Rodeo was staring at his phone. “The news says that John Modante of Modante Winery has entered Pacific Care Hospital for emergency bypass surgery.”

“At least he’s alive.” I said.

“And maybe it’s time for you to show this girl that you really care about her,” Denver suggested. “You know, instead of a quick, pathetic ‘please forgive me’ plea at a coffee shop.”

I smiled at Denver. “Guess the worst that can happen is she can tell me to fuck off.”

“That or a slap across the face and she humiliates you in front of all the doctors and nurses at the hospital,” Rodeo suggested helpfully.

I hopped off the wall. “I’m willing to chance a little humiliation.”

Chapter 32

Kensington

The walls of the waiting room, with their cheaply framed beach landscape paintings, were closing in on me. That coupled with the odd mixture of smells drifting through the hospital along with the loud, terrified cries of a toddler who had stumbled into a cactus and was having the needles removed, I had to get out for a breath of fresh air. Mom had settled into her magazine and a long article about the risks and benefits of plastic surgery.

“I’m just going to step outside for a few minutes, Mom.” I lifted my phone. “Call if you hear something.”

She looked up bleary eyed from the magazine. The constant flow of tears had made her give up on the idea of contacts for the rest of the night. She’d put on her wire-rimmed reading glasses. I liked that they made her look more mom-like. “All right, dear. Don’t talk to any strangers.”

I smiled. It was the first light moment we’d had since the paramedics had arrived at the vineyard with their scary looking black box of monitors and gurney. “Are you sure? What if a handsome doctor is just arriving at the hospital for his shift?”

“Well, don’t talk to strangers, within reason. I think you can make an exception for a handsome doctor.” Her grin quickly faded. She looked more weary than I’d ever seen her. I kissed her forehead.

“I won’t be long.” The glass door slid open. The cool night air instantly washed away some of the stress of the wait. My head hurt from crying and from worry. A warm breeze caused the row of palm trees lining the street in front of the hospital to shake their fronds in perfect unison.

I headed down the sidewalk, just needing to stretch my legs and fill my lungs with something other than hospital smells. As I turned the corner, I stopped. My heart raced ahead, even as I tried to convince myself that I was imagining the tall, broad shouldered figure walking toward me.

Cole stopped a few feet from me and the look of genuine concern on his face melted the strong exterior I’d been wearing to keep Mom assured that everything would be fine.

“I heard about your dad and just came by to see if you needed anything.”

That was all it took. My feet flew forward. I was crying uncontrollably by the time his strong arms went around me.

“I’m sorry for the meltdown,” I sobbed. “I promise I’ve been holding it together very well until just now. Then I saw you and the rush of emotions . .  . ” I took a deep, shuddering breath. “He’s in surgery right now.” I pressed my face against him.

“I’d be just as much of a basket case if it was my dad, Kensie. You don’t need to apologize. And I have no tissue, so feel free to use my shirt.”

A laugh spurted from my mouth. I lifted my face and wiped clumsily at my eyes. “I must look scary.”

He pushed my chin so that my face was turned up toward him. “Nope, you look like a distraught princess.”

There wasn’t any light or angle where he wasn’t incredible to look at, but what stunned me the most was how right it felt to be in his arms right now, when I was feeling so scared and vulnerable.

“The bet, Kensie, it was just a stupid thing between Rodeo and me. We do a lot of stupid things, I’m sorry to admit.”

I shook my head. “It’s all right. I was overreacting and overthinking and possibly even giving myself an easy out.”

His mouth turned down in disappointment.

I stepped back and took hold of his hand. “Not because of you but because of me. I was getting a little uneasy with just how much I liked you. You were checking all my boxes and then some. You never take yourself too seriously.”

“That’s for sure.”

I laughed again, and at the same time, I was wiping off a tear. “See, you even made me laugh through my tears. Twice, just standing here. And you’re a good, sympathetic listener.”

He brushed a long strand of hair off my face. “You’re easy to listen to and I don’t say that to many people. You mentioned ‘and then some’?”

Even beneath my tear stained cheeks, I could feel a warm blush rising. “I think I’ll let you figure out the ‘then some’.”

“Well, aside from the obvious, your amazing legs, you checked off my one box almost instantly. I haven’t stopped thinking about you for a minute.” His arm went around my waist, and he pulled me against him for a kiss.

With the events of the day and Cole showing up, my head felt as if it were filled with air. “I need to go back inside to be with my mom.”

“I can stay or if you’d rather I didn’t—”

“Stay with me, Cole. I’d like that.”

He took my hand, and we walked back through the big doors of the hospital. My dad’s doctor was pulling off his surgery cap as he was stepping out of the elevator. I stopped and the room swayed a little. Cole pressed his arm behind my back to steady me. It was just the support I needed. He was just what I needed.

We reached the waiting room at the same time as the doctor. I hurried to my mom’s side as she stood tottering and frail from her chair.

“He did just fine. He’s in recovery right now. Soon he’ll be moved to ICU where you can have a quick visit tonight. Then you should both go home and get some rest.”

Mom and I threw our arms around each other. Cole stepped back out while Mom and I had a good long cry session.

Chapter 33

Kensington

Throughout the entire long freeway drive to Beverly Hills, Dad had cautioned Mom not to get to starry-eyed and overwhelmed about meeting Nicky King. He also reminded her several times that Nicky King was a billionaire and that the Modante Winery was never going to provide her with his mega-star, lavish lifestyle. Mom, who’d sat in the backseat giving me a clear view of her in the rearview mirror, had rolled her eyes at every warning and reminder.

But in the end, when the outgoing and larger-than-life rock star swung open his front door and ushered us into his mansion, it had been my dad who had wilted into a simpering, star struck teenager.

It had been my first time meeting Cole’s dad as well, and my nerves were more due to wanting to make a nice impression on my boyfriend’s dad. The fact that he was famous only added to the waves of nausea I’d been experiencing.

But all of our nervousness and trepidation at knowing how to behave in front of a rock legend was quickly tamped down by the natural charm and easy going manner of the man, himself.

By the time  dinner had been served, Nicky and my dad were talking and laughing like old friends. And my mom had finally managed to snap shut her mouth after being awestruck by the incredible house and furnishings. I suddenly understood why Dad had kept reminding her about the difference in wealth status. She’d no doubt lament over her shabby, little five thousand square foot house on the vineyard for weeks after our trip to Beverly Hills. The one good thing was that since my dad had gotten home from the hospital, she’d spent a lot more time coddling and fawning over him than nagging him. They both seemed in an even better place since Dad’s health scare, and Dad looked way happier not having to deal with the constant pain. It had been wearing him down, and we hadn’t even realized it.