She stroked his hair. “It’s okay. I love him, too.”
His body tensed as he looked up at her. “You really mean it, don’t you?”
“Yeah, duh. What do you think I’ve been saying the past couple of months? No job is worth putting up with that kind of shit without love being involved.”
He looked hopeful. “Does that mean you might not leave after three years?”
“Possibly.” She stroked his hair again. “You know the rules. No bugging me about it.”
“Cardinal’s rules.” He laughed and rested his head against her again, his body relaxing. “I love you, baby girl. So much.”
He tensed again as he realized what he’d said.
“Til, I’m sor—”
“It’s okay,” she quietly reassured him. She leaned in and kissed the top of his head. “I still love you, too. I’m just not sure I like you very much yet. Give me some time with that.”
An hour later, the doctor walked out to talk to them and they both stood to follow him to a quiet corner to discuss Landry’s condition. “He’s doing well, he’ll be in recovery for a few hours, then we’ll move him into a room. I want him to stay in for at least a couple of days just to make sure.”
They both sighed in relief. “How bad was it?” Tilly asked.
“It’s a good thing you got him in when you did. If he’d waited a day it could have severely complicated his condition.”
“What about his other treatments?”
“I’ve already consulted with his oncologist. They said we’ll give him a few days to heal from this before they start him up again. But his blood work actually looked good, other than being anemic from the loss of blood, so that’s very promising. Don’t worry, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence.”
She relaxed against Cris’ comforting arm as he drew her close to his side. “Thank you, Doctor.”
She hugged Cris. “See?” she mumbled against his chest. “He’ll be okay.”
He stroked her back as he nuzzled the top of her head. “Thank you, Til. Thank you for being here for him.”
She poked him in the chest. “Not just him. You, too.” She looked up into his face, stood on her toes, and kissed him. “No more whining about stuff you can’t control, right? New rule.”
He smiled. “Understood. I need to write these down. You have more rules than he does.”
“There’s only one rule you need to write down.”
He grinned. “Cardinal’s Rule: She must be obeyed.”
She let him hug her again as she laughed. “That’s right. Cardinal’s Rule. And I’m going to smack Master Grouchypants upside the head when he gets better. He violated my ‘do what Tilly says’ rule.”
Cris snorted with amusement. “I’d hate to be him.”
They let them know when Landry was out of recovery and in a room. He looked pale and weak.
Tilly’s heart ached for him, wanting her strong husband back and knowing he had a long road to travel before that occurred.
Meanwhile, she realized she didn’t mind holding on to Cris’ hand for her own comfort.
Landry opened his eyes when she kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I warned you I’m a suck-ass patient.”
Forcing a smile, she gently poked his shoulder. “Yeah, well, you get a whipping of your own for not listening to me and doing what I said. You promised.”
He nodded. “I deserve it.” He turned to Cris. “I’m sorry.”
Cris looked shocked. “For what?”
“For being an asshole, dumbass. That’s why. Why do you put up with me when I get like this?”
“Because I love you. So how badly am I getting beat for that little transgression?”
A weak smile curled Landry’s lips. “No. You stood up for her. I can’t punish you for that. If I hadn’t snapped at her, you wouldn’t have jumped in. That’s my fault. I admit it.”
Her heart ached as she watched Cris quickly wipe at his eyes. “I love you, Lan. Jesus Christ, you scared the hell out of us.”
“So, you’re still stuck with me? I’m not checking out yet? That couldn’t have been good.”
Tilly smiled. “Yeah, you don’t get away from us that easy, buster. Doctor says you’ll be okay, it’s just a minor setback. Ruptured blood vessel. They fixed it and after a couple days here for observation, you can go home.”
He started to say something when the nurse came in to take his vitals and check his IV meds.
“I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over,” she said.
Landry crooked a finger at them. “Come give me a kiss. Both of you.”
Cris let Tilly go first. When they stepped back, Landry pointed at Cris. “You keep taking good care of her, you hear? That’s an order.”
He smiled. “Yes, Sir.”
Landry settled back against his pillow. “Smart ass.”
“Grouchy bastard.”
“Brat,” Landry shot back with a teasing, albeit tired tone. Tilly got the impression this was some sort of tradition with them.
“Stubborn.”
“I’m stubborn?” Landry said. “You’re pigheaded.”
“Look who’s talking—”
“Boys,” Tilly interrupted. “Focus.”
The men chuckled. Cris leaned in for one last kiss. “Don’t harass your nurses, Lan. They might make your stay miserable. Especially if I bribe them.”
Landry smiled. “Say good night Gracie, and take my baby home.”
Tilly knew Landry addressed that to Cris, but she grabbed Cris’ hand. “Good night, Gracie.
Now let’s go home.”
Cris drove as she sat slumped in the passenger seat, her nerves shot. Nearly midnight, she was starving, exhausted, and belatedly realized she was looking at a night alone in a too-large bed.
Even though she’d spent years sleeping alone, now she couldn’t face the empty real estate on the other side of the mattress.
Cris fixed them both sandwiches. She took a long, hot shower and didn’t even try to go to sleep.
Instead, she changed into an oversized T-shirt and sleeping shorts and curled up with a blanket on the couch with an old movie channel on. A little after one, Cris returned to the living room, dressed in nothing but sleeping pants and his collar.
“Can’t sleep either?”
She shook her head.
“Mind if I join you?”
He looked like he expected her to make room at the foot of the couch, but she sat up and patted the other end. Once he sat, she settled herself in his lap. “Don’t make anything out of this,” she groused.
He held her hand. “I told you, I’ll settle for any scraps thrown my way and be damn grateful for them.”
She fell asleep in his lap five minutes later.
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning she awoke with a start to find herself cuddled against Cris on the couch. At some point during the night they’d changed positions. He was stretched out next to her with his arm comfortably draped over her waist.
A rush of memories swept through her, making her heart ache. More than one night they’d curled up to watch a movie just to fall asleep like this.
“I’ll make us coffee,” he mumbled behind her, “if you want to call and check on him.”
“How’d you know I was awake?”
“I’ve been awake for a while.”
That’s when she realized the firm shape pressed against her ass was his hard cock. It had felt so comfortable, so familiar, it took a moment to realize what it meant. She’d even snuggled more tightly against him, like she’d used to.
Reality finally broke through. Like a hot poker to her flesh, she jumped up from the couch.