Scarlet Fever - Hill Country 2 (14 page)

Pumping into her, Alex couldn’t hold himself back.
 
Sitting up, he pulled her hips up and entwined her legs around his waist.
 
“No, this won’t be the last time we make love, Scarlet.
 
This is just the beginning, love.
 
Not the end.”
 
They loved each other until the last vestiges of pleasure had been drained from their bodies.
 
Then, they lay together, lost in a dream of whispered promises and fragile tomorrows.
      

************************

 
The colors of the maples’ were truly magnificent.
 
Alex and Scarlet walked hand in hand during the dawn’s early chill.
 
Squirrels scurried in the leaves and a hawk winged its way through the overcast sky.
 
“I know we have to go back.
 
But I’ll never forget this time, Alex.
 
It was absolutely perfect.
 
You’re perfect.”
 
She turned into him, fitting her body up against his.
 
She felt confident with him, knowing that he had enjoyed her touch as much as she enjoyed his.
 
It had made all the difference in the world.

“The first of many good times, Scarlet.”
 
She didn’t answer him, and that tore a hole in his heart.
 
He had made her happy.
 
The next thing he had to do was give her hope.

************************

 
Cecile arrived.
 
She was a pretty, vivacious ball of energy.
 
She hadn’t been there ten minutes before she had Annalise and Scarlet both in stitches.
 
Scarlet had never met her before, but she had heard so much about her, it didn’t take long for them to form a bond.
 
“So the two older brothers have been claimed.”
 
Cecile sighed.
 
“That’s a shame.”

Scarlet protested, “I have no claim on Alex.”
 
Not that she didn’t wish that with her whole heart, but it simply wasn’t true.

“Yeah, right,” her sister winked.
   

Cecile was as cute as a bug; the kind of a woman that men liked to look at.
 
She was curvy and flirty, curly dark hair that hung to her shoulders and eyes that were as green as the emerald isle itself.
 

“There
is
another brother.”
 
Annalise smiled wickedly.
 
“Tall, dark, handsome.
 
Body to die for.
 
A football player.”

“Bobby.
 
Sweet, gentle Bobby.”
 
Scarlet summed up.

“Sounds dreamy.”
 
Cecile agreed.
 
“The only problem is that he’s what, twenty-one?”

“Twenty-two, he’s a senior at UT.”

“Yeah, a senior.”
 
Cecile laughed.
 
“And I, at twenty-eight: comparatively speaking, am a Senior citizen.”

“Nonsense.”
 
Annalise waved her hand.
 
“You’re gorgeous and so is he, a perfect match.”
 

“We’ll see.
 
Now, where is that dress I’ve been hearing so much about?”
 
Cecile headed toward Annalise’s room.
 

Scarlet worked for a half hour, pinning and perfecting.

“This looks great on you.”
 
Annalise complimented her friend.
 
“You two are going to be the most beautiful attendants that a bride could want.”
 
Scarlet’s hand stilled.

“Attendants, plural?”
 
She looked at her sister like she had grown two heads.
 
“Cecile is your maid of honor; she is your only attendant.”

“No.”
 
Annalise emphasized.
 
“Cecile is my bridesmaid.
 
You
are my maid of honor.”

“No. I’m singing at the wedding.”
 
Scarlet was panicking.
 

“Yes.
 
My maid of honor is singing at my wedding,” the bride insisted.
 
“You’re scaring me Scarlet.
 
What are you getting at?”

Scarlet quickly covered.
 
“Nothing.
 
Nothing.
 
Just giving you a hard time.”
 
Shit
!

Scarlet picked up her scissors and pins.
 
“Slip off the dress, Cecile and I’ll have it finished in no time.”
 
What in the world was she going to do?
 
Leaving her sister and her agent to catch up, Scarlet escaped to her room.
 

************************

Alex had been busy.
 
He had spent the day at the library, learning everything he could about antigens and antibodies.
 
Now, he knew that just being the same blood type was just the first hurdle in being approved as a viable kidney donor.
 
Next, he would talk to his doctor.
 
Right now, he was going home.

To Scarlet.

************************

He found her in her room.
 
She was scrambling through her box of sewing scraps, holding up the larger pieces, laying them on the bed, then picking them up and starting over.

He went to her.
 
Picked her up and swung her up in his arms.
 
“How’s my baby?”
 
She never questioned his affection, she just returned it tenfold.
 

Hugging him tight in return, she whispered in his ear.
 
