“Easier said than done, Elle.”
“Not really. I’ve put it all behind me.”
“Do you ever think of the ‘what if’s’?” he asked.
“Sometimes I do, especially when I’m with Connor. If I can’t sleep at night, I’ll roll over, wrap my arms around him, and start to think about what if the treatments didn’t work. It’s who we are as human beings, Denny. Those thoughts will always creep up in your mind, and you’re the only one who can put them to rest.”
He smiled as I got up from the chair and took Julia from Dana. As I walked over to Denny, I handed Julia to him.
“Give Uncle Denny a kiss goodbye,” I told her.
She made her cute noises and proceeded to hit him in the face. “Your daddy taught you that, didn’t he?” He laughed.
Denny gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug. I leaned over, kissed him goodbye, and Julia and I headed home.
***
The penthouse was quiet. No one was home but me and Julia. I set her down on her blanket in the living room and surrounded her with toys. As fall was settling in, and it was getting chilly, I walked over to the fireplace and turned it on. I sat down on the blanket across from her and began playing with her and her toys. I gave some more thought about my showing on Friday and decided that I could fly to Chicago right before the opening and fly back the same night. After an hour had passed, Connor came home. He kicked off his shoes, set his briefcase down on the chair, and joined us on the floor.
“How are my two special girls?” He smiled.
“We’re good, sweetheart,” I said as I kissed him.
Julia started yelling when Connor sat down. She was becoming very vocal lately. Her high-pitched voice was hard on the ears. Connor leaned towards her, held her arms, and stood her up. Her little legs wobbled as she smiled and shrieked.
“Wow, she’s really happy today!” he said.
“She’s been very good all day. We went and saw Denny earlier.”
“How is he? I stopped by this morning before going to the office.”
“He’s okay. I can tell he’s scared about the surgery.”
“That’s natural. I would be too,” Connor said as he carefully lowered Julia down.
“I need to talk to you about Friday,” I said.
“What about it? That’s the day of Denny’s surgery.”
That was all he said. He didn’t mention anything about the opening or my showing. It must’ve slipped his mind with everything going on. I wasn’t going to discuss it further. I was going to get in and get out of that gallery as fast as I could. I’d be home before Connor even noticed I was missing.
“I just wanted to tell you that Mason is keeping Julia all day and all night at his place.”
“That’s fine,” he said as he leaned over and kissed me, forcing me on my back as he wouldn’t stop.
Our make-out session was interrupted by Julia’s screeches. Connor broke our kiss and we looked at her. She was on her knees, rocking back and forth.
“Oh my God, Connor, she’s going to crawl!” I exclaimed.
Instantly, he sat up and held his arms out to her. “Come to Daddy, Julia,” he said.
She stayed in that position and smiled. When she wouldn’t move, I took all her toys and moved them away from her and set one block in front of her, but far enough away so that she would have to crawl to reach it. She started to get frustrated as she kept falling over. Soon, she’d had enough and let out a full-blown cry. Connor picked her up and held her. I would never get tired of seeing him with her. Then I started to think about what Denny said and the what if’s.
“I’ll go get her a bottle. She’s probably hungry,” I said as I got up.
As I walked to the kitchen, I remembered that I had to call Vinnie and tell him not to mention the opening to Connor. That was the last thing I wanted him to worry about. I got Julia’s bottle ready and walked back to the living room, where I found Connor asleep in the oversized leather recliner and Julia curled up on his chest. Smiling, I snapped a picture with my phone and sent it to Peyton.
***
Since Denny’s surgery was scheduled for six o’clock in the morning, Mason had come and picked up Julia the night before. When the alarm went off, Connor rolled over and put his arm around me as I reached over and turned it off. I snuggled closer to him for a few minutes before we had to get up and get ready to go to the hospital.
“Me and you need to have a talk,” he said in a serious tone.
“About?” I replied.
“The art gallery and showing tonight.”
Shit, I thought to myself. I should have never underestimated him and thought that he’d forget something.
“What about it?”
“I’m a little pissed off that you failed to mention it to me and the fact that you’re going without me.”
I rolled over and looked at him. “How did you remember with everything going on, and how did you know I was going without you?”
“My pilot called me last night to confirm.”
“Damn him. Why didn’t you say anything last night?” I asked.
“Because Mason had just picked up Julia and I wanted to devour your body. I figured if I mentioned it, we’d fight and then no body devouring for me.”
I cocked my head in disbelief that he had just said what he did. “Are you serious?” I asked.
“Yes, I am, and I wasn’t giving that up. It’s not that often that Julia isn’t here to interrupt us.”
“I’m not talking about this now. We need to get ready and go to the hospital,” I said as I got out of bed.
Connor climbed out of bed and followed me into the bathroom. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Ellery. We are going to discuss it now.”
Who the hell did he think he was, starting an argument with me before I even had my first cup of coffee? I slipped on my silk robe and headed towards the kitchen and Connor followed behind.
“I’m coming with you; end of discussion. See, now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Connor.”
