Page 111 of My Fiancé's Brother

Jackson: Does he still think you are engaged?

Me: Yes

I sat staring at my phone willing it to buzz again with a text, but nothing else came. I sat there until the coffees went cold, but he never texted back.

Three more dayspassed when another text came through.

Jackson: I think I just scared the living fuck out of your house cleaner

Me: Martha? What happened?

Jackson: She was vacuuming. I was just coming in from a run. She didn’t hear me come in and when she turned around and saw me standing there, she started screaming at me in Spanish

For the first time in what felt like weeks, I started to laugh.

Me: ha ha ha. Poor Martha. Is she okay?

Jackson: She’s fine. She insisted on making me pancakes

A huge smile ripped across my face.

Me: She worked for my granny for 37 years

Jackson: She told me. And you were right

Me: About what?

Jackson: You do have your granny’s eyes

I clutched the phone to my chest. Tears threatened to spill over.

Me: You want to see Chloe sometime? She misses you

A long pause ensued. I wasn’t sure if he was even going to respond.

Jackson: Probably not a good idea

A tear, this time, did spill over my cheek.

Me: Okay. Let me know if you change your mind

CHAPTER 40

Another two weeks passed.I talked to the doctor in private, explaining that I wasn't engaged to Matt and asked him when I could talk to Matt about our reality. The doctor understood the situation and was even sympathetic to my case, but he warned me that upsetting Matt, which might increase his blood pressure, could cause irreparable damage. Matt's blood vessels in his brain were still healing, and he cautioned me to hang onto my secrets for a while longer.

The staff moved Matt out of ICU and onto a general ward. He started to walk with assistance. He couldn’t walk far, but with the help of the physiotherapist, he moved his legs on his volition. Matt returned to being the witty, easy going, intelligent guy that I had agreed to marry.

It frightened me how easy it was to just slide back into our old routines. I mean, would it be so bad to marry Matt? I may not love him in that heart-pounding kind of love that I had for Jackson, but Matt was a good man, and he would be an incredible father. And it wasn’t like I was choosing between two men. Jackson had made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t interested in me in a romantic way.

When Matt had been a raging lunatic and acted deranged, I hadbeen willing to proceed with this marriage. Now he was sweet, sensitive and kind, but I couldn't imagine moving forward.

I waited in his room while he walked around the ward.

He frowned when he saw me. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting you,” I said lightly.

“Isn’t today Tuesday?” he looked perplexed.

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