Page 51 of Love Her

“You are,” he said, like his graciousness was costing him. “Please don’t do anything stupid though. And by that, I mean anything unapproved.”

“I’m just going to hit my apartment to freshen up is all. There’ll be cameras there at lunch, right?”

He gave me a dour look. “The first lesson of being engaged to a senator—there are always cameras. Everywhere,” he said, then stepped out of my path so I could go.

I trotted quickly outdoorsand summoned my driver—Arnold had insisted I stop taking rideshares the day before, but I would be damned if Marcus got to know where I was all the time—I just called Corvo’s lot.

The man who’d dropped me off was waiting right around the corner and swooped in to pick me up.

“Miss Ferreo,” he said, coming around to open up the door.

“Thank you, James,” I said, settling into the backseat. “Can you take me here?” I asked, giving him the address to Dr. Genziani’s offices. His eyes flickered up to the rearview mirror the second he realized where we were going. “I’m not shot,” I promised him. “It’s just a check-up.”

“Of course, Miss Ferreo,” he said, and took the next left-hand turn.

Just because my father was willing to give up didn’t mean I didn’t want to talk to his doctor, personally. And there was no such thing as patient-confidentiality—not where my family and the Doctor were concerned.

The driver let me off in front of a non-descript building with a quiet glass lobby. I let myself inside, and went straight to the desk.

“Is Doctor Genziani here?” I asked the older woman behind the counter, and she gave me a pained smile.

“He’s booked solid today—I’m sorry, we don’t take walk ins—I can maybe get you in next week?”

“Tell him Lia Ferreo is here and she needs to speak to him. Immediately,” I said and sat down. For all of my posturing on the Morning Moment, defending my countrymen against hurtful stereotypes, I was well aware I was living one, and the fuck if I wasn’t going to use it to my advantage now.

The woman picked up a phone and had a hushed conversation, during which I watched her eyes widen, and after which, she came out to get me. “Right this way,” she said, ushering me into an exam room quickly.

I sat on the paper-covered chair with my purse in my lap, remembering every time I’d ever been here before: for strep throat, a sprained wrist, the time when a bee had stung my cheek and my lip swelled up. My father’d been ready to sue the entire school into oblivion for having trees kids could climb near the playground—I’d never told him it was my fault for throwing rocks up at the beehive in the tree.

He’d been so worried about me, so fiercely protective of me—it was one of the times when I knew he truly cared.

Maybe not aboutme, precisely, but about the daughter-shaped box he wanted me to live in, like a doll, precious and untouched.

I’d done enough therapy to realize that there would be no changing him—and if any man could be said to be a product of his time, hewas.

But I still wasn’t ready to lose him without a fight.

The exam room door opened after a fast knock. “Lia? Oh my gosh—look at you!” said a familiar man, sounding like anactualuncle. “It’s been so long!”

“Doctor Genziani!” I said, bouncing off the table to give him a hug.

“How are you?” he asked. “Why are you here?”

I sank back and let my shoulders drop. “I think you know.”

He sat back into the chair behind him, “Your father would kill me if he knew we talked, Lia.”

“Seeing as he’s going to die anyways, that threat’s pretty hollow,” I said, sitting down again. “Please tell me you made him see the best?”

“Best in the world. I did. I swear.”

“And—there’s really nothing?”

Genziani gave a short groan. “Well, there’s always something—oncologists would chase their patients into the grave with chemo, if they could. As to whether or not it would work….”

“But—it’s just a kidney. Can’t you get him one?”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s kidneycancerLia. You have to be cancer free for a few years before a transplant center will even begin to consider giving you one.”

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