The Price of Love (A Price Novel Book 1) (18 page)

Eric turned to say something but was interrupted by the doctor entering the room. He was in his early sixties. He smiled and nodded in our direction, which I found reassuring. We all walked over to him. “The surgery went well. It’s all a matter of time now. It was much better than we expected once we got in there. We just need to sit back and wait and see what happens,” the doctor said.

“When can I see her?” I asked, tears in my eyes.

“Well, we really don’t allow anyone in there but immediate family,” he said.

“She’s my sister,” I lied. I didn’t want her to be alone.

“OK, as soon as she’s back in a room, in an hour or so, the nurse will come get you and let you see her.” He patted my shoulder and walked away.

I looked at Karen. “Shoot, has anyone called her parents?”

“Yeah, the hospital did.”

“Who called you?” I asked Karen.

“Someone from the scene. They picked up her cell phone and called the last number dialed, and it was mine.”

I couldn’t believe this had happened. I still felt like this was my fault. She would have slept until noon had I not created drama for her to attend to.

When Slayde came back with my Diet Coke, we sat on the couch. Looking at Slayde and then at me, Eric shot me a hurt look. “I need some fresh air,” he said and walked outside.

Milly didn’t look as bad as I had feared. They had needed to shave a small spot on the side of her head. I was sure she wasn’t going to be happy about that, but I thought she could style her hair to cover it up. Though she was unconscious, I rubbed her hand and told her all about my day at the hotel with Slayde. I knew she would be waiting for the juicy details, so I went ahead and gave them to her.

The nurse came in shortly and said that her parents were there and would like to see her. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Milly, you need to rest, but don’t take too long. I need my sister. I love you, and I’ll be back to see you as soon as I can.”

I met her parents in the hall, and her mother gave me a huge hug. The Adamses were the sweetest people you would ever want to meet. I had visited them in Texas with Milly many times over the last few years. Milly’s dad was a dentist, and her mom worked with him in his practice. Milly was an only child. Her parents spoiled her rotten and spent as much time with her as they could. The total opposite of my childhood.

“Arden, my beautiful, sweet girl. I knew it was you when they said her sister was in with her. What happened? No one has told us anything,” Milly’s mom asked.

Tears started to pour down my cheeks. “I don’t know, Mrs. Adams. I wasn’t with her. She had brought me to town and left me with a friend.”

She smiled at me, and I felt a little less guilty. “Well, I know Milly is glad you’re here, and so am I. We’re going to go in and see her now. I’ll see you in the waiting room in a little while.” She squeezed my hand and walked away.

I returned to the waiting room to see other people from our floor and some of Milly’s classes sitting there with Slayde, Karen, Eric, and Josh. They all seemed to be listening to Slayde. Everyone but Eric. He was playing with his phone.

As soon as he saw me, Slayde got up and walked over and hugged me. He whispered in my ear, “Are you OK?” I nodded yes. I was so numb that that was all I could come up with.

I sat back down, leaned against Slayde’s chest, and mentally checked out for a little while. I’m not sure for how long, but Slayde had to get my attention when Dr. and Mrs. Adams called my name. I got up and hurried to where they were standing. “Milly is awake, and she wants you,” Dr. Adams said.

When I walked into her room, she was still lying there, but her eyes were open, and she tried to smile when she saw me. I began to cry. I was so happy she was awake. “How are you feeling? You look great.” She gave me a “bullshit” look, and I said, “OK, you don’t look great, but I was expecting worse. Can I get you anything?”

“The scoop,” she whispered. I burst out laughing. Only Milly would wake up after brain surgery and be more concerned with the details of my love life than anything else.

“I love you. You are so crazy,” I said as I tried to hug her. But I gave her the scoop again — all of it. She sat there and smiled the whole time, clearly very pleased with herself.

Finally the doctor came in and said I would have to go. It would be tomorrow morning before I could visit again. Looking at Milly, I said, “I will be in the waiting room until then.”

“No,” she whispered. “I am going to be OK. You go back to the hotel with Slayde, and come back tomorrow afternoon with more gossip for me.” And I knew she was serious, so I agreed.

