Shit. Andrew hadn’t planned on Lauren knowing anything about that, but before he could reach them and stop her, Jeni kept going.

“You should know the Bishops have been die-hard Denver Broncos fans for decades. We drive out for a game at least once a year. But suddenly after Christmas Andrew went on a rampage through the house and took out anything Broncos-related he could find and demanded we choose a different team. ‘At least as long as Gearhart is on it,’ he said.

“He wouldn’t say why, just that the guy had done something pretty shitty in college involving you. Most of us were on board without a second thought. But a few were resistant. You’ve gotta understand, that’s been our team forever. Since way before Gearhart came along. That kind of loyalty isn’t something you can just turn off, you know? No matter how much we like you.”

“Of course, I would never ask you to—”

Andrew came up behind Lauren, but she still hadn’t noticed him.

Jeni held up a hand. “I know you wouldn’t. I’m with Andrew on this. I don’t know what happened, but I haven’t seen Andrew that angry in a long time. So, it must have been bad. Either that, or he cares a lot about you.”

“It’s both.” His voice behind Lauren made her jump. He smiled and brushed his hand across her arm as he walked past, maneuvering his IV pole back into place next to the chair. He bent over to plug it into the wall, and when he stood back up and turned to sit down, Lauren’s cheeks were flushed.

“You…” she swallowed. “Um, you look very nice today.”

He grinned, pleased that she seemed flustered. He’d dressed up in a full suit today, the jacket resting on the arm of his chair. The white dress shirt he wore was partially unbuttoned for access to his port.

“I’ve got a mock trial in class this afternoon, and I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to change.” His eyes moved across her face, lingering on her hair. His voice was low when he said, “You look…very nice, too.” He paused and lowered his chin a notch. “Very.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Jeni cut in. “This is painful to watch.”

Lauren scrunched her nose, the color on her cheeks deepening. He loved when she blushed.

Andrew regarded his sister. “I don’t recall asking you to be here.”

“You can’t come to chemo alone.”

“Sure I can.”

“No, you can’t. Lauren said so.”

Andrew’s gaze flicked to hers. “You did?”