by Max Monroe
I don’t know how much time has passed before I spot a bride and groom rushing through the emergency room doors. Evan and Sadie.
When we left the reception venue in a rush, Emory helped me get Maybe into my SUV, and she volunteered to stay back and let the Willises know we were heading to St. Luke’s ER.
“Is she okay?” Evan shouts the instant he spots me across the room. With long strides and Sadie’s hand locked in his, he closes the distance between us. “Where is she? Can I see her?”
I shake my head. “They’ve taken her back to surgery.”
“Surgery?” His eyes go wide, and panic takes over his voice. “What the fuck?”
“It’s definitely her appendix, but the doctor isn’t sure if it’s ruptured or not. He said he won’t know until he gets in there to remove it.”
“Fuck!” Evan runs two frustrated hands through his hair, and his wife reaches out with a gentle hand to rub his arm.
“Just take a breath,” Sadie says quietly. “It’s going to be okay.”
“She’s in good hands,” I try to reassure him even though I can barely reassure myself. “The doctor was quick and precise and seemed to have control of the situation.”
Evan just sighs and takes a seat in one of the waiting room chairs.
His wife sits down beside him.
I just keep on pacing. I can’t help it. The sheer thought of something happening to Maybe has me straddling the line of barely keeping it together and completely losing my shit.
It feels like an eternity goes by before we hear anything.
“Uh…Maybe Willis’s boyfriend?” the nurse behind the reception desk calls out into the waiting room.
Without even thinking, I respond, “That’s me.”
She waves me over and provides a quick update. “Dr. Shepard wanted me to let you know they’ve started the surgery, and she is doing great.”
“Okay. Thanks. Will you let me know as soon as you hear anything else?”
She offers a kind smile. “Of course.”
A hint of relief fills my veins, but it’s not enough to completely remove the fear that’s become front and center. And I’m pretty much lost in my own head as I walk back toward Evan and Sadie.
It’s not until I lift my eyes to meet his that I notice the confused, albeit slightly irritated look on his face.
“Did she just call you Maybe’s boyfriend?”
Ah fuck.
“Uh…” I pause, completely unsure of what to say. I mean, I’m not her boyfriend. But shit, that’s what I want to be. And I can’t exactly act like I’m just friends with her at this point.
Not when I’ve realized I’m in fucking love with her.
Evan stands up from his seat.
“Ev,” Sadie mutters and pulls on his arm, but he ignores her.
“What the fuck is going on, Ives?”
Shit. The only time Evan ever drops last names is when he’s fucking pissed.
“It’s not exactly what you think.”
He narrows his eyes. “So, you’re not her boyfriend?”
“No, I’m not,” I say, and I know I can’t avoid this conversation any longer. I have to be honest with him. He deserves that much from me. I just didn’t think I’d have to do it on the night of his wedding in the middle of an ER waiting room while Maybe is in the midst of surgery.
Call me crazy, but I never quite pictured those circumstances.
“But I am in love with her.” I let the words fall past my lips, and between one blink in the next, Evan’s fist moves from clenched at his side to straight into my face.
“Ah shit,” I mutter and shake off the pain.
“Evan!” Sadie exclaims, but he’s far too worked up at this point to heed her warning.
“I asked you to help her with her career, not fuck her!” he shouts. “Jesus! I fucking knew something was going on with you, but not in a million years did I think it was my baby sister!”
I cringe. “Whoa there, buddy. That’s taking it a little too far.”
He laughs in outrage. “Like you’re one to talk. You apparently went a little above and beyond on doing me a favor, don’t you think?”
“I’m sorry,” I say, and I truly mean it. “I can tell you this is not what I planned on happening, but it happened. I can’t help how I feel about her. Your sister is an incredible woman who gives me something to look forward to every day. I thought I could be happy to have her as a friend, but over the past few months, our relationship has turned into something neither one of us expected.”
“So, you’re, like, together?” he questions. “You’re dating my fucking sister?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I can assure you…” My voice is haunted. “We are not dating.”
His face morphs into confusion. “Then what the fuck?”
“I want to be with her,” I admit. “More than fucking anything. But right now, she doesn’t want to be with me.”
His brow furrows again, and his face gets hard. “What did you do to her?”
“When I realized I was in love with her, I couldn’t…” I pause because how in the hell do I explain this?
“You couldn’t…?”
I sigh. “Just know I couldn’t take things to the place she wanted them to go.”
He shakes his head back and forth, he closes his eyes, and he brings his hand up to cover his clearly uncomfortable face. “Yeah, okay. I don’t want to know any more.”
A long moment of silence passes between us.
But eventually, Evan finds his words again.
“You should’ve been honest with me from the start.”
“I know. You’re right. And I’m sorry.”
“It’s going to take me a while to get over this, you know?”
I nod. “Understandable.”
“And it doesn’t mean I have to like it at first.”
I nod again. “I wouldn’t expect that.”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair before lowering his voice to a grumble. “Sorry I punched you.”
I shrug and smirk. “I deserved it.”
“Yeah, you definitely did.” A half smile lifts one corner of his mouth. “Thanks for being there for her tonight.”
