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    I had no idea how long I’d been out when I felt someone lightly patting my cheek. “Take some fever meds first,” a voice

    said.

    I opened my eyes and realized I was leaning against Edward’s chest. He was holding a ss of water and two pills.

    I sat up quickly, took the pills, and swallowed them with the water.

    “Where am I?” I asked, taking in the masculine, sturdy bedroom around me.

    “This is my ce,” Edward replied.

    I was totally thrown off. I thought he was taking me to the hospital. Why were we at his house?

    “Why didn’t we go to the hospital?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

    Edward smiled. “I’ve got a family doctor. Going to the hospital would’ve been a hassle.”

    I just stared at him, a little dazed, and he reached out to gently ruffle my hair. “Don’t worry so much. Look at you, you’re a mess. I promise, you’re safe with me.”

    “You look wiped out. Try to get some sleep,” Edward said softly, settling me onto the bed and making sure I wasfortable.

    After a little while, the doctor came in and spoke quietly with Edward.

    In the end, I had to get an IV. While the nurse was setting it up, Edward never left my side, keeping watch over me the whole time.

    1 figured maybe it’s the food here, or maybe I’m just not used to the environment, so I caught a cold so easily.

    I’d actually woken up a while ago, but seeing Edward/sitting there, I pretended to still be asleep.

    He was flipping through some papers, and it seemed like he could tell I was peeking at him. He gave me a small smile. “Are you hungry? I can have someone bring you something to eat.”

    He’d caught me, so there was no point in pretending anymore.

    I nodded. “Yeah, I’m a bit hungry. Do you have any gruel? I just want something light.”

    Edward set his papers aside and turned, locking eyes with me for a long moment. “I’ve had it ready for a while. Let me bring it in for you.”

    “No, really… I can go downstairs myself,” I said, not wanting to trouble him.

    Edward just chuckled. “Seriously, it’s no trouble. Just stay in bed and let me handle it.”

    I bhad /bbjust /bstarted bto /bpull back the covers, but he was already out the door. I quietly settled back and bpulled /bbthe /bbnket /bbover /bbmyself /bbagain/b.

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    b15:38 /bbThu/bb, /b18 Sept

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    Before long, he came back with a bowl of vegetable gruel and a few cute little pies, all looking fresh and delicious.

    b“/bCome sit on the couch and eat,” Edward said, setting the food down.

    I got out of bed and walked over to the couch, sitting down.

    I took a quick look out the window, but all I could see were big trees blocking my view. There was no way to tell what was going on outside.

    “Is this where you actually live?” I asked him.

    Edward nodded. “Yeah, is something wrong?”

    “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here? Won’t it cause you any trouble?” I said, surprised.

    Edward gave a casual shrug. “Trouble? You mean, worried about my reputation?”

    I couldn’t think of any real reason, so I just stood there, speechless.

    Edward said gently, “Come onb, /bstop overthinking it. Just eat.”

    I picked up the gruel and took a spoonful. It tasted just like home. I nced up at Edward–he’d made this just for me. Did he actually try to recreate the taste of my hometown just for me?

    This guy… he was so attentive, it was almost scary. If he set his sights on someone, they’d be doomed–no chance to fight back, you’d just end up falling for him.

    Edward sat beside me, watching as I ate. When he saw me spacing out, he chuckled. “What are you thinking about now? Don’t overthink it. If you ask me, you should just open your heart and roll with whatever fate hands you.”

    “I’m not as unfazed as you are, and I definitely don’t have your knack for handling trouble,” I said with ba /bself–deprecating

    smile.

    “You really think I’m that amazing?” Edward gave a small, teasing smile and leaned in closer to me.

    My heart gave a little joltb, /band I nodded. “If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be where you are now.”

    Edward chuckled. “So, do you want someone strong to have your back? Someone who can help you handle whatever life throws at you?”

    I shivered a little. There he was, confessing his feelings again in that casual, offhand way.

    Edward stared down at the carpet, then suddenly said, “Ryan and Fiona are married now. You and him are done for good. Since there’s nothing left between you two, why are you still pushing me away?”

    I swallowed another spoonful of gruel, and couldn’t help but admit–he made sense.

    If I kept locking myself up in my own little world, I’d just end up as unhappy as I was before.

    Ryan was part of my past now; there’s nothing left tying me to him anymore.

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    ‘Edward, I…‘ I began, but he cut me off.

    “All the maids saw me carrying you inside. Trust me, it won’t be long before word gets back home that I’ve brought a woman here. My dad will hear about it, and so will Ryan.”