48 First Dates (Seeking Romance #1)

The Prince of the ER

39

An awkward moment—

best friend, hospital, dinner.

It’s the last first date...

I woke up in the hospital confused.

“Adelaide, you’re awake.”

“Where am I? What happened?” my voice scratched out.

“You’re in the hospital. You ran in front of a group of cyclers. They tried to avoid you, but one wasn’t successful. You landed with quite a bump, but the cycler who knocked into you stayed up and won the race. My boss wants the full story, so here I am.” He shrugged before adding, “Your friends are all here. Do you want me to go get them?”

I nodded. “Thanks, Nate.”

“Anytime, doll.” He smiled as he walked through the curtain.

Less than a minute later, I heard the pounding of feet approaching. Brenn burst through the curtain. “Ads, you’re alright. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I just went to the... they said it would be a bit... you’re alright, right?”

I nodded, reaching out my hand. He came closer, enveloping my hand with his warmth. “I’m better than alright now.”

Our eyes locked.

“Adelaide, I—”

“Oh, look who’s awake,” the doctor said as he pulled back the curtain to my corner of the emergency room. He glanced at the chart in his hand. “Looks like just some bruises. All you need is a bit of rest for a day or two.”

Brenn squeezed my hand. “I’ll make sure she does that.”

“Okay, but no funny business. This girl needs her rest.” With that, the doctor turned and left. The curtains and his white lab coat flapping in the wake of his hasty departure.

“Brenn, I know I told you not to call. I know I told you to... but—”

“Time for a blood pressure check!” the nurse interrupted, strapping on the cuff and pumping it up. “Now that you’re all awake, we’ll start the process to get you moved up to a room for an overnight observation. The doctor wants to monitor you. Standard procedure for a concussion.”

She paused, listening through her stethoscope as she let the air out of the blood pressure cuff. “All good, your color is coming back. Actually, both of you look better! This guy was as white as a sheet as they wheeled you back. We were going to make him stay out in the waiting room, but he threatened to pass out himself if we didn’t let him come.”

She laughed as she pointed to Brenn, who was grinning as he stared at the floor. “Between him and that newspaper friend of yours, you’ll think we don’t run a tight ship here!” She grinned at me as she removed the cuff. “Alright, I’ll give you two some privacy. I’ll be back in a few hours. Just remember, these curtains are super thin, but we don’t mind if you speak up—it helps the shift pass quicker.”

As she swooshed past the curtain, Brenn looked up. He leaned in, whispering, “Adelaide, I’m sorry I ran out of the wedding. So much happened. I knew… well, I knew things needed to change. I broke up with Elizabeth… Libby. And I came here to ask you one question. Will you—”

“Oh my stars, Adelaide Ann, don’t you ever scare me like that ever again.” Cynthia came rushing into my curtained cubicle. “Brenn called Tom, and I almost had a come-apart on the way here. I’m so glad to see you up.”

“I’m fine, only a few bruises.” I gave her a quick hug. A quick I’m-fine-you-can-go-now hug. I needed all these people to leave us alone. I needed Brenn to finish his sentence.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere. However, I do need to sit, as my legs are like jelly on toast. That was a really long run!”

NO!

You need to go. NOW!

Cynthia sat down on the side of my bed, oblivious to my inner monologue. I looked up at Brenn, hoping to convey with my eyes that we would finish our conversation soon. He gave me a quick nod as he held my gaze.

Hours later, we were alone in my hospital room. Tom had taken Cynthia out to celebrate her race. I had made her promise me to go home afterward, assuring her I would be fine.

As they left the room, Brenn looked at me. “Adelaide, will you go on a first date with me?”

Finally!

A slow smile tilted my lips up as I reached out for his hand. “Sure, as soon as I get out of here.”

He took my hand in his warm grasp as he shook his head. “No, I don’t want to wait that long.”

“You mean right here?” My eyes opened wide as my eyebrows almost touched my hairline. “With the romantic hospital-green walls and antiseptic aroma?”

“Yes.” Brenn let go of my hand, and I missed it immediately. In a few strides, he was at the door to my room. He stepped out and came back with a bunch of flowers in a mason jar and several to-go containers. Brenn looked at me, eyebrows raised in a question.

Oh. My. Fairies.

My fairy godmother couldn’t have scripted this moment any better.

