Page 23 of The Billionaire and His Forever

As soon as we step off the elevator on Natasha’s floor, the RN at the nurse’s station glances up, his expression immediately going stern and guarded. I tell him that Jude and I are here to see Natasha, and he personally escorts us to the room with a scowl.

It’s not hard to guess the reason behind the chilly reception. My face has been splashed all over the globe thanks to the media, and being painted as an attempted murderer of a celebrity actress doesn’t earn one many kindnesses. Even still, for the duration of the short walk, I can feel the eyes of the other nurses hot on my back. I’m accustomed to getting side-eyed, but I hope that Jude doesn’t notice. I don’t want her asking questions that I’m not prepared to answer.

“I’ve got my eye on you,” the RN warns me before heading back to his station.

A young nurse is tending to Natasha, scribbling something on a clipboard. She shoots me a glare before offering a much more pleasant expression to Jude.

“How are you doing this morning, sweetie?” she asks.

“Okay,” Jude answers shyly, moving toward the bed. “Is my mom any better?”

“She’s stable,”the nurse says, sidestepping the question.

Jude looks back at me, and I try to arrange my face into a reassuring smile. But it’s difficult.

“Can we talk to her?” Jude asks the nurse.

“Of course,” the nurse says, stepping back to allow Jude some space.

Natasha is surrounded by a halo of wires and IVs and beeping machines. I know she’s sick, but even with the sickly fluorescent lights overhead, she looks almost angelic in her repose, her brow smooth, her hair in a long plait that one of the nurses has laid over her shoulder. Jude hovers at the bedside, watching her mother with an expression of intense worry and intense love.

“We need some privacy,” I tell the nurse, who doesn’t seem to be able to read the room.

“Not as long as you’re here,” she says in a mock-friendly voice, clearly for Jude’s sake.

This is not what I had in mind. This nurse could run straight to the press after she hears what Jude has to say to Natasha. It could cause another shitstorm before I’ve even finished dealing with the last one. But before I can say anything, Jude climbs onto the bed next to her mom and gently strokes her cheek.

“Hi, Mommy,” Jude says softly. “I really miss you. I wish you weren’t still sleeping.”

Natasha doesn’t move, of course.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Jude goes on. “It’s important. But first, I want you to know you’ll always be my mom. I love you so much and I always will, no matter what.”

Jude glances over her shoulder at me, and I nod to show my encouragement. She’s got such a pure spirit. My entire chest aches, as if it’s caving in. Even this glowering troll of a nurse in the corner can’t take away the tenderness I feel for my daughter right now.

“Daddy told me today that he wants to marry Abbie, and…I want him to. She won’t replace you though, she’ll just be my stepmom. I hope that’s okay. You already saw how Abbie takes really good care of me, and I know she’ll be good to me. Maybe all of us can even be a family together sometimes, if you want.” Jude takes her mother’s hand in her own and gives it a squeeze. “So what do you think? Would that be okay?”

She sits very still, fastening her gaze on her mother’s face. I don’t want Jude to be disappointed, but before I can work up the courage to gently remind her that her mom is in a coma and won’t be able to respond, Jude lets out a gasp.

“Mommy said yes!” she exclaims.

My gut tightens. “Oh sweetheart, don’t let your imagination run away with you—”

“But her finger moved! I felt it!”

The nurse and I exchange a look, and then she rushes over to check Natasha’s vitals.

“I’m sorry, honey,” the nurse says to Jude. “You need to leave now. We’re going to run some tests on your mom.”

Jude climbs off the bed, buzzing with excitement.

“Can’t I stay a little longer?” she begs. “I want to be here when she wakes all the way up.”

“The doctors will need to see her alone,” the nurse says gently. “Go on. You can wait in the waiting room if you like.”

I hold out my hand. “Come on, love. We have a lot of preparations for today. I’m sure the nurses will call us as soon as they know what’s going on.”

Jude looks back at her mom. She leans over the bed rail to kiss her cheek one last time and then tucks her small hand into mine. As we make our way down the hall, Jude virtually skips at my side, convinced that what she felt back in the room was a sign.

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