“And you will be safe out there too,” Dylan replied. “Warren is in prison. He can’t get near you again. You have to believe that you will get your life back.”
“I know,” Brook sighed, giving him a nervous smile. “It’s just hard to believe that it’s over. Like it’s too good to be true.”
“Well, believe it,” Dylan replied, smiling at her. “Now you get to leave here, ready to go on with your life.”
“Okay,” Brook nodded, smiling once more. “I don’t know how to thank you and your brothers enough.”
“You don’t have to thank us, Brook, you know that,” Dylan said giving her a smile before standing up from the bed. “Now, are you ready to get out of this place?”
“I guess so,” Brook replied, standing up too. She was still a little shaky on her feet but considering everything she had been through; Dylan was amazed by just how well she was doing.
She still had to come back to the hospital three times a week for physiotherapy. So, Landen booked her into a hotel close by to make it easier for her to get to her appointments in the hospital.
“Then your chariot awaits,” Dylan said, disappearing out the door of the room, then returning moments later with a wheelchair.
“I don’t need that,” she said, giving Dylan a defiant look. “I’m perfectly capable of walking to the door myself.”
“That I don’t doubt,” Dylan replied, giving her a smile. “But I’m afraid it’s hospital policy. I’m sorry.”
“Dylan,” she sighed, giving him a pleading look.
“I didn’t make the rules,” Dylan smiled, knowing she was less than impressed.
“Fine!” She groaned as she walked to the wheelchair, climbing into it. “But just to the door. I’m walking to the car once we get out of the building.”
“Deal,” Dylan said with a laugh, grabbing her bag from the bed, and her flowers from the nightstand, setting them both onto Brook’s lap. Finally, she was leaving the hospital.
As they walked down the corridor, several of the nursing staff stopped them to say goodbye to Brook. This made Dylan smile. He thought it was good for Brook to see that other people cared for her too. Still, it took forever for them to reach the front door. But when they finally did, Dylan couldn’t help but smile to himself as he stepped out through it.
Parked outside the front door was Landen’s town car and his driver. Mike.
“What’s this?” Brook asked, looking up at Dylan.
“Landen sent his car,” Dylan explained picking up her bag and her flowers, handing them to Mike who walked to the back of the car and placed them in the trunk. “He wanted to be sure that you got to the hotel safe and sound. He thought we could travel in style.”
“He really didn’t need to do that,” Brook said her face flushing with embarrassment. Dylan knew Brook really wasn’t comfortable accepting help from anyone. Dylan guessed it was because she had become so independent after she left Warren. She needed to, to survive.
“He knows he didn’t,” Dylan said, reaching out his hand to Brook. “But he wanted to. Brook, I know you’re used to looking after yourself, but you need to learn that you have people who care for you now. It’s okay to accept a little help from time to time.”
Brook stared at Dylan’s hand for a moment, before she finally reached out, taking it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. As he did, she stood for a moment staring up into his eyes, and Dylan longed to kiss her, right then and there.
For the last two weeks, Dylan had been the perfect gentleman. He’d resisted the longing he’d felt to take her in his arms and kiss her every time they were alone. He longed to feel her soft lips against his once more. To feel her warm body pressed against his. It had been harder than he’d ever imagined it would be. Every little touch, every little glance they exchanged just made Dylan long for her more, and it had been hard to keep that professional distance.
Still, he knew he needed to do the right thing, so he never crossed the line again. He did everything he could to keep things as simple as possible for Brook.
But now she was being released from the hospital; he was no longer her doctor. Doctor Abrams was the only doctor whose care she remained under.
That meant nothing was standing in their way any longer. Nothing except fear of what this thing between them was. He knew he wasn’t the only one who felt the nervous energy. Every time Brook looked at him, he could see the longing in her eyes, mixed with a look of uncertainty for what lay ahead.
If Dylan was honest, he was worried about moving too fast. She was broken, and winning her trust wasn’t going to be easy. Rushing her was not going to help things; if anything, they would make them worse. But there was no denying the longing that filled him. He just needed to push it back down inside. At least for a little while longer.
Giving her a warm smile, he turned and reached for the car door.
“We should get you home,” he said, turning back to Brook, but as he said the words, he realised that a hotel room could never be a home. It certainly wasn’t her home. Brooks home was thousands of miles away.
She smiled, giving him a nod before she climbed into the car. Dylan closed the door behind her, taking a deep breath before he hurried to the far side of the car, where Mike was standing with the car door open for him.
“Thanks, Mike,” Dylan nodded, before he climbed into the back of the car, next to Brook.
Brook gave him a nervous smile, as Mike climbed back into the driver’s seat.
“Are you ready?” He asked, giving her a questioning smile.
“As I’ll ever be,” she nodded, returning his smile, just before she turned and looked out the window, lost in her thoughts.
Ten minutes later, the car pulled to a stop outside the entrance to The InterContinental, as the doorman hurried to open the door of the car.
“This is where I’m going to be staying?” Brook asked as she looked out through the open door before she turned back to Dylan. “I don’t know if I can afford…”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Dylan assured her. “Landen said his firm would pick up the cost.”
