The scent of disinfectant and decay assaulted her senses once she entered the hospital. Aubrey avoided the place at all costs because it reminded her far too much of this—coming to find out if her mom’s condition had worsened.
She’d arrived the moment visiting hours opened. Chels had texted her asking to be filled in on any results. They should be coming in today.
Aubrey walked down the glaringly white corridor, the fluorescent lights burning into her, bleaching out her skin and spirit. Leaving Selina last night had torn what little bit of her remained, and this place just threatened continued torture. Bile rose in her throat as she closed in on Mom’s room number. Fuck, she should’ve brought flowers, chocolates, or some sort of token to prove she wasn’t a negligent daughter. Not like Dad would’ve let her visit earlier in the week. He could be so damn stubborn, one trait she wished she hadn’t gotten from him.
Aubrey balled her hands into fists that she released, and then did it again and again and again. The numbers ticked down like a countdown she wasn’t prepared for. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady herself against the muddle of fears and doubts threatening to seize her limbs. Mom needed her strong, not ready to bawl her eyes out.
Room 309 stood out in front of her.
Showtime.
Aubrey peeked in, holding onto the doorframe. There were two beds in the room, one empty. Mom lay in the one closest to the door, a Nora Roberts book in hand. Aubrey clutched the frame even tighter. Mom didn’t look too pale, even though the washed-out blue nightgown she wore didn’t do her any favors. Her rumpled brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her lips were bare of her usual crimson lipstick.
“Hey, Mama,” Aubrey said, rapping the side of the doorway before she entered.
Mom’s head snapped up, and her eyes crinkled. “My girl. I’m guessing your sister told you?”
Aubrey strode over to her, her hand balled into a fist so tight the nails bit into her palms. “Why didn’t you say anything? I would’ve come back in a heartbeat.”
Mom reached out and wrapped a hand around her fist. “That’s why. Because you would’ve rushed home from your vacation when my life wasn’t in danger. I don’t know what Chelsea told you, but I wasn’t on death’s door. Two fainting spells aren’t going to kill a cancer survivor, honey.”
Aubrey’s fist loosened, and she slipped her hand in her mom’s, holding tight. “You say that, but we almost lost you, Mama. What if the fainting spells are a sign of the cancer coming back?”
“That’s what we addressed first,” Mom said, looking her in the eyes. Her palm was warm, and the faint scent of cinnamon cut through the sterile smell of this place. “It’s not cancer. Your sister was worried they’d made a mistake and wanted me to test again, but I know it’s not.”
“How can you be sure though?” Aubrey jumped in, agreeing with her sister. So many times she’d heard stories of cancer survivors living regular lives until that illness crept in again to come and claim them. She’d scrolled through far too many horror stories in the forums, and they’d left an imprint.
Mom shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. “I know you’re all just scared it’ll return, but trust me. The results came in today. I’ve developed late onset diabetes, but some abnormalities in the test kept them from being able to assess what was going on. Plus, they had your father shouting in their ear about cancer the whole time.”
Aubrey’s mouth dropped open. “So, it’s not cancer?”
Relief distributed a swift uppercut, knocking the breath from her.
Not cancer.
Mom smiled, the wrinkles in her face warm and soft. “This is why I didn’t want to say anything until we had answers, honey. Not because we didn’t want you to know, but because it was pointless worrying until we could confirm what was going on. I wish I could’ve kept you and Chelsea from the panic you must’ve gone through during all of this. You’ve both dealt with enough already.”
“So…,” Aubrey said, trying to ignore how her eyes were glossed with liquid. “Diabetes, right? All sugar-free stuff from here on out. Heard it makes you shit your brains out.”
Mom gave her a pointed look. “I’ll observe a diet and follow protocols, but you can bet I’m sneaking sugar once in a while. Just don’t tell your father.” Mom squeezed her hand, and Aubrey let out a shaky breath, managing to hold back her tears.
“But you’re going to be okay,” Aubrey said, almost disbelieving that things might turn out good for once, especially after the rainstorm of worries that plagued her all week.
“As much as any of us can be,” Mom responded. The words were familiar and worn, ones she’d used again and again when Chelsea and Aubrey hovered over the woman during the chemo treatments. Her knowing gaze landed on Aubrey, and she was defenseless. “Sweetheart, you don’t need to put your life on hold, even if I do get sick. You haven’t brought around anyone since Lila, and I’m not blind. I know why.”
Aubrey swallowed. Her mother would see right through any attempt to lie. “People aren’t as reliable as you want them to be,” she murmured, casting her glance to the floor.
“Some aren’t,” Mom said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “But others stick with you through anything. You’re proof positive of that.”
Aubs chewed on her lip, trying to ignore the heat welling in her eyes. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Aubrey pulled it out, desperate for a distraction. She glanced at the screen. Kyle had texted.
We’re in Christiana. What room?
Goddamnit. She hadn’t said anything, but those considerate fuckers somehow figured her situation out.
“Apparently Kyle’s here,” Aubrey said, letting out a shaky sigh. “Do you mind if I go find her to tell her everything’s okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time,” Mom said, letting go of her hand. “I was getting to the good part of the chapter.”
Aubrey shook her head, unable to help the wry grin lifting her lips. She shot a text off to Kyle telling her to stay put and that she’d meet them at the entrance. The sight of her mom lying there with her thick book cracked open caused her mind to drift to the other woman in her life who constantly buried her nose in one. The stunner she’d left behind in Rehoboth. Her heart twisted, despite the relief.
