“That night in the garage was the last time I spoke to my brother, because after he got out of the boy’s home Dante went to live with another boy’s family that he met while living there. For years, I thought my big brother had just up and abandoned us, because my father told us that Dante didn’t want to deal with us being his family anymore.”
“That’s horrible. Why would someone do something like that? Didn’t your mother have anything to say about her oldest child not coming home?”
“No, she loves my dad. She will do anything he tells her to do without question. It has always been that away between them for as long as I could remember. The only reason I found out the truth about Dante was because s Morgan somehow became friends with Griffin. He’s the guy who Dante lived with after leaving the boy’s home. He told Morgan the entire story, but it came a little too late. I had already started to rebel against my father like Dante had done years before. I knew he was going to kick me out after my high school graduation, but I beat him to it.”
“How did you do it?” Akayie asked. She was stunned by everything Rowan was telling her.
“A gentleman had placed a help wanted ad in the newspaper looking for help on his ranch, and I applied for it. I got hired, and the day after graduation I packed my bags and moved out here. I worked for Mr. Hill for about twelve years until he decided he wanted to retire so he could move closer to his grandkids. I loved this place and couldn’t see it going to anyone else. So, I made him an offer with the money I had been saving up and he accepted it. I guess you can see the rest of the history, because here I am with a successful thoroughbred horse ranch.”
“Oh, Rowan. I’m so sorry that you had to go through so much growing up. But, it seems like you and Dante have made up since you are doing this calendar for him and his wife.”
Rowan sighed beside her ear. “I wouldn’t say that Dante and I have made up just quite yet. I made a mistake when he tried to come back in my life as well as my brothers’. It was completely my fault and now I’m doing everything I can to make up for it. His wife Amara is about to have a baby and I want to be a part of that baby’s life. Dante was an amazing brother and I want to be a part of his growing family.”
After listening to Rowan about his childhood, so many things were starting to make much more sense to her like the reasons why Rowan reacted to certain situations the way he did. Once Dante had gotten banned from their family and lost his freedom, so did Rowan, being the second oldest son.
He didn’t have time to process why his big brother wasn’t coming back before their father turned his focus on him. Way before he was ready, Rowan got pushed into being the new leader of his two little brothers. No wonder he had so many rules set about everything. He didn’t know any other way of being but in control.
Warm lips brushing the back of her neck dragged Akayie away from her inner thoughts. Rowan ran his hands up and down her arms.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
She heard the concern in his voice, so she turned in his arms. She ran her eyes over every handsome feature of his face, but this time she noticed the hard shell he put in place to keep the hurt boy from his past hidden from others.
Moving closer, she kissed him softly, running her hands down the side of his strong face. Rowan needed her more than he cared to admit to her. She was going to be there for him like his big brother and parents hadn’t been when he needed them the most.
“I love you.” The words left her mouth before she realized what even happened, but she didn’t regret them because they were the truth.
Instantly, Rowan’s eyes widened in shock and she got a little nervous. She didn’t care she had spoken the word, but what if he wasn’t ready to hear them? Rowan looked at her like she just snatched the breath from his body and she wondered which Rowan she would get.
“What did you just tell me?” he asked, cupping her face in his large hands.
“I said that I loved you,” she answered. “I know that you might not be ready to tell…”
Lowering his head, Rowan captured her mouth in a long, slow sweet kiss and then lifted his head. “God, I have been waiting for you to tell me that for so long. I thought I might have ruined my chances.”
Smiling, she stared into Rowan’s bright eyes. “Well, Mr. Braden, I almost gave up hope on you a few times there.”
He pulled her closer to him and ran his hands up and down her body. “Thank God I came to my senses and got over myself. I couldn’t see my life without you in it. You mean so much to me.”
“I’m glad that I do,” Akayie said, snuggling closer enjoying the sounds of nature around them. “I never knew when I woke up this morning the day would end like this.”
When he spoke again, his voice was tender, almost a murmur. “I didn’t either, sweetheart.”
For the next few minutes, they just relaxed outside, getting lost in just being with each other. After a while, Rowan placed a kiss against the side of her temple and she instantly sensed the change in him. “Rowan, what’s wrong?”
“I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to upset you when everything is going so well between us.”
“Just ask me and if I don’t want to answer, I won’t do it.”
“Baby, how did you get the scars on your back? Were you in some kind of accident?”
Akayie knew the question was coming, but she wasn’t prepared for it. She had never gotten this far with a man that cared about her enough to even ask about her scars. She fought to control her swirling emotions. She was sick with the struggle within her. She didn’t want to tell him about them but was unable to turn away.
“Akayie?”
She hesitated, torn by conflicting emotions, but it was finally time for her to stop living in the past.
Taking a deep breath, Akayie grabbed Rowan’s hand with hers. He gave it a squeeze and whispered by her ear. “You can tell me. I’m here for you.”
