Page 86 of The Bridesmaid (Brides of Beaufort 3)

I swallowed, unsure I could get a word past the lump in my throat. Then I looked down at Grayson, seeing that the redness on his face had subsided considerably, and I found my voice. “Yes?”

“I love you, and I’m not mad, okay?”

The words themselves were perfectly clear, but I didn’t believe them. How could that possibly be true?

“I’ll update you when we get there,” I said, rubbing the back of Grayson’s hand with my thumb.

* * *

As soon as we were settled in the emergency room, I showed the doctor the photo of the ingredients so he knew what he was dealing with. I still hadn’t corrected anyone on their assumption that I was his mom, but no one seemed very concerned about it at the moment, and I was desperate not to be pushed out like Jo apparently had been with Trevor.

He nodded grimly when he finished reading, his eyes pitying when he looked up at me. “Lupin.”

“Lupin?” I asked, staring at the unfamiliar word in the list. “What’s lupin?”

“It’s a flour substitute,” he replied. “It’s often used in gluten-free recipes. It’s been known to cross-react with peanut allergies, but most companies haven’t caught on yet to label it as an allergen. It’s a relatively new finding. Don’t beat yourself up. It could have happened to anybody.”

I gulped, internally disagreeing with him. It wouldn’t have happened to Zac.