Page 80 of Shape Of My Heart
She buried her face into his chest and savored the safety shealwaysfelt.
He’d always referred to her as an angel, when all this time itwashim.
He was theangel.
* * *
The journeyto Atlanta was draining and lengthy. They left first thing in the morning and got to the hospital just beforemidday.
Josh did his best to keep Amy calm, but it was difficult. He knew he’d be a wreck, too, if itwerehim.
Her mother was still in surgery when they arrived so they waited in the waiting room with Amy’s brother and his wife. Both of who thanked him endlessly forhishelp.
Amy fell asleep in his arms. She didn’t sleep last night from the worry. Josh hated seeing her look so frail anddrained.
It was nothing for him to help, and honestly, he would have offered to do anything she needed when she first told him about her mother’s condition. He only hadn’t insisted because she said she had everything under control. He also didn’t want her to feel obligated to him inanyway.
Tonight was a necessity, but he still wished he could do more. He wanted to make Amy feelbetter.
She’d looked so happy when she came back from the showcase last night, and she was practically glowing when they were reciting the poem. He’d never thought he’d see the day when he, Joshua Mancini, would be reciting poetry to awoman.
What woman could make him crazy enough todothat?
He looked down at her dainty figure, crumpled against him forsupport.
This woman had changed him so much. They hadn’t been together long, but he didn’t believe in putting a label on something because time qualified it. He’d always been a man of feeling. Someone who spoke his mind and called it what it was when hesawit.
She meant something to him, everything. Time didn’t have to tell him that. It was something that hit him like wildtruth.
It did scare him, though, because he couldn’tcontrolit.
Josh liked to be in control, he liked to have a say. But emotion and feelings were different. The only say you had when it came to that was with your own,hisown.
She stirred against him and opened her eyes. He rubbed her arm and continued to hold her. She’d cried so much that her eyes were red. And she’d started to cryagain.
“Hey, there.” He stroked her head. “It’llbeokay.”
“I’m soscared.”
“Don’t be, baby.I’mhere.”
“Thank you so much foreverything.”
“Anything for you, beautiful Amy.” He kissed her forehead. “Anything.”
“Thankyou.”
Her hands shook so he took them into his and thought he’d distract her a little with something easier to talk about. “So, I guess this confirms you really aren’t fromKansas.”
She looked up at him and offered a weak smile. “Nope, here we are in Atlanta. Our family home isn’t too farfromhere.”
“Is thatright?”
She nodded. He would have loved to meet her family under bettercircumstances.
He tried hard to think of other things to talk about but found it difficult. The distraction he offered was only momentary as he felt her anxiety and fears and was worriedforher.
Josh looked about the waiting room at the solemn faces of those around him that waited for news on their loved ones. Including them, there were about fifteen people in here. An elderly man in the corner rested his head back against the wall. His gray hair looked a straggled mess and his eyes were bloodshot. Josh had overheard him talking to the nurses about his wife, who he was waiting for. He said she just collapsed and he didn’t know why. He’d been here for hours and it wasn’t looking good. Over there by the large glass window sat a family of four with a teenage son who recognized Josh. Josh had seen the recognition flicker in his eyes but that was all, the boy was as distraught as the rest of his family because his little sister had been hit by a truck. The boy looked over at him and Josh gave him a curt nod. The boy nodded back and looked like he was trying to keep himselfcomposed.