“I had lived in my small hometown of Kent, Indiana for years and I decided when I graduated from high school I wanted to attend college out of town, so I applied to and got accepted to a college in Florida. I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait to get there. My parents weren’t too happy, but they helped me pack up the car and we made a road trip of it.
“For the first six months, it was the best time of my life. I went to parties and I was coming out of my shell, making a lot of friends. Even a few guys I was interested in had started taking notice in me, and then that night happened, changing my life forever.”
A heavy darkness gripped her. Fear and anger knotted inside as the memories came flooding back. It was enough to make her not want to tell Rowan about her accident, but she loved him, and he wanted the truth. She would never get over this if she kept pushing it to the back of her mind for the rest of her life.
“Do you want to stop? I hate to see you this upset.”
Akayie shook her head. “No, I need to tell you, so I’ll be able to move on with you. I got invited to this party by my roommate. It was at this empty warehouse that all of us sneaked into by climbing through an open window in the back. The building belonged to my roommate’s boyfriend, so he knew that no one would be there.
“Everything was going perfectly. All of us were having a fantastic time until one of the guys decided to light some fireworks inside the building. We all told him not to do it, but he didn’t listen to us. Alton lit it up and let it go. He thought it would burn out as soon as it went up, but it got caught up in some old newspaper tossed on the stairs and the fire spread pretty quickly.
“Everyone started to panic and ran towards the only open window that all of us came through. It seemed like everyone there could outrun me. Some of the beams started burning and falling down around us. As I was running out the door one of them fell and hit me on the back. It must have knocked me out because when I woke up I was in the hospital with my mother crying at my bedside.
“She told me that a couple of the guys there got it off me and got me
through the window as the fire trucks were driving up. I had been in a coma for over two weeks and the doctors were scared I wasn’t going to come out. I had to wait until they were sure I didn’t have any long-term brain injuries before I got my first back surgery. Over the years, I’ve gotten about six of them done.”
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry,” Rowan whispered softly. “You are so beautiful. I hope you don’t think the scars make you any less beautiful in my eyes.”
“You keep telling me that and I wished I believe it, but I still see the scars and burns. I wanted at least one more surgery, but every doctor I have seen tells me I have too much scar tissue and it wouldn’t do me any good.”
Turning Akayie, Rowan placed her on his chest and rubbed his hands up and down her back. She tried to move away but he only tightened his grip. “No. Stay right where you are and just let me hold you. It took a lot for you to open up to me like you did. Relax and let me show you how much I love you.”
Nodding, she slowly let her body relax into Rowan’s as the weight she had been carrying on her shoulders for so many years started melting away. When she was with Rowan, she did feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Maybe Danya was right and Rowan was the man she had been waiting for all these years, the thought stayed with her as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.
* * * *
As he lay there on the patio chaise with Akayie, wrapped up in his arms as she fell asleep, Rowan could still hear the disappointment in her voice about being turned down by her doctors for more surgeries on her back. He didn’t think that she needed any more, but if she wanted them then he was going to help her get her dream.
He loved her with everything he had in him, and had more money than he knew what to do with. So, it was time he started using some it for more than buying racehorses. He might know where to start looking for a plastic surgeon to take care of Akayie’s back. He would make the call first thing in the morning to get the ball rolling. He only wanted the best for the warm and loving woman pressed against his heart, and nothing was going to stand in his way of achieving it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Why did you call me over here? Your message sounded really important,” Morgan said, sitting down in front of Rowan’s desk.
Now that his brother was sitting directly in front of him, Rowan was beginning to think maybe he hadn’t made the best decision by calling Morgan over here without asking Akayie first, but he was positive that she would understand why he did it for her. He loved her and only wanted the best.
“I need your professional help with a problem,” he answered.
“You need my professional help as a doctor?” Morgan asked, concerned. “Is there something wrong with you?”
Rowan shook his head. “No, it isn’t me that needs your help. It’s Akayie.”
Morgan glanced around the room and then looked back at him. “I noticed that she isn’t here. Is that why? Is she sick? What happened to her? She looked fine a few days ago.”
He shoved down the jealousy that surged through him at the concern in his brother’s voice. He had to remember that Akayie admitted to him last night that she loved him. Morgan would never be able to take her away from him, especially not after he placed a ring on her finger.
“I need to tell you something about her, and after I’m finished I’m hoping you will be able to help me with my problem.”
Leaning back in his chair, Morgan crossed his leg over the other. “Okay, tell me what is going on and I’ll see what I can do to help.”
Rowan told Morgan the same story that Akayie had told him the night they had made love. He secretly prayed that he wasn’t making a huge mistake, because he loved Akayie so much and didn’t want to lose her. After he was finished, he stared at his brother. “Do you think you can help her?”
“Can I ask you something?” Morgan asked.
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you doing this for Akayie? I thought you hated her. How did you get her to tell you something so private about her?”
