Page 60 of A Match Made In Evan
“I lost a bet because of you.” Dad sulks, but his eyes are twinkling. He points his index finger at me. “Couldn’t keep it in your pants for another eighteen months, could you?”
Mum moans and covers her face. “Den, seriously?”
I look at Jay. “What the hell?”
“I guess you were still a little out of it earlier,” he replies and shuts his laptop, giving me his undivided attention. Beside him, Mia looks up from her phone and smirks.
“Grandpa and Uncle Den had a bet about when you two would finally realise you were inlurve,” she drags the word out, making a face. “Still ew, by the way. ’Cause you’re old.”
I point at her. “The other day you said it was because we’re best mates.”
“Either way,” she shrugs, “ew.”
“Anyway,” Jay redirects the conversation, waving his hand vaguely over his daughter’s form, curled into the visitor’s chair, fingers tapping away on her phone screen, “pretty much what she said. Our parents apparently had our feelings figured outbefore we did. They gambled on when we’d finally work it out. Dad won.”
“By eighteen months,” my dad grumbles, but there’s no heat behind it. “You made it all this time, why not another year and a bit?”
“Half, Dad,” I get playfully condescending, “year and a half.”
He flips me off. Mum sighs dramatically, but then she winks at me. “I can see you’re feeling better, love. How’s the pain?”
“Manageable.” Imighthave fought the nurse on the last dosage she planned on giving me. I didn’t want to be so drowsy anymore. “And I’m eating. See?” I lift my fork and finally slide the mouthful of curry between my lips. It’s lukewarm now, but still tasty enough. “So,” I add after I’ve swallowed, “they should be letting me out soon, yeah?”
“When you can walk and go to the toilet on your own, yeah,” Jay nods, and I scowl.
“I want to go homenow.”
“Geez, you weren’t even this bad when you were eight.” Dad says. He looks at James again. “Seriously, nobody will judge you if you change your mind about him.” He hisses as Mum slaps his chest, and he rubs at the sore spot with a pout. “I was only joking.”
“Idiot,” she mutters. Then she pats my foot, which is covered by the hospital issued white waffle blanket. “You’ll be out in no time. James has called your work and explained the situation, and they’re not expecting you to come back for a couple of weeks at least.”
“Thanks, baby,” I tell him, delighting in the way his cheeks turn pink at the pet name.
On his other side, Mia gags exaggeratedly.
“Get used to it,” Jay nudges her.
“Only eighteen more months and I’ll be at uni,” she responds under her breath. “I’ll think of it like a prison sentence.”
“So dramatic,” I tease. Then I smile widely at Jay. “Shedoestake after me, after all.”
Mia rolls her eyes, but I can tell that she’s trying not to smile.
I love that kid.
In fact, I think as I look around the room,I love everyone.
At first I think I’m just lucky, but then I glance over my shoulder and notice the nurse pumping a new dose of painkillers into my IV.
Or maybe, I muse,I’m just high.
Chapter Twenty-One
James
“Where’s Mister B, Mister D?” Joey asks, leaning over the canteen’s front counter. He doesn’t seem to care that there are a bunch of hungry, impatient teenagers behind him. He twists his head from side to side, looking for my boyfriend. Instead, he finds the big, tattooed guy Ev sent in his place. Jack. His eyes widen. “And who’s the new hottie?”
“Joey,” I say warningly. It’s been two weeks since Ev’s accident, and while he’s back on his feet (and practically moved into my house because I refused to let him out of my sight for longer than necessary), he still tires easily and can’t lift anything heavy, so he called in a favour with one of his soccer friends.
