Mountain Charm (19 page)

“Oh, I want you to say it. I just want you to mean it. I want you to be sure. I don’t want there to be an ounce of fear or doubt in your heart when you say those words to me.”

She pressed her forehead to his.

“There won’t be,” she promised him.

The morning of her mom’s surgery was rainy and cool—a perfect complement to Angelina’s mood. Celia, in her white hospital gown, was her usual serene self as they sat in the pre-op room. Dylan had insisted on coming along, and Celia had agreed, knowing Angelina would need support today.

 “How can you be so calm about this?” Angelina asked.

Dylan slid his hand along the nape of her neck and caressed the skin there. Her anxiety was at a fever pitch, and he was doing everything in his power to keep her calm.

“Because worrying won’t change a thing,” Celia said quietly. “You know that better than anyone. We just have to let the surgeon do his job.”

Angelina needed a little grain of hope to hang onto before they wheeled her mother back to surgery. Now that Dylan was aware of her mom’s visions, she didn’t hesitate to ask her next question.

“What have you
seen
?” she asked nervously.

Before Celia could answer, Dr. Campbell walked into the room with the surgeon.

As the introductions were made, Dylan kept a tight grip on Angelina’s trembling hand. He seriously considered asking the doctor for something to relax her, because he had no idea how he was going to keep her calm during her mom’s two-hour surgery. The doctors talked to them about anesthesia and recovery exercises, but it was all white noise to Dylan. All he could concentrate on was the woman he loved, quivering at his side.

When the nurse announced it was time, Angelina carefully hugged her mom, promising her they would be waiting when she woke up. When it was Dylan’s turn, Celia pulled him close.

“I’m trusting you to take care of her,” Celia whispered in his ear.

Dylan nodded numbly.

For the next two hours, he did everything he could to keep Angelina’s mind off the surgery, but it was pointless. They were sitting in a hospital, surrounded by sick kids and crying families, and there was no way to ignore any of it. He watched helplessly as Angelina paced the room like a caged lion. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet, and there was nothing he could do.

It killed him.

After an hour had passed, Dylan finally took her by the hand.

“Let’s get some fresh air.”

Angelina shook her head. “I’m not leaving.”

“Just out those doors,” he said, pointing toward the sliding glass. “We won’t go far, I promise.”

She nodded, and he led her outside. They found a bench close by, and Dylan pulled her close to his side. Angelina went willingly, resting against him as he enveloped her in his arms. He kissed her hair and wished he could promise that everything was going to be fine, but he didn’t dare, because he didn’t know.

And the not knowing was the toughest part of all.

“Angelina, stop hovering. I’m fine.”

It wasn’t the first time Angelina had heard those words, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last.

“You look uncomfortable,” Angelina mumbled, reaching behind her mom and adjusting the pillow. Finally satisfied, she settled herself on the couch next to her. The two of them were watching some cooking show on television. That, combined with the smell of garlic streaming from the kitchen, made Angelina’s stomach growl for the first time in days.

It had been one week since her mom’s surgery. Dr. Campbell had deemed the operation a success and sent them home three days later with illustrated instructions and enough medications to open a small pharmacy. Thankfully, Celia’s surgical drain had been removed before she had been discharged, so that was a relief.

Maddie took care of the store while Angelina focused on her mother’s recovery. She helped Celia with her arm exercises, made sure she took her medication when needed, and refused to let her mom lift a finger. Celia was tired most of the time, which was to be expected, but Angelina could tell she was growing restless. She tried her best to keep her mom entertained, but Celia wasn’t used to sitting around the house.

“Something smells good,” Celia said.

“Dylan’s making spaghetti for lunch.”

Her mom grinned. “That boy should just move in.”

Angelina smiled, because it was true. He practically lived there already, doing everything in his power to take care of the two of them.

“David is coming over this afternoon,” Celia said. “I want you and Dylan to get out of this house for a while, and I want no argument from either of you. Dr. Campbell warned you about focusing on my recovery and neglecting to take care of yourself. It’s been a week. I want the two of you to go into town, check on the store, and do something besides sit here with me.”

