Within These Walls (Within These Walls #1)(62)

He kissed me, and I melted into his embrace.

“You make me feel beautiful,” I murmured against his lips.

“That’s because you are.”

I rested my head on his shoulder as he continued humming. We were lost in each other and the moment.

“I hope you won’t mind if an old man tries to cut in?” I heard from behind, a male voice bringing me back to reality.

I looked up to see a finger tapping Jude’s shoulder and a face I didn’t recognize, but Jude apparently did.

“Nash,” he said with a grin. Jude greeted the man with a handshake that turned into a big hug that included the big man picking Jude up off the ground.

“I missed you and our quiet talks, Jude,” the man said after setting Jude back on the ground.

“You, too, Nash. The cardiology unit hasn’t been the same without you.” He laughed. Looking over at me, he grabbed my waist again. “Nash, I don’t think you ever got the chance to formally meet this one before you were discharged. This is my Lailah,” he said, giving me a squeeze.

My Lailah.

I had a ridiculous amount of butterflies in my stomach over the addition of that one word to my name.

I shook hands with the infamous author, and he took Jude’s place on the dance floor. I saw him walk over to the drink table to talk to Dr. Marcus, who was sipping punch. He was nicely dressed in a suit and tie.

“You’ve changed him,” Nash said with a grin. “He’s not broken anymore.”

“He did that on his own,” I said as we moved back and forth to a song I didn’t recognize.

“Maybe so, but you gave him a reason.”

He didn’t press for any more conversation after that, but he did insist on teaching me how to really dance. I had visions of rose stems in my mouth with my leg up in the air, but he kept it tame and just turned me in a slow circle before doing a little dip. I couldn’t help but laugh. The old man was a charmer. When the song ended, he thanked me for the dance and said he had a little surprise for me. Disappearing out the door, he reappeared seconds later with a small cherub by his side.

Abigail.

“Lailah!” she shouted, running up to me with outstretched arms.

I bent down as she came into my embrace.

“I missed you!” she exclaimed.

“I missed you, too.”

“I’ve been writing almost every day. I wrote so much that Papa had to buy me another diary, and this time, he let me get one that’s pink,” she said with a grin.

“Good.” I laughed. “Make sure you get one with sparkles and rhinestones on it next time.”

She giggled, and I pulled her over to the snack table for a healthy dose of sugar. We joined Jude around the table of goodies and stacked our plates high with brownies and sugar cookies. Jude led me over to a table where he made me sit down and rest.

“I don’t want you to overdo it,” he said, pulling my legs into his lap.

He pulled my shoes off and began rubbing my feet as I dived into a chocolate brownie.

“Thank you.”

I’d polished off an additional cookie or two in record time when Dr. Marcus joined us at our table.

“Nice party,” he said. “Didn’t think you could actually pull this all off, J-Man.”

Jude smirked. “I can be very persuasive.”

“I see that, and it turned out great. It’s a perfect way to say good-bye to Lailah.” He gave a knowing grin.

My eyes widened, wondering what Dr. Marcus was talking about.

Jude and I looked at each other in confusion before our eyes settled back on Dr. Marcus.

“Lailah is being discharged tomorrow.”

“Oh my God, are you serious?” I said in one quick relieved breath.

He nodded. “I should have sent you home a week ago, but I was being overly protective. That sickness you came down with scared me, and I just hated the idea of not having you here, but there is no reason for you to stay. We are here if something happens, and if not, we’ll just wait for more news regarding the transplant.”

I looked back at Jude, and his eyes were full of excitement and anticipation. I jumped into his arms, laughing and crying, as Marcus made his exit.

“I’m going home.”

“No, you’re coming home with me,” Jude said.

“What?” I laughed, pulling back to see the seriousness on his face.

“What are we waiting for, Lailah? Call it a visit or an extended stay. I don’t care. All I know is that I want you with me.”

My hands came to his face, and I kissed him. “Yes. I’ll go anywhere with you.”

“Good. Now, let’s go find your mom. I want to get the beatdown over with, so we can start packing. I know she’s not going to take this well.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

I looked around, but I didn’t see her. I’d seen her standing in the corner, talking with Grace and her fiancé earlier, but she was gone now.

“Maybe she took a breather,” I suggested. “The hallway might be a good place to tell her anyway.” I grinned.

“Yeah, that way no one can hear me scream,” he joked.

I giggled as we walked out into the hallway and found it deserted. Marching to the end, I turned and heard movement, and I instinctively followed the noise. In a dark corner, two silhouettes shared a passionate embrace. I moved closer, and a gasp escaped my mouth as recognition washed over me.