“You mean you’ve been kicked in the head by a horse before?”
“Well, no, but other things, yes. How did you get Matty to bring you?”
“I don’t know. He was…nice. Sort of.”
“Matty? Nice?”
I chuckled. If Gray was making jokes, he couldn’t feel that bad, could he? I placed a kiss lightly where a goose egg had formed. “He did find a way for me to take care of you and gave us a few minutes of privacy.”
“That was weird, but I’m glad he did.”
“Me too. I was so worried on the way here.”
Footsteps echoed outside, and I stepped away from Gray just in time before the door opened. Dammit. I didn’t have nearly enough time alone with him. A nurse entered with a wheelchair. Behind her, Matty and Emma came in as well.
“Gray, I’ll take you for the CT scan now if you’re ready.”
“Let’s get it over with,” Gray said. “The sooner I do this, the sooner everyone will be at ease I’m not going to die. Not today at least.”
“You’d better not,” Emma said. “Remember, I get to call whether they pull the plug.”
Emma was joking. I knew she was, but it didn’t stop my heart from feeling like it was being torn out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe. What were we doing? How could I be in a relationship with a man whose wife had the power to choose something so serious?
I kept it together, smiling bravely as they led Gray away. As soon as he was gone, I crumbled.
“Excuse me. I need to get some fresh air.”
I hurried past Emma and Matty. Thankfully, the clinic wasn’t big enough to get lost. I rushed past the desk, too choked up to respond when the nice nurse from earlier asked if I was okay.
Outside, shudders rippled through me. With a groan, I collapsed against a stone bench with cracks snaking deep into its center. Just like me. I couldn’t do this for much longer. I couldn’t wait on Carter anymore.
“Ozzie.”
Matty slowly approached me. I wiped my cheeks with the backs of my hands and sniffed. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
“We both know it’s not fine.” He sat down next to me on the bench. “But I’m sure he’s okay. The CT scan is just for precaution.”
“It’s not that.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t know what’s going on, but—”
“Why are you being nice to me? The other day, you were so mean to me, and I get it. What I’m doing with your father is wrong, but why should I show any consideration to your brother,given the way he’s been treating me? He couldn’t even be here to prepare for our wedding!”
Matty held up both hands. “Look, I was wrong for judging you. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things, and I’ve been thinking about it, that’s all. I shouldn’t have said those things, since I’m not in your shoes. No telling how I’d act. But…I think you do care about Dad, and he’s right. I know him enough to know he would never have gone after you if he didn’t believe you were the one for him. I just hate that it has to happen behind Carter’s back.”
“I get that. It’s not ideal for us either. Gray puts on a brave front, but he’s worried about how our relationship will come between Carter and him. And how can I live with myself, knowing I’m the cause of any rift between them? Then there’s your mother…”
“What about her? There’s nothing romantic going on between them. Don’t tell me you were jealous and that’s the reason you ran out of the room?”
I hung my head. “Only partially. It hit me that for as long as we’re a secret, I have no right to speak up for anything concerning Gray. I hate that so much, but thank you. I appreciate you finding a way for me to keep an eye on him.”
Matty rose and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You hurting my brother is something I can forgive and live with, but if you’re hooking up with my father for some ulterior motive, like his wealth, that’s where I draw the line.”
“I’m not.” I jumped to my feet. “Gray’s wealth has nothing to do with how I feel about him.”
“Good. Because if it is, believe me, you haven’t seen the worst side of me.” His tone was firm, but not unkind. Still, I believed every word.
“We should head back inside,” I said weakly.
