International Player(41)

“Yup,” I said. “Told me I’d be in a wheelchair the rest of my life.”

“Did you just have crap doctors?”

“Hey, D. I’ll get banned from this place if they hear you talking like that with me,” Truly said.

Douglas groaned. “Crappy isn’t that bad a word.”

Truly fixed him with an adorable glare and I wanted to kiss her. “Would your mum agree?” she asked.

Douglas rolled his eyes. “Okay, did you have doctors who didn’t know what they were talking about?”

I tapped my finger against the metal footboard that was just the same as the one I’d had on my bed. I’d been in the same position as this kid. Feeling shitty and hopeless. Wondering if I’d ever get to play football or if I’d have any friends when I finally got out of hospital. He deserved to hear a success story. “I think my doctors were pretty clever—they just didn’t know my superpower.”

“Riiight,” Douglas said. “I’m fifteen. Not five. I don’t believe in Father Christmas either.”

“Whatever. Doesn’t bother me if you don’t believe it. Fact is I wanted to get better. More than anything. And that will is the most important thing you have.”

Douglas folded his arms and scowled. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so challenging, but I knew from experience that he’d have to win the mental game if he was going to win the physical one. “I want to get better,” he said, his voice softer than the expression on his face, almost as if he was afraid to believe it.

“Maybe,” I said, shrugging.

“You think I want to sit around in bed all day with a bunch of babies?”

“I don’t know, Douglas. I can’t tell what goes on inside your brain. I do know that there’s a difference between wanting to walk again and being determined that you will walk again.”

Douglas didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure if he felt chastised or if he just wanted me to say more without him asking.

“Truly,” another kid’s enthusiastic call echoed out across the room. She stood and held out her arms, mirroring the kid being pushed toward us in a wheelchair. “Did you come to visit me?”

She reached down to hug him. “Theo! Of course. And guess what I brought?”

She dipped into her bag and pulled out a book. “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Theo made a fist and pulled back his arm at the fact Truly’d brought the book. She giggled at his enthusiasm.

Jesus, this woman was a fucking angel. She knew these kids. They loved her. She didn’t have to be here, spending time with them, brightening their day. It was more evidence that she underestimated herself. She thought she was all back office and numbers when it came to the foundation. That she wasn’t good with people. She was so wrong.

“Douglas, did you hear? Truly’s going to read us Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

I caught Truly’s eye. She winked at me and a rush of warmth crashed over me. This woman would be my downfall.

“I’m too old for that book,” Douglas said.

“Hey, I’m not too old for that book,” I said. “It’s one of my favorites.”

“It’s the best,” Theo said, his voice straining as his nurse helped him into bed.

Douglas shrugged. “You’re staying?” He glanced at me.

“I have a meeting with one of the doctors, but I’ll come back afterward.” I wanted Douglas to know he could walk, and if I could help guide him into that way of thinking, wasn’t it my responsibility to do that? “Is that okay?” I asked Truly.

She nodded, beaming up at me. “Sure. Dr. Edwards is expecting you . . .” She glanced at her phone. “Right about now. I’ll be here for an hour or so.”

“You really should stay the rest of the day,” Theo said. “At least until dinnertime because you haven’t been for sooo long.”

“I won’t stay away so long next time.” She ruffled the top of his hair. This boy needed to lead negotiations at the UN. He had a bright future ahead of him.

She glanced up to find me watching her. I just couldn’t not. She was so fucking beautiful. So fucking good.





Twenty-Three





Noah


“Are you around later?” I asked Truly over the whoosh of the sliding doors as we left the center. Her rules hadn’t said anything about how often we’d see each other. But after today I wanted to hang out, hear more about her time at the center. How she’d been with Douglas and the way Theo clearly adored her had me wondering if there was more I didn’t know about her. Her eyes had lit up around those kids, and she’d looked positively giddy about reading Roald Dahl to a five-year-old. She was adorable. And even though I’d come to the center to see the clinical head, what I’d really wanted to do was stay and listen to Truly read.

I didn’t want to miss out.

On her.

“I’ve had a pretty late start this morning, so I think I’ll work late.” She fumbled in her bag, looking for something.

I nodded. Sounded like a brush-off, which was fair enough. Two nights in a row didn’t really scream casual, and I could hardly suggest that we didn’t have to fuck, we could just eat and go to bed. That was what couples did.