I want to smile back, but Cora’s name sends my stomach into a series of dips and menacing dives. “I never did ask her...is Cora Zach’s sister?”
“Yes, she is. Thank God for Facebook or you may never have found us and my son probably would be dying in some New York alley by now.”
“I wouldn’t have let it go that far,” I insist quickly, shaking my head.
“I know you wouldn’t, dear. Adam has nothing but sweet things to say about you.”
If he’s still casting me in a positive light, maybe I overreacted when I saw him with Cora. Maybe she’s like a little sister, nothing more.
She squeezes my hands again. “Do you want me to show you to Adam’s room? I was just on my way to see that Cora settled in her room, but I can make a pit stop with you.”
I frown, feeling like I’m going to be sick. “Cora’s room?”
“No one told you?” The smile on Mrs. Murphy’s face grows. “Cora’s Adam’s donor.
She’s giving him one of her kidneys.”
Hole. E. Shit.
So maybe I didn’t overreact.
Cora’s giving him a part of her body. I remember the sound of her voice on the phone, laden with the kind of affection that can’t be denied. Begging me the desperate way I’d beg someone to save Adam if it came down to that.
I feel the blood drain from my face.
“Jewels, are you okay, sweetheart? You don’t look so well. Do you need to sit down?”
“I’m fine,” I lie, standing.
What I saw in that room...it could’ve been a girl with a crush and a man with a thankful heart. Or it could’ve been something more, and Theo could’ve misinterpreted Adam’s directions for me to return the truck.
“Let me buy you a water before we swing by Adam’s room. He’s eager to see you again.”
Although the thought of putting anything into my stomach doesn’t seem like a good idea, I let her do it. Because she seems dedicated to make things right with the girl who convinced her son to accept the life-saving surgery, even though I’m not the one who’s going to save his life.
The minute I step into Adam’s room at his mom’s side, his eyes fill with light and his adorable dimples pop. Aside from that, he looks tough. Seeing him wearing the hospital gown, sitting in the mechanical bed somehow makes him look smaller, like a child rather than a man. I guess once you strip a man of their style and masculinity, they all tend to look vulnerable. I mean we’re all subject to harm, so it shouldn’t be such a shock. Still, it throws me for a loop to see the guy I’ve been so intimate with so many times looking so beat down.
I’m so jilted by his looks that I hardly notice the smartly dressed guy in khaki shorts and designer button-down standing beside the bed. With his broad shoulders, square face, and sharp cheekbones, no introduction is necessary. Other than his lighter brown hair, Adam and his brother are nearly clones of each other.
“Look who I found,” his mom declares brightly, setting her hands on my shoulders.
“Mom, you shouldn’t have,” Erik tells her, his blue eyes lighting up. When he smirks, a dimple like Adam’s appears on one side. “My birthday is still months away.”
“Don’t be rude.” Their mom gives him a tight smile before looking back to Adam. “I’m going to check on Cora. I’ll stop back in a little while to see if you kids need anything.”
She points at Erik. “Come along and give these two some privacy, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Adam tells her before she disappears from the room. He throws a bright smile my way. “Hey. I’m glad you’re here.”
Erik’s eyes bulge as he gives me a once over that’s so incredibly awkward considering he’s my boyfriend’s little brother. “You’re the new girlfriend?” He nudges Adam with a barking laugh. “Holy shit! Talk about a score! I didn’t think you had it in you, bro, especially being so close to death and all! Damn!”
“Wow,” I tell him with a plastic smile. “You’re just as charming as I imagined you’d be.”
Adam glares at his brother. “Time for you to leave.”
“Jesus! Alright!” Erik throws his hands up at his sides. “I’ll get out of here before your hot girlfriend discovers who’s the real man in this family.” He starts toward me, his dimple flaring. “I’ll still be around if the two of you don’t work out.” He throws me a cringe-worthy wink.
I wink back as he passes me for the doorway. “And I’m going to pretend you didn’t really just say that.”