Made To Love You - Megan Smith Page 0,4

in a wedding dress with her mom at her side. “I wanted to ask your permission to marry Jaylinn. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.” I huff, smiling bigger. “God knows I’ve got plenty of time to think while I’m on the road. I know I put up a fight against us being in a relationship for such a long time. Until just last year actually, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I want to marry her.”

Sadie starts to laugh and that laugh turns into a cough. I quickly jump off the bed ready to dart to the nurse’s station when her cough turns back into a laugh. “Sorry,” she clears her throat. “Are you nervous that I’d say no? Because you just did a whole lot of rambling that had me thinking you were like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar,” Sadie chuckles.

I place my hands on my hips, a soft smile warming my face, and give my damn heart a second to settle before answering. “I just want to make sure you know I’m not asking because of this,” I say looking around the room and because I’m such a chicken shit that I can’t even say the word cancer out loud. If I don’t address it it’s not real, right?

Sadie pats the bed again for me to sit beside her. “Cooper, you could have asked me yesterday or the day before or even months ago. My answer is and would have always been yes, you have my permission to marry my daughter. I don’t need to know all the reasons why you want to marry her. One look at the two of you together and anyone can see how much you love each other.”

Hunter and Jaylinn walk into the room at that exact second. “Mom, did you just admit to Cooper that you love him?” Jaylinn attempts to joke but the smile on her face doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Hunter takes a seat in one of the chairs in the corner of the room. I stand and mouth ‘thank you’ to Sadie as I let Jaylinn take my seat next to her mom.

“You’ve always known I’ve loved that boy,” Sadie says as she grabs Jaylinn’s hand. “All of those Cahills actually.”

Jaylinn turns her head away from her mom, her face turns a shade of red and the tears fall from her eyes. She’s breaking down but doesn’t want her mom to see her like that. She’s trying to be strong but failing miserably. Hunter leans forward, elbows resting on his legs, head hung down. Nothing in this moment can change anything in this room. Their world was just blown apart. A rift separating them that seems, in this moment, almost insurmountable. Sadie pulls her daughter into her arms where the sob that Jaylinn was holding back comes out; the sound hitting me square in the chest. I glance back at Hunter who is shaking his head back and forth. I take a few steps back standing next to him and place my hand on his shoulder offering my support to my best friend.

After a while the room grows quiet. Jaylinn is lying beside her mom on the hospital bed, Hunter moved his chair over towards the foot of the bed where he’s leaning forward and resting his head, probably sleeping by now, and I’m sitting on the couch that is in the corner of the room looking out of the window. The sun is just starting to rise over the trees in the distance. The sun hasn’t been out in days; it’s been so damn cold and snowy. I’m hoping this is a sign that it’s bringing a new day with new possibilities and hopes.

A new nurse knocks before allowing herself in. Her smile blinds me as she glances over in my direction. There is nothing to be smiling about, I think to myself, at least not until we get some answers.

Sadie stirs and glances towards the nurse, who is now typing away on the keyboard that is across from the bed. When she’s finished, she turns and smiles at Sadie. “How are you feeling, Sadie, on a scale of one to ten, one being no pain at all to ten being in the worst pain ever?”

She tries to talk. “About a—” another coughing fit starts again and it wakes Jaylinn. She sits straight up with wide panicked eyes. “Mom…”

Sadie pats her hand reassuring her she’s