Reza had every right to toss her out on her ear. She’d been so stupid. Everything seemed so clear now. Everything, except how Reza felt. Maybe he just thought them being together was easy. Maybe he didn’t feel the same, but she needed to tell him her honest feelings.

  Rose didn’t get it at all when she sighed and argued, “But I’d like Sara to be my new almost sister.”

  The car arrived at the hotel and pulled to the front entrance. She tipped via the app and hopped out. A bell hop offered to take the bags and she gave the room number. She helped her sister from the car. “I think she’d like that too.”

  Her sister hugged her. “Apologize and mean it.”

  If hugs solved all problems… at least her sister was on her side because Rose had the power to change the world. Patti walked next to her sister into the lobby and headed toward the front desk. “We’re here.”

  A few minutes later, she had a room key. Her name had been on the reservation as the other adult, so there wasn’t a problem. Once she had the plastic card, she kissed the top of her sister’s blonde head. “Let’s go back to our room.” Rose tilted to the left, so Patti picked her up and settled her on her hip.

  At the door, her sister pointed toward the ground and clearly wanted to walk herself inside.

  Patti steeled her nerves. Reza hadn’t called. He might not care. But she opened the door and turned on the lights. The hotel room was empty. Sara’s tablet was on its charger.

  Rose said, “Reza and Sara aren’t here.”

  And then she saw his phone, beside the tablet.

  He hadn’t gotten her messages.

  She breathed a little easier. At least he hadn’t ignored her. She held her sister’s hand and said, “I see that. Let’s get you back into bed.”

  Her sister swayed in place. “I can stay up.”

  She patted her sister’s back. She pointed her toward the room and said, “No, change into your pajamas. I’ll get your medicine.”

  Her sister walked toward the bedroom she’d been shown earlier and Patti crossed the room to get the medication, passing a desk where she saw a note in Reza’s handwriting. She picked it up as she took out the bottle. But as she read the note, she clutched her heart.

  He loved her too?

  Her hands shook but she put the note in her back pocket. Rose stared across the main room from the bedroom door frame like she could see straight through her. Patti straightened and ignored the hope of butterflies flapping in her heart. Rose had changed into a nightgown, ready to stay the night here no matter what. Brazen, but necessary. Even if Reza told her to go, she’d wait until her sister’s fever broke. He was too kind of a man to not let her wait until morning. She reached the bedroom, poured the liquid onto the spoon and pushed the medicine into Rose’s mouth. After Rose swallowed, her sister pointed to the paper and said, “What’s that?”

  She settled her sister into her bed and tugged up the sheets while the paper in her pocket seemed like it brushed against her skin despite the denim fabric. “Nothing. Reza and Sara went to the castle dinner. They left us tickets.”

  Her sister sat up like she didn’t want to lay down, and stared at her with a nod and said, “I can go.”

  “No, you stay in bed. We’ll wait here.” Patti patted her sister’s pillow to get her to settle back.

  Her sister finally lay down and Patti rubbed her shoulder and head like their mother had to comfort them as girls. Rose said, “But I want…”

  Patti interrupted sternly, “To be better.”

  “Okay.” Her sister closed her eyes.

  “Now sleep and let the medicine work,” Patti whispered.

  Her sister didn’t open her eyes at all. The moon went higher in the sky, and Patti stopped rubbing her head. Rose held her hand. “I love you, sis.”

  Patti stood and her sister still kept her eyes closed. Hopefully she’d nap now. They were back here for the night, no matter what. She headed to the door and said, “I love you too. Just rest. I’m going to order us room service.”

  “I’m hungry,” her sister said, clearly not sleeping.

  Patti opened the door. “Soup for you.”

  As she walked out, her sister called behind her, “Okay, but chicken nuggets always help.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” She closed the door. Hopefully the medicine worked fast so her sister was all right, like she sounded now.

  As the bedroom door clicked closed, Patti picked up the phone and wished Reza was back. She needed to apologize to him. The note hopefully meant he cared. It was handwritten which was more than she’d have hoped for, but unless he said it and she saw his face and expression, words were just words on the page. She needed to feel his breath on her and for them to kiss and make up. Only then might she believe that happily-ever-after was possible.

  And first she needed to say she was sorry. She was strong enough to reach for her dreams, even if Reza kicked her out. She had to try to win his heart.

  Chapter 18

  Reza’s head ached and didn’t stop pounding at his temples, but he kept a smile on his face and waited for Sara to get her picture taken with all those princesses.

  She clearly considered the costumed characters as real people she recognized from her books. Finally, the dinner was done and the last picture snapped.

  Sara took his hand and they headed back to the train and to their hotel.

  One stop later, they walked back inside and headed up to their room. Sara swung her hand with his and said, “Daeee, I wish Rose had been here.”

  The elevator brought them to their floor. He wished he knew how to answer but honestly, he agreed with her. He wanted Patti and Rose there too. They’d both made him feel part of a family. He dragged his feet down the hall next to the still-hopping-up-and-down Sara toward their room. “I can’t make them appear, but I’m glad you had a good time.”

  She continued to swing their arms. “You did too. You didn’t once check your phone.”

