Page 88 of Say You Remember Me
She opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, her expression lost and overwhelmed. “This is just…a lot for me, Ian. I mean, I’ve dealt with gossip before—my last year and a half of high school was a nightmare with all the pregnant teen chatter—but this?” Her voice wavered as she gestured helplessly. “This is all over the internet. How the heck are we supposed to handle something like that?”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice gentle. “This is all my fault. I wish you hadn’t been dragged into my drama. But I promise I’ll do everything I can to figure it out.” I licked my lips, then hesitated as I recalled what she’d said about the nurse. I asked, “Did your dad’s nurse mention the part about you being pregnant?”
“No. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything about that. Just the engagement to a billionaire part.” She shook her head like she still couldn’t believe any of this was happening. “But still. He just had surgery. What if he thinks it’s real? He’s recovering from a heart attack, Ian. The last thing he needs is more stress.”
“Maybe he didn’t fully register it?” I offered weakly, knowing full well it was probably wishful thinking.
She let out a short laugh. “I guess it’s possible. He is pretty hopped up on pain medication. Maybe he thought he was dreaming. If he even caught onto what Amber was saying at all.”
“I’m crossing my fingers for you,” I said. “But if not, I’m more than happy to help explain everything to him. Set the record straight. Let him know the gossip sites are wrong and I didn’t actually impregnate his daughter just three weeks after meeting her.”
Maddie’s eyes widened, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief, and I immediately realized I’d been too blunt. Again.
Man, I really was great at sticking my foot in my mouth.
I cleared my throat, raking a hand through my hair as I tried to backtrack. “What I meant was?—”
“Forget it.” Her lips twitched, and for a moment, I thought she might laugh. Instead, she shook her head, her gaze drifting around the waiting room. “Where’s everyone else? Did they already head out to get food?”
“Yeah,” I said, latching onto the change of subject. “They offered to pick something up for us, but I told them I’d take care of it.”
Her gaze settled back on me, and for the first time in the conversation, a hint of relief softened her expression.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” I said simply. “Are you hungry? Anything specific sound good?”
She hesitated for a beat before nodding. “Now that I know Dad’s okay, I could definitely eat.”
“Good. I looked up a few options earlier,” I said. “There’s a pub nearby. They’ve got a chicken salad that looked solid. Or a pastrami burger if you’re in the mood for something heartier.”
Her brows lifted slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved just enough to let me know she appreciated the effort.
“Chicken salad sounds great,” she said. “Ranch on the side?”
“Perfect.”
“And if they have potato munchers, I’d love some of those, too.”
“I’ll look into that, then.” I couldn’t resist the half-smile that slipped on my lips. As I pulled out my phone to order, I glanced at her. “Have you talked to Grant yet? Told him about your dad?”
“Not yet.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want him worrying when we didn’t know anything. But now that Dad’s okay, I think I’ll call Jaxon and see if he can bring Grant to visit. Dad would love that since Grant’s basically his best friend.”
I smiled at that, imagining Maddie’s son bringing some light to an otherwise stressful day. “That sounds like a great idea.”
From how much she adored her son, I figured he’d bring Maddie some joy, too.
She gave me a small smile before pulling out her phone to make the call. As I stepped aside to place the food order,I realized something I hadn’t expected: I liked taking care of Maddie like this. I liked being the one she could lean on.
And I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I knew one thing for certain—I didn’t want it to end.
31
MADDIE
I stepped backinto my dad’s room after eating my late lunch in the waiting room with Ian, deciding not to bring up the engagement stuff unless he did. He was already recovering from major surgery—the last thing he needed was more stress.
He looked better than before, though still pale and tired as he rested against the pillows. His eyes lit up when he saw me, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, his voice scratchy. “You doing okay?”