“Not too good.”
 

Immediately, he sat her down and ran his hands over her.
 
“Where does it hurt?”

Realizing that she had scared him, she sought to put him at ease.
 
“No, Alex.
 
I’ve messed up Annalise’s wedding.”

“You’ve saved Annalise’s wedding.
 
What are you talking about?”
 
She went back to examining the larger pieces of pink material.

“I need to make another dress.”
 
Turning to him, she wearily laid her head on his chest.
 
“I thought that Cecile was Annalise’s
only
attendant.”

Alex let a low laugh rumble out.
 
“Let me guess.
 
You’re supposed to be an attendant.”
 
When she nodded, he laughed louder.
 
“Now, how did you misunderstand that?
 
Didn’t it occur to you that you would be her maid of honor?”

“She never said.
 
She asked me to sing, that’s all.”
 
He hugged her tight.
 
“Even when we talked about the dress, she never made it clear.”

“Can you do it?
 
Do you have time?”
 
She turned around to face the bed again and Alex kneaded her shoulder muscles, offering his support.

“I could.
 
It’s just there’s so little material.”
 
She laid one piece next to the other. “If I made a straight sheathe…”
 

Dizziness forced her to sit down.
 
Alex knelt at her feet.
 
“What do you need?
 
How about one of your pills?”

“No,” she dismissed his question just a little too quickly.
 
Picking up the material, she hunted for a pair of scissors.
 
Alex walked to the bathroom, Scarlet tried to stop him.

Alex, wait.”

He ignored her.
 
Going to the vanity, he picked up one of the medicine bottles.
 
It was empty.
 
He picked up another.
 
It was empty, too.
 
Striding back to her, he said flatly.
 
“You’ve let yourself run out of medicine.”

“No, I just haven’t gotten around to getting it refilled yet.”
 
She avoided looking at him.

“I’ll drive you to town.
 
You can buy more material.”
 
This was a test.

“I’ll make do.”
 
She stared down at her hands.

“You don’t have money for more material, do you?”
 
He spoke gently.
 
“You didn’t get your medicine refilled because you used all of your money on the wedding dresses and the cakes.”

“It’s my responsibility.
 
I am the bride’s family.”

“Annalise has loads of money, she could have spent her own money for the dress and the cake and never looked back.
 
And I have money.
 
I’ll buy you anything you need.”
 
He knelt by her.
 

She didn‘t answer him.
 
He continued reasoning, putting two and two together.
 
“You couldn’t tell her the truth without explaining why it is that even though you have two jobs, you don’t have any money to spare.
 
And let me guess, you canceled your hotel reservations for next week didn‘t you?”
 
Scarlet looked at him, she wasn‘t mad.
 
Running a hand through his soft hair, she simply said.

“How did you get to be so smart?”

Standing up, he directed.
 
“Get your coat.
 
We’re going to town.
 
Our first stop will be to get your medicine.
 
Next, we’ll buy whatever you need for the dress.
 
Hell, let’s just buy you a boutique dress and then you won’t have to worry with making it.”

“No,” she faced him adamantly.
 
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down.
 
She mirrored his movements.
 
This made him smile.

“Please,” he changed his tactics.
 

“I won’t take money from you.”

“This is nothing.
 
Don’t you know what I’d give you if I could?”
 
Time in a bottle
.
 
“Come on.”

“You don’t realize how much this medicine is going to cost.”
 
She hadn’t moved a muscle.

“How much?”

“Over five hundred dollars.
 
I can wait.”

He walked back to the bathroom, gathered her bottles, and then took her by the hand.
 
“No, you can’t.
 
You are too precious!
 
Every moment is precious!”

This time when he walked, she followed.

************************

“Sit close to me.”
 
He placed her on the custom bench seat of his H1 Hummer.

First, Alex got her prescriptions refilled.
 
He didn’t blink an eye at the price.
 
The more he found out about Scarlet and her medical situation, the more he hated the American health care system.
 
Pre-existing conditions.
 
No insurance.
 
Paying full price for over-priced drugs.
 
It was a crime.
 

Next, they found a mall they had seemed to look promising.
 
Luckily, it had a Hancock Fabrics.
 
Scarlet had insisted that this dress had to match the other one exactly, thereby negating his offer to buy her a ready-made dress.
 
She had a sales clerk cut the material, while she gathered thread and a zipper.
 
Alex waited patiently, seemingly oblivious to the open stares and gawks from the women, young and old.