Page 5 of Unveiled Wishes

“You could…” My aunt pointed to the sign.

“You think I should buy it?” I asked her. It had been one of my dreams to own a place like this. I doubted if I had enough time to dedicate to operating it. It looked like it needed a lot of work.

“You’re going to…fly.” She smiled at me.

I chuckled, and her smile became bigger. “You know, we can do this,” I said to her. “With Meredith’s help, we could get this place up and running.”

“Deal.” She slowly raised her hand, and I shook it gently. I didn’t want her to hurt any more than the therapy would. I grabbed my phone and took a quick picture of the sign to research while she was with the therapist. As we drove off, we discussed the parties, the weddings, and everything we could use the center for. I didn’t want to believe that this dream could be a reality, but I couldn’t stop the hope that flooded my veins.

Chapter 3

Faking It

Meredith

“Hey, Mer. It’s noon, baby. Time to get up.” Grizz shook my leg.

“I am up,” I whined at him. “If I wanted to be bitched at, I’d go find Sabre.”

“I’ll call him and make your dreams come true.” He placed his hand on my leg again and shook me.

“I am up.” I pulled the covers over my head. “Just leave me alone. I am fine.”

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re talking to. Get up, or I’ll make you,” Grizz sighed. We were each tired of our situation, but for different reasons. I didn’t know how to let him in, and no matter what he did, it was never right. We were at a standstill, when we should have been newlyweds, which brought its own set of headaches.

“I don’t know if I can,” I said, the sound muffled beneath the blanket. I didn’t have the strength to have a full-blown conversation with him. “Life is too hard, and I am drowning.”

“How about we start with a shower? I’ll lay out your clothes.” His voice gentled immediately. I’d never heard him speak like that, and it broke a piece of me deep within my heart. Who were these people? How did we get back to normal?

“Are you going to force me?” I asked.

“No, but I think you’ll feel better.” He pulled the covers off of me and laid them at the bottom of the bed. “You gotta help me, Meredith. I try to be forceful, and you fight me every step of the way. If I am gentle, you look at me like I am crazy, kind of like you’re doing right now,” he sighed. “I am not gentle, but I am trying for you because I can’t be without you anymore.”

“I don’t know how to be me.” I sat straight up in bed and placed my hands in my lap. “Which makes everyone else walk on eggshells.”

“I promised you therapy, and I tried to make some calls the other day. I was going to take you myself, but they asked too many questions and told me to bring your medical records. Scrub buried the reports that show you were in an accident when they found the mass. I had visions of them asking about Pulse, and I am so afraid of losing you.”

“I may never be her again.” I didn’t want to look at him. It was easier to maintain the mile-wide distance between us if I didn’t make eye contact. I would just see his pain, and it would merge with mine.

He placed his hands under my knees and lifted me into his arms. Kissing my forehead, he whispered, “We’ll get through this.”

“Whatever you do, don’t tell me it’s a speed bump.” I made a face and stuck my tongue out at him as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“That’s not our thing. We prefer knock-down drag-outs with hot makeup sex.” He kissed my forehead again, laughing as he carried me into the ensuite. He sat me on the counter and turnedthe shower on. Checking to make sure the water was warm enough, he walked over to me and stood between my knees. “Arms up,” he said, grabbing the edges of the oversized t-shirt I wore.

“No.” I was defiant. This was one issue that we constantly argued about. There wasn’t a magic remedy to erase the scars on the left side of my body. The surgical lines looked like a patchwork quilt, as if the doctors had taken skin from where they could and meshed it together. They hadn’t even paid attention to sewing straight lines.

The last time I had looked, the lines were white against the lobster red skin. It was hot to the touch, and the only thing that cooled it down was the lotion that the hospital had sent home with me. I was supposed to keep the skin hydrated, but they couldn’t tell me how long this would take. I had a feeling they didn’t want to tell me I’d be stuck with this routine and the moisturizing sleeves forever. They could at least have had pretty colors. The black sleeves stood out against my pale skin. Another reminder that I was going to be disfigured for life.

“I’ve been all up in you. It was a religious experience, and you know I am not a praying man.” He jiggled his eyebrows. “Will you get in the shower if I turn my back?”

“No.” I didn’t want Grizz to see them, even though I was pretty sure he had already. I didn’t want to even acknowledge they were there, and it was my body.

“What’s it going to take, baby?” He trapped me on the counter, placing his hands on either sides of my hips and leaning forward with his entire weight.

I said nothing. I didn’t want to negotiate. He just needed to leave so that I could get this over with.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I just want you, Mer. The rest of this doesn’t matter,” he said in frustration. His brow furrowed, forming deep lines across his forehead.

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