I could feel her tears soaking through my nightie, and she was hurting my C-section scar. I didn’t say a thing. She needed to hug me, and I needed a hug from her.
“You don’t get rid of me that easy,” I said into her hair, holding back my own tears.
“Hey, let a guy in, will you?” Stuart joked.
Giving me one last squeeze, Simone moved off me.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Stuart sat on the bed beside me. I could see his eyes shining with tears. Seeing him looking at me like that made the tears I’d been holding in spill over. Stuart took my face in his hands and kissed me square on the lips. “You frightened the shit out of me, chica. Don’t ever do it again,” he whispered close to my lips.
“Cross my heart.” I smiled, making the sign over my chest.
“Good girl.” Rubbing my tears away with his thumb, he moved off the bed and sat on one of the chairs.
“Where’s JJ?” Simone asked, glancing around the room.
“Jake took him downstairs for his checkup in the NICU.”
“The little guy’s doing okay?” Stuart asked.
“He’s doing great.” Without fail, the thought of JJ brought a smile to my face.
“Stuart and I really wanted to come and see you last night, but Jake said you were exhausted from your folks visiting and all the tests, so he said we would have to wait until this morning to see you,” Simone said.
“I was pretty zapped,” I said.
I was knackered yesterday, but I think Jake put them off because he wanted some alone time with me, after having to share me for the best part of the day. And honestly, I wanted time with him too.
“Did you get the flowers I sent yesterday?” Simone asked, glancing around at the numerous bouquets of flowers and cards around the room.
“I did, and I got yours too,” I added, glancing at Stuart. “They’re gorgeous. Thank you.”
Stuart waved me off, in that way he does.
“Looks like you didn’t need any more, though, you’ve got tons,” Simone said, getting up from her seat. She started checking out the bouquets and reading the cards. “Holy fuck!” she exclaimed, spinning on the spot, waving a card around. “Did you seriously get a bouquet of flowers from the president?”
I laughed. That had been my exact reaction when they arrived first thing this morning.
“Apparently, when you’re the fiancée of Jake Wethers and you’re in a serious car accident, it qualifies you for big-time flowers. I seriously doubt he ordered them himself, but it’s still really nice.”
“No kidding! Bloody hell,” she muttered. “I’d frame this card if I were you.”
“Oh, I will. I’ve already asked Jake to order me a frame.” I laughed. But I wasn’t kidding, I actually had.
I watched her put the card back in with the flowers and sit down in the chair by my bed.
“So how are you doing?” I asked, looking at the bandage on her wrist, noticing the yellow bruises on her face.
“I’m good.” She smiled. It looked a little forced.
“Simone…,” I pushed.
“Really, I’m fine. My injuries were minor compared to—”
It was at that moment she chose to brush her hair away from her face.
“Holy fuck!” I said, reaching forward, grabbing her left hand. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Jesus Christ!” Stuart said, pulling her hand from mine to examine the huge-ass rock on her finger. “How in the hell did I miss this? I must be losing my touch!” He scratched his head.
“Oh my God! You’re getting married!” I squealed. I didn’t even care that it hurt my throat. “To Denny!”
“Yes.” She looked a little sheepish. “He asked me last night.”
“Arghh!” Stuart and I cried in unison. “This is awesome!”
“Yeah.” She looked down at her hands and started picking at her nails. Simone only does that when she’s worried about something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned. “You do want to marry Denny, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I just…” She let out a sigh. “I just feel a bit shitty.” She looked up at me. “You’re here in the hospital recovering after being in a coma for a week, and I come to visit you…I just feel bad being excited about this.”
“Don’t be soft,” I chastised. “This is exactly the kind of news I need to hear right now. And you were in that accident too, Simone—you deserve happiness more than anyone I know. So come on, tell us. How did he ask?”
Her expression turned doe-eyed and I knew I had her. “After Jake wouldn’t let us see you, I was a bit bummed, so Denny suggested we go out for dinner.” She bit down on a smile, and I could see how happy she was. “We ate at an Italian restaurant near his place, and he was acting a little odd all night, but I just let it go. Then on the way back to his house, he suggested going for a walk in Echo Park. We walked for a bit, and then he stopped me up by the lake, got down on one knee, pulled a ring box out, and said, ‘I bought this ring a month ago, and I’ve been carrying it around with me ever since, trying to find the right way to ask you to marry me. The day of the accident, coming so close to losing you, I wanted to ask you then, but it seemed out of place with everything that was going on. But now Tru’s awake, I’m not waiting any longer.’ He took a deep breath and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ Then he popped open the box and pulled the ring out. I cried, and said yes.”
“God love that boy,” Stuart said as we both let out a dreamy sigh.
“Does that mean you’ll be moving here?” I asked, hoping and praying.
She grinned. “We haven’t really talked everything through yet, but yeah, I reckon I’ll be moving here.”
So thanks to the ever-gorgeous Denny, I get to see Simone practically every day.