So he lifted her, loving how her legs wrapped automatically around his waist, and carried her into her mother’s hospital room, where he took a seat in the single guest chair, the back of which aligned with the top of the bed. Holly ended up in his lap, facing her mom.
“Hello again, Mrs. Hendricks.”
“Hey, yourself.” She beamed at them, as if the sight of them back together was even more exciting than the kidney that could be the end to her suffering. “I’m glad you manned up enough to see that Holly needs you, even if you’re afraid of what’s between you.”
He laughed. “Sorry, was it that obvious?”
Holly’s mom nodded. “I didn’t mean to frighten you earlier. You’re welcome to dinner or to visit anytime. And that has nothing to do with this.”
She waved her hand weakly over herself lying in the hospital bed. “I’d be proud to have a son like you. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re not good enough to love someone or…many people.”
Holly’s mom’s gaze shifted to Owen and Lorenzo, who were pacing nervously outside the door, tossing glances at him and Holly periodically.
“Oh, um…” Trent tried to think of some excuse or other, but his mind was too fried from having believed he’d blown things with Holly, or worse, that he didn’t deserve her in the first place. Mrs. Hendricks knew about Andi and Kari and their relationships. She must. Holly lived with her and didn’t seem like the type to keep secrets.
Hell, she’d even told her mother about their arrangement, which he was coming to hate.
Why couldn’t he have kept his mouth closed and done as his father had wanted back in college? At least long enough to tap into his trust fund the old fashioned way. Then he could have given Holly and her mother the cash, no strings attached, before seeing where things went naturally between the four of them.
Had he doomed the one thing he now craved most for the dream he’d thought was his greatest desire? That would be just his luck.
“I might be sick, but I’m not blind,” Mrs. Hendricks said, making her daughter sigh and rest her head on Trent’s shoulder. “And I like what I see. So please, all of you, hold it together. No matter what happens tonight, you did everything possible to make the outcome positive for me. I love you for giving me this chance. Thank you.”
Holly, Trent, and her mother were wiping tears from their cheeks when the doctor entered the room. Trent rocked Holly as they discussed the details of the surgery along with the long list of risks that came along with it. Holly went ashen as her mother signed off on page after page of informed consent documents.
The doctor said to Mrs. Hendricks then, “Okay, we’re set. We’re going to get you fixed up as best we can. It’s going to be a long road after surgery, here in the hospital and then in rehab after, but I feel confident your chances are good. It looks like you have a lot to fight for.” He smiled as he looked at Trent and Holly, huddled together.
Mrs. Hendricks nodded. “Yes, I do.”
But Holly had gone stiff at the mention of rehab and how much time her mother would need to spend getting additional treatment. Had she included those expenses in the number she’d given him the night they’d gotten married?
It wasn’t the time to discuss such trivial matters. Not when her mother’s life hung in the balance. But Trent made a mental note to talk to Ford about getting a quote for the additional care the next time he touched base with the guy about the trust fund settlement.
Holly was brave as fuck when they came to get her mother, exchanging I-love-you’s that—somehow—he got included in. It was only after nurses wheeled her out and the four of them sat in the cold, empty room that she broke down completely.
Trent rocked Holly, letting his T-shirt absorb her tears, and promised her everything would be okay even though he wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth.
Even if her mother came through surgery and exceeded the doctor’s expectations, he still didn’t know how he was going to proceed with their sham marriage now that it was beginning to feel entirely too real.
And what would happen with Lorenzo and Owen when they went home together?
For the first time in his adult life, he felt jealous of his best friends and the fact that they’d fooled around with Holly when he wasn’t there. It pissed him off because he’d thought he knew what he wanted, and now he was floundering when it mattered most.
He couldn’t afford to screw this up.
Mostly, he was kicking himself for running away from their problems, even momentarily. Look what it had cost him. Maybe if he’d been there, things would have progressed…
He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
Trent clung to Holly for the entire seven hours her mother was in surgery, glad for the excuse to hold her close to his heart.
17
Holly should be worn out. She should be mentally and physically exhausted. Hell, she probably was underneath the adrenaline propelling her onward, but as she, Trent, Owen, and Lorenzo streamed into their house, she was wired.
“Is it crazy that I feel like going out dancing or something right now?” she asked to no one in particular as Moose barreled over to his humans and welcomed them home, her included. She laughed as he pranced around her feet licking her arm until she gave him the attention he sought.
“Yes,” Lorenzo responded, though he paired his jab with a kind smile.