7. Gemma

You know that feeling when you can't believe your eyes but, no matter how hard you blink, the scene before you doesn't change?

That's where I am right now.

I figured while Jewel was napping I would run to the post office to mail my latest Etsy shop order.

I was not prepared for the sight that greeted me when I walked back into Jewel"s hospital room.

I'm gaping—mouth open and eyes bugged out—at my husband, Sebastian Dabertzholder, perched next to my daughter"s bed like he freakin" owns the place. (Wait, he doesn't own this hospital, does he?).

His dress shirt sleeves are rolled up around his muscular forearms and he's grinning in rapt fascination as my little girl chatters a mile a minute, gesturing animatedly. She's peppering him with facts about her favorite subject: rollercoasters. She's obsessed with them.

"Did you know the first loop-the-loop coaster was built in 1895 at Coney Island?" Jewel chirps, her little brown eyes shining with excitement. "It was called the Flip Flap Railway."

I shake my head, suppressing a grin. That"s my Jewel, all right—a consummate charmer and social butterfly. It looks as though she"s already got the man wrapped around her little finger.

Sebastian leans forward, looking genuinely captivated. "Is that so? Tell me more."

And she does.

"Did you know the Kingda Ka coaster at Six Flags goes from zero to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds?"

"Wow, that"s pretty fast." The corner of Sebastian's mouth twitches like he"s fighting a smile.

"And The Formula Rossa in Abu Dhabi is even faster! It goes up to 150 miles per hour, which makes it the fastest coaster in the whole world."

What the hell is he doing here? How did he even find out about Jewel?

A strangled noise escapes my throat and they both turn to look at me. Jewel"s face lights up like a Christmas tree.

"Mommy!" she cries. Then she gestures to Sebastian like he"s her new best friend, "Sebby"s been keeping me company while you were gone."

Sebby?I mouth silently, raising an eyebrow at my husband. He just shrugs, looking a little sheepish.

"Looks like you two have been having quite the conversation," I manage, finding my voice.

"Sebby doesn't know very much about rollercoasters, Mommy," Jewel informs me shaking her head. "So I'm teaching him. He needs to know these things." She states the last part very seriously as though rollercoaster trivia is a must-have if one expects to successfully navigate life.

Sebastian shoots me a look that clearly says we need to talk. He's right. We do.

I give a subtle nod, message received, just as a jaw-cracking yawn escapes Jewel"s tiny frame. My baby girl gives me a little pout, one that always signals her fatigue even before those eyes start getting heavy-lidded.

"You look sleepy, sweetie pie," I croon softly, padding over to her bedside and brushing back a few errant curls from her forehead. "It seems someone interrupted your nap." Jewel leans into my touch, her downcast lashes fluttering as she struggles to stay awake, eager to keep chatting up her new friend "Sebby" as long as possible. A pang of warmth sparks to life in my chest at how quickly the two of them bonded.

"Nuh-uh," she sighs, even as her eyelids slip closed anyway. "M" not sleepy, mommy."

I shake my head, chuckling to myself. Sure you"re not, kiddo.

"Close those baby browns for a little bit, "kay?" I whisper, leaning over to drop a kiss on her forehead. "I"ll be right back. Gotta go chat up Sebby myself for a few."

Sebastian rises from his chair, towering over me in a way that sends a little zing down my spine. Damn my traitorous libido.

As we step out into the corridor leaving Jewel to saw logs in relative peace, I"m still struggling to process the fact that he"s here, meshing so seamlessly into our little world like it's totally normal.

As soon as the door clicks shut behind us, I round on my spouse with figurative guns blazing.

"Okay, start talking." I hiss, trying to keep my voice down. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sebastian's penetrating violet eyes bore into me in that unsettlingly intense way of his. "I could ask you the same question, Gemma. Why didn"t you tell me you have a daughter?"

My cheeks heat. "I was going to! Eventually. Maybe."

As a young nurse passes, she slows her gait considerably. Her gaze rakes over Sebastian before flashing him a flirty smile that annoys me to no end, even though he ignores her entirely.

"Can we take this somewhere else?" I plead, taking his hand without thinking and tugging him toward the elevator. "I"m starving and I need caffeine if we"re gonna do this whole dramatic confrontation thing."

Sebastian huffs a laugh but lets me lead him to the cafeteria, where I proceed to mainline coffee and stress-eat my way through a stale muffin while he watches with a mixture of amusement and concern.

"All right," I say finally, brushing crumbs off my shirt and preparing myself for either his accusations or his anger, probably both. "You must have questions. Go ahead, hit me with them."

