Chapter 285: One More Time

Julia didn’t say anything at first. Summer blinked, then gently rested her hand on her belly. “I want to believe him one more time.”

To believe what Fraser had told her. To believe in that look in his eyes—overflowing with warmth and something close to adoration.

Julia’s sharp gaze landed squarely on her daughter. Her voice was light but serious. “Are you sure?”

Those two words—“I’m sure”—circled in Summer’s mouth for a long time, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

Julia finally said, “We haven’t left yet. You’ve got this month to figure it out. If you decide you want to be with him, I’m not some old-fashioned relic—I just want what’s best for you. But if he wants to be with you, he needs to do it the right way. Let the Graham family come to our door and propose properly.”

With that, Julia stood up and left the room.

Summer took a long shower, then curled up in bed with The Pregnancy Guide open on her lap. The book hadn’t moved past the first page in over half an hour. Her mind wasn’t in it.

Fraser had said he wanted to marry her. But with Mr. Graham’s recent passing, she knew nothing would happen for at least three months. And she understood what Julia meant. She was worried. She had every right to be.

Her phone suddenly rang. Summer glanced at the screen and answered. Fraser’s voice came through, hoarse and lazy. “I’m outside your place. Wanna come down?”

Summer blinked. “Why are you here? I told you I was staying home tonight.”

“Know.”

From the driver’s seat, Fraser looked up at the faint glow from her second-floor window. “So…are you coming out?”

“No.”

Was to sneak out and see Fraser like some lovesick fool.

Fraser added, “I’m sick.”

“Sick? What kind of sick?”

“Not sure. Fever, maybe?”

His tone was casual, but there was something boyishly sulky in it.

“How high?”

“One-oh-two.”

Summer could hear the rasp in his voice. Hearing that number made her immediately tense.

“If you’ve got a fever, why are you outside? Why didn’t you go to the hospital? I’m not a doctor.”

“I don’t want a doctor. I just want to see you.”

She wanted to scream. Why was he like this? If he couldn’t even take care of himself, why should she bother?

Summer hung up. She tossed the book onto the nightstand and turned off the light, determined to sleep. But her mind refused to cooperate. She turned once. Then again. Then again. Finally, she sat up with a jolt.

Idiot. Absolute idiot.

She threw off the blanket, didn’t even bother with slippers, and ran to the window. Pulling the curtain back slightly, she peered outside. The bright yellow Lamborghini was still parked out front like it owned the entire street. The top was down. The car was completely exposed to the cold night air.

Fraser was slouched in the driver’s seat, dressed in something casual, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Even from here, he looked infuriatingly effortless. Wild. Reckless.

She couldn’t see his face clearly, but it looked like his eyes were closed. The lines of his face were…charred…in the low light.

It was almost winter. The cold cut right through the trees, which stood bare along the street, branches trembling in the wind. And this man—this idiot—had a fever, was sitting in an open car, and didn’t even care?

She grabbed a knit cardigan, threw it on over her pajamas, and slipped on her shoes. She opened her door as quietly as she could and tiptoed down the stairs.

Just as she reached the bottom—

“Summer, where are you going?” Julia’s voice came from behind her.

Summer turned to see her mom in the hallway with a glass of water in hand. She forced a smile. “I’m just going for a walk.”

“A walk?”

“Yeah. The doctor said walking’s good for the baby.”

Julia pulled her cardigan tighter. “Walks are fine in warmer weather. If you catch a cold in this kind of night air, it’ll do more harm than good.”

She reached out to guide Summer back toward her room. Summer turned to face her, a little flustered.

“Mom, I…”

“What is it?”

Summer closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and blurted out, “I need to go out. You don’t have to wait up.”

Before Julia could stop her, she darted past and ran out the front door.