know,” I said.

  “What? How do you know?”

  “I saw him before I left. I figured he would have talked to you.”

  She turned forward. “He did. It was…awkward.”

  “Why?”

  I saw her shrug out of the corner of my eye. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed to feel toward him. My dancing career is gone, and I’m hobbling around on crutches, while he’s perfectly fine. It’s not as if he meant for this to happen. It was an accident. And I’m just as much to blame for getting in that car with him as he is for driving drunk.” She turned back to me again. “I can’t help but feel a bit angry at him though, and I don’t know if that’s mean of me or not.”

  “Honor, you’re allowed to feel some anger. Your life has changed drastically because of this. Did he do it on purpose? Of course not. Should he have been smarter? Yes. Does that mean you have to hate him forever?” I paused, knowing I hated to admit it, but saying it anyway, “no. You’re allowed to forgive him and still be friends. Can you still take a bit of time and be upset? Of course. No one is judging you.”

  “I guess.” She settled back in her seat. “Thanks, Grey. You always know what to say to make me feel better.”

  I chuckled at that. “Uh, no, I don’t. But I’m definitely trying to be better.”

  She leaned across the seat and kissed me on the cheek. “Well I love you anyway, despite your momentary bouts of male stupidity.”

  “Good to know.”

  Chapter 31

  Honor

  Eight weeks.

  Eight weeks of hell.

  The Doctor stood back as the cast fell away and I finally got a look at my poor leg after two months.

  “Ew,” Perrie and I said together.

  “Girl, you need a razor and some shaving cream, pronto.”

  I looked over at my cousin wryly. “Gee, thanks.”

  The Doctor just chuckled as he poked around at my ankle. “It’s looking really nice, Honor. I think you’ve healed up as well as we expected you to. Now, I’ll have Joan from the rehab department call you about setting up some times to work with the therapist. I want you to be very careful walking around. If you feel pain, or if anything is feeling strained, take a break.”

  “Got it,” I said with a thumbs up.

  “And no dancing,” he said, giving me a pointed look. “Just because you’re okay to walk without crutches, and have your cast off, doesn’t mean you’re a hundred percent yet. I told you, this is going to be a long process.”

  I nodded. I already knew all this. I was looking at months of rehab. He was estimating at least eight. I was hoping less if I really worked hard, but then again, I didn’t want to push myself too hard and make it worse.

  “Okay, let’s see you stand,” he said, holding out a hand to support me.

  I swung my legs off the table, wiggling my toes with a weird sense of accomplishment. Gripping his hand, and Perrie’s, I stood.

  “I feel…fine,” I said, looking up at him with a smile. I did. It felt, almost normal. Maybe a bit stiff, but I didn’t feel as if I were about to fall on my face suddenly, which is kind of what I’d been expecting.

  “Good. Walk around the room a bit for me, so I can watch.”

  I did as he asked, and he commented some more, bending down to poke at it, before standing and looking as satisfied as I felt.

  “Your mom was right, you’re a fighter,” he said with a smile.

  He left us after that, and Perrie helped me slip on some shoes before we left too.

  “I’m so glad that thing is off,” I said, walking down the hallway as though I’d suddenly gotten a new zest for life.

  Perrie kept looking down at my ankle as though she was expecting it to explode at any second.

  “Are you sure it feels okay? Do you want me to get one of the wheelchairs?” she asked.

  “What? God, no. All I want to do right now is walk on my own. You have no idea how much I’ve missed this.”

  Her nose scrunched up, but she didn’t argue. We walked out into the bright, afternoon sunshine, and I took a deep breath of the fresh air. It was going to be a good day.

  “I’m surprised Grey didn’t insist on being here for this,” Perrie said as she put her sunglasses on.

  “He probably would have, if I had told him.” I looked over at her with a grin.

  She laughed. “No way. You didn’t tell him it was coming off today?”

  I shook my head, pretty pleased with myself. “Nope. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “Oh man,” she said, laughing harder. “He’s going to be so happy.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m the one that is so happy. The man refused to touch me the entire time I was in that thing. Tonight, there will be no more excuses.”

  She just shook her head, smiling. We got into her car. “So, where to?” she asked.

  “A drug store,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “I need a razor.”

  ***

  “I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Perrie said, for what felt like, the millionth time.

  “Why? You never shave without cream and water?” I asked as I made quick work of my calf.

  “No, not that,” she said. “I mean, I can’t believe you’re going in there. How does he not know it’s you?”

  “Because I used a different name, obviously,” I said, smiling at my work. I pulled down the leg of my pants and tossed th
e razor back in the store bag.

  “That’s so gross,” she muttered.

  “Okay, I’m off. I’ll talk to you later?” I said, turning to her before I got out of the car.

  She nodded. “Yup. Send me a pic when you’re done.”

  “I will.” I blew her a kiss and got out, looking up at the Tattoo shop with a sense of excitement. I never thought I’d have the balls to do this, but it just felt – right.

  As soon as I walked in, Cat’s eyes widened in shock. I put my finger to my lips and motioned to where Grey was bent over his work, his back to me.

  Cat shook her hands wildly in silence, as though her excitement could barely be contained as she looked down at my free leg. I walked to the other side of the counter, and headed to his station, stopping just behind him.

  “Excuse me, sir? I’m here for my three o’clock appointment.”

  Grey’s head rose, and he looked over his shoulder at me, his entire body freezing. I almost laughed out loud as his mouth dropped open in shock when his eyes looked down my body.

  “Surprise,” I said with a smile.

  He swivelled around on his chair, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me in between his legs. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” he said, still staring down at my foot in disbelief.

  I shrugged. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “I got that.” He shook his head. “You’re walking on it.” His head lifted as he looked me in the eyes, searching them. “Are you in pain? Does it feel okay?”

  “It feels as good as new,” I said.

  “I can’t believe it. Congrats, babe. I’m so happy for you.” He leaned up and kissed me quickly on the mouth.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Now, how about my appointment?”

  “You’re my three o’clock?” he said, his eyes narrowing. “For real?”

  I nodded.

  “Another surprise?” he asked, his eyes sparking with amusement.