Page 79 of Kiss My Glass
“I am so glad you’re here with me,” I tell him.
Reception tells us where Shelby is. Her condition is stable, apparently, no need yet for an induction or emergency cesarean. She won’t be leaving until the baby’s safely out, but they have no major concerns. The relief makes me weak at the knees. Good thing Danny’s arm is round my waist.
Danny and I grab a box of mints, and head towards Shelby’s ward. Halfway down the first corridor, we see Ava coming towards us.
“Cam and Lee are almost here,” she says. “I’m going to meet them.”
Ava gives me a look that’s shrewd but kind. “If you need to go outside and scream at any time, let me know and I’ll join you.”
“Thanks.” I manage a smile. It’s good to know I have Ava in my corner, too.
“And ourmom and dad are here already,” she says to Danny. “So, you’re also welcome to join the screaming party.”
“Jesus,” says Danny. “Shelby better be in one of the big rooms.”
“Yes, she is.” Ava grins. “Dad saw to that.”
“Of course he did.”
Danny sighs. Ava pats him on the arm. Speeds off down the corridor like a black-clad Exocet missile.
“You know, they have a plastic surgery ward here,” says Danny. “We could get new faces, new identities, and live out the rest of our lives on a beach in Mexico.”
“I like my face,” I say. “I like yours, too.”
“Guess we’d better show them, then,” he says.
We walk hand in hand down to Shelby’s room and push open the door.
Shelby’s in bed, Nate next to her, Mr and Mrs Durant over by the wall. Danny’s hand clutches mine tighter, and I squeeze back once, and let go.
“Frankeeee!”’
Soon as she sees me, my sister opens her arms, and I rush to her and hug her gently. I start to apologize but she shushes me immediately.
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” she says. “You were having a lovely day and I ruined it.”
I risk a quick glance at Nate. He looks as worn and wrung out as an old dish rag but he manages to lift the corner of his mouth. I’ve been half expecting him to scold me for switching off my phone, but I realize he’s had bigger things to worry about than a temporarily incommunicado sister-in-law.
Danny greets his parents, receives a hug from his mom and a handshake from his dad. Danny beckons me over.
“Mom, Dad,” he says. “This is my girlfriend, Frankie, Shelby’s younger sister. You met her at Nate and Shelby’s wedding.”
Danny’s mom, Ginny, is a super pretty blonde who looks a lot like him. She smiles warmly at me, and gives me a hug, too.
“Lovely to see you again, Frankie,” she says. “Mitchell, isn’t it sweet that our family has another connection to the Armstrongs?”
Danny’s dad, Mitchell, looks as if nothing could please him less, but as far as I can tell, that’s his default facial setting. He opens his mouth but whatever he’s about to say is interrupted by the entrance of three more people: Ava, Cam … and Mom.
Showtime.
ChapterForty-Four
DANNY
Frankie slips her hand in mine again as her mom walks in the door. Lee Armstrong looks washed out, as you would if you’d flown halfway across the world to be met with the news that your pregnant daughter’s been rushed to hospital. She’s still stunningly beautiful, though, slender and graceful like a dancer, with long red hair that’s not been dyed because you can see faint streaks of gray. Frankie’s grip on my hand tightens. I squeeze back, reassuringly, but I’m not sure she notices. Her eyes are fixed on her mom.
Who has eyes only for Shelby. Lee Armstrong ignores us all and heads straight for the bed. Nate fetches her a chair, and she sinks into it with barely a glance his way.