When we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted. Slayde ran me a bath and ordered us something to eat. I didn’t eat much of my Southwestern omelet or fruit. I crawled into bed beside him. I slept with my head on his chest all night; I didn’t move until my phone rang the next morning.

It was my mother. “Hello,” I said.

“Hey, honey. Are you home yet?”

“Yes, Mother. I’ve been home for a few weeks now.”

“Oh, how was your sister?”

“Fine,” I groaned.

“Well, I was just calling to tell you that the Price boy that Kenedy used to date came by here looking for you a few weeks ago. Why was he looking for you?” she asked.

“Mom, I’m asleep. Can we talk about this later?”

“OK. Have a good day and call me later,” she said.

“Bye,” was all I could manage before I hung up.

That was the first time I had spoken to her in months, and she hadn’t asked me one thing about my trip other than how Kenedy was doing. I had assumed she would have talked to Kenedy and already gotten her version of what had happened — but maybe not.

I thought it was sad that she had four daughters she knew so little about. Kenedy was no doubt her favorite, but Kenedy still chose to go to Paris and stay there as long as she could. She hadn’t been home in over a year. Not even for Christmas. Gia was still living at home, but she probably never saw my mom anyway. And Isabelle, the baby, lived with her dad.

He had married a really nice woman named Andie. As it turned out, Andie wasn’t able to have children of her own, and she raised Isabelle like she was her daughter. I was envious of their relationship, to be honest. Sadly, I hadn’t seen or talked to Isabelle since last semester, before my trip to Paris. I would have loved to see her again, but that would have to wait, because she was at an Ivy League school out East.

I was snapped back to reality when Slayde sleepily said, “Please tell me that wasn’t Eric.” He smiled at me.

I hugged him, and he pulled the covers over both our heads and kissed me. “Thank you so much for being so great yesterday,” I said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just, everything. Taking over for me when I shut down. You know, taking care of me,” I said. I could feel myself blushing.

He smiled at me and pulled me closer to him. “I’ll always take care of you.” I liked the sound of that, and I hoped he was right.

When I got to the hospital that afternoon, Milly was sitting up in her bed, ordering her mother around. She was definitely back to her old self. She smiled when she saw me and said, “I’ve been waiting for you all day. Where is Slayde?”

“He decided to stay at the hotel and let us visit. He said to tell you that he hoped you were back to your old self soon, so we could all go on that trip the two of you talked about. What does that mean?”

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know? Well, sorry. I was sworn to secrecy.” She was laughing.

“OK, Benedict Arnold,” I joked.

She laughed. “So, what are the two of you doing tonight?”

“I don’t know. He has to go back tomorrow night. I feel sick just thinking about it.”

“Back to Paris? I thought he was finished.”

“Yes, he has to go back and get all of his stuff. Then he flies to New York for a photo shoot. I’m not sure when I will see him again. I don’t know how this whole long-distance relationship is gonna work out. I really hoped he’d be here in LA, but now I don’t know for sure.”

“Well, being without him sure wasn’t working for you. This has to be easier than that.”

“I guess you have a point. When are they letting you out of here?”

“Maybe at the end of next week. Mom is planning on me going back to Texas with them, but I just can’t do that. I can’t leave school now. I’ve already missed so much that it’s going to take you forever to help me get caught up. You have to help me convince her that I will be OK here,” she pleaded.

I hadn’t even thought about that. We were trying to figure out our game plan when her parents arrived. I told Milly I would come back the next day.

Slayde wasn’t at the hotel when I got back, so I decided I would take a nap. I must have been sleeping hard, because I had a horrible nightmare. I dreamed Slayde was living a double life, and that he was flying back to be with Kinley and take care of their baby. I woke up in a cold sweat and couldn’t breathe. I was still in that state between dreaming and consciousness when Slayde came over to the bed and took my face in his hands. “Baby, what’s the matter?” He asked.

I blurted out, “Did you sleep with Kinley?”

“What?” He looked guilty.