“I’ll always be there for her,” I say with conviction.
Evan laughs, just one startled bark before shaking his head. “Fucking hell, I guess I should be glad it’s you and not Cap, huh?”
I smirk. “Silver lining?”
That half smile turns to a full smile, and I’m a bit surprised when he steps forward to clap a hand around my back. “You bastard,” he says. “I love you, but you’re a real fuck.”
“Love you too, bud.”
Still in need of some distance from me, Evan sits back down beside his relieved wife, and I head over to the vending machine to grab fresh coffee for all three of us.
By the time I walk back, Evan’s parents are standing in the waiting room, getting the rundown on Maybe from their son.
Bruce turns to look at me, and immediately, he lifts a brow. “What in the fettuccine happened to your face?”
“Just got acquainted with a fist is all,” I reply, and Evan grins before adding, “A minor disagreement.”
Thankfully, before Bruce has time to ask more questions, Dr. Shepard comes through the emergency room doors. He stops right in front of our group, and once brief introductions are made between the Willises and the good doctor, he gives us an update.
“I have good news.”
Relief fills my chest.
“She did great. Her appendix wasn’t ruptured. Just extremely swollen. I removed it without any issues, and she is currently stable and resting in the recovery room.”
Thank God.
I’d let Evan punch me a thousand more times if it meant this was the outcome every time.
Milo
Once Maybe’s family spent some time with her in the recovery room, I told them they could go home and get some rest and that I would stay with her tonight
.
Surprisingly, no one refuted my suggestion.
It appears Bruce knows a hell of a lot more than he lets on, and Evan is coming to terms with the whole Maybe and me situation. Well, either that or he wanted to enjoy part of his wedding night outside of the emergency room.
I’m hoping for the former but know it’s most likely the latter.
Baby steps.
Not to mention, it’s still quite possible there isn’t even a situation when it comes to Maybe and me. I mean, prior to her medical ordeal, she was doing everything in her power to keep distance between us.
I can only hope she’ll give me another chance.
That she’ll let me explain what really happened that night and actually listen to what I have to say.
But now isn’t the time to get into all of that.
My girl needs to rest and heal.
Once I grab another fresh cup of coffee from the vending machine, I head back up to the fifth floor, where Maybe has been admitted overnight. A medical-surgical unit that Dr. Shepard assured me would take good care of her.
I step inside her room and find her bed adjusted to a slightly sitting position and her brown eyes open but foggy. She watches lazily as her nurse takes her vitals.
“How are you feeling?” I ask and close the distance between the doorway and her bed.
She moves her unsteady gaze to mine and just kind of looks at me with a half-dazed expression I can’t quite decipher.
Worry starts to set up shop in my stomach, and I look to the nurse.
The gray-haired woman is quick to offer a soft smile. “She’s still a little out of it from the anesthesia, but otherwise is doing just fine. Her vitals are stable, and the four tiny incisions in her abdomen look really good.”
I let out a breath. “Okay, good.”
But Maybe just keeps looking at me, and I tilt my head to the side as I reach out to run my fingers through her now-tangled locks.
“You should try to get some rest,” I say softly, but she shakes her head.
“No sirree, Bob. That is not what I need.” Her voice is a little slurred and sluggish, but mostly, just fucking cute. I bite my lip to fight my grin.
“You don’t want to sleep?”
“Nope.” She slowly shakes her head again. “I want to give you a piece of my mind.”
“Is that right?”
“You betcha.”
“All right,” I respond, and even the nurse hears the amusement in my voice. Her little grin flashed in my direction is proof. “Let me hear it, kid.”
“Welp…” She reaches out to scrub a lazy hand down her face. “I don’t like how things went that night in my bed. I don’t like it one bit.”
“That makes two of us.”
She ignores me completely. “And I didn’t like when I got that job that I wanted and I couldn’t even call you. I definitely didn’t like that.”
I smile. “Ditto, kid.”
“And I pretty much hated that you were with that woman at the wedding. I mean, she’s beautiful…” She pauses and tries to find her words. “She’s sofa-cation…? A vacation…? An education…? Meh. You know what I’m saying. When I saw her, I thought, she looks like the kind of lady he should be with. She’s probably deflowered and knows how to send out sext messages… She probably wears Tuesday underwear on Tuesdays…
“Who am I kidding?” She snorts. “Her underwear don’t have days on them. She’s the kind of lady who wears Victory’s Secretive. I went into that store once and got overwhelmed. Too many choices, you know?” Maybe glances at the nurse, and the kind, older woman fights her grin by nodding.
“See?” Maybe points an index finger toward her nurse. “She knows. You know.”
The nurse nods again, but this time, she’s full-on smiling. “Yes, honey, I know.”
And Maybe keeps going. “That place, Victory’s Secret, they have bras with boobs already in them. Water boobs. I don’t want water boobs, ya know? I want normal boobs. And I actually love my boobs. I have nice boobs.” She turns that index finger in my direction. “And I love your boobs. Your pecs. Your man chesticles. I love them too. I love everything about you.