Her mother’s voice was firm, and Angelina knew better than to argue.

“Do you think she’s okay?”

Dylan squeezed her hand as they walked along the sidewalk. “I think she’ll be fine, and if she isn’t, David will call us.”

Angelina nodded and tried to focus on anything but the anxiety bubbling in her stomach. Dylan did his best to distract her as he pointed toward the windows of the shops in town, and she smiled and pretended everything was right in the world.

“I know what you need,” Dylan said, pulling her toward a picnic table just outside of Fay’s Bakery. She sat down, and he leaned close, kissing her forehead. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

He walked into the shop, and Angelina closed her eyes, inhaling the fresh mountain air. Her nerves were shot, and while she understood that worry was a useless emotion, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy each and every time she saw her mom’s tired face. In many ways, surgery was the easy part. Next would come the punishing chemo, and with that, Celia’s body would have to tolerate the crippling nausea and enormous fatigue. Angelina prayed she would be strong enough to help her mom endure all of it.

The tinkling of the bakery door resonated in her ears, and Angelina opened her eyes. She couldn’t help but smile as Dylan walked back to the picnic table, holding two cupcakes in his hands.

“How did you know I love Fay’s strawberry cupcakes?”

“Wild guess,” Dylan said as he sat down, straddling the bench.

Angelina turned toward him, their knees brushing against each other as they sat as close as possible. He kissed her softly before handing her a cupcake.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For taking such good care of me and my mom.”

Dylan smiled. “Thank you for letting me. I’m just thankful both of you had an appetite this afternoon.”

“Me, too.”

While they ate their cupcakes, Dylan told Angelina about a call he’d received from a Knoxville newspaper, offering him some freelance work.

“It’s just mainly fluff pieces,” he said with a shrug. “But at least I won’t have to travel as much.”

“But you like to travel.”

“I do, but now is not the time. I’ll travel later. Right now, I need to be here.”

Angelina sighed. She hated the thoughts of him giving up anything just to stay in Maple Ridge and take care of her.

“Hey,” he whispered, tilting her face toward his. “I
want
to be here. There’s no place else I’d rather be. Never doubt that.”

His voice rang with sincerity, and she smiled before leaning in, kissing him tenderly. When she pulled away, she rested her hand against his chest.

“Your heart’s racing.”

 “Your fault.”

Angelina giggled.

“I’ve missed your laugh, baby.”

“I’ve missed laughing.”

Dylan kissed her forehead. “Why don’t we go see Maddie? Talking about the wedding is sure to brighten your mood.”

“You brighten my mood every single day. Never doubt that.”

Dylan smiled.

Over the next few weeks, their lives slowly returned to a somewhat normal routine. Celia began her treatments, and as Dr. Campbell predicted, the chemo combined with the medications kept her sick most of the time. Despite her desire to spend every moment by her mom’s side, Angelina had reluctantly returned to work at the shop. David Murray had offered to stay with Celia, and he would check in with Angelina throughout the day. Dylan began his freelance work with the newspaper in Knoxville and found a tiny apartment in town. Maddie was knee-deep in wedding plans, and with the ceremony only a week away, she kept Angelina distracted with her maid of honor responsibilities.

The distraction worked, until the evening Angelina returned home to find Celia slumped over the sofa, retching into a garbage can.

Dylan was right by her side, holding her hair.

Sadly, watching her mother vomit wasn’t anything new, but seeing Dylan taking such good care of her mom brought tears to Angelina’s eyes. In that moment, she was finally grateful for the magic spell that had brought such a wonderful man into their lives.

The next day, Dylan dropped Angelina off at the store before heading to the coffee shop. As he stood in line, he tiredly rubbed his face and wondered how a man’s life could change so dramatically in such a short period of time.

How long had he been living in Maple Ridge? He was too tired to do the math, but he was sure it had only been a couple of months. And in that time, he’d lost his job, been tossed into jail, and had fallen in love with the woman of his dreams.