“Yes, thanks.” She popped it open and took a sip. He’d yet to take a drink of his beer, but instead was just watching her.
“I’m really glad you came. I needed you so much. I just need you,” he said, just before he took the can from her and set his beer and the Coke down on the bar. Then he was kissing her with so much feeling, she had no choice but to hold onto him and let him take what he needed from her.
Later, as they lay in his large bed, he talked to her and told her what had happened at the hospital, how his father had mistaken him for his brother.
“I’m sure it was just the drugs talking.”
“Yeah, I know you’re right, but it doesn’t take away the fact that his eyes lit up.” He shook his head as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. “It still hurt.”
“He doesn’t know what a great son he still has.” She sat up a little. “Neither of them does. I can see it in their eyes.” She looked down at him, lying on the bed with the sheets covering his hips. His arm rested behind his head as he looked at her. She shook her head. “I didn’t get a chance to meet Calvin, and I’m sure he was a great man.” She sat up a little more and made sure to look into his eyes. “But they have one of the best sons staring them right in the face and they can’t see beyond their noses.”
His smile was slow to form, but when it did, it was the sweetest thing she’d seen all day.
“What do you say to some room delivery?”
She smiled back. “Can this place make a decent pizza and banana splits?”
He laughed. “Some of the best on the gulf.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cassey woke up enveloped by Luke and the thick warm blankets. His warm smell surrounded her, filling the whole room. When she thought about him not being there when she woke, her gut would twist and ache. Was he going to be staying on? There were so many questions left unanswered from last night. She knew early morning wasn’t the best time to ask everything she wanted to, but she doubted she could wait much longer.
“What has you so tense this morning?” he murmured into her ear.
She sighed and then smiled. It was nice that he knew her so well. In the past, she’d never reached this level in her relationships. She found that she liked knowing his moods as well.
It had been hard to gauge his moods at first, but after a few weeks, she had picked up on the subtle changes in his eyes and face when his moods changed.
She rolled over until she could look him directly in the eyes. “Will you be staying here until your father recovers?”
His dark eyes looked back at her, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“I suppose I will have to stay on, at least until he goes home.” He frowned a little.
“Don’t you need to run the business until he can go back?”
“No, my father has a whole floor of competent employees who can handle it until he gets back on his feet.” He brushed a strand of her hair away from her eyes. “I plan on going back to Surf Breeze as soon as possible. I have my own business to tend to now. We break ground in less than a week. We’d better head out. I’m sure they’ve moved him to another room by now.”
They grabbed a quick breakfast downstairs, where he was approached by over a dozen employees who all wished his father a speedy recovery.
It was close to nine when they walked into his father’s private room. His mother was sitting in the chair in the corner, a book in her lap.
“Oh, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it.”
“How’s he doing?” Luke asked.
“He’s stable. The doctors have come and gone several times. All of them say the same thing.” She set the book down and hugged Luke.
“Have you had breakfast?” he asked.
“Yes, don’t you worry about me. Now, Calley, sit down and tell me all about yourself.”
“It’s Cassey, Mother,” Luke corrected.
“Yes, of course. Sorry, dear.” His mother motioned to another chair near hers. “Sit, please.”
Cassey walked over and sat next to the woman, feeling completely out of place. Luke’s mother was wearing a pale green skirt and blazer, the pearls wrapped around her neck were undoubtedly real, and she didn’t have a hair out of place.
She looked down at her jeans and sweatshirt and wished she’d dressed a little better. She also wished that she’d thought to bring an umbrella, since it had still been raining this morning. Her hair was frizzed, and her makeup was probably running from the downpour they’d sprinted through to get into the hospital.
“Now, what is it you do, dear?”