Forever Yours (13 page)

Charles was barely awake when they were allowed to peek in on him. He was hooked up to more tubes than Jade ever imagined possible. His complexion was ashen, but the nurse assured them it was normal, and that the next time they saw him, he’d look much better. Jade couldn’t care less what color his skin was as long as he was alive and well.

The nurse ushered them out and Jade could see that Stephen was troubled. “What’s the matter, Stephen?”

“Even if I don’t call my mother and someone from the firm might. I don’t want her going in there and upsetting him. Is there anything we can do to prevent that?”

“I believe there is. Tell them that your parents went through a nasty divorce and you don’t want Caroline seeing him until he’s stronger. They can tell her he can’t have visitors.”

“You’re such a smart lady,” Stephen said and kissed her cheek.

“Well, then, Ms. Smarty-pants suggests we all go get something to eat,” Jade replied, linking her arms through both boys’.

The next time Jade saw Charles, he was sitting up and reading a law brief. The oxygen was gone and so were most of the tubes. He was still hooked up to a monitor, but there was a little more color in his face.

Everyone kissed him hello and Stephen asked exactly what Jade had been thinking. “What’s with the law brief, Dad? You’re supposed to be resting.”

“And lying in a hospital bed isn’t resting?”

“Argumentative, just like a lawyer.” Stephen shook his head.

“Actually, this is a very important file, son. It’s about the trust funds I’ve set up for my family. In light of what I’ve just gone through. I want to make sure that my wife and both my boys are well taken care of if I became—well, incapacitated.”

Charles reached out and Jade took his hand in hers and kissed it. Combined tears of joy and love filled her eyes. They were truly a family. She had it all. Her mother had been wrong. “
You’ll always be his whore,
she’d said.
He had the best of both worlds. Why change it with a divorce?
” Those terrible things her mother said to her so many years ago had hurt her deeply and she’d never been able to forget them. Jade always knew in her heart that Charles wasn’t the type of man her mother thought he was. All she’d needed was patience and a great deal of faith, qualities her mother lacked.

With her lips still on his hand, Charles’s eyes locked with hers. That look stole her breath away. There were no bounds to the love she had for this man, she realized.

When he smiled at her, she mouthed, “I love you.”

Then her glistening eyes smiled at Stephen and then Preston. The three most important people in her life were in that hospital room smiling back at her. She had to be the luckiest woman in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With nearly 200 short stories in print and her fifth novel soon to be released, sweet and spicy Candy Caine keeps her husband, Robert, on his toes in their Long Island, NY, home. Supportive of her writing career, Robert is always willing to help her make certain the scenes in her stories are authentic. After all, technique is very important for good writing. Visit Candy’s website at
www.candycaine.com
.

Candy Caine likes to hear from her readers. You can reach her at
[email protected]

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