The Look of Love. Crystal B. Bright

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СКАЧАТЬ body had still retained some of its softness, although he found her back to be hard as well as her arms. He rested his hand on her waist, dangerously close to her ass that he wanted to touch, to squeeze.

      At that moment, he felt a subtle throbbing below his belt. It had been quite a long time since he’d held a woman. At this rate, if he continued holding her, she would know just how long it had been.

      Gunnar released his embrace and resumed his spot on the other side of the bed. He hoped he didn’t look like he’d run, but in his mind he’d probably sprinted.

      “Good to see you again.” He didn’t smile, still trying to wrap his mind around the surreal events.

      “Nice to see you visiting your mother, Gunny.” Eboni did smile, showing all her teeth.

      The expression that he’d likened to a hungry shark along with the childhood nickname disarmed him. “Haven’t heard that name in years.” A smile threatened to peek through, but he kept it suppressed.

      A tickle ran over his belly as soon as she smiled. A woman scorned shouldn’t be this friendly to the man who’d burned her.

      He couldn’t think of that. He would be spending time with his mother, not Eboni, a decision his body detested him for making.

      He gazed down at his mother. “Why are you here?”

      “Caught the vapors.” Elizabeth waved her hand with its manicured fingernails in front of her face.

      “Don’t give me that. What happened?”

      When his mother slowed to answer, Eboni quickly piped in.

      “She fainted at Press ’N Curl.” Eboni glanced down at Elizabeth. “I brought her here. They’ve been running tests but haven’t said what they’ve found yet.”

      Gunnar nodded at her. “When was the last time you went to a doctor’s appointment?”

      His mother huffed. “Doctors are for sick people. I’m not sick. I probably didn’t eat enough that morning. I’m trying to lose these stubborn five pounds to fit into a gorgeous gold sequin dress I made.”

      Gunnar ran his hand over his face. “Ma, you made the dress for yourself. Why didn’t you make it the right size?”

      Her eyes widened as she glared at him. “I did make it the right size. I can’t help it if the materials shrank when I sewed it.”

      He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “Right. The materials shrank.”

      “You know nothing about making clothes, not like your brother, Thane. He had a gift.”

      “A gift? Yeah, like dodging me. I’ve been trying to call him since yesterday and he’s not answering.” Gunnar wanted to call his baby brother a brat, but that was rule number two with his mother. No name-calling.

      “Leave him alone. He’s busy. He’ll be starting spring training soon.” Elizabeth turned to Eboni. “Baseball. America’s favorite pastime.”

      Eboni nodded. “I’ve seen him play. He’s very talented.”

      Gunnar glared at Eboni. A pang of jealousy punched him in the gut. It shouldn’t have. Gunnar had no plans of getting back together with Eboni. Two stubborn people together never worked.

      “Gideon has time to answer his phone, and he’s about to play in the Super Bowl.” Gunnar smiled at his brother’s accomplishment.

      “I’m glad you’re here.” Elizabeth nodded.

      “I’m happy to be with you, too, Ma. Now you have one of your sons and your daughter here.” He nodded toward Eboni. “Did I miss a reunion somewhere?”

      “You and your brothers weren’t here. Eboni has been like a daughter to me. She could have been a real daughter-in-law had someone done the right thing.”

      Gunnar groaned and leaned his head back. “Not now.” Arguing about past mistakes topped his list of things to avoid after he hopped a red-eye flight from Vegas to Virginia.

      “I’ve taken great care of Queen Elizabeth since you, um, left.” Eboni kept her stare on Gunnar almost in a challenging way, like she wanted him to defend his actions. “I’ve worked side by side with her at the salon.”

      “Thank you. I appreciate it.” Gunnar meant that. With him, Gideon, and Thane being gone, it comforted him to know someone trustworthy watched out for his mother.

      “I don’t need anyone watching out for me. I’m fine.” Elizabeth patted Gunnar and Eboni’s hands.

      As she said that, her hospital room door opened and a petite Indian woman in a white doctor’s coat walked into the room.

      “How are you feeling today, Ms. Sommerville?” she asked as she looked through a file.

      “I feel as good as I look, Dr. Patel.” Gunnar’s mother pursed her lips. “Hand me my clothes and shoes and let me go home to my family.” She sat up taller.

      “You’ll go home eventually, but not right now.” The doctor’s face became somber. “You have a ninety-percent blockage in your left artery. Because of it, you weren’t getting enough oxygen, which is why you fainted.”

      Gunnar felt blood rush from his head. He kept his legs locked to keep standing. “What’s going to happen now? Medication?”

      “We’re going to install a stent in the artery to open it up and see if that corrects the problem. She has a second artery that has a fifty-percent blockage, but that’s not as bad as the other, so we’re not going to do anything with that one yet. We’ll watch it and see how it goes. One thing that should make you happy is you have a very strong heart.”

      Gunnar glanced at his mother, who now remained quiet. The joy dropped from her face. She chewed her lower lip, ruining her lipstick and staining her teeth. For the first time in his life, Queen Elizabeth Sommerville looked scared. Seeing her fear both worried him and pissed him off.

      He held his mother’s hand and kept his grip tight. “When will you do the procedure?”

      “Tomorrow morning. After we install the stent, she’ll stay in the hospital for a few days so that we can watch her, and then we’ll let her go home.” The doctor walked closer to Elizabeth. “No working at all. You rest and relax, understand?”

      Elizabeth nodded.

      Her silence worried Gunnar, who had never known his mother to be at a loss for words.

      “For now, I would say get comfortable. Have your family bring you books or magazines, pajamas, and a change of clothing for when you go home. The nurses and care partners will check up on you all day today. I understand your family and friends all call you Queen Elizabeth.”

      That brought a smile to Elizabeth’s face.

      Dr. Patel continued. “We’ll treat you like royalty. We promise. Any questions?”

      “No.” Elizabeth’s voice broke. “No, I understand. СКАЧАТЬ