CHAPTER19
Gillian woke.Foggy and disoriented and lying in a very comfortable bed in an extremely beautiful room. And the view… She quickly sat up, blinking.
In front of her, a wall of windows looked out at the ocean. Brilliant deep-blue waves crashed over dark rocks.The Pacific.The house must be built onto the side of a mountain.Where was she? And how did she get here?
Her boot and wheelchair were sitting next to the bed, and she was wearing her favorite pajamas. But how? She didn’t remember bringing her stuff from her mom’s. Had Paul packed her things?
She slipped on the boot over her ankle, eased herself into the chair, and rolled it over to the window. She wasn’t wearing her sling, and her shoulder no longer hurt. But how?
“You’re awake,” Paul said, walking into the room carrying a tray full of food. He set it on the table in front of the windows. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted so I brought all your favorites.”
She eyed the bowl of large strawberries and looked up at him, confused. “I’m not sure what I’m doing here?”
“I know. You’ve been out of it for a while.”
A while? What was he talking about?
“How are you feeling?” He looked genuinely interested.
She didn’t know what to say. She tried to remember how she got here. What had happened? Everything was so fuzzy.
“What do you think of the house?” he asked. “Even with all my troubles, I landed my dream job. We can start over here. I know I’ve been out of sorts for a long time.” He pulled out one of the chairs from the table in front of the window and dragged it in front of her wheelchair. “I wasn’t very kind to you, and I have a lot to make up for. All I can say is that I’m so sorry. I was grieving too, and I took it out on you.” He grabbed both her hands in his. “I hope you can forgive me. When we lost our baby…” Tears misted his eyes. “I didn’t know how to get past the loss. I blamed you, and that was wrong.”
For a second, she saw a glimpse of the man she married, of the man she fell in love with. Was he real? Was there a chance he was telling the truth?
“This place is really beautiful.” He stood and walked behind her and started pushing the chair. “I hope you will love it as much as I do.”
“Wait—” She started to protest, to tell him she wanted to take a shower and get dressed. She wanted to go home.
“I have a surprise,” he said, interrupting her. “I can’t wait to show you.”
“I really need a shower.” Her words died as he wheeled her down the hall and into a stunning great room with floor-to-ceiling windows. The view of the ocean was so incredible, it stole her breath. This place must have cost a fortune. She turned to the kitchen with its thick granite that stretched at least ten feet. The island sat in front of a subzero refrigerator and commercial Viking stove.
“Breathless, I know.” He was smiling, his enthusiasm that of an excitable boy.
She heard a whining noise and looked beyond the kitchen at an infinity pool out back surrounded by an intricate patio designed from paver stones. A white gondola stretched the length of the house. Beneath it sat a dog crate right outside the large sliding glass doors. Inside was the cutest fluffy white puppy she’d ever seen.
“What? Did you get a dog? You never wanted a dog.”
“That’s my surprise,” Paul said. He wheeled her out the massive sliders that opened up the entire wall to the outside, and onto the patio next to the crate. The puppy was jumping up and down in excitement and whining to be let out of the cage.
Paul reached inside the opening in the top, picked up the squirming puppy, and handed it to her. “The real estate agent who helped me buy this house had a litter. I couldn’t resist. Isn’t she the cutest thing you ever saw?”
She didn’t know what to say.
“I know you always wanted one,” he said smiling.
She snuggled the puppy to her cheek as tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t understand what was happening.Couldn’t think clearly.
“Do you think you’ll like it here?” He took her hand. “I love you, Gillian. I’ve always loved you. I know we’ve been in a bad place, but I want to make it up to you. I want to show you I’m still the man you married. It’s why I didn’t sign the divorce papers. Let me make it up to you. Give me a chance? Give us a chance?”
He looked and sounded so much like the man she fell in love with and married, and nothing like the cold, hard man she’d been living with the past few years. Was it possible he had really changed? Could she trust him?
The puppy squirmed on her lap and she smiled. She looked up at Paul and caught him watching her. Warning bells went off in her mind. “I don’t feel so good,” she admitted as nausea fluttered in her stomach.
“It’s the medication you’re on.”
“Medication?”