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    when she saw Nanna pull out a tissue and dab her eyes. She
    knew how much it meant to him to have her meet his parents.
    She was well aware of how private he was and how protective of
    his family he was. She felt her whole world slipping away on the current of his determination. Part of her wanted to slap him on
    the shoulder and tell him to stop joking around, but the other part (the part that knew he wasn’t playing) wanted to flail her fists on his chest and yell at him that he was about to ruin everything.
    When he dropped to one knee before her, she felt as if a
    noose tightened around her throat. He paused, and his features
    transformed; Phillip, whose front- man swagger landed him on
    the cover of Rolling Stone, looked petrified. It was at that mo-
    ment that Steph realized she loved him. Selflessly, painfully loved him. Because she was torn between horror and sorrow at
    what he was about to do to them. He had his finger firmly plant-
    ed on the button that would nuke their relationship, and she un-
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    derstood he didn’t know her well enough to realize it. The cramp in Steph’s side reappeared with a vengeance, and she felt sweat
    rolling down her neck. Pain in her shoulder that she assumed was from the impossibly tense situation caused her to reach up and
    grasp at it. Unable to breathe or make a sound, she simply locked eyes with Phillip.
    He pulled out a ring box and popped it open, presenting it to
    her. His vulnerable expression touched a nerve. Phillip was al-
    ways confident, but for the first time she was seeing genuine fear flicker across his face, and watching his cockiness evaporate
    made it hard for her to breathe. An astoundingly large marquis
    cut diamond caught the light. “More than anything in the world,
    love, I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
    As her eyes flitted from his earnest face to the ring, some-
    one dimmed the lights in the room. Why the hell would they do
    that at a time like this? She blinked slowly, feeling suddenly
    sleepy. Her legs felt like rubber.
    “Steffy?” Cedric hadn’t called her that nickname in years.
    He sounded like he was yelling right in her ear, and he sounded
    very upset.
    “Bloody hell! She’s going to faint!” Linda shrieked, and for
    Stephanie, the world went black.
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CHAPTER THREE

    The setting sun cast the waiting room in an azure glow.
    Phillip caught sight of a man packing cigarettes and leaving for the exit. He chased him down like a heroine junkie and begged
    him to buy one off him. Sadly, the man recognized him and with
    stunned awe handed him the entire pack. Phillip took it and
    thanked him, stuffing one-hundred-pound note into the man’s
    breast pocket. Outside, he paced with a vengeance. Helplessness
    consumed him. It seemed impossible that just that morning he
    had stroked Stephanie’s angelic cheek while she slept next to
    him. And now, for all he knew she could be dying. and he was
    forbidden to see her.
    Yes, he’d made some bad calls. When Steph first passed
    out, he was sure—from his expert knowledge of girls fainting in
    his presence—that she’d merely swooned. But when Cedric
    slapping her across the face didn’t get her to open her eyes, he literally felt his heart stop. Linda shouted that her pulse was way too fast and began barking directions. For minutes he stood mute and useless while everyone around him sprang into action. It was all a bit of a blur, but certain key moments jumped out at him.
    Adam felt Steph’s forehead and demanded someone call 911,
    Cedric asking if she was taking anything and if she’d eaten any-
    thing today. Danielle and his mother ran back and forth getting
    blankets and pillows. Adam and Cedric left the room to hunt for
    a thermometer. His own dad placed a cool cloth on Steph’s fore-
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    head and assured him that she’d be “just fine”.
    Grandad came into the room, phone in hand, and said he’d
    called for an ambulance to take her to Portloais.