Chapter 80 A Calm Before the Storm
I opened the door, and they both looked up.
Cassandra removed her hand slowly and tucked it under the blanket when she noticed me at the door as if she wasn't just holding Marcus's hand.
Marcus, on the other hand, stood up smoothing his jacket.
“Man, you are back,” he said, putting on a small smile.
“Is everything okay with the doc?”
“Yeah,” I replied, my voice rougher than I intended.
“He said she will be discharged tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Marcus retorted.
He glanced at Cassandra, then back at me.
“She was just telling me about seeing something that scared her before she fainted, so I was comforting her,” he said.
She told him something she didn’t tell me since I had been with her in that ward.
I mean, we were practically strangers but Marcus is more of a stranger to her than I was.
“Can I see you outside?” he whispered across my shoulder and walked out of the ward.
I glanced at Cassandra who looked away almost immediately before following Marcus.
“Look man… that woman is pregnant and clearly shaken. You have to try and be around her for a little while, at least until she puts to bed,” Marcus said.
“What are you talking about? Was I supposed to be with her indoors all day?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No… just make time for her. She’s carrying your child for goodness sake, man,” he continued.
“Okay,” I said, running my fingers through my hair.
“You have to forget how this all happened. It’s a matter of life and death now.”
“I understand,” I retorted quietly.
“But was that why you both were holding hands?”
“I was comforting her. She seemed really scared,” he explained.
“What was she scared of? What did she see?” I asked since she couldn’t tell me about it.
“She talked about seeing something on her phone. She didn’t go into details though,” he stated.
Marcus was right. I had to start paying attention to her.
And maybe I was overthinking what I saw earlier anyway.
Or maybe I wasn’t.
JOAN COLE’S POV
The next morning, Dave and I took a walk around the rose garden, the small lake, and the old gazebo where we sat with coffee and talked about nothing and everything.
I was still drowning in the emotions of last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he had held me after that intense moment and the way my body finally relaxed into his without thinking about Alex.
Now I was Dave Wilton’s girlfriend.
After a while, we walked back inside, our hands entwined as we swung them.
We stopped at the sunroom, where we curled on the sofa, my legs placed loosely on his lap while he absentmindedly traced circles on my ankle.
I was half-dozing when the doorbell rang.
“No one is supposed to be here,” he frowned, looking towards the door.
“Oh… who could it be?” I asked.
“I’ll have to check,” he replied and placed my legs carefully on the sofa.
He stood up and walked towards the door.
Then I heard a familiar voice, bright and clear.
It was definitely Jane.
She strolled into the sunroom with a wide grin on her face as if she owned the place.
She technically kind of owned it though.
Her hands were loaded with a big wicker basket covered in a checkered cloth and a bottle of champagne tucked under one elbow.
“Surprise!” she said, throwing her free hand wide.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything. I’m sorry… I just couldn’t help it. I had to come see the lovebirds with my two eyes,” she added.
Dave appeared behind her, amused.
“She threatened to climb the back fence if I didn’t let her in.”
I laughed and stood to hug her.
“You didn’t have to stress yourself,” I muttered.
“Oh… I definitely have to. You have no idea how happy I was when you told me you both are now official,” she smiled.
Dave rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks faintly pink.
“You could have texted first, you know?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she shot back.
“Sit and let’s celebrate this union, man.”
She dropped the basket and popped the champagne like an expert, the foam bubbling over her fingers.
She poured into three glasses and handed them out.
“To new beginnings,” she said, raising her own glass.
“To my brother finally finding someone who can handle his terrible taste in playlists. And to Joan, who somehow managed to crack that stubborn Wilton’s heart without even trying.”
I smiled and we all clinked our glasses.
Jane sank onto the sofa, patting the cushion beside her.
“Both of you should sit. I promise I’m not staying long. I just wanted to see this for myself.”
Dave sat on the other side of the couch, his arm resting casually along the back, his fingers brushing my shoulder.
Jane looked between us, her eyes glistening.
“I’m really happy. Dave has been different since you came into the picture, Joan. I’ve been praying for this moment.”
I felt heat creep up my cheek.
“Don’t break my brother’s heart. If you do, I will hunt you down,” she teased.
“Jane,” Dave groaned, dropping his head back against the couch.
“What?” she said, feigning innocence.
“Am I not allowed to threaten my future sister-in-law?”
“You are,” I answered.
“Good answer,” she smiled widely.
“To forever,” she said, raising her glass again.
We clinked glasses again, and Dave leaned over and kissed my temple.
“Okay okay… enough of the oppression,” she pretended to gag.
For the rest of the afternoon, the three of us laughed, ate, and talked in that sun-soaked room before Jane finally left.
By evening the next day, we had packed and were set to leave the Wilton’s family estate back to town.
Dave carried our luggage to the trunk and waited for me downstairs until I was done dressing up.
I joined him after a few minutes.
He opened the door to the passenger seat for me and I slipped in.
Then he went over to the driver’s side and started the ignition.
“Shall we?” he asked with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Yeah,” I replied, fastening my seat belt.
We had barely driven into the town when my phone’s screen lit up.
It was a call from Lena.
I picked up the call and her voice came immediately.
“Girl, have you seen the trending blog?” she said, her voice tense.
“No… what’s going on?” I asked.
“You have to check… it’s about you and…” she said and paused for a while.
“It’s not looking good,” she added, her voice low.
“What!”