Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 473

+25 BONUS

I'd only really taken a good look around this hospital room twice-once when I was searching for Hayden, and now, while trying to figure out what to pack.

Wayne crouched in front of me, his voice soft. "Rea, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

I was about to shake my head when a knock interrupted us. Jace walked in with the doctor.

"Let the doctor check you over. If anything happens on the plane, it'll be hard to deal with," Jace said, hist gaze briefly flicking to Wayne. I noticed the slight crease in his brow.

As the doctor moved closer, Wayne stood up and stepped aside, naturally giving him room.

The doctor listened to my heartbeat, took my blood pressure, and ran through a full exam. "You're recovering well," he finally said. "Everything looks normal."

"Thank you, doctor," Jace said, sounding genuinely grateful.

Wayne chimed in, "I'll walk the doctor out. I need to pack, too. Jace, stay and talk to Rea."

The door clicked shut behind them, and just like that, it was me and Jace. Alone.

Neither of us said a word. We just sat there, wrapped in silence. I stared into space, lost in thought, while Jace's eyes stayed fixed on me.

felt like forever, he finally broke the

were distant, glazed

down next to me. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have come to Houston. You wouldn't have

to save me... and Hayden wouldn't have misunderstood." I blinked, then lowered my eyes to the

did you do it? Risk

just gave a small, bitter smile. "Because if I didn't,

life? Why didn't you think about yourself? I know what happened-if

blood fill the bag for him. I smiled again, but it didn't reach my eyes. "If you're gonna help someone, you might as well go all the

much,

I stopped halfway and you didn't make it, what was the point

lifted my eyes to meet his. "Don't overthink it. Even if it hadn't been you that day-if it was a

narrowed a bit, "Really? Even for

a little too quickly,

disappointment in his

#25 BONUS

said, hoping to stop whatever spiral he was about to fall into. "I saved you because

why I'm in your life-to

together, shared meals, lived under the same roof. How

so many walls around yourself. You won't even give me a

on to hope, I'd be just as bad as

He needed to hear it. Only then could he