  He squeezed her hand and decided to tell his young niece the truth. He wasn’t that noble. He’d have surfed his social media, and avoided the fourth princess if he could have. “I forgot it.”

  Her eyes widened again like they had when she’d hugged her favorite icy princess. “You did? We didn’t have to leave early?”

  Both of them spent too much time staring at screens. His phone and her tablet, and that needed to change. He knelt down in the hall and didn’t care if anyone saw them. He met his niece’s gaze straight-on and held out his arms for a hug. “I told you. You and I are family now. We’re in this, together.”

  “I love you.” She hugged him back.

  Sara smelled like flowers and she was so little. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to their hotel suite as he said, “Good, because you’re stuck with me.”

  He opened the door and saw the lights were on. He almost stepped back, but Sara scooted down and said, “Patti and Rose are here!”

  “Patti?” He saw her guitar near the balcony.

  He closed the door and Patti rushed in from the balcony, dressed in black cotton shorts and a t-shirt she must wear to bed. She shut the glass door behind her. “Rose forgot her medicine. She was burning up.”

  His heart deflated. He’d hoped she’d come back to him. He nodded at her and grabbed his medicine bag on his desk. He saw that Patti had texted him for help. He held his breath and wished he’d known. “I’ll check on her now.”

  Her shoulders were tight but she rushed over to him and squeezed his hands around the bag when she said, “I gave her the medicine when we got back.”

  The spark in her touch woke him up and his skin buzzed with energy. “Keep Sara for a few minutes? I want to check on Rose.”

  “Of course.” Patti let him go.

  Good. Once he finished with his patient, he’d tell Patti how he felt and explain that he wanted her to stay because he loved her.

  He had a second chance. He tiptoed toward the bed, but the six-year-old switched the bedside light on. He placed the thermometer on her forehead. “How are you feeling, Rose?”

  She mumbled as he took her temperature and said, “Reza, I’m okay.”

  Her fever was 99.8, which wasn’t that bad. He took out his stethoscope, showed it to her and said, “Let’s just check your breathing.”

  She flipped her legs to the side of the mattress and he sat beside her to listen to her back and lungs. She took a deep breath without being asked. “Did Patti tell you she loves you yet?”

  His face felt hot. He hadn’t expected that question. He listened to her breathing in her belly. “No, that conversation didn’t come up.”

  She let out a sigh which echoed in his ears as she said, “I didn’t tell her I wasn’t feeling good until after she told me.”

  Whatever this conversation was, he’d missed something important. Rose still had fluid in her lungs but it was lessening and just as he’d expect. She was healing but needed time and the medicine. He put his thermometer and stethoscope away. “Told you what?”

  He flashed the penlight to check her eyes and look into her ears. Perhaps something else had triggered Rose’s coughing episode. He would eliminate all possibilities to make sure she’d only had the small relapse because she’d missed a dose of her decongestant.

  Rose turned her head to let him see her ear. “I pushed her because I wanted her to be happy. Don’t tell her I told you.”

  Lucid and talkative. Good. Her ears were clear and he checked her tonsils. He was now confident that’s she’d had a slight reaction to missing her dosage of medication. He stood from the bed. “You’re still sick but the medicine is working. In a few hours, we’ll give you your next dose and by tomorrow morning you should be up and ready to go.”

  Rose had said love. If Patti did love him, then maybe this time when they talked she wouldn’t run away and leave his soul crushed on the ground. His heart whispered something, but he didn’t quite hear it. Reza realized he’d get to speak to Patti again and it made him happy.

  He put his tools away. Rose asked, “Reza?”

  “Yeah?” He looked into the clear eyes of his young patient.

  Rose, so serious, said, “I’m glad we’re back with you.”

  He hoped that she and Patti were here to stay. At the door, he flipped off the light in the girl’s bedroom and said, “Good night. Get some sleep. Sara will join you now and we’ll be right outside.”

  Sara followed in as he flipped on the night light and she took her own twin bed. As he returned to the main living area of the suite, Patti wrung her hands near the door but stopped pacing when she saw him.

  First he ensured the girls were quiet so he stood near the door, but a moment later, confident they’d listened, he put his bag back on the desk. Patti trailed after him and asked, “How’s my sister?”

  “Talkative,” he answered. Rose asking him if Patti had said she’d loved him yet sent renewed hope to his heart.

  She held her hands like she was in prayer. “That’s good?”

  He took Patti’s hand. Another spark raced through him. She was his. For better or worse, and he intended to keep her. He wanted to hold her, but first, he kept his verdict professional. “That’s very good. Rose needs to stay on her medicine, but her set-back tonight won’t last long. She’s on a good path to full recovery.”

  Her lips pursed. “Is it safe for Sara to be around her?”

  He waved toward the small beige couch and continued to hold Patti’s hand while he said, “Yes, and Rose needs sleep to recover, and so does Sara as I took her to the castle in the theme park.”

  She straightened. “We need to talk.”

  He stared into her beautiful, ocean-blue eyes. “Absolutely.”

  She pointed him toward the balcony. “Can we sit there instead? I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner yet after finally getting Rose in bed.”

