Love's Second Chance (Second Chances #1)(45)
“I’ll be sure to tell him that,” she joked before hanging up. I couldn’t wait to see the painting that Jenna had done for me. I hated to wait until our anniversary, but it just seemed fitting to do it that way. Korinne was going to love it when the time came.
I heard the door open to the garage before I saw her. “What are you doing?” Korinne asked. It took a second for her to come into view from around the car. Her eyes went wide and she reigned in her laugh when she saw me covered head to toe in oil and grease. “Wow. You look a little … um … dirty.” She grinned weakly.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her while I finished safety wiring the drain plug to my motorcycle. Changing the oil could be a bitch, but I had always enjoyed working on my bikes.
Korinne squatted down to look at all the tools I had scattered across the floor. “I’m doing better, but I’m still really nauseous.” Her eyes strayed to the bike hesitantly before she continued to speak again. “I didn’t know you could work on motorcycles. When did you start riding? You don’t talk about it much other than the time you told me you broke your leg riding in the snow.”
“If I’m not mistaken, it’s been about five years ago. The only time I could relax and get away from life was when I was riding. When my dad died, I left for a while. I took off and didn’t look back.” I paused to take in her reaction, and she was staring at me with her mouth wide open. “Why do you look so shocked?” I asked, laughing.
Korinne shrugged. “I guess because you seem so invincible, like nothing can bring you down. You don’t take me for the running away type.”
“That’s how I appear, Kori, but deep down I hurt just like anyone else. I left because I knew the weight of the firm would be on my shoulders. It was a lot to take in, so I packed a bag and let the road lead me away. I rode for days until I knew that I could stay away no longer. My mother needed me and so did the firm. Even though I love what I do, it felt good to have that freedom and to not think of the burdens that awaited for me here.”
“I can’t believe you never told me any of this. I know it hurt losing him. You used to tell me all about your fishing trips with him when you were a boy and how much fun you had. I never did anything like that with my father, so it was nice hearing you talk about him. Just know you can talk to me about anything. We are married, you know?” The hurt in Korinne’s voice was apparent, so I pulled her to me even though I was covered in grease.
“I didn’t keep it from you on purpose, babe. It was a part of my life where I let the pain take over. The hurt I caused my mother with running away is something I regret every day of my life. She needed me and I left.”
“Your mother adores you. I’m sure she understood your reasoning,” she offered politely. I released her, and she gazed up at me with a sad expression on her face. “She keeps asking when we’re going to have kids. I haven’t told her yet that we’ll probably have to adopt.”
“I’m sure she’ll be perfectly happy with our choice. As long as we’re happy, there’s nothing else that matters, right?”
“That’s right,” Korinne mumbled weakly. She started to sway on her feet, but I caught her before she stumbled. “Whew … that was a close call,” she gasped.
“Babe, you’re scaring me. Maybe you need to go to the doctor. You’re not acting right.”
“No, I’m okay I promise. It’s just I haven’t eaten, but I’m too nauseous to eat. I’ll throw it up if I do.” She leaned against me, so I wrapped my arms around her waist and guided her back inside.
“It’s really important that you eat something. If all else fails, you need to keep drinking fluids. Let me see if I have any medicine that’ll help, and if not then I’ll go get you some from the pharmacy.”
Picking Korinne up, I carried her down the hallway to the bedroom. I laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. “I can’t stand feeling like this. Never again am I eating sushi,” she groaned. Korinne smiled up at me, but I could tell it was forced. I grabbed the Coke and crackers from the bedside table and handed them to her. “Drink some of this, and when I come back from the kitchen I want one of these crackers to be gone.”
Korinne grabbed my hand before I could go. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
Squeezing her hand, I glared down at the crackers and then back up to her. “I’ll always take care of you, love, but I’m serious. You better have eaten one of these crackers by the time I come back.”
“Yes, sir,” she saluted in a mocking way. I could hear her crunching away on a cracker as I descended down the hall to the kitchen. Looking through the cabinets, I couldn’t find anything that would settle her stomach. Normally, I didn’t have issues with mine so it was rare if I kept anything on hand for it. By the time I made it to the bedroom, Korinne had already eaten three crackers. “There’s not any medication here for an upset stomach or nausea, so I’m going to run out and get you something from the pharmacy. I thought I might have had some here.”
“Galen, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure I’ll be fine in just a little bit,” she assured me.
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But if not, I want something here that’ll help you. I can’t have you throwing up all night, can I? You might ruin the sheets,” I added jokingly. This earned me a genuine smile from her and a gentle laugh. I hated seeing her so weak and sick.