Page 8

eight

. . .

Lily

This is all my fault. I should have been here for her. Now, my mom is in the hospital, and my brother is with some foster parents who I swear to God better not harm a hair on his precious head.

If I hadn’t gotten so caught up in Grayson. Once he touched me, it’s like I forgot my whole reason for being at his mansion in the first place.

To get the money to help pay for Mom’s medical care.

My mom has breast cancer, and we couldn’t afford the bills for any more treatments.

And I was too late.

And now look what’s happened.

The tears continue to roll down my face.

“I’m so sorry, Mom,” I tell her as I kiss her hand. I don’t know if she can hear me or not. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me.”

I’m vaguely aware of Grayson trying to pull me away. He says something about me needing to eat, needing to rest, but I jerk away from him like a feral animal.

“Just leave me alone,” I snarl at him.

I barely register the hurt on his face, but I feel a slight sting of remorse at it before I bury my face in my arm again.

I’m not leaving my mom’s side again.

Grayson says something else to me, and I snap. I throw myself at him in a blind rage and pummel my fists against his chest. “This is your fault! If I hand’t been with you..!” I break off on a sob, and then a nurse is shushing me as she pulls me off him. They make Grayson leave, and I feel an odd mixture of relief and panic.

But then I collapse next to my mom again and go back to stroking her hand.

I’ve never been the praying type. I don’t even know if I believe there’s a god out there, but I’m praying to every one that might here right now.

Please let my mom be okay .

Grayson

I pace outside Lily's mother's room like a caged animal, my jaw clenched so tight I can feel a muscle twitching. Every time I glance through the small window in the door, I see her hunched over the hospital bed, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. It's killing me not to go to her, but I know she needs space right now.

Couple that with the fact that I’ve been kicked out the room by the staff and am supposedly not allowed back in so I don’t upset Lily or the patient.

A nurse approaches, clipboard in hand, and I practically snarl at her. "Make sure she eats something. Anything. I don't care what it costs."

The nurse's eyes widen, but she nods. "Of course, Mr. Wolfe. We'll take care of her."

I run a hand through my hair, messing up the usually perfect style. I don't give a damn about appearances right now. All I can think about is Lily's tear-streaked face, the way she lashed out at me. Her words echo in my head: "This is your fault!"

Maybe she's right. I've been so caught up in my need to possess her, to keep her close, that I lost sight of everything else.

Another nurse walks by, and I grab her arm. "Has she eaten anything yet?"

The nurse gently extracts herself from my grip. "Sir, we're doing our best. Miss Hart is...resistant to leaving her mother's side."

I growl in frustration, running both hands over my face. This isn't a problem I can solve by throwing money at it or intimidating people into submission. For the first time in years, I feel utterly helpless.

A doctor emerges from the room, and I'm on him in an instant. "How is she? The mother?"

He looks at me warily. "I'm sorry, but I can only discuss that with family members."

"I'm paying for her care," I snap. "Tell me."

The doctor sighs. "Her condition is stable, but critical. The next 24 hours will be crucial."

I nod curtly, dismissing him. My mind races, trying to figure out what to do next. I can't leave Lily alone like this, but I'm not sure she wants me here either.

I pull out my phone, barking orders at my assistant to cancel all my meetings for the next week. Then I settle into an uncomfortable plastic chair outside the room, prepared to wait as long as it takes.

Hours pass. Nurses come and go. I hear muffled sobs from inside the room. Each time the door opens, I catch a glimpse of Lily's small form, curled up in the chair next to her mother's bed. She looks so fragile, so broken. It takes every ounce of self-control not to rush in and gather her in my arms.

As night falls, I'm still here, my suit wrinkled, my tie long since discarded. I lean forward, elbows on my knees, and scrub my hands over my face. The hospital corridor is quiet now, just the occasional squeak of nurses' shoes on linoleum.

A soft click makes my head snap up. Lily emerges from her mother's room, looking like a ghost. Her face is pale, eyes red-rimmed and vacant. She doesn't even seem to register my presence as she stumbles towards the vending machines.

I'm on my feet in an instant, reaching for her. "Lily?—"

She flinches away from my touch, wrapping her arms around herself. "Don't."

The single word is a knife to my gut. I drop my hand, watching helplessly as she fumbles with change, trying to get a bottle of water from the machine. Her hands are shaking so badly she can barely get the coins in the slot.

"Let me," I murmur, gently nudging her aside. I feed a bill into the machine, getting her water and a granola bar. When I turn to hand them to her, she's slumped against the wall, silent tears tracking down her cheeks.

"Sweetheart..." The endearment slips out before I can stop it.

Her eyes flash, a spark of anger cutting through the haze of exhaustion and grief. "Don't call me that. You don't get to comfort me, Grayson. Not now."

I swallow hard, nodding. "Okay. But please, eat something. Drink this." I hold out the water and granola bar, careful not to touch her as she takes them.

Lily slides down the wall until she's sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest. She sips the water mechanically, not looking at me. The silence stretches between us, thick and uncomfortable.

Finally, she speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. "I can't lose her."

My chest aches. I want nothing more than to wrap her in my arms, to promise her everything will be okay. But I can't. So I do the only thing I can—I sit down next to her, careful to leave space between us, as much as it fucking kills me.

"I know," I say softly. "I'm sorry, Lily. I'm so fucking sorry."

She turns her head, really looking at me for the first time. Her eyes are full of pain and confusion. "Why are you still here?"

The question catches me off guard. Why am I here? Because the thought of leaving her alone in this sterile hellhole makes me want to put my fist through a wall. Because seeing her in pain is slowly killing me. Because...

"Because I care about you," I admit, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. "Because I can’t fucking leave you, Lily. Ever."

Lily's breath catches. For a moment, I think she might reach for me. But then her face crumples, and she buries it in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Fuck. I can't take this.

I shift closer, not quite touching her, but close enough that she can feel my presence. "Lily," I murmur, "I know you're angry with me. You have every right to be. But please, let me help you. Tell me what you need."

She lifts her head, eyes red and swollen. "I need my mom to be okay," she whispers brokenly. "I need to go back in time and never leave her. I need—" Her voice cracks, and she presses her fist to her mouth, stifling another sob.

Without thinking, I reach out and gently pry her hand away from her face, lacing our fingers together. She doesn't pull away this time, and I count it as a small victory.

"I can't give you that," I admit, my throat tight. "But I can make sure she gets the best care possible. I can handle everything else so you can focus on being here with her. Just...let me do this for you, Lily."

She stares at our joined hands for a long moment, then looks up at me. The raw vulnerability in her eyes makes my chest ache. "Why?" she asks softly. "Why do you care so much?"

I swallow hard, searching for the right words. How do I explain this all-consuming need I have for her? This urge to protect her, to possess her, to make her mine in every way possible?

"Because you're everything," I finally say, my voice rough with emotion. "You've gotten under my skin, Lily. Into my blood. I can't...I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore."

Her eyes widen, and for a moment, I see a flicker of something—hope? desire?—before exhaustion overtakes her again. She slumps against me, her head coming to rest on my shoulder.

"I'm so tired, Grayson," she mumbles.

I press a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair. "I know, sweetheart. Why don't you try to get some sleep? I'll wake you if anything changes with your mom."

She nods weakly, and I help her to her feet. We make our way back into her mother's room, where I settle her into the recliner next to the bed. I drape my suit jacket over her like a blanket, then pull up a chair next to her.

As Lily drifts off to sleep, her hand finds mine again. I squeeze it gently, a silent promise.

I'm not going anywhere.