“I can’t let him pay for this…” Brook began to protest, but Dylan quickly stopped her.
“It really isn’t a big deal,” Dylan assured her with a smile. “Landen said that he could claim it back in taxes. So it’s not charity or anything like that.”
“I see,” Brook replied as she glanced out through the door once more, releasing a deep breath.
“Brook,” Dylan said reaching out, taking her hand. “It’s okay to let people help you.”
Brook turned and looked at him for a moment before she turned back to the front door of the hotel.
“I guess we should go in then,” Brook said, releasing a long breath.
“I guess we should,” Dylan said, sensing that Brook wasn’t completely comfortable with this whole situation. They climbed out of the car, and Dylan took hold of her hand before they made their way into the lobby of this beautiful hotel.
Dylan led Brook to the reception desk to check in, but the girl behind the counter said there was no need, that Landen had taken care of everything already. Dylan thanked her, before leading Brook to the elevators on the far side of the lobby.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asked when they stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. “You seem… quiet.”
“Yeah,” she replied, glancing up at Dylan. “I guess this just is all new to me.”
“Staying in a hotel?” He asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Letting people help me,” she replied, giving him a nervous smile. “Since I left Warren, I’ve learned to rely on myself, so having Landen doing all this… or you, it’s just… it’s very strange.”
“I can imagine,” Dylan said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “And I don’t pretend to know what it is that you’ve been through. Nor would I ever assume to know what is best for you. But, if you would let me. I would like to try to show you that not every man is a
monster. Not every man will lie to you or hurt you. I would like the chance to show you that sometimes… sometimes happy ever afters can happen.”
Brook stared up at Dylan for a moment, and he had no clue what was going through her mind at that moment. But finally, she smiled, as she leaned up on her tippy toes and softly pressed her lips to his cheek.
“I would like that,” she whispered, not pulling back from him completely.
Dylan stared at her for a moment, before he smiled too. Then he swallowed hard, before he leaned forward, his lips longing to find hers.
Suddenly the elevator stopped, and the doors opened, making Brook jump back, her face flushing with embarrassment.
“I guess this is us,” Dylan said, feeling a little embarrassed too. Stepping from the elevator, he led Brook across the hallway to a set of white, double doors. Sticking the key card into the lock, he released a long breath as he unlocked the door, then pushed it open. He quickly stepped back, letting Brook walk into the room first.
As he followed her inside, Dylan smiled when he saw Landen had in fact booked a suite for Brook. He knew he could depend on Landen to come through for Brook.
“This is…” Brook said as she walked further into the room. “This is a beautiful room.”
She took in her surroundings before she turned to look at Dylan. She gave him a nervous smile before turning back to look around the room once more.
“I guess this is my home now for the next few weeks,” she said, as she walked to the window, and looked down at the street below. Dylan couldn’t help but notice that Brook’s shoulders were slumped, like she felt completely uncomfortable with this whole thing.
“Through those doors is your bedroom,” Dylan explained, having no idea what else he should say to her. “There is twenty-four-hour room service if you’re hungry. And the concierge can send out for anything you should need, just charge it to the room.”
“Thanks,” she said as she slowly turned to look at him once more. When she did, she gave him a look that almost broke his heart, but he didn’t know why, or what the look even meant. Finally, she smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Are you okay?” He asked, taking a step closer to her. “You’re not in pain are you?”
“No!” She replied, giving him a sad smile. “No, I’m not in pain. I’m okay.”
“Then what is it?” Dylan asked, just as there was a soft tap on the door. Dylan turned to answer the door and smiled when he found the porter standing outside the door, holding Brooks bag and her bouquet.
“Please,” Dylan said, stepping back to allow him into the suite. “Come in.”
The porter walked into the room and set the flowers down on the coffee table that was in the centre of the lounge, he turned to Brook and asked what he should do with her small hold-all of clothes.
Liam had gathered all her belonging from the motel she was staying in, the night of the attack, but there wasn’t much. He stared at the bag in the porter’s hand, and something felt off about this whole thing.
Then he recalled her words; that this hotel room, was going to be her home for the foreseeable future. Dylan sighed to himself. While he thought the suite was beautiful, in his heart, he knew this was not where she belonged.
“Can you just set it in on the bed, please,” Brook replied, but before the porter had taken no more than a couple of steps, Dylan stopped him in his tracks.
“Wait!” He called out, surprising both Brook and the hotel porter. “You don’t have to take it anywhere, because she isn’t staying.”
“Sir?” The porter asked, giving Dylan a questioning look.
“The lady won’t be staying here in the hotel after all,” he said as he glanced from the porter to Brook. “You don’t belong here, Brook.”
She didn’t reply. Instead she just gave him a questioning look.
“I know this is a nice place, but it’s a hotel, it’s not a home,” Dylan said as he walked to the porter, taking the bag from him, then slipping him a few dollars tip, before the porter hurried towards the door.
Dylan turned and looked at Brook once more as he gave her a warm smile. Then, taking a couple of steps toward her, he reached out his hand.
