Page 103 of One Sweet Day I Found You

He went on. “I’m glad you weren’t afraid to get in touch with me.”

“You mean the world to her, Nick. I’m sure she wanted you there.” She cast a soft glance in his direction and he returned a smile, then she cast her attention back out her window.

But he had more on his mind. Still, he wasn’t sure how to say it. He’d just have to spit it out. Today’s events had already given him a new perspective on things. Life. Love. Happiness. Was he so proud and stubborn that he’d throw away his chance with the girl of his dreams?

He fixed his eyes on the road and summoned the courage. “I know this isn’t really the time or the place to get into it, but I want to clear the air.” Courtney turned her head to gaze at him, eyebrows perked.

He met her glance and then looked back at the road, his grip on the black leather steering wheel tighter than necessary. “I thought a lot about what you told me last night after I left. Not gonna lie—it wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but—I appreciate your honesty.”

It couldn’t have been easy for her to tell him everything that happened with the ex-boyfriend.

He even understood now, how it had taken her so long to get that final, agonizing piece of information out, considering the circumstances last night because things between them had been amazing for a few minutes. If he’d been in her shoes, he might’ve held off a while, too.

Still, he had to leave when he did, because he was too upset to talk about it anymore. He’d needed to process it all. He’d called a rideshare, texted Tom, and left the party after their fight. And things had become a lot clearer since then. He realized he respected her for telling him the truth at all.

He realized he’d been too hard on her.

He glanced over at her again then back to the road. “I mean, you could’ve just gone on and left that part out about kissing him, and I’d have never been the wiser. But then, you would’ve always felt that distance between us, which would’ve eventually caused more damage, because I would’ve felt it, too.”

He stared out the windshield as he talked. “So, I can see now that you did the right thing by telling me. Because, honestly, I’d rather know the truth, no matter what.”

Nick switched the windshield wipers to a lower setting. The rain was slowing, thankfully.

He took a second to look over at her again. She wore a stunned look, but she reached out and linked her hand with his, then rested them both on the center console.

Nick squeezed her hand. He thought he heard her swallow a sob. “You okay?” he asked kindly.

“Yeah,” she said, wiping away tears. “Thank you.” She smiled cautiously. “So does that mean…?”

He squeezed her hand again. “Yeah.”

She smiled.

“We can talk about it all later, okay?” He sat back and focused on the road. They’d be at the hospital soon.

* * *

Minutes turnedinto hours as Nick and Courtney sat in the waiting room watching countless healthcare professionals shuffle expertly about the unit as Victoria was treated and tested. The nurses had provided them with updates and answered their questions, so neither of them had any complaints.

Nick bought coffees and Courtney bought snacks from the vending machines in the hall and they shared a makeshift dinner. The nondescript chairs in the waiting room filled with visitors then emptied, then filled again. Three hours later, Nick was still holding Courtney’s hand when it wasn’t inconvenient. Courtney was sorry that it had taken such an unfortunate accident to bring them back together, but there was no way she was going to lose him again. He seemed to feel the same way.

Courtney still couldn’t quite believe he had taken her back—and so soon. Although she’d wanted more than anything for him to forgive her, she never expected such a turnaround after he’d stormed away last night.

And although they hadn’t addressed his decision to leave Wisconsin in a just few short months, Courtney wasn’t about to put a damper on the progress they’d made and bring it up just yet. Despite the seriousness of the situation with Victoria, her heart was full, and she was more than satisfied with the way things were for now.

Throughout the evening, Nick had called his boss to explain what had happened, even though the shop was already closed for the night. His boss told him he’d switch Nick to the afternoon shift tomorrow if he’d be out late and would prefer it. Nick told him he probably would be and thanked him. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” Courtney heard him say.

Nick texted Tom, just so his roommate wouldn’t wonder why Nick hadn’t come home after work as usual. Tom sent his regards.

Finally, he stepped outside to call his brother and Mrs. Bingham just to let them know what happened.

Josie called back, scared out of her wits, and said she would come to the hospital first thing in the morning. They agreed to take shifts and see that Victoria had a constant flow of visitors during the appropriate hours until she was released.

Courtney called her mother, too, just to check on her parents and explain what had happened. It was good to hear her mother’s voice. She’d been impressed by Courtney’s actions in the matter, even though that wasn’t what Courtney had gone looking for by telling her. They chatted and caught up on work, family, and how her parents’ summer trip to Florida had gone. Courtney hung up with a sense of relief that all was well at home.

Just past nine thirty, an ER physician approached them. “We just got her CT results back from Radiology,” Dr. Struthers, a tall blond woman in blue scrubs explained. “There was no bleeding. No brain damage. Seems safe to say it was just a mini-stroke that caused the fall.”

Courtney sighed with relief and Nick ran a hand over his temple.

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