Princess (American Princess #1)(16)
Author: Courtney Cole

Stephen reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he drove and she dropped her head onto his broad shoulder.  As she stared absently at the scenery blurring past, she decided that the best thing to do was to try and file away her pain like a memory. Tucking it away in the farthest recesses of her mind- hiding it from herself- seemed like the smartest thing to do.

The ride home passed in peaceful silence.  When they pulled up to the house, Stephen unloaded her bag from the trunk and helped her walk inside. She suddenly felt like a cripple as she hunched over her injuries and hobbled into the house. As he grasped her elbow, she turned to him with a smile.

“I’m not an invalid, Stephen. I’m feeling much better.  My ribs are barely even sore now. Just don’t make me laugh.”

She smiled again convincingly and followed Stephen as he walked toward her bedroom.  As they walked down the short hall, she gasped. A freshly painted door was hanging in her doorway. He barely even glanced at it as he opened it nonchalantly and waited for her to enter first.  She gasped again.

Her room had a fresh coat of Robin’s Egg blue paint on the walls, her favorite color.  The bed in the center of the back wall had a new white eyelet bedspread, turned down at the top, topped with plump new pillows.  She could see fresh new linens poking out from underneath.  A lacy white throw was folded at the foot. She turned to Stephen, shock apparent on her face.

“What?” he asked innocently, as he set her bag beside her refurbished bed. A small, self-satisfied smile tilted the corners of his lips.

She looked around again in dumbfounded amazement.

“How did you…?”  She couldn’t seem to form a cohesive sentence.

This act of kindness had taken her completely off-guard.  It was ironic to her that once upon a time, she had the bedroom of a princess and hadn’t thought twice about it.  The thoughtfulness behind this tiny, simple redecorated room touched her more deeply than her old king-sized bedroom suite ever had.

“I thought it might make you smile.” It was his turn to shrug lightly.

“But how did you find time?  You were with me almost every minute!”  Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.

“I do what every un-married male does when he needs help. I called my mom.”

He grinned widely as she continued to examine her new surroundings.  Her clothing was folded neatly on a stack of new dark wicker shelves in the corner.  There were even a couple of framed still-life prints hanging above the bed and crisp white eyelet curtains to match the bedspread. The crudded-over window had been washed and sparkled in the sun.

The room had definitely felt a woman’s touch.  Sydney felt a surge of gratitude for the distant relative that she had never even met.  Stephen’s mother had clearly spent hours redecorating this space for her.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t think of it before. I’m a guy.  I just don’t think of things like that.  But I called my mom to ask her what might cheer you up and she took over.  Do you like it?  Is it okay?” He eyed her anxiously, not sure if she would be upset that he had invaded her personal space.

She rushed to him and hugged him as tightly as her wounded ribs would allow.

“Stephen, this is literally the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me.  Ever.”

She hugged him again, ignoring the protesting twinges that came from her ribs.

“Thank you so much! This is the most thoughtful birthday present anyone has ever given me!” Her eyes shone and he stared at her in shock.

“Your birthday?”

Color flooded his cheeks as he spoke. She nodded in response.

“Sydney, I’m so sorry- I had no idea!”

Sydney studied him curiously for the source of his embarrassment.  He had no way of knowing that the first thought that sprung into her mind this morning was the fact that she was another year older now.  She was 18.  And that being attracted to Stephen didn’t feel quite so criminal.

“It’s alright,” she murmured gently. “How could you know?  I didn’t tell you. But this is perfect.  You couldn’t have done better even if you had known.”  She sat gingerly on the bed, enjoying the lush softness of her new down comforter.

“Syd, you’re moving pretty slow. I know you’re hurting worse than you’re letting on. Let’s get you settled into bed.  The doctor said you needed to rest, so that’s what you’re going to do. Are you hungry?  I’m going to get you settled in here and then I’ll make you something to eat.”  He hadn’t even waited for her answer before he moved her bag out of the way and started turning down her bedding.

“Sydney?” He looked at her questioningly.

“Um, I’d be a lot more comfortable in my nightgown, but it hurts to raise my arms over my head.” At his concerned look, she quickly added, “But that’s really the only thing that hurts.  Everything else is just an ache. No big deal.”

“Right.  Broken ribs are no big deal.”

He stared at her in amusement.  She knew that she was stubborn in her efforts to pretend that she was fine, but she was also well aware that it was in Stephen’s nature to worry.  She’d given him enough to worry about lately and hurried to reassure him again.

“They really aren’t a big deal.  They healed up quickly. They must be healed- the doctor took the tape off of them yesterday. They only ache when I move wrong.”  He couldn’t say anything to that and she knew it.

He sighed in resignation. “What do you want me to do?”

“Well, it would be great if you could help me maneuver my nightgown so that I can slip into it.” She looked at him hopefully.

“Um, sure. I can do that.”

He stared at her hesitantly, his thoughts unreadable.  If she didn’t know better, she would think that he didn’t want her to take her shirt off.  And she had to admit… being in such cramped quarters with him while she was taking off her clothes wasn’t going to help put a damper on the attraction that she was trying hard to ignore.

She sifted through the clothing in her hospital bag and found the thin gown that she was hunting for. She held it out to him, hoping that he wouldn’t notice the slight tremor in her hand.

He took it from her and stepped closer.

“So… How do you want me to go about this?”  He looked from the gown to her in such consternation that she burst out laughing- and then had to hold her ribs.