Chapter 137
Stella had wanted to get to bed early since she had an early meeting in the morning.
The plumbers had already started repairs in her room. She had no idea how long it would take, so she headed over to Jordan’s room.
As soon as she stepped into Jordan’s room, she was struck by how neat and tidy everything was. From her experience, guys‘ rooms were always a disaster, especially Max’s. Anyway, Lionel was a different story.
She remembered how, after a basketball game, Max would just dump his sweaty clothes all over the floor. Or if he was getting ready to go out, he’d rip through his closet, creating a mountain of rejected clothes.
The maids were too scared to touch anything Max threw on the floor. They were afraid they’d move something “important,” and he’d completely lose it on them when he couldn’t find it. Stella was usually the one who cleaned up his messes.
Jordan’s room, by contrast, was simple and minimalist. There wasn’t much stuff, and the whole space felt calm and comfortable. Stella walked over to the bed, her eyes landing on a photo frame on the nightstand.
She picked it up. It was a picture of five people. There was an older couple who she guessed were Jordan’s grandparents, and a younger couple who must have been his parents.
And there was a cute little boy, maybe five or six. He had the biggest, brightest smile. It had to be Jordan.
Stella stared at the photo. She had never seen this version of Jordan. The boy in the picture was radiating a kind of carefree happiness she couldn’t imagine on the face of the man she knew now.
The Jordan of today might feel happy, sure, but he would never smile like that–so open and completely unguarded.
‘Is it because they’re all gone?‘ Stella wondered, a pang of sadness in her chest. ‘Is that why he lost that smile?‘
She looked back at the faces of the four adults, and a strange ripple of recognition went through her. It was a nagging feeling, like she knew them from somewhere but couldn’t place it. Shaking the strange feeling off, Stella lay down on Jordan’s bed.
Growing up, besides her own bed, Lionel’s was the only other one she’d ever slept in. Lying here in Jordan’s bed felt different, a little strange. But somehow, she fell asleep almost instantly.
The plumbers finished with Stella’s bathroom and headed toward Jordan’s room to start on his. Right then, Jordan emerged from the study. He quietly pushed the door to his room open just a crack and saw Stella, fast asleep.
He waved the crew away, telling them to come back tomorrow morning for this room. They nodded and moved on to another room.
Jordan gently shut the door and stood there for a moment. A warm smile spread across his face as he watched Stella sleeping soundly in his bed.
His gaze fell once again on the photo on his nightstand, and he picked it up. As always, the same sharp pain shot through him. His grandparents and his parents were gone.
He never wanted to hide his past from Stella. It just didn’t feel like the right time. He was terrified that if he told her now, she would feel sorry for him. He didn’t want her pity. He was greedy, and he wanted her love.
Jordan didn’t climb into bed next to Stella/Instead, he took the couch. Just this being in the same room with her, hearing her breathe—was more than enough for now.
Her body was still healing, and he would never push her. He could wait. He would wait for as long as it took.
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Chapter 157
The next morning, Stella woke up texting refreshed it had been ages ince d‘ dege
She looked around the room, but Jordan was nowhere to be seen. Then, she got up and opened Eleanor coming out of her bedroom down the hall,
Eleanor looked surprised for a moment. “Stella, you… Last night.”
Stella jumped in to explain. “Oh, the pipes in my bathroom were clogged, and Jordan called
someone to fix it, so be cad
She trailed off as she saw the knowing, gentle smile spreading across Eleanor’s face. Stella was at a complete loos
“Relax, honey, I know,” Eleanor said, her voice warm with amusement. “I’ve known since you two first filed the paperwork that this wasn’t a love match. But that’s alright. Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it, don’t you think?”
‘Thank God Jordan isn’t here to hear this, Stella thought.
She leaned in close to Eleanor and whispered, “Grandma… honestly. Do you think a guy like jordan could ever be into someone like me?”
“Be into you? Honey, why wouldn’t he be? You’re an amazing catch, honey,” Eleanor said.
“I mean, sure, I’m good at my job,” Stella mumbled. “But what else am I good for? I don’t even know if I can be a wife, in that way. Or if i can
even have children.”
“Don’t you dare talk like that,” Eleanor said, her voice firm but loving Your body’s getting better every day. You didn’t lose your ability to have
babies.
“There’s a reason they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You are living proof of that, my girl. You will be whole again, it’s just a
matter of time.”
Eleanor’s quiet prayers had shifted. For so long, she had only asked that Stella find a good man to protect her.
Now that Jordan was here, she found herself daring to hope for more. ‘If I’m lucky,‘ she thought, ‘I might just live long enough to hold my
great–grandbaby.
“Grandma…” Stella whispered, completely overwhelmed and unable to say anything else.
Eleanor’s smile softened as she watched her granddaughter’s cheeks turn pink. ‘There she is,’ she thought. ‘She’s so flustered. She and Jordan are good for each other. Now, I could leave this world with no regrets.
The plumbers had already come in and looked over at Jordan. “Mr. Erwin, are we cleared to start?” one of them asked.
Stella looked around and realized Jordan had been there the whole time. She just hadn’t spotted him since he was on the other side of the
room.
“Yeah, go for it,” Jordan said. The crew gave a quick, polite nod to Stella and Eleanor and disappeared into the bathroom.
“Breakfast is ready,” Jordan announced.
Stella still felt a little awkward, but she quickly told herself it was no big deal and led Eleanor to the dining room.
Stella turned to Jordan. “Where did you end up sleeping?”
“In my room,” he said simply. “Like I said You had the bed, and I took the couch.”
“But I told you that you could have the bed,” Stella sputtered, feeling a spike of guilt. “You should have woken me up when my room was done. I would’ve gone back.”
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Chapter 137
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“You were sound asleep. I wasn’t going to wake you,” Jordan said with an easy shrug. “It doesn’t matter. I slept just fine
Stella opened her mouth to protest again. Then she caught the amused, knowing smirk on Eleanor’s face, and she snapped it shut
Stella’s usual breakfast was waiting for her: a boiled egg, toast, and a small bowl of cereal.
Her doctor had put her on a strict diet. Given her condition, it was best to stick to these simple foods long–term. She had to eat it, whether she was in the mood or not.
Stella had stuck to the plan strictly, and her body was responding in a way that felt like a small miracle every day.
The first thing she did every morning was step on the scale in her room. Watching the number tick steadily upward filled her with a triumphant joy.
Besides, she never thought of the food as bland, not after those days in Dusty Pines. After starving for so long, every single meal, no matter how simple, tasted like the finest food on earth.
“Mrs. Hayes,” Jordan said, turning to Eleanor. “You have a follow–up appointment at the hospital today, right? I’m free this morning, so f’ll come with you.”
Stella froze. “Oh my God, I–I completely forgot. Grandma, how could I have forgotten that? I have that big conference call this morning
