Page 83 of When You're Home
“I’m here now,” he repeated, looking her in the eyes and gently resting his forehead against hers. He wove a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck, just like he’d done so many times before. What he wouldn’t give to kiss her right now, just to deepen the connection and let her know he wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m here for you,” he promised before closing his eyes.
A noise from across the room caught Rhett’s attention. He had forgotten they weren’t alone.
“I’m gonna go downstairs and grab something to drink,” Fielding muttered as he rose to his feet. “You want anything, Tor?”
“No. Thanks, Field,” she mumbled, dismissing him without breaking eye contact with Rhett.
Fielding left the room and pulled the door closed behind him. They were finally alone.
Rhett took another moment to breathe her in. To smell her hair. To feel her body in such close proximity to his. To be in her orbit. Their bond was still there. Of course it was still there. What they shared was unshakable.
“What can I do for you right now, beautiful?” he asked, eager to do whatever he could to ease some of her burden.
“I don’t even know…” Tori trailed off, scooching back from him so she could pull her knees into her chest. Rhett nodded toward the headboard, indicating he wanted her to keep moving over. She made more room on the bed, then he joined her, pulling her into his arms once again. He knew in his bones this was where he was meant to be.
“When were your scans?” He felt guilty bringing up the appointment he hadn’t been home for, but he needed to know.
“The Monday after Easter.” Her voice was shallow, her words hollow.
Rhett stilled at her response. He didn’t need to tell her how much he regretted not being there for her. He could hear the pain in her voice. It mirrored the pain he felt in his gut.
“I don’t understand what you told me about the bloodwork.” He kept a firm grasp on her body as she leaned against him.
“I don’t know much about it, either,” she confessed, burying her head deeper into the crease of his arm. “They only do bloodwork once a year, not twice a year like the other tests. The bloodwork has to do with ovarian cancer, not breast cancer.”
Rhett nodded. He had spent enough time Googling CA-125 blood draws last night to know where this was headed.
“You said you have another appointment on Monday?”
Tori nodded.
“In Akron? What does that entail?”
“Yes, in Akron, at three o’clock. I think it’s an exam and an ultrasound. The nurse said they’d send over instructions about it, but I haven’t even checked my email since I got the call yesterday…”
Rhett let her fade out. He wasn’t going to push her right now. They didn’t need to discuss all the what-ifs about Monday. He knew why he was here: to support her. To distract her. To love her. All those things came as naturally as breathing, and that’s what he needed to focus on now. There would be time for everything else later.
“I feel stupid for how this all happened,” she confessed, tearing Rhett away from his own train of thought. “I had a full-blown panic attack at Fielding’s house. I made Jake leave work yesterday, and I screwed over Mike and the rest of the staff. You stayed on the phone with me all night and probably didn’t even sleep or study for your exam. Then today everyone has dropped everything to…”
“Hey,” he interrupted her. “You don’t have anything to feel bad about.”
“But it’s just abnormal blood work. And I’ve been expecting it for the last ten years! I honestly feel embarrassed by how I reacted.”
Rhett tried to keep his cool as he pulled her back into him. “Stop, Tori. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Your feelings and your reaction to all this is completely legitimate. Hell, you should have seen how I reacted when I found out.”
“I’m sorry you had to come back for me. I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger.”
“Don’t you dare try to apologize for that. The only thing I’m upset about is the fact that I wasn’t here when you went to your appointment. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you,” he lamented, resting his chin on top of her head. She didn’t say anything, but she reached up and laced her fingers with his, forgiveness flowing between them for everything they had put each other through over the last four weeks.
“I’m sorry, too,” she whispered, squeezing his hand for emphasis.
Rhett nodded, accepting her apology and promising himself that was all he needed. He didn’t want to hash out all the highs and lows of the last month. The words Jake had said to him last night resonated: They needed to be done trying to hurt each other. It was the only way forward.
“I know, beautiful. It’s over. I’m here now,” he assured her. “So listen, I have an idea, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page first. I don’t want to push you or make you feel like you have to do something you’re not comfortable doing. You have to be 100% on board for this to happen. I am here because you asked me to be here and because I want to be here. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to sit around Hampton all weekend worrying about all the what-ifs. There’s literally nothing we can do between now and Monday, right?”
“Right.” Her response was low and drawn out.
“That’s what I thought. Let’s get your work and school schedule sorted out, then I want to take you away for the weekend.”