“You probs don’t know this, but I’ve been in love with you since I was, like, eleven or something. Wait…” She pauses. “No. I wasn’t. Well, I was crushing on you. But I didn’t really start loving you, crashing into love with you, until now. Well, not now, now, but you know what I’m saying. I love you. I’m in love with you. And I was so happy when I found out that Victory’s Secret model with the pretty face and the water boobs in her dress wasn’t your date. That she was your cousin. Not, like, your cousin that you’re dating, but just your cousin. I was so happy about that. Because I lover you so much.”
Goddamn. This girl.
“Yep,” she mutters as her eyes start to close a bit. “I lover you, you bastard.”
“Maybe?” I say her name, but she doesn’t open her eyes again.
“She’s still pretty heavily sedated.” The nurse’s soft voice fills my ears, and I move my gaze to her.
“Are you sure she’s going to be okay?” I question. “I mean, I know she had to go under general anesthesia, but is this normal?”
She nods. “Dr. Shepard is confident she’ll make a full recovery. She’ll probably be able to be discharged either tomorrow night or the following morning.”
“Really? That soon?”
“Yep,” she answers and connects a new IV bag to Maybe’s line. “She just needs to sleep off the anesthesia a bit, but in a few hours, she’ll be herself again.”
I nod and look at a now-snoring Maybe.
“Can I ask you a question that’s completely none of my business, but I’m just too curious not to ask?”
I look back at the nurse. “Sure.”
“Do you love her back?”
I don’t even have to think about my answer. “More than anything.”
“Damn,” she says on a dreamy sigh. “I sure do love the hell out of real-life romance.”
Real-life romance. Yeah. I don’t mind the sound of that.
Maybe
I blink my eyes open, and as my foggy vision clears, I find myself in a hospital bed.
Holy cannoli. Shit really went down last night.
I’m in a hospital gown. An IV is stuck into my arm and connects to a line that has some kind of clear fluids going into my veins. And a cup of watered-down ice chips and a remote control that’s connected to my bed sit on a side table to my left.
My mouth is drier than the damn Sahara, and I reach out with an unsteady hand to pop a piece of ice past my lips. It’s cold and refreshing and gone in no time at all and, immediately, I toss a few more pieces into my mouth.
I grab the remote and turn on the TV and mindlessly watch the morning news as I try to recount last night’s events in my head.
Evan’s wedding.
Walking down the aisle with Milo.
Dancing with Milo.
Trying to drown my Milo sorrows in a glass of wine but stopping after a sip when my stomach started to hurt again.
And the pain getting so intense I thought I might puke.
Milo being there and taking me to the hospital.
Lying on the surgical table with the bright light in my face as the doctor told me he needed to remove my appendix.
Someone putting a mask over my nose and mouth and telling me to take a few deep breaths.
And then…nothing.
Good Lord, I really know how to go out with a damn bang.
“Well, lookie who is awake,” Evan greets with a big smile as he steps into my room. “If it isn’t Ms. Drama Queen herself.”
I cringe. “God, I’m sorry.”
“I’m kidding, Mayb.” He shakes his head and sits in the chair beside my bed. “I’m relieved that you’re okay. I was pretty worried about you. We all were, actually.”
“Sounds like I created quite the scene at your reception.”
“Don’t worry about i
t.” He waves me off with a nonchalant hand. “Plus, it was nice that you waited to have a medical emergency until after we cut the cake.”
I laugh, but the movement causes discomfort in my stomach. “Ow, don’t make me laugh, you jerk.”
He grins. “Sorry, sis.”
“Liar.”
He shrugs.
I’m just about to open my mouth with another apology when realization hits me square in the nose. “Oh no!” I exclaim. “You’re supposed to be at the airport right now. Headed to flipping Hawaii! What the hell?”
“Calm down.” He reaches out to put a reassuring hand on mine. “We were able to adjust our flights, and we’ll be heading out tomorrow afternoon.”
I frown. “Shit, Ev. I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. Both Sadie and I are just happy you’re okay.”
All I can do is nod. Because what else can I say? I mean, hell’s bells, I really screwed up their wedding night.
“So…do you have anything else you want to say to me…?” Evan pauses, and I narrow my eyes.
“Shit, Ev. How long do you want my apology to be? I mean, if you’re expecting me to get on my knees and grovel, you’ve got another thing coming, buddy.”
A soft chuckle leaves his lungs. “That’s not what I’m talking about, sis.”
I tilt my head to the side.
“I had a nice long chat with Milo last night…”
Oh boy.
“And…he really unloaded some quite shocking news on me.”
Ah fuck. Nothing makes you forget how to form words faster than your big brother finding out you’ve been very friendly with his best friend…
“You mind telling me what’s going on between you two?”
“Well…” I cringe. “I’m not sure you want me to tell you too much…”
It all feels very NSFW to me. Or is it NSFB in this situation? Whatever it is, I’m not feeling too keen on giving him any of the gory details.
“Pretty sure I can take it.” Evan grins. “I mean, I already had a chance to take my anger out on Milo and had a night to sleep on it, so consider me cool as a cucumber at this point.”
