Page 22 of A Powerful Attraction
“It is genuine,” Alex said firmly.
“Well, like I said, I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I’ve never felt like this.”
Rashad held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, fine. So if you really think she’s the One, you know what you need to do.”
“Yes. I know.” Alex rubbed the back of his neck.
He needed to be honest and upfront, but the situation had already gotten out of hand. Their relationship had been unexpected and moved so fast. How could he tell Sherry the truth now? Maybe he’d become too cynical, but she was the one bright spot in a world he sometimes wanted to burn to the ground.
“Bite the bullet,” Rashad advised. “She might understand.”
“Maybe.”
“You can’t not tell her.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Alex snapped.
“Then what are you doing?” Rashad snapped back. “You’ve always been honest and upfront with women, and most of them didn’t care. What’s different—”
“She is!” Alex glared at his friend. “She is,” he said in a calmer voice. “That’s the difference. It’s her. I don’t want to lose her if I tell her the truth. Because she might not understand.”
Whether she did or not, Alex couldn’t deny he needed to tell Sherry everything. Rashad was right that she deserved to know.
But if he told her, would she understand?
10
“You met someone.”
Alex stopped in the middle of fluffing the pillows behind Heather’s head. Her long blonde hair had long ago lost its luster, and her pale blue eyes no longer sparkled. Yet she managed a smile that gave him a small measure of hope that maybe all was not lost. That maybe everything the doctors had subjected her to over the past couple of years—the steroids, the surgery, the medicines and experimental drugs—was not in vain. He hoped that one day soon he’d be walking her out the exit doors, into the car, and away from this place for good.
“How did you know?”
“Aside from the fact that I don’t see you as often? Rashad.”
“Rashad talks too much.”
“Tell me about her.”
Alex hesitated. He no longer discussed his love life with Heather. He’d stopped because he didn’t want her to think the reason he hadn’t pursued a relationship with anyone else was because of her. She didn’t need that burden of guilt on top of everything else she had to deal with. He silently cursed at Rashad for even mentioning Sherry to Heather.
“It’s nothing,” he said.
“Well, if it’s nothing, then you should have no problem telling me about her.” Heather’s voice had grown firm, the way it always did when she pushed back against something he and Rashad thought was best for her.
He sat on the side of the bed. “My love life is none of your concern.”
“Since when?” she asked.
“You need to concentrate on getting better, so we can get you out of this—”
“Stop it.” She was no longer joking and took a tremulous breath. “You know that’s not going to happen.”
Her words gutted him. She couldn’t give up. Not when she’d managed to survive several near-death episodes with this dreaded disease. Eight months ago the doctors had told them to prepare for organ failure and death, but she’d proved them wrong and was still here. He couldn’t allow her to give up.
“Of course you’re going to get out of here. It’s only a matter of time. You have to have faith and stay positive.”
