Adios Pantalones (Fisher Brothers 3)

“’Bye,” I said, my humor clearly shifting back to annoyance. Hospital Sofia was moody. When the nurse left and closed the door behind her, I huffed out a breath. “Thought she’d never leave.”

Ryan laughed. “She was here for less than two minutes.”

“I wanted her to stay.” Grant waggled his eyebrows.

I let out a soft laugh that hurt my chest and rib cage. Was my whole body sore?

“Angel,” Grant said gruffly, “I’m really glad you’re all right. I’m gonna go home and let you and this big oaf have some alone time.”

“Thank you for being here.” My eyes pricked with unexpected tears, and he let out a huff.

“I refused to leave.”

“Really?”

“They tried to kick the old man out, but your parents said he could stay.” Ryan looked at Grant like he was crazy, but in a good way.

“I wouldn’t have left anyway. I would have camped right outside your door.” Grant was stubborn, but that was part of his charm. “Take care of my angel.” He gave Ryan a finger poke to the chest before leaning down to give me a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you again.”

“I plan on being just as annoying as you were to me,” he said as he headed toward the door.

“Deal,” I responded with a grin as he disappeared.

With my attention back on Ryan, I launched into all the questions on the tip of my tongue.

“I’m dying here, Ryan. What happened? Where are my parents? Is Matson okay? I mean, is he worried? Scared? Are you okay?”

Ryan had started counting my questions on his fingers, but stopped. “Your parents and mine left to get some dinner.”

He said it like it was no big deal, and I blinked twice.

“Together?” I asked, unable to picture it. “They went to get dinner together?”

“Yes. It was the only way I could get them to leave. But I should probably text them and let them know you’re awake.”

“Not yet. Just wait a second. How do they even know each other?” A terrible thought ripped through me and I placed a hand over my heart. “Oh my gosh, Ryan, how long have I been here? Tell me it hasn’t been weeks or months.”

I craned my neck to stare at Matson, taking in his each and every feature. He looked the same, not like I’d missed any significant time in his growth.

Ryan intertwined his fingers with mine, his thumb caressing my skin, the touch instantly calming me. “You’ve been here since last night. You’ve woken up a few times, but your head always hurt, so they gave you stuff for the pain that made you sleepy.”

“Okay, so our parents have met. Sounds like they like each other, yeah?” I was hopeful.

He grinned. “They like each other. They like each other a lot.” He said it like a mischievous boy, which made me laugh.

“Really?” I asked, needing more clarification.

“They’re acting like they’re old friends instead of people who just met yesterday. Your mom and my mom are already lining up ‘play dates’ with Matson and each other.” He gave me a silly look as he used his fingers to make air quotes.

I smiled because it sounded so perfect. I wouldn’t have wanted their eventual meeting to go any other way. “That’s actually really nice. It makes me happy.”

“It is really nice,” he said with a chuckle. “Wait until you see them together. I’m afraid we’re never going to get them apart again.”

There were so many horror stories when it came to your significant other’s mom, and the idea that it wouldn’t be like that for us filled my heart with gratitude. I knew as I looked at this man that he was my future, and I didn’t have to ask him to know that he felt the same way about me.

But I still needed answers about how I got here. There was so much I didn’t remember.