He walked over to me, picked me up, and set me on the counter. “Listen to me. You’re my wife and this is something that’s very important to you, and it’s important to me too. “
“But—”
He cut me off and brought his finger to my lips. “No buts. I love Denny and we’ll be here for his surgery. But I’m getting on that plane with you and we’re going to that art gallery together. I would never miss your first showing, or any showing, and to think that you were going to go by yourself really hurt me, Ellery.”
As I stared into his eyes, I could see the hurt in them. What the hell did I do? My eyes started to swell with tears as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I’m so sorry. I just feel so guilty having to go to this showing while someone that I love very much will be having brain surgery. I feel so selfish, Connor, and I didn’t want you to have to make a decision.”
“There was never a decision to be made, honey. I was going with you all along.”
“I’m sorry.” I began to cry.
“Let’s go upstairs and finish getting dressed so we can get to the hospital,” he said as he kissed me on my head and picked me up off the counter.
***
Thanks to the morning New York City traffic, we arrived at the hospital just as the nurse was getting ready to wheel Denny out of the room and into the operating room.
“I didn’t think I’d see you two before I went under the big knife and got my brain cut open,” he said.
“Damn traffic,” Connor said. “We’ll be here waiting for you when you get out, so make it quick.” He smiled.
“Yeah, I’ll try.” Denny smiled back.
After I gave him a kiss on the cheek, I whispered, “You’re strong and you can do this. Remember, I’m out here waiting for you, so you better come back.”
“I will,” he said as they wheeled him down the hallway.
Connor put his arm around Dana and l
ed her to the waiting room. Dana’s family arrived and tried to keep her as occupied as possible. Connor and I left the waiting room and went up to the cafeteria to grab some lunch.
“Are you nervous about tonight?” he asked.
“Yes!” I smiled.
“Don’t be. You’re a very talented artist, and everyone is going to love your paintings.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re my husband.” I smiled and stuck out my tongue at him.
Connor laughed and threw a straw wrapper at me and then he glanced at his watch. “It’s been six hours already since Denny went into surgery. We should get back to the waiting room.”
He grabbed our trays and then my hand as we walked back to the waiting room. We weren’t back very long when the doctor came to speak to us.
“We were able to remove the tumor, but it did cause some cerebral hemorrhaging and there was significant swelling in the brain. During the surgery, he slipped into a coma.”
Connor grabbed Dana as she almost fell to the ground. Instantly, a sick feeling washed over me, and I needed to sit down. This can’t be happening. Doctor Armstrong continued as Connor kept a tight grip on Dana.
“This isn’t uncommon, and we’re keeping an eye on him very carefully.”
“How long will he be in a coma?” Connor asked.
Dr. Armstrong sighed as he looked at us. “There’s no telling. It could be up to twelve hours or twelve days. I wish I had an exact answer for you, but I don’t. The good news is that the tumor is gone, and the cancer didn’t spread to any other organs. So now, we just have to wait. He’s back in his room and you may go see him.”
“Thank you, Dr. Armstrong,” Connor said as he walked away.
He looked over at me and shook his head as Dana sobbed in his arms. “Come on, Dana, let’s go see him,” he said, leading her to Denny’s room.
I got up from my chair and followed behind. When we reached the room and I saw Denny lying there, tears started to fill my eyes. The soft beeps of the machines to which he was hooked up, and the white bandage that was wrapped around his head were horrifying. Dana almost collapsed before Connor sat her down in the chair. He looked over at me as the tears streamed down my face. As Dana reached over and ran her hand across Denny’s cheek, Connor came over and pulled me into him.
“He’s going to be okay,” he said as he kissed my head.
I needed to be strong, and I couldn’t let Dana see me fall apart. I pulled back from Connor, kissed him, and told him I’d be right back. When I found the nearest bathroom, I stood and stared at my tear-soaked eyes. The thought of going to Chicago terrified me. I found myself no longer wanting to go for the fear that something bad would happen to Denny while we were gone. But, Denny had made me promise him that I would go; not just for myself, but for him. When I walked back to the room, Connor walked over to me.
“I think she’s settled down now. It’s time for us to leave.”
“Connor, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to stay with her,” I spoke softly.
“We’ve already settled this, and I’m going with you. Now I don’t want to hear another word about it. Do you understand me?” he said in a commanding tone.
I nodded my head and we said goodbye to Dana and her family. Connor told her to keep us posted and that we’d be back tomorrow. As we walked out of the hospital, hand in hand, I could tell Connor wasn’t doing well, but he refused to show it. I was worried that if he didn’t let his feelings out, he was going to have a break down.
Chapter 29
Connor
Ellery’s paintings looked stunning up on the brand new walls of the art gallery. Vinnie did a fine job displaying each piece of artwork. Ellery had never looked more beautiful than she did in her short, lace, cream-colored dress. I felt it was too short and too low cut. We had a slight discussion about it when she put it on, but like always, she shut me down and told me to deal with it. She was breathtaking, and I didn’t want other men looking at her. But, that’s the price you pay when you’re married to the most beautiful and sexy woman on Earth. As I carefully watched her mix and mingle with the other artists and guests, Vinnie walked up to me and handed me a glass of champagne.