“Things changed between us over the last few weeks, especially a few days ago. I stopped being so jealous and finally admitted that I was falling in love with her,” Rowan confessed, watching Morgan’s stunned expression. “After I opened up about our childhood to us, she told me about her past and I realized that I wanted to do something about it. You should have seen her face. She looked so defeated and disappointed. I knew right then that I had to do something to help, and the only person I could ask was you.”
“You’re in love with her?”
“Yes,” Rowan answered.
“Damn, it’s about time that you admitted it to yourself,” Morgan said. “Lucas and I were about to give up hope on you coming to your senses. Akayie is a wonderful woman and so perfect for you.”
Hope started to fill Rowan’s chest. “Does that mean you will help her?”
“I will start making some phone calls as soon as I get back to the office,” Morgan said, standing up. “Are you going to tell Akayie that you talked to me about this?”
“I can’t right now. She’s gone into town with Danya. They are going to do a little shopping and then have a late lunch. She’s getting ready to head back to New York. The only pictures she has left to take are of Tanner.”
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks, Morgan looked down at him. “Have you spoken to Tanner since you threw him out of here?”
“No, I don’t plan on speaking with him either. He might have forgiven our parents, but I haven’t. I have no need to hear him defend them about anything.”
“Okay, this is between you and Tanner. I’m not going to get in the middle of it. I will just let the two of you work it out over time,” Morgan said. Turning on his heel, he headed towards the door. “I’ll let you know what I find out about Akayie. I think I might know a doctor that can help her, but I don’t want to get your hopes up.”
“Just let me know,” Rowan called after his brother as he went out the door.
Feeling very proud of himself, Rowan glanced down at the stack of files on his desk that he had been neglecting since he decided to spend more time with Akayie. It was past time he got caught up on some of these and answer the emails waiting for him while Akayie was spending the day with her best friend. He picked up a pen off the desk, grabbed the first folder off the pile, and got down to work.
Rowan didn’t know how long he had been working before Colin rushed through the door.
“Mr. Rowan, you have to come right now,” he said, breathing hard.
Jumping up from his seat, he noticed the panic on the younger man’s face. “What in the hell is wrong?”
“It’s Hercules. He’s hurt.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“The trainer you hired was working with him and Hercules wasn’t listening. You know how he can be with new people. Well, the trainer pulled him one way and Hercules twisted trying to go the other way and…”
“And what?” Rowan snapped.
“Hercules broke his leg. We have already called the vet and he’s on his way.”
“Oh my God.” Rushing around his desk, Rowan brushed past Colin and out the door, praying that his horse’s leg would be able to be saved. If not…No, he wasn’t even going to think about it.
* * * *
“Morgan, what is going on?” Akayie asked, rushing up to the door. She glanced at Rowan’s closed office door and then back at his brother who was banging on it. “Is there something wrong with Rowan?”
Rowan had asked her to stay longer, but she couldn’t because she had to finish up the calendar along with her photos for the gallery showing, and everything she needed was back at her studio.
“Akayie, we have to get in there and I mean now. One of Rowan’s men called me at work early this morning, but I just now got the message because I just finished up a consultation.”
“I still don’t understand what is going on. When I left this morning everything was fine, Rowan and
I had breakfast together and he was going to working in his office on and off all morning.”
Turning away from the door, Morgan glanced down at her and she instantly noticed the fear in his eyes. “The trainer Rowan hired was trying to break in Hercules and unfortunately he turned one way and Hercules went the other too fast and…”
“God, what happened?” she asked, touching Morgan on his back.
“Hercules broke his leg.”
“No,” Akayie gasped. “Is Hercules okay?”
Morgan shook his head. “After two men finally got Rowan off of the trainer, the vet was called and there was nothing that could be done for Hercules. He had to be put down, and after it was over Rowan hid himself away in his office. Every time I try to open the door he tells me to move back or I will regret it.”
“Let me see if I can get through to him,” Akayie said, walking towards the door. “He might let me come in there and talk to him. If I’m able to get in there is there anything you want me to tell him for you?”
“Well, it’s something that he wanted me to check into for him,” Morgan answered, giving her an odd look. “I think it might be for the best if I told him and then see where he wants to go from there.”
“Okay. I will let him know that you are still out here waiting to see him.” Turning back towards the door, Akayie knocked on it. “Rowan, let me in. Please, baby. I want to make sure that you’re okay.”
Akayie didn’t hear a sound coming from behind the door. She glanced over her shoulder at Morgan. “Are you sure that he’s in there?”
“Yeah, he’s there. I don’t know why he isn’t answering you. Why don’t you try again?”
“Rowan, baby, please open the door and let me in. I need to make sure that you’re okay. Morgan told me what happened to Hercules. I’m so sorry. Let me help you.”
“I will tell you that same thing I told Morgan. Get the hell away from the door. I don’t want to be bothered by anyone right now,” a slurred voice shouted back at her. “Get away from the door. You can’t do a damn thing to help me. Hercules is dead.”
Rowan Page 18
