James came back wearing a loose blue-and-white striped hospital gown. The baggy fabric did nothing to hide the raw masculinity about him. With the collar falling open just a bit, she could see the sharp line of his collarbone and the firm muscles across his chest.
Even his usual sharp, cold expression seemed softer somehow, like there was a wild but gentle energy simmering just beneath the surface.
Emmy couldn’t look away.
“How’s your back?” she blurted out, worry obvious in her voice.
“They just changed the dressing. It’s fine.” His tone was casual as he walked over.
James glanced at the mess on the floor and frowned. He pressed the call button for housekeeping without missing a beat. Then he picked up the steaming cup of water by her bed, poured it out, and refilled it with room-temperature water instead.
“Your throat’s still burned. No hot drinks for now.”
His eyes landed on the fruit basket. “And these—mangoes, lychees, pineapple. They’re all high-allergen fruits. You need to avoid them for now.”
Relief flooded Emmy. She quickly said, “Then could you toss them for me? Or maybe take them to your teammates?”
James didn’t bother asking why. Just like that morning, he called Will in.
“Take these fruits and share them with the team.”
Will scratched his head, looking embarrassed. “James, are you sure? These look expensive. Definitely not supermarket stuff…”
James gave him a look. “Just take them. Don’t overthink it.”
Emmy watched him handle everything so smoothly, and a thought crept in. Every man she’d known—her dad, Dean—was obsessed with controlling everything. But James felt different. He was like deep water—steady, quiet, always making sure things were taken care of, no big declarations needed.
She wondered what kind of amazing woman it would take to shape a man into someone this attentive and dependable.
It almost felt like she was getting away with something, landing a guy like him as her accidental husband.
The next morning, Emmy finished her IV early and got herself discharged right away. She didn’t want to spend another minute around those two disasters.
There was a pile of stuff in her hospital room, and as she was wondering how to deal with it, her phone rang. It was Abriella.
“Emmy, are you out already? Want me to come help with your things?”
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