In all her years of hopping from bed to bed, Selina was her one regret.
If she had any sense in her, she would’ve made the woman her girlfriend before the week ended. A rare gem like Selina Beckett was worth holding onto.
Aubrey power walked her way to the elevator, moving as fast as possible to get to the lobby. Her heart throbbed in her ears.
The cancer hadn’t returned.
Mom was going to be okay.
The elevator creaked open, and right as she got in, the doors slid shut behind her. The ding, ding, ding of the floors echoed in the confined space, but she stared at the ceiling, feeling a strange combination of elated and heartbroken. She’d only ever feel relief about the news about her mother, but it came on the tails of the best week she’d experienced with another woman, one who she’d let walk away.
She stepped out onto the main floor, and it took her a few seconds to spot Kyle standing there with Mia and Sky. Aubrey slowed her pace, embarrassment flushing through her that she’d gotten so worked up and dragged her friends into her worries. Fuck, she needed to text Chels the good news. All of the adrenaline that had been coursing through her on the way to the hospital room cracked inside her like an egg, leaving her jittery in the aftermath.
“Hey guys,” Aubrey said, slipping her hands into her pockets as she approached.
Ky bounded up and threw her arms around her. “You idiot. Stop leaving us out in the cold.”
Aubrey buried her head in the crook of Ky’s neck, trying to hide the tears that trickled out. Her best friend just held her tighter. “Sorry, Ky,” she murmured, her voice growing thick. “She’s okay though. She’s going to be okay.”
“I’m glad,” Ky murmured, not breaking the hug. Aubrey’s breaths evened, and her tears imprinted on Ky’s skin, ceasing as fast as they began. With a shaky breath, she pulled away from Ky and stepped over, opening her arms to both Mia and Sky, who swarmed in for a hug. The warmth flooded through her like an expanding bubble had burst. She’d trust these women with her life.
When she finally pulled back from their embrace, Aubs wiped her eyes, trying to hide any further evidence of her emotional reaction. A small grin played on Ky’s lips at the sight.
“How did you guys figure out she was back in the hospital?” Aubrey asked. She took a seat in one of the lobby chairs, needing to steady herself.
Sky and Mia took seats in the chairs beside Aubrey, but Ky kept standing. Her brows drew together. “Selina told me. And I know right now might not be the time…,” her best friend started to say and stopped.
Aubrey shrugged. “I fucked up, okay? Yeah, she’s a keeper, and she’s the one woman who’s made me feel anything in years, but the trip was our one time together. She made the call, not me, and I need to respect it.”
“That’s a load of horseshit,” Sky said, glancing over at her. Aubrey stuck up her middle finger in response.
Ky crouched in front of her, looking up with those serious hazel eyes. She grabbed Aubrey’s hands in hers. “I saw her before we left. She made the call to protect herself because you never staked any claims. That’s not the sort of woman you walk away from. I’m invoking the Rehoboth Pact, Aubs.”
A bitter laugh flew from her lips. Earlier this year she’d been in a similar position, smacking sense into Sky when she was about to walk away from the best relationship in her life. Aubs squeezed Ky’s hands and shook her head.
When they’d made the Pact those years back, she’d felt so hopeless. It had been the lighthouse in the storm she’d clung to all this time, that if she ever found the one and fucked the chance up, her friends would call her out.
Well, the Rehoboth Pact had just been invoked, here in the middle of Christiana’s lobby.
“You’re too good for me, Kyle Walker.” Aubrey sank deeper into the hard plastic seat. “But seriously. I haven’t been in a committed relationship in years—I’m probably garbage at it, and no one deserves to struggle through that, least of all Selina.” Even as she protested, hope flickered in her chest like an incandescent bulb.
“Enough excuses, Aubs.” Sky squeezed Mia’s shoulder. “If you hadn’t invoked it for me, I might’ve passed up on this. I’ve never seen you fall for someone before in all the time I’ve known you. But what’s between you and Selina? That’s the real deal.”
Aubrey’s heart pounded hard. Could she actually do this? Would she even last five seconds in a relationship?
Every time she thought about Selina Beckett, her heart wanted to say yes.
“I’ll beat you up if you don’t go for this,” Kyle threatened, even though her lips kept tugging into a grin.
The dam in Aubrey’s chest broke, all those worries just cascading over her along with every secret hope she’d ever clung onto. The hopes won out. “Out of fear of fighting Kyle alone, I’ll do it,” she murmured. “I’ll be at Renegades tonight. You can all make sure I don’t back out on this one. Now go home and get some rest. I promised my mother some quality time while she’s holed up in the hospital.”
Kyle squeezed her hands again and rose, a genuine grin lighting her features. “We’ll be there. Give your mom an extra hug from me.” At that, Sky and Mia rose from their seats as well, and the three started heading for the door.
“Will do,” Aubrey called, tipping two fingers in a salute. She headed toward the elevators, her mind swirling with hundreds of possibilities.
Selina might turn her down after all of this. She might’ve fucked up her chances for good with the one woman she’d let in.
But Aubrey had been spinning on this shitty teacup ride for years now. It was high time she got off and stepped onto stable ground. She couldn’t back out now, even if she wanted to. Kyle and Sky had invoked the Rehoboth Pact, an agreement she viewed as sacred.
Tonight, she would confess everything she’d been holding back.
She only hoped Selina felt the same way.