What The Heart Needs - The Heart #3 (Complete)

Chapter 11 - Part 1

The moment I saw Lacey sitting in the hospital I teared up. She looked so vulnerable and fragile. It was difficult to see her like this but I took a shaky breath and marched over to give her the biggest hug I could.

There weren't words to describe the relief I felt and I didn't want to scare her because she didn't remember her diagnosis or having surgery. It must have been frightening to wake up and not remember how you got there.

But I was going to be there with her every step of the way. I would do everything I could to help her.

Once her mother finished hugging her, I stepped closer.

"Reece," she croaked and any attempt I had made to stop myself from crying evaporated and the tears began to fall.

"You're here," I breathed as I held her tight. "That's all that counts right now."

I pulled away to see the disorientation in her features. I wiped away my tears. "We will figure things out." The same confidence I had shared with Aiden I was using with her now. "You just need to concentrate on getting better, okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Okay."

I felt more in control. When you climbed a mountain you didn't look at the top and the ascent in one whole task. No you broke it down into stages to make it more manageable and that was exactly what I was going with Lacey. Things that seemed insurmountable, broken into a little steps made it more achievable.

Not wanting to overwhelm her I headed out of the room to let her parents visit with her.

Outside her room I leaned against the wall where I had last seen Adonis before I had gone in to see Lacey. He had been hit hard by Lacey's amnesia but because he cared he had left and I know how much it had taken for him to do that.

Thinking about Adonis and Lacey brought me back to the mess I had made of my love life. I let out a heavy emotional breath and I ran my hand through my hair. There was no more delaying the inevitable. It was time to face the repercussions of my actions.

I had no idea how Max was going to take it. Suddenly, I felt a weight settle on my chest and it was harder to breathe. And I also had to talk to Aiden but I wasn't sure how I was going to handle that.

I stayed at the hospital for another hour before I went home.

I called Max and invited him over.

"Hey," he said when I ushered him into my house after he arrived. His eyes were bright and he looked so happy to see me. He leaned in to kiss me touching my hands with his and I averted slightly so his lips touched the side of my mouth.

"Everything okay?" He frowned as he let go of my hands.

I wasn't proud of my actions and to have to confess them was the last thing I wanted to do. But what I wanted and what I had to do were two entirely different things.

"We need to talk," I said.

"It seems serious. Is Lacey okay?" he asked.

He had no idea what was coming and it made me feel worse which at this point I had believed would have been impossible.

"Yes, of course, she's fine. Well, she has a little memory loss but the doctor is hopeful with some time she will remember." My voice shook a little. Could he tell? "It could have been much worse, you know."

He nodded and followed me to the living room. Thankfully my parents weren't at home so they would not overhear what was about to go down. I wasn't proud of what I had done and I hadn't had the guts to tell them either.

I was saving all my courage to get through telling Max.

"So you going to tell me what we need to talk about?"