Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
I sit down on the edge of the table.
“I know. That’s what I’ve been worried about. But it’s a progressive disease. There’s no cure.”
“There’s a new treatment, or so I’ve heard. It hasn’t been approved by the FDA yet, so it’s not available in the US outside carefully controlled trials—”
“Whoa, whoa.” I hold up my hands and stare at him. “Look, I appreciate you for digging, but medical tourism isn’t an option. Plus, new usually means ungodly expensive and impossible to get on a waiting list.”
“Family care is an employee perk at Winthrope.”
I shake my head. “You know I can’t put my dad on my health insurance.” I shrug. “He gets VA healthcare anyway—”
“VA? Your father’s a veteran?”
I nod. “It pays for the usual junk that might keep him alive and sort of comfortable for a while. But there have been lots of treatments it wouldn’t pay for, and if it isn’t approved in the States—”
“He’s going to Mexico. I can have him on a plane the instant he’s cleared to travel if you say yes.”
My heart stalls.
“Piper—” he starts.
I stagger back against the glass wall. “No way. Brock, you can’t make that offer. He’d never agree to it, for one.”
“Disagree. What man turns down free treatment to improve his life?”
“Improve it how?” I challenge.
“I’m no doctor. However, I’ve heard gene therapy can actually reverse some muscular damage at the cellular level. It won’t be easy and nothing’s guaranteed. He’ll still need regular physical therapy to build back his strength, but without the treatment and proper therapy, he doesn’t have a chance at a true recovery.”
I hate him for being so generous. Almost as much as I hate him for being right.
But I know there isn’t a prayer this works.
Hiding a few bill payments from Dad is one thing. But this?
The man hates handouts.
I’m not sure he’d be keen about leaving the country for treatment. But if it could give him his life back, shouldn’t we try?
“I don’t know. This sounds intense and expensive. It’s above and beyond anything you should ever do for me.”
“If you don’t want to consider it a company perk—which it is—fine. I’ll never deny healthcare to anyone that’s well within my means, especially a fellow veteran.”
“He’s not in the best shape,” I say, grasping at excuses. “I don’t like the idea of him being in Mexico alone.”
“Send your sister. She’s off for the summer, isn’t she?”
I blink. “How long are we talking?”
He shrugs. “A few weeks, maybe a month or two tops. I’ll get more details from the medical team.”
“Maisy would lose her mind,” I say with a long sigh.
“She’ll have the time of her life. Most schools have programs for earning extra credit for kids her age,” he says, leaning toward me across the table. “Don’t tell me she hasn’t been begging to travel like her big sister.”
God, he’s making this hard.
“You’re in the middle of a PR crisis,” I say quietly. “I wouldn’t feel right, just taking your money for treatment when we’re...” I don’t finish that thought. “Look, I’m just not sure Dad will ever agree to this. He’s a stubborn donkey.”
Brock studies my face. “Is that where you get it from?”
I bite my lip and glare.
He laughs. “Piper, I want your dad well, and we can make that happen. Promise me you’ll think about it.”
I hesitate, our eyes locked in this flaming silence.
“I’ll think about it. But I’m not okay with letting my boss pay for anything this crazy, especially when we haven’t even talked about what happened in Chicago yet.”
“So talk,” he whispers.
I swallow.
I’m so not ready.
“Piper, if he doesn’t start treatment soon, you may never get a second chance. I assure you this is the best way. We’ll call it a performance bonus and write it off as a tax deduction.”
“I haven’t performed at all yet!” I point out.
Bad choice of words.
The defiant look he gives me might just leave me red-faced for the next century.
“Stop doubting yourself. Stop doubting me. I never would have brought this up if I wasn’t completely comfortable with it. I expect nothing more from you than to do your job,” he growls.
“Okay. Thank you,” I say, turning for the door again.
But he’s up in an instant, grabbing my arm. “Where are you going, Sunshine?”
“Bed. I need a nap.”
“I have a very large, lonely, and comfortable bed just down the hall.” He pries the laptop out of my hand and sets it down.
I don’t even try to resist as he leads me into the grandest bedroom ever.
Inside, he pulls me closer, draping a blanket over me.
When he doesn’t make any moves to tear off my clothes, I’m stunned.
He guides me down on the huge bed with a kiss on the back of my neck.
Once we’re lying down, he wraps his arms around me, holding me so tight I feel his heart drumming against my skin.