That wasn’t the answer I was looking for, and I could tell by his facial expression he wasn’t excited the subject had come up. I felt sick, and I wanted to leave. Climbing out of the bed on the side further from Slayde, I started trying to gather my stuff. He calmly walked around the bed to me and grabbed my arm. “Please stop packing and sit down for a minute.”

By that time, I was crying, and I couldn’t look at him. “Arden, please look at me. That was a long time ago. Way before you ever got to Paris. It was right after I moved there. I’m sorry. I know this upsets you, but I can’t change my past. That has absolutely nothing to do with you and me.”

“I wish you had just lied. I’d rather live with a lie than the truth in this case,” I cried.

“No, you wouldn’t. The truth always comes out.”

“I just feel so stupid. Kenedy was right. I can’t trust you, and you are just going to use me and break my heart,” I said in between sobs.

“That’s a load of shit, and you know it. She just can’t stand that you and I are happy, and she’s a miserable bitch no one can stand to be around. Why in the world do you feel stupid?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like an idiot that I didn’t see it.”

“See what?”

“The night I met Kinley at that party, I could tell by the way she was looking at you that there was something else going on there, but I tried to ignore it.” I paused for a minute, then looked at him. “I really just want to go home, but my car is at the dorm. Will you take me home?”

“I will take you home if you really want to go home, but I wish you would please not make such hasty decisions. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you over a mistake I made way before you were ever a part of my life. I didn’t date her; I just had sex with her. I know that doesn’t make it OK, but that’s all it was. There were no feelings or anything like that. It was just sex.”

Wait a minute — did he just say he loved me?
Unfortunately, the moment was cheapened by the phrase, “I just had sex with her,” said in the same breath. But he had definitely just said he loved me, and I didn’t think he even realized it. I started to giggle.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked. “I mean, I would rather you laughed than cried, but I just can’t ever figure you out. You make me crazy.”

“Oh, really? Is that why you love me?”

He blushed. “Yes, that is one of the many reasons I love you.” And he kissed me. “I don’t understand you at all. You’re a total mystery to me. I’m scared to tell you how I really feel, because I’m scared you’ll disappear again. The fact that you don’t think you can trust me hurts. I have been nothing but honest with you since the very beginning.” He was holding my hand and rubbing my thumb with his. “Do you still want to go home?”

“I guess not, but is there anything else I need to know? I would rather you tell me right now.”

“I don’t think so. Nothing that I think is important, but if something comes up,
please
don’t jump to conclusions,” he said. “I have to leave in the morning, and I’m nervous as hell to get on that plane and leave you. I don’t want to lose you again.”

“I don’t want to lose you either,” I said quietly.

“Well, I’m not the one always running away from you. You have nothing to worry about. I’m not going anywhere.” He hugged me. “As soon as I get back from New York, I’ll come right back here. You won’t even know I’m gone. Now get dressed. I’m taking you somewhere special.”

“Where?”

“It’s a secret,” he said dramatically.

“Well, what do I wear? How can I decide what to wear if I have no idea where you’re taking me?”

“I guess that all depends on who you’re trying to impress. If it’s me, then I would prefer that you wore nothing.” He grinned as I hit him on his arm. “Just wear jeans. I’m wearing jeans.”

We got dressed and walked down to get his car from the valet. They brought around a beautiful old silver convertible Stingray with the top down.

Slayde opened the passenger door for me.

“This car is gorgeous. Whose is it?”

“My dad’s. He has a bunch of old cars that he never drives,” he explained.

“Does he know that you took this?”

“Do you have a problem with grand theft auto?” He gave me a smart-ass look. Then he laughed. “Mom knows. He’ll never know one way or the other. He probably doesn’t even know what cars he has in there.”

“So, where are you taking me?” I asked again.

“Why won’t you just let it be a surprise?”

We stopped by a restaurant, and he went in and picked up something that he must have ordered ahead of time. I don’t know if he planned all these things by himself, but he sure put a lot of time into getting our dates together.

To my surprise, next we pulled into the old Silver Screen Sunset Drive-In, which they only opened a few times a year for special occasions. I always wanted to go as a kid, but Mom said it was way too hard to get me tickets. Now here Slayde was, getting me the whole damn drive-in.