A tiny snort-laugh escaped my lips. “Okay, O’Connor, first date it is.”

He set down the flowers on the side table and put the containers on the bed between us. I opened the first box and found half of a barbeque chicken with a side of coleslaw and beans. The second box contained fries covered in cheese and pulled pork.

I gasped. It was the exact same food we had shared the night of GavtheFav. I looked up and found Brenn’s eyes on me. The electricity zinged between us as the smoky scent of our food filled the air.

“If you keep looking at me like that, Monroe, this food will never get eaten.”

“At least there’s no salad.” I burst out with a giggle.

He rolled his eyes, and the tension broke with the sound of his laughter joining mine. “Wouldn’t want this food to go to waste!”

We dug into the food, and when we were done, he said, “It’s not exactly how I pictured our first date, but I’m so glad to be here with you, Adelaide.” His eyes held mine.

My voice was thick with emotion. “And I’m glad you’re here, too.”

“I have more.” Brenn glanced away and produced two chocolate pudding cups with spoons.

“You know the way to a girl’s heart, chocolate!” We sat there enjoying the pudding as we laughed about how we ended up here. We savored memory after memory.

This is the worst first date.

And the best first date.

And hopefully, my last first date.

I was shocked by the fifteen-minute-until-visiting-hours-are-over announcement when it sounded in the hall.

“Brenn.”

“I know, Adelaide, I know.” He grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. We stared into each other’s eyes, and the butterflies soared in my stomach. The warmth of his touch spread throughout me like a fire.

“I’m glad we waited this long to go out on a real date,” I said, breaking the silence of the moment.

Brenn’s forehead wrinkled as he asked, “Why?”

“Because it can be different now.” I stared into his eyes.

“Besides the hospital room, what makes it different now?” His forehead smoothed, and crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes.

I reached out for his other hand. “Everything. You’re different—more confident, more sure of what you want. I’m different—this past year taught me a lot.”

“Like what?”

I looked down at the sheets on the hospital bed. “Like, it’s not the job of a prince or anyone else to fix me. It’s an inside job. There’s no fairy godmother who pops out one day. She won’t magically wave a wand to heal everything. I had to do the hard work in my recovery group. It was in the walls of that church meeting room that I learned what true acceptance and love were. And when I understood that, I was able to really appreciate the fairytale magic that comes from those around me. It showed me how to truly love others. All my life, I’ve been looking for my dates to fit a fairytale mold. I worked so hard to find a mythical love that I ignored the magic right in front of me.”

I paused, taking a deep breath. I shifted my gaze from the hospital bed to look into Brenn’s eyes. The warmth flooded in, giving me the courage to continue. “You taught me what a true prince looks like. One that instinctively knows what his princess needs and when she needs it. You are my real-life fairy tale, and I am sorry it took me so long to figure that out. When you walked into biology class, I thought you were the one, but I was afraid I wasn’t good enough for you.

“That day at the barbeque restaurant when our dates left us, I suspected you were the one, but I didn’t want to rock the friendship boat. When you kissed me that morning, I recognized you were the one, but I was afraid you would find out what I was really like and head for the hills. When I showed up in Montana, I knew you were the one, but I didn’t dare to say it. But I do now. I love you, Brenn. I have loved you for years.”

My heart was suspended in my throat. I had laid it all out on the table.

Brenn stared at me for what must have been a few moments but felt like an eternity. Finally, he reached out and cupped my face with his hands. His voice was thick with emotion. “You are my princess. I want us to have a fairytale life, too. I love you so much, Adelaide.”

He kissed me as the sun dropped out of view, basking the room in a final golden-pink hue. My entire body leaned into him as I realized I never want to kiss another man in my lifetime. I grabbed onto his waist. He leaned into me, and the corner of his shirt lifted. I finally felt the abs that filled my dreams. The reality was so much better.

A soft moan escaped between our lips. He leaned back, looking at me in the eyes. His look said things that set my heart racing. My hands twisted his shirt, pulling him closer.

I am never letting this man go.

His hands framed my face and run back, threading into my hair. He kissed along one side of my jaw. I raised my head, exposing my throat to him as he leaned to the other of my jaw. He kissed a trail to my lips as his hands fall to my waist. He pulled me in and we met together with urgency the result of the pent-up emotions we had denied for years.

I found my fairy tale.

My real-life fairy tale.