She was tired and not thinking about her words, but her comment left him staggered. They were family.
“Drive safe, Erin. I’ll see you when you get here.”
CHAPTER 20
When Mariella saw her brother walk through the doors of the ICU, a wave of relief washed over her, and she was up and running to greet him. For hours, her energy had been sapped dry from endless apprehension, but Giovanni’s presence delivered a reserve of much needed strength.
He hugged her hard, his worry clapping like thunder against hers, but somehow she knew, now that their whole family was there everything would be okay.
“How is he?”
“He woke up for a moment but went back to sleep. He’s on a lot of meds, and the doctor said sleep is good for him.”
“Where’s Mom?”
“She’s with him.”
With a nod, Giovanni went into the room, leaving Mariella, Erin, and Harrison in the hall. Harrison and Erin had yet to hug, and she wasn’t sure if they’d said hello.
Mariella turned to her sister-in-law and smiled. “Hi, Erin.”
“Hi.” Erin’s stare followed Giovanni then hung on the door of her father’s room.
Mariella had been confused but happy for her brother when he told her he eloped, but now she realized there would be an awkward adjustment period. They all grew up in the same small town, but Erin was never what Mariella would call congenial, which was why so many people were shocked by her and Giovanni’s connection.
She wanted to get to know her sister-in-law and form a relationship with her. “Thank you so much for getting him here. I’m sorry this interrupted the tour.”
Erin’s brows lifted. “We wanted to be here. Giovanni loves his father. He would’ve never been able to focus on work if we stayed out of town. He needed to be with family.”
Her words sent a misty rush to Mariella’s eyes and she hugged her. “I know we’re not there yet, but I just… It’s been a really emotional day and we are family, so…” Mariella’s arms cinched tighter, and the startled stiffness of Erin’s body gradually softened.
Looking over Erin’s shoulder, she stared at Harrison. His brow pinched as he watched his sister.
“He’s stable now?” Erin asked, taking a step back.
“They think so.”
Giovanni’s wife pushed a hand through her blonde hair and, once again, stared at the door to his father’s room. “Giovanni’s been a nervous wreck.”
“Uh…How was your flight?” Harrison asked, his expression no longer unguarded and a mask of composure sliding into place.
“Long.” Erin drifted closer to the room, subtly peeking inside to spy on Giovanni.
Mariella glanced at Harrison, wondering why he was acting so stiff. “Are you okay?”
He did a double take, his attention drawn to his sister as she lingered outside of the hospital room. “I’m fine.”
“You look…I don’t know. Confused.”
He glanced back to his sister. “I’ve never seen her like this.” He frowned. “She’s so worried… So concerned...” He looked at her and asked, “Is she close to your dad?”
“Not really, but I don’t think my dad is who she’s worried about.”
Just then, Giovanni came out of the room and hugged Erin. The moment was tender and intimate. They both watched the sweet exchange, Mariella’s heart warming at the sight despite the nip of envy she suffered.
“She loves him,” Harrison whispered, as if finally deciphering a confusing equation he couldn’t solve.
That much was obvious. “Of course she does.” People didn’t usually get married unless they were in love.
Mariella stared at the couple, happy for her brother. She wondered what it might feel like to have someone who worried over her and hugged her like that, someone who would drop everything and fly across the country for her, even if there was nothing that person could actually do to improve the situation.
Mariella wasn’t sure anyone had ever loved her in such a way. But it was clear Erin loved Giovanni that much.
She glanced at Harrison. The difference had never been made more clear. She had to stop pretending things existed that weren’t actually there. “You don’t have to stay.”
A divot formed between his brows. “I don’t mind.”
“You have your sale at the store today, and you haven’t slept. My brother’s here now. The rest of the family will probably visit throughout the day…”
She didn’t feel like fielding questions or explaining why Harrison was there. Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to show let alone stay the night with her.
She appreciated his presence, but she didn’t want to misread the situation. He was just being a friend. And while her sense of self-preservation had never been strong when it came to Harrison, enough remained that she knew it wasn’t healthy to lean on him in times of trouble.
An unreadable mask blanked his expression. “You want me to go?”
It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was probably for the best. If she was doomed to stay single, she at least wanted to be the strong sort of independent woman who didn’t need a man to hold her—even though it was nice to let her guard down for a few hours and pretend the man she loved actually loved her back.