Page 118 of Perfect Distraction
He wished he knew what to say, to thank Mandi for all she’d done for him. Her confident and calm presence had been a comfort for him these last several months. He’d never worried he was being given the wrong drug, or that she didn’t have an eye on him during his chemo. He’d had complete faith in her, and she’d made the entire experience a little less terrifying.
He swallowed, intending to find the right words, but Mandi just smiled at him, her chin trembling slightly. She shook her head and said, “Get out of here and don’t come back, okay?”
He and Lauren walked through the infusion center hand in hand, and Jeni chattered away on his other side.
Andrew dropped Jeni off at her house before going back to Lauren’s. He slowed just before turning into her driveway. “Want me to check the mailbox?”
“Are you making fun of me?” she said good-naturedly.
He grinned. “I would never.”
She waved him forward. “We both know it’s empty. Just go.”
He complied and pulled into the driveway, leaving the car running. “I’ll be back for you at six?”
Lauren leaned across the console and pecked him on the lips. “Yep. See you soon.”
He grasped the back of her head and pulled her back. “One more,” he murmured. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her lips, and the sigh that escaped her seemed to breathe life into him. Every time he touched her, he felt more alive than the second before. He wasn’t sure if it was the words his father had said, or the tentative joy he felt at this being his last day of chemo that brought him clarity. But whatever he felt in this moment—this warm, electric sensation of hope and amazement—it had everything to do with the girl in his arms.
When they finally released each other, Lauren’s expression glowed with heat and awe, and he dared to hope she experienced the same overwhelming sense of wonder that he did. He’d do anything to make her as happy as she made him.
Andrew went home and spent an hour studying before he took a shower. He put on slacks and a dress shirt. It was times like this when he missed his hair the most. The hats he wore were casual and didn’t work with dressier clothes, and he still wasn’t confident in his ability to pull off the bald look. But Lauren didn’t seem to mind, and that’s all that mattered.
At six o’clock on the dot Andrew stood on Lauren’s doorstep. He knocked and she opened the door immediately.
“Hi,” she said, smiling wide. She had on the green dress she’d worn one day at the cancer center. He thought she had looked perfect that day and felt the same now.
“Hey, you.” He slid one hand across her lower back and kissed her. “You’re beautiful. Ready?”
She flushed at his compliment, which he loved. He always wanted her to feel pleasure at his words, always wanted that rush of happiness to fill her when she heard how much he wanted her.
“Ready.” She joined him on the porch and locked the door behind her.
He opened the car door for her and went around to his side.
“Where are we going?” she asked after they settled in, and he pulled onto the main road.
“Do you remember when we talked about New York?”
“Yes.”
“Since we can’t get there right now, I thought we could try our best to do some of the things we wanted to do there. I made reservations at the best upscale Asian fusion restaurant in town and got tickets for a show at the Performing Arts Center.”
Lauren’s wide smile told him he’d hit the mark. “That sounds incredible. You’re wonderful, you know that?”
“I’m nothing compared to you,” he said seriously.
She rolled her eyes, but the smile remained on her lips.
“Know what else?” he asked.
“What?”
“I heard this show is Wicked.”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“No?” He frowned and tried again. “But it’s o-pun-ing night.”
