Love Love (36 page)

Matt and I stand in the hallway in
shock for a few minutes after they wheel Brad away. He finally
pulls me into a hug and completely breaks down. It’s his turn to
cry and I hold him, stroking his hair, thinking how scared he
must’ve been, must still be. Eventually, he pulls away to get us
some celebratory coffee while we wait.

I call and update Fran, who’s on her
way, and keep checking my watch as we wait with our nasty hospital
coffee for Brad to come back. It seems to take forever. How long
can a scan take? Another half hour goes by and we finally see him
being rolled down the hall. I stand up and hold his hand, walking
with him as the nurses wheel him back into the room.

I kiss his cheek gently. “I’ll be
right back, babe, I want to talk to the doctors.”

I walk back outside and join
Matt.

“
The scan was clear.
There’s no more bleeding and all of his vitals look good. We’re
going to move him up to a regular room in the morning. We just want
to monitor him here overnight. He’ll probably be in the hospital
for a few more days, just to be on the safe side.” Relief washes
over me. He’s really going to be okay.

Matt lets out a huge sigh of relief. I
hug him and feel relieved not only for myself, but for him as well.
“He’s okay,” I whisper in his ear.

Matt goes to make some calls. I don’t
actually think he has to call anyone, but just wants to give Brad
and I some time alone. He’s so thoughtful.

Walking back in to the hospital room,
Brad cracks a smile. “Come here, baby.”

Tears I’ve been holding in slide down
from my eyes. I sit as close to Brad as possible, my head resting
on his shoulder, and I feel him stroking my hair. I missed him so
much. “I was so scared,” I whisper. “I thought I’d lost
you.”

Ever so quietly, he says, “I’m not
going anywhere. We superheroes are invincible.”

I smile and I’m surprised I remember
what it feels like. It’s the first real one I’ve had in over a
week. Brad’s eyes begin to close. He looks so drained. We both fall
asleep until I feel someone nudge me on the shoulder. It’s Matt and
he’s smiling for the first time, too.

“
He’s really going to be
okay, Gabby.”

***

Brad’s
hospital room is an improvement from the Intensive Care Unit he was
in until a few days ago. The nurse came in and removed all of his
tubes and monitors, with the exception of the IV, so he’s much more
comfortable. He’s still sleeping, so I take a moment to watch him.
He looks so peaceful. Those long lashes fanning his face, that
crinkle in his forehead, those soft lips. God, I love him. Leaning
forward, I lay my face on his chest so I can feel his warmth
again.

I must’ve fallen asleep, because when
my eyes open, I feel Brad’s fingers strumming my cheek. I sigh,
relishing the feel of his hand, and look up. He looks so much
better today. The bruises are finally fading and he looks more like
himself. I’ve never been so happy to see him.

His eyes meet mine and I chuckle. “To
think you were worried about me walking around the city by myself.
Looks like you needed your own guardian angel.”

Brad looks at me with such emotion I
feel like my heart’s going to burst. “I already have my guardian
angel.” He drops a kiss on my nose.

Matt pokes his head in to see if
Brad’s awake and joins us. He’s heading back to Los Angeles today.
I’m kind of sorry to see him go. It’s been nice to have him here.
“So listen, Bro, you better do exactly what the doctors tell you to
do; no messing around.”

“
I will, man.” Brad looks
teary-eyed. It’s hard to say goodbye to your family. Especially if
you actually like them.

Matt gives Brad the biggest hug. I’m
so glad they have each other. Then he walks around the bed and
pulls me into one.

Brad scowls. “Hey, watch it! You’ve
stolen enough of my girlfriends.”

We both laugh, but not before Matt
says quietly in my ear. “Take care of him, okay?”

With Matt gone, and the nurses no
longer hovering, we’re finally alone. My lips reach up and smother
Brad’s face with kisses. Mid-kiss, he stops me. “I don’t know if
that’s such a good idea, baby.”

My face contorts in my favorite
eight-year-old-pout. “Why not? I feel rejected.”

Brad points down at the bed with his
index finger. “Let’s just put it this way. This is a very thin
hospital sheet, and I wouldn’t want to give the nurses an
eyeful.”

I laugh. “Hmmm…true. But how about I
lock the door, and you can give me an eyeful right now?”

He laughs. A rich, full laugh that
I’ve missed and that reminds me why I love him. “Don’t tempt me,
baby.”

Just then, Fran barges through the
door. “Hey, lovebirds! I’ve come with an offering of coffee and...”
she pauses and eyes Brad’s crotch. “Whoa. If I’d known you’d be
this happy to see me, I would’ve come sooner.”

I throw an empty dishpan at
her.

“
Oh, and by the way Brad,
your brother is freaking hot!” She ducks as my shoe flies past
her.

