Page 85 of Jasper

“Angry with me?”

“Yeah.”

“He and I had a long talk on the phone about his feelings, about his brother and how fucked up life in general is. It was a good conversation. I think it helped him a little.”

“He talked to you?”

“It was a long time coming. If I’d known how angry he was, I would have tracked the fucker down a long time ago and sat him down for a come-to-Jesus talk. His brother wouldn’t have wanted him to have all this anger, to be angry with himself. Henry talked about him all the damn time. He’d want the kid to be happy.”

“You knew his brother well?”

A shadow filtered through his eyes. “Better than most.”

“I’m sorry you lost him.”

Conner’s eyes flickered to hers for the barest of seconds. Instead of acknowledging what she said, he turned the conversation back to her. “Are you planning on sticking around?”

“Yes.”

“Good. The kid went to hell and back for you in ways you’ll never know about, but trust me when I say what he feels is more than lust for a beautiful woman. It’s the kind of love my brothers have, the kind worth fighting for. I think you both could use some good in your lives.”

“You think he loves me? We’ve known each other for barely three weeks.”

“My father knew he loved my mother the day he met her. Married her within a week. People get caught up these days in trying to rationalize the unrationalizable. Love isn’t something that can be defined. It’s something that’s there or it’s not. You know it when you know it. And if you’re lucky enough to find it, grab it and hold on like your life depended on it. Love can be there and gone in the blink of an eye.”

She was sitting here listening to a serial killer give her advice on her love life. Could this day get any weirder?

“Anyway, I’ll let you get some rest. I needed an answer from you, and now I have one. Whatever you decide, Sloane, I wish you luck.”

She watched him walk out of the room, unsure of what just happened, but he left her with a lot of questions.

Questions she knew she had to dig deep to answer, but answer them, she would.

He was right about one thing. Love was hard to find and could be taken away in a heartbeat.

But was he right? Did Jasper love her?

But more importantly, did she love him?

Jasper yawned as he carried the bags through the hospital. Sloane was still in ICU, but the nurses were going to deal with what he had in the bags. He hoped to have everything ready before she opened her eyes. The doctor had assured him she’d probably not wake up until tomorrow, even though they were no longer keeping her in a medical coma.

He nodded to Stephanie, the evening nurse, as he stepped onto Sloane’s floor. She was coming out of another patient’s room.

“Oh, Mr. Watkins, good to see you. We’re so happy to see your fiancée awake.”

“What?” he barked. “And no one called me?”

“I…” She blinked at his harsh words. “I assumed the morning shift did.”

He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, Steph. I’ve just been really worried.”

“Of course, sir. Her dinner just got delivered, so I know she’s awake.”

“Thanks.” He wasted not another second and took off down the hall, all but running to her room.

She was propped up in bed surveying the broth with a look of intense dislike. His heart finally started to beat, and his lungs opened up for the first time in days. She was awake and glaring at the soup like it was offending her.

The bags he was holding dropped to the floor with a crash, and he winced, knowing the glass bulbs were probably broken, at least some of them.

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