Sebastian"s brow furrows. "The financial difficulties you mentioned?—"

I know where he's going with this. "Medical bills. Stacks and stacks of them."

He nods. "That explains all the different hustles you have going on."

"They"re just to keep the lights on and make Jewel"s medical payments. I can't exactly work a regular job to bring in income and be here at the hospital for my daughter. But as a single mom, I need to do both." I blow out a harsh breath, shoving my hair back from my face. "I figured maybe having a spouse would take some of the pressure off and make things a little easier, you know? But I didn"t really expect anything to come from the arranged marriage application. But then, next thing I know, I"m walking down the aisle with Prince Charming and being whisked away to his palace! It was all so sudden and unexpected and...and..."

"And you weren"t prepared for the reality of actually liking your new husband?" Sebastian supplies wryly.

Is he fishing? Trying to get me to admit how I feel about him?

Damn, he"s perceptive. And I am way too frazzled to be discussing my feelings for my husband in the middle of a hospital cafeteria.

He eyes me sternly. "I want to know about her condition. Tell me everything."

So I do. I give him the whole sordid rundown, from the day she was diagnosed as an infant to the endless parade of specialists and treatments that never quite seemed to stick.

"It"s called Revolutum Meyeri Syndrome," I say heavily. "It's a rare genetic disorder. Very rare. There are only a handful of documented cases in the world."

Through it all, he listens intently, never once interrupting or looking bored. If anything, he seems to grow more focused with every word, his eyes sharp and assessing.

"...and now the doctors are saying there"s nothing more they can do," I finish, feeling hollowed out and wrung dry. "They"re just trying to keep her comfortable at this point."

Sebastian is quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he leans forward, his gaze locking with mine. "I want Jewel"s medical records. All of them."

I blink at him, uncomprehending. "Why? I just told you, there"s nothing?—"

"There might be experimental treatments," he cuts in, his tone brooking no argument. "Cutting-edge therapies that mainstream medical doctors don"t have access to yet."

I shake my head, a bitter laugh bubbling up my throat. "Sebastian, come on. We both know that"s not how it works. Drug companies don"t give a crap about rare diseases or conditions. There"s no money in it for them."

His jaw clenches, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "Maybe not," he says tightly. "But I have resources, Gemma. Let me use them."

I gnaw on my lower lip, indecision warring with desperation. I want to believe him, I do, but hope is a double-edged sword that can cut deep. "Look, if there were some magic bullet out there that could save Jewel, I would"ve moved heaven and earth to find it." I hate the way my voice cracks.

Sebastian cups my cheek. "Gemma, sweetheart, of that I have no doubt."

Oh, damn him. Damn him for being so understanding and so perfect. I lean into his touch, my eyes fluttering shut to trap the tears that want to leak out.

"Okay." I nod, taking a deep breath as I swallow down my emotions. "You can have her records."

"Now," Sebastian murmurs, his voice so achingly gentle it makes the knot in my throat swell to twice its previous size. "Why didn"t you tell me about the challenges you"ve been facing?"

My lower lip trembles despite my best efforts to school my features into a hardened mask.

I drop my gaze to my half-empty cup, fiddling with the cardboard sleeve. "Because… Well, because…." A tremulous sigh rakes through me, my shoulders sagging in exhaustion. "I"m sorry," I finally whisper. "I was going to tell you. Maybe. I don"t know." I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head. "Look, how does it even look to apply for an arranged marriage when you"ve got a mountain of debt and an incredibly sick child? How messed up is that? No one wants that baggage. What guy would want to take on the hot mess that is my life, saddling himself with a ready-made family he didn"t ask for and a situation with zero happy endings in the foreseeable future..."

My voice quivers, forcing me to cut myself off before I crumble into sniveling sobs altogether.

"Who would want to take that on? This guy." Sebastian"s hand covers mine on the table, his skin warm and his touch tender. "Gemma, listen to me. You"re an amazing mom doing everything you can to give your daughter the best life possible despite the odds being stacked against you. That"s not something to be ashamed of. This guy right here is very proud of his wife."

Aw, crap. I don't know if I can continue to hold the waterworks back. I sniffle and blink hard. "You"re being way too nice about this," I rasp, my throat tight. "I lied to you. By omission, sure, but still."

"Yeah, you did," he agrees, but there"s no heat in his voice. "But I understand. You were scared and you didn"t know if you could trust me yet. I don't hold that against you at all."

I peek up at him, hardly daring to breathe. "Really?"

He nods, his thumb stroking absently across my knuckles. "Really. But from now on, no more secrets, okay? We're a team."

A team? This time there's no holding back the waterworks.