“Will you trust me?” He asked, knowing he was asking a lot from her.
She stared at his hand for a moment, before she looked back up into his eyes. Finally, a small smile spread across her lips, as she slipped her hand into his.
“Yes,” she whispered as Dylan closed his hand around hers. “I trust you.”
“Then come with me,” he said, giving her a reassuring nod before he turned and headed towards the door. They quickly climbed into the elevator across from the doors to the suite.
“What are we doing?” She asked as Dylan set down her bag, before pressing the button for the ground floor.
“I can’t leave you here,” Dylan said, giving her a smile. “This is not a home, Brook, and a home is where you need to be right now. You’ve spent so long running. You need to be somewhere you can stand still and take a breath.”
“Okay,” Brook said, giving him a worried look. Then she gasped. “I left my flowers in the room.”
“I’ll get you more flowers,” Dylan replied with a smile, giving her hand a squeeze. He wanted so much to kiss her, but he was afraid to rush her. So he resisted.
When they reached the lobby, Dylan pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly called Mike.
Twenty minutes later they were pulling up outside Dylan’s parent’s house.
He knew he was taking a big gamble. He knew in his heart that it was the right thing to do. Leaving her alone in a hotel room was something he just couldn’t do.
“Where are we?” Brook asked as she glanced out the window at Dylan’s parents’ house, having no clue where she was.
“My parent’s house,” Dylan replied, giving her a nervous smile. “I know you don’t know them, but I can’t leave you alone in some stupid hotel room. You need to be around people that care about you and make you feel safe. I know you don’t know my mom and dad. But they know all about you, and they are good, kind people. I’m asking you to trust me on this.”
“This… this is your parent’s place?” Brook asked, turning to look out at the house once more. “You brought me to your folk’s home?”
“You’ll be safe here,” Dylan continued. “I mean, I know you’re already safe, but while you’re recovering, I think it would be better if you have people around you. You need to be at home. And this…”
He stopped, and he looked out the window at the house he’d grown up in.
“This is the best home there is,” Dylan continued with a smile.
“But they aren’t even expecting me,” Brook replied, giving him a worried look.
“Trust me,” Dylan said with a smile. “That is not going to be a problem. So, what do you say?”
Brook looked back out at the house once more, Dylan knew she was unsure of herself.
Finally, she turned back to Dylan, giving him a nervous smile.
“You asked me to trust you,” Brook said, her eyes holding Dylan’s. “So, I’m going to trust you.
“Thank you,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips, kissing it softly on the back. “Let’s get you inside.”
Climbing from the car, Dylan took a deep breath wishing now he’d called ahead and told his parents they were coming. But they were there now, so there was no going back.
Suddenly the front door opened, and his mother appeared on the front step.
“Dylan, Sweetheart,” Nell said as she greeted her son with a broad smile. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“Hey, Mom,” Dylan said as he hurried up the steps to greet his mom. He kissed her on the cheek before he took a step back, then turned to Brook. “Mom, I would like you to meet someone. This is Brook McKay.”
“Brook, Sweetheart,” Nell greeted her with a broad smile on her face. “It is so lovely to meet you finally. Dylan talks about you all t
he time, so it’s nice to meet you in person.”
“It’s lovely to meet you too, Mrs. Murphy,” Brook replied, giving Nell a nervous smile.
“Please call me Nell,” Nell replied as she greeted Brook with a warm hug, before taking her by the arm, leading her into the house. “Now, please, come inside. You’ve just gotten out of the hospital. You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
“Actually, Mom,” Dylan said, following his mother and Brook into the house. “I have a favour to ask.”
Chapter 17
Brook
“I guess that’s got you all settled in,” Dylan said, giving Brook a broad smile, sitting down on the edge of bed. He watched Brook as she slowly walked across the room, sitting down on the bed next to him.
“Are you really sure this is okay?” Brook sighed, giving Dylan a worried look. “I know you said that your Mom didn’t mind, but I really don’t want to be a burden to anyone. Besides, your family has already done so much for me…”
“You’re not a burden,” Dylan said, reaching for her hand, giving her a broad smile. “And I promise you, my mom is more than happy to have you here. She loves to have someone to fuss over. Having five fiercely independent sons, she loves any opportunity to have a girl to take care of. I should probably be apologising for how crazy she is going to make you.”
Brook smiled, but she didn’t reply. Instead, her eyes dropped down to their hands.
“Brook,” Dylan said, and Brook could hear a slight trace of uncertainty in his voice. She looked up from their hands, letting her eyes meet his. “I just wanted to say…”
He stopped mid-sentence; his eyes locked with hers. Dylan swallowed hard, and Brook knew that he was just as nervous as she was, right at that moment.
She could barely hear him over the sound of her heart drumming in her ears. Every ounce of her being told her that she could trust Dylan; he was one of the good guys. After all, since the first day she’d met him, he had been nothing but kind and caring, putting her needs before everything else. But there was a tiny voice, somewhere in the back of her mind that told her to trust nobody; that Warren was a good guy too, until he wasn’t.
Dylan (The Murphy Series Book 5) Page 16