***

Brad’s
coming home from the hospital today. After five days of crappy
hospital food and a really uncomfortable bed, he’s definitely
ready. If we had trees in Manhattan, I’d say he’d be home just in
time to see the fall foliage. The nurses are going to miss him,
I’ve heard them giggling about him from time to time. It makes me
laugh. He’s certainly not an eyesore around here.

When I walk into his room, he’s got a
smile so big it makes my heart happy. He motions me over to the bed
and I sit down by his side.

He takes my hand in his as he leans
forward and reaches me with his lips. “Hi, baby.”

I look up at his lovely face and I’m
suddenly filled with guilt. “I’m so sorry.”

“
For what?”

“
It’s…my fault that you got
hurt.”

Brad raises my face up to
look at him. “Gabby, listen to me. It’s not your fault. Do you hear
me?
It’s not your fault
.”

“
But…”

Brad takes me in his arms and cradles
me against his chest, stroking my hair with his fingers. “No, baby.
It’s not your fault. It happened. It’s over and I’m fine. That’s
all that matters.”

I swipe at my wayward tears. Brad
lifts my face to his and grazes his thumb over my bottom lip.
“Gabby, you didn’t hurt me, your love is what saved me.”

***

It’s
been a month since Brad left the hospital. He’s fully recovered and
back at The Brew House. Digging through my purse, I find the note
that Brad made me promise not to read until I got to
work.

Dear Gabby,

I can’t wait to see you
tonight, and show you with my body what I feel with my
heart.

I love you.

Brad

I take a deep breath,
running my fingers over the words
I love
you
. I’m eternally grateful that I got
another chance. It’s a miracle to get two chances at love,
especially love like this.

I’m so excited about our date tonight
that it’s hard to get through the day, especially after that note.
I can’t wait to see him. The accident is behind us now and we can
finally move forward. Together.

It’s really windy tonight, so I take a
taxi to Brad’s apartment. I don’t want my hair plastered to my face
when I get there. When the door to his apartment opens, I’m
immediately warmed by the smooth trill of Jeff Buckley’s voice
playing softly in the background. I can’t help but smile. It
reminds me of our first dance.

I barely have a chance to get in the
door when Brad grabs me. “Baby, dance with me.”

As if I could ever refuse him
anything. “Sure.”

Brad pulls me to him, so close that I
can feel his sweet breath massage my neck, the scent of him pulling
me into a dizzying whirl. His fingers slowly brush my cheek as the
warmth in his eyes wraps around my heart. He guides my hands to the
back of his neck, the smooth strands of his dark hair tickling my
fingertips. This moment here with Brad is like a dream, one I don’t
want to wake from. But as his lips find mine, I know I’m not
dreaming. He folds his arms around my waist and slips his warm
tongue into my mouth, gliding over my teeth and sucking gently. The
thin fabric of his polo shirt presses against my tender breasts,
inciting tiny sprinkles of electricity and sparking my desire, a
desire that only needs the nearness of him to be
ignited.

Untangling his wet lips
from mine, his tongue brushes the delicate shell of my ear as he
makes his way to the curve of my neck. I let my head fall back and
the feel of his heavy breath on my skin causes my heart to pound
rapidly. A soft moan slips out. “
Brad
.”

The oven timer alerts us that
something is ready in the oven. He whispers a curse then pauses for
a moment and looks up into my eyes. “Hungry?” he
breathes.

There’s only one thing I want right
now, and food is definitely not it. “Not so much,” I
whisper.

He leaves me, but only for a moment,
to walk over to the oven. When he returns, he threads his fingers
through mine and leads me down the hallway to his bedroom. Before
we step inside, I’m rewarded with his soft, warm lips. “Wait here,
baby.”

My anticipation builds and I’m
suddenly grateful that I took Fran’s advice and wore my brand new
Victoria’s Secret lacy black bra and matching underwear. I want to
be sexy for him. In fact, I’ve never wanted anything
more.

He sashays out of the bedroom, my
little cornball, dreamy brown eyes alive with mischief, and motions
for me to come in. When I enter, what I see takes my breath away.
Candles alight the room. A trail of red rose petals lead to the
bed, a single red rose on one of the pillows. Tears sting the back
of my eyes at his thoughtfulness. It’s so romantic and perfect,
just like him.

He walks over to me and I sweep the
hair off his brow, my eyes taking in his beautiful face, looking up
at him in wonder. “I can’t believe you did all this for me. Are you
for real?”

He looks at me, a teasing smile
playing on his lips. “Baby, I’m about to show you just how real I
am.” He grabs my hips, pulling me snugly against him, his erection
pressing into my groin. His lips brush softly against mine. “Does
that feel real to you? Cause that’s what you do to me. You and only
you.”