  “Sure.” They went outside. Orlando lacked tropical breezes, but the night was cooler and the moon was full. As he closed the balcony door, he saw the opened bottle of wine and smiled. He took the extra glass and poured one for himself as she still had a full glass. “Oh good, wine. I didn’t get anything when I was with Sara.”

  She scooted her chair next to him and accepted her glass that he handed her. “Did she enjoy the dinner at the castle?”

  He gazed at her. Her delicate shoulders and soft skin protected the sweetest heart he’d ever known, and something inside his own heart burst. “She missed you and Rose.”

  She sipped like she needed water in the desert, then put her glass on the table and gently brushed against him. “Reza, I know I made no sense when I took off to the bus stop.”

  He squeezed her fingers and put his glass beside hers, stroking the back of her arm. “You texted me. I’m sorry I didn’t get the messages.”

  She laughed and he patted her shoulder. They both saw the goosebumps she had from his touch. He stopped, unsure what she wanted, but she didn’t pull away. She held his palm firmer in hers and said, “I figured it out, and came back here because I needed to see you again and tell you… something.”

  The last thing she needed was to hesitate. His lips tingled for her kiss. Her touch sent a shockwave through him that he didn’t want to ignore. “Tell me what?”

  She ran one hand through her long, blonde hair, her body trembling. “This isn’t easy, but I need to be honest.”

  Honesty? That didn’t sound great. Everything inside him wanted to beg her to stay but he couldn’t risk Sara and put her through that again. He nodded like he was diagnosing a patient. “I’m listening.”

  She spoke in a gentle tone like a summer breeze that calmed his soul as she said, “I love you. I fell in love with you and I didn’t know how to deal with that very well.”

  Love. His heart melted. Her sister had told him the truth. Patti was his and nothing was stopping them from having a life together. He wanted to throw his arms around her, but training to check all possible problems before diagnosing kept him in his seat. “Is that why you came back, or was it because you needed your sister’s medicine?”

  A nervous tic appeared on her face as she turned red. She looked at their joined hands and said, “Both. You might not feel the same. I get that. But I needed to fight my fear and tell you in person because when you love someone you can’t give up.”

  No moment before now had made him this happy, not graduation, not curing his first patient—though both had been a thrill. For once everything in his life was complete. He hesitated. Reza had to be sure that Patti wasn’t just looking for safe harbor as she faced her past—it wasn’t just him, but Sara at stake. There was only one test he could think of and then he would never doubt her again. “Will you sing me a song?”

  Patti pulled her hand back and wiped her eyes like she wanted to cry. “Oh.” She nodded slowly. “Okay.”

  Her shoulders slumped like he’d hurt her and he wanted to kiss her, tell her to forget it, and just trust she was here to stay. Patti shuffled away from the table. Logic didn’t make him happy—she did. He stood and called behind her before she opened the balcony door. “Wait.” If she was brave enough to risk her heart, how could he do less?

  She turned, but pressed herself against the glass. “What?”

  He walked over to her and brushed her hair back from her cheek. “I love you too.”

  Her entire face glowed as she stared up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. “You do?”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. He needed her to know she had him physically, emotionally and any other way she wanted. “I missed you and wanted to spend the night going to find you.”

  His lips pressed forward to claim her kiss but she asked, “Why?”

  He kissed her cheek instead of her mouth. “You make my life whole. I’ve never been happier.”

  She laughed, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck and held him close as she said, “I didn’t mean why. I meant, you didn’t have to. I was the stupid one.”

  Finally she kissed him. Her lips tasted better than that chocolate dessert he’d been offered earlier tonight. Nothing compared to Patti. His body was hard and needy, wanting her. He let her go. “You needed time and space. Now can I hear this song?”

  “Okay, but I’m out of practice.” She opened the balcony door.

  Her backside was beautifully formed in those short shorts and he watched as she jogged for the guitar and then turned around.

  She caught him gawking but he wiggled his finger for her to return. She came without question and kissed his cheek as she joined him outside. He closed the door and said, “I don’t care. I just want to hear something you wrote.”

  “Okay, but don’t expect much.”

  Then she stroked the guitar and his ears had never heard anything so sweet. Patti sang better than anyone he’d ever heard and her song washed through him. She’d faced her fears and trusted him enough to be vulnerable.

  Reza’s body trembled too.

  * * *

  Everything about her was perfect for him as they blended together to sooth out their differences beautifully, now she was his wife, for real.

  Chapter 19

  In the theme park at a vendor getting refreshments, Patti kept looking back at the giant ride she couldn’t wait to go on. The sun beat down on the five of them, and Reza rocked his bad guy villains t-shirt that somehow fit to show off his washboard abs; all of them wore matching mouse ears. The nanny had flown in this morning so they had more help today with the girls.

  Reza brushed against her as they gave Sara, Rose and the nanny water bottles. “Promise you’ll record a demo and follow your dream of music.”

  She accepted the next two bottles of water from the vendor. “As long as it doesn’t change anything.”

  He opened Sara’s water without her asking and ensured she had her straw while Sara said in a loud voice, with a huge smile, “Rose and I want to do the carousel again.”