Chapter 484
Hadley whispered his name multiple times, making sure he was deeply asleep on the couch, before she flicked on the bedside light and rose.
From her bag, she retrieved a compact medical kit—a blood drawing set.
With a resolute inhale, she moved toward the couch.
Eric lay there, deeply asleep.
Hadley grasped his arm and carefully rolled up the sleeve. Confident he wouldn’t stir—she had mixed a sleeping tablet into his sparkling water earlier.
Holding her breath, she meticulously followed the instructions Colleen had given her—tying the tourniquet, cleansing the skin, inserting the needle, and drawing the blood.
Afterward, she withdrew the needle.
Luckily, Eric’s veins were distinct, which facilitated a smooth procedure. Gazing at the blood-filled vial, Hadley offered a silent prayer, hoping the sample would prove valuable.
“Hadley! Hadley! Get up!”
Groggy and disoriented, Hadley flailed her legs. “Ugh, stop bothering me!”
“Whoa!”
Eric barely dodged her kick, missing a painful hit by inches. Moving quickly, he caught Hadley’s ankle in his palm.
He let out a breathless chuckle. “Come on, get up. Did you forget we came here for the sunrise?”
“Nope. Not happening.”
Hadley stayed put, lazily waving a hand without opening her eyes. “I don’t feel like seeing it.”
Eric stared at her, baffled. Seriously?
If she skipped the sunrise, she’d never let him hear the end of it later.
He scooped Hadley up, blanket and all, and carried her onto the deck, settling her onto a lounge chair with careful ease.
With all the movement, sleep was officially off the table.
She yawned, one after another, her eyes watering from the stretch.
“That tired, huh?” Eric sat beside her, tugging the blanket snug around her shoulders.
The sea breeze had a sharp bite, and he wasn’t about to let her freeze.
“Yeah.” She nodded, still not seeing the hype around waking up at the crack of dawn.
“Just wait a second.”
Eric got up and disappeared into the cabin.
When he returned, he held something out to her. “Here.”
“What is it?” Hadley took it, eyeing the object in her hands—a warm, steamed corn on the cob.
“Go on, eat.” Eric grinned. “I promise it won’t make you gain weight.”
Then, he pressed a paper cup against her cheek. “And here’s some hot black coffee—great for burning calories and fighting puffiness.”
Hadley froze.
She stared at him like he was a stranger.
This side of him felt unfamiliar—almost unreal, like she’d stepped into a dream.
Hadley gave a small shake of her head. Even in her dreams, he had never treated her like this.
“What?”