“Thank you, Vinnie. You did a fine job with this opening. The gallery looks fantastic.”
“Thank you, Connor, but none of this would have been possible without your help.” He smiled. “Doesn’t Ellery’s artwork look fabulous up on the wall?”
“It does. Look at all the people over there, admiring them,” I said.
“If you’ll excuse me, I see my brother,” Vinnie said as he walked away.
The art gallery was filled with influential people. The Governor of Chicago and some outstanding photographers were only a few. As I walked around, admiring some of the other artwork, I came across a display of paintings of beautiful naked women. Ellery walked over to me as I was staring at them.
“I see you found something to admire,” she said as she looked at the paintings.
“They’re beautiful and so exquisite, aren’t they?” I asked.
Ellery looked at me and then looked back at the portraits. “If you’re in love with them so much, the model is right over there. Maybe you could ask her if she would like you to fuck her!” she snapped as she walked away.
What the hell just happened? I couldn’t believe Ellery had just said that. I turned around to look for her, but she was gone. I tried to search the gallery for her, but I kept getting stopped by people. When I finally was able to break free, I found her over by her paintings, talking to a group of people.
“Good evening. Please excuse us; I need to talk to my wife for a moment.” I smiled as I lightly touched Ellery’s arm and let her to a quiet corner.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.
“Me? What the fuck was all that about back there?” I snapped back.
“People are staring, Connor.”
“Then I suggest you put on a fake smile, Ellery.”
She did just that and she proceeded to yell at me. “You were gushing all over those naked paintings. I simply pointed out that the model is here if you wanted to fuck her, since she was so beautiful and exquisite, and you couldn’t stop staring at her.”
“Are you serious? Are you fucking serious right now? I can’t believe you would be jealous over something like that. My God, Ellery, I was staring at it and saying those things about the artist’s skill, not the actual model. I was picturing you in that painting because I want one of you, naked.”
She looked away from me as she bit down on her bottom lip. I had to do everything in my power to keep from putting my hands all over her. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. You know I would never want anyone else. I love you, Ellery. I don’t know how to make that any clearer to you than I already have since we’ve been together.”
“I know you do, and I’m sorry. It’s just my nerves with this opening, missing Julia, and the fact that Denny is lying in a hospital bed in a coma.”
“I know, baby,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. “It’s almost over and then we’ll be on our way home.”
All of a sudden, we heard a voice behind us. “Really? You can’t wait until after the showing?” Peyton said.
Ellery’s eyes lit up when she saw Peyton and Henry standing there and a huge smile graced her face as looked across the gallery and saw my family smiling at her. I hadn’t told her they were coming; I wanted it be a surprise. She took them over to her section and Henry stayed back with me.
“I heard about Denny. I’m sorry, man,” he said as he patted me on the back.
“Thanks, Henry, but I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”
“I understand. If you need anything let me know.”
Peyton stood in front of the portraits of the naked woman that Ellery and I had just fought about. Henry and I walked over and stood next to her. Not too long after, Ellery joined us.
“Will you paint me naked, Elle?” Peyton asked.
I looked over at Henry, and he smiled at me.
“Maybe,” Ellery answered.
“Can I watch?” I smiled.
The night went smoothly and Ellery sold all five of her paintings. She was very happy, but she just wanted to get back home. We both did. We missed our baby girl, and we wanted to get back to Denny.
It had been a long and exhausting day. Ellery and I were lying on the couch together on the plane. As I held her in my arms, she tilted her head back and looked at me.
“I gave some thought about what you said earlier.”
“About what, baby?” I asked.
“About you wanting a nude portrait of me.”
“Really? And what did you decide?” I smiled.
“I decided that when we get back to New York, I’m going to call that artist and ask him to do it. After all, I know you wouldn’t have a problem with a strange man staring at me for six or seven hours a day while I’m fully naked in front of him, posing.”
I took in a sharp breath. “You know what? Let’s just forget about that painting. I have the real thing right here and that’s all I need.” I smiled as I leaned down and kissed her lips. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
Chapter 30
Ellery
I paced back and forth, trying to comfort Julia as she screamed her head off at three o’clock in the morning. I bounced her, walked her around the penthouse, sat down, rocked her in the rocking chair, and nothing soothed her. I even gave her gas drops, thinking she was gassy, but that didn’t help either. Connor came up behind me in the living room and took her from me.
“What’s wrong, Julia? Daddy’s here.”
I rolled my eyes because sometimes he thought he was the cure-all where she was concerned. When she didn’t stop screaming, he looked at me.
“Don’t you have a book or something you can refer to?” he asked as he bounced her up and down and she continued to scream even louder.
I ran upstairs to our bedroom and grabbed the baby book from the bookshelf. As I ran down the stairs, I turned to the section that was outlined for her age group.