Silent Love(27)

"I'm sorry, Courtney, but I don't understand what you want," Beth said,  knowing the visit wasn't purely to ask for forgiveness. The woman wanted  something, and she had a feeling what it was.

Sean's cousin slid a glance to the man standing against the wall, and Beth's gaze followed.

"That's Smith, last name, of course. I left the house without telling  anyone. My husband is probably sending out the cavalry right now in  search of me. I turned off my phone so he couldn't track it. I called  Smith to escort me so when I get home I won't be in too much trouble  since I took precautions," Courtney said.

Beth looked at her quizzically. Was she rambling or complaining?

"I miss Sean. My children miss him." Courtney looked down at her  oversized wedding ring then back into her eyes. She was amazed at how  Courtney made eye contact with everyone. So sure and aware of herself.  "I understand and respect the fact he'll choose you over me. That's the  way it should be. That's how he was raised and how I was raised. I'd  never ask him to pick me over the woman he loves, but I'm asking for  your forgiveness so he can forgive me, and I can have him back in my  life. Sean has been a staple in my world since the day I was born. Our  history isn't like cousins, it's more along the lines of brother and  sister."

"I don't know if he'll listen to me, Courtney," she admitted.

Courtney smirked. "They all listen to us, Beth."

She grinned. That was true. Looking directly at her future  cousin-in-law, she was convinced they could be close if given the  chance. And life was too short with too many unknowns from day to day,  she needed to let go of the fact that Courtney was the focal point  behind that awful day. Ryan was right, the woman never asked for her  husband to be taken away in such a horrific manner.         

     



 

Courtney grasped her hands. "I never had a sister." She waved  dismissively, then retook her palms. "I have a sister-in-law, but  frankly, she's nuts. I would love to have a sisterly relationship with  you."

"I would like that, too," she admitted. Doubtful, she said, "I'll see what I can do, but I won't make any promises."

"I'm not asking you to, Beth," Courtney said. "I'm only asking for a chance to make this right."

She nodded. Taken off guard, Courtney flung her arms around Beth and  held her tightly. Reciprocating the embrace, Beth held Sean's cousin.  When they pulled back from each other, Courtney took Beth's face into  her hands. "You're stunning, you know that, right? Inside and out. No  wonder my cousin is lost in you."

Courtney kissed her forehead, released her, then stood.

Sean suddenly appeared before them. "What are you doing in here?"

"I just came to bring her flowers and tell her I'm glad she's doing better," Courtney said.

Beth watched the woman's eyes glisten and Sean go stiff.

"You have no right, Courtney," he said.

Smith stood upright and took a step Sean's direction.

"Sean," Beth said firmly, realizing she was the only one in the room  capable of controlling the environment. Sean's head snapped her  direction. "It was thoughtful of your cousin to stop by, and I  appreciate her support."

Confusion crossed his handsome features. He looked between the two women, clearly searching for something.

"I'll go," Courtney said, sidestepping Sean and leaving the room with Smith on her heels.

After she'd left, Sean wheeled on her. "Are you all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"Well, it's Court, she can be...difficult," he said.

"Sean, she was perfectly polite and truly concerned for me. She said she was happy I'm all right," she explained.

Clearly shocked, he said, "She did?"

"Why would you think otherwise?" Did he not know his cousin well enough  that she'd do anything or say anything for him? Did he not realize how  important he was to her? Because it was obvious to everyone.

Shaking his head, he stepped towards her, "Forget about her. Are you ready to go home?"

She opened her mouth to argue, but closed it, deciding to address the  subject in the near future. Now wasn't the time because she was ready to  go home and wanted to concentrate on that. "I am."

Beaming, he held out his hand. "Then let's get you home, baby."





21





Despite how much Beth absolutely loved her parents, they were driving  her insane. Two weeks after she'd been discharged from the hospital, and  she was about to yank out her hair. Her father stalked her around the  house, prepared to catch her if she tripped, and her mother doted on her  like she reverted back to toddler age. The night before, she had gone  berserk at both of them.

"If you two don't knock it off, I'm going to Sean's!" she yelled, catching them off guard.

Thank goodness, Sean was picking her up in ten minutes to take her to  his office to help get everything in order for next week's opening.  Unfortunately with the clinic opening and the wedding date pushed up to  take place in a month, there would be no honeymoon for them. But Sean  vowed to make the most of their time. He even said he'd kick Ryan out of  the house for a week.

While Beth impatiently paced the living room, her father sat menacingly in his lounger in the corner.

Her mom strolled in. "Beth, we have to go dress shopping. You only have  three weeks to find a dress and get it altered. We'll be lucky if we can  pull that off. After you go to Sean's office, we're going out." And  with that, she waltzed right back out of the room.

Standing from his chair, her dad went to the front door and opened it.  Sean walked in, holding a dozen white roses and looking yummy in his  khakis and button down deep blue oxford shirt. The color brought out his  amazing eye color. The sight stole her breath.

Beaming her direction, Sean approached. "For you, gorgeous."

"Thank you. Can we go?" she blurted.

He laughed while her father scowled.

"Let's get out of here." He grabbed her hand and whisked her out of the house.







They'd worked for hours prepping the office for their first patients.  After the ads in the local newspaper and radio went out, the phone rang  consistently for three days with patients looking for a cardiologist.  That had been a terrific, unexpected surprise.

Beth was given the duty as office manager by her soon-to-be husband.  She'd run the business end of it all, from the billing, to deposits, to  making certain they were Medicare compliant, to office programs, to  hiring. Sean didn't want to deal with any of it and gladly handed off  what he considered menial tasks to his future wife. She hired a full  time secretary, a woman in her fifties, who was laid off from one of the  local hospitals and knew the industry well.         

     



 

Hours after they arrived, Beth waited for Sean to finish his work in one  of the rooms setting up equipment. While she petered with her office  iPad, she considered how to approach him on the topic of his cousin.  After some time thinking it over when she left the hospital, she  concluded he needed to have a discussion with Courtney and come to terms  one way or another with their relationship.

A large pair of hands wrapped around her, and a soft pair of lips  nuzzled her neck. Closing her eyes, Beth relished in Sean's gentle  touch. How a man so masculine could treat her so delicately was beyond  her comprehension.

His hands worked their way to her crisp white, button down shirt,  methodically popping each one open. It had been too long since she'd  made love to him. But that nagging self-doubt that normally hounded her,  which had been mute for days, grew its voice.

"Are you sure you want me?" she asked without thinking. The words had  just popped out. After she'd been discharged, safe in her parents' home,  at night she'd thought about how difficult it would be on Sean to have a  normal life with her. Was she selfishly taking him from something  meaningful with less aggravation?

He stilled behind her, spun her office chair, and got down to eye level with her. "What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you want this type of life with me? I'm‒"

Holding up a hand, his jaw flexed, and his eyes narrowed. "You stop  right there, Beth. Don't even finish that fucking thought. I've had  enough. My god, what do I have to do to prove to you that I undeniably  love you? That I'll take all of you and whatever comes with it."

Eyes swimming, she threw her arms around him and sobbed. She loved him  with every fiber of her being. Sean held her, stroking her back,  comforting her. She'd almost lost everything. She'd almost left the  world without experiencing true, devotional love. She needed to stop  convincing herself that Sean was better off with someone else. She  wanted to be that someone. She wanted to be the light in his life. She  wanted to be the one that curled against him at night. She wanted to be  the one that consumed all his thoughts, because he sure as hell garnered  all hers. He was right, enough was enough. With his help, she pledged  to herself to move forward. To start the life that Sean was willing to  bend over backwards to give her and cherish every precious moment.