When We Touch: A Small Town Enemies To Lovers Romance (The Heartbreak Brothers Book 5)

by Carrie Elks

  Becca’s heart was hurting. For him, for Melissa, for the baby that never got to live. “Daniel…” She reached for him, and he pulled away.

  “Please don’t touch me.” He wouldn’t look at her. She hated not being able to connect her gaze with his.

  “I should have told you, I know that. But I also knew what it would cost me. And I’m still enough of an asshole not to want to pay the price.” His smile had no happiness in it. “And now here we are. You know who I am, and you should leave.”

  “No.” She couldn’t catch her breath. “We should talk.” She reached for him again, and he winced.

  “Leave!” he shouted, the sudden noise making her jump. “I can’t stand you looking at me like that. I don’t want your pity. I don’t need it.” His whole body was shaking, as though his anger was uncontrollable.

  There was a tentative tap at the door. Daniel’s head snapped around. Without saying a word to her, he stalked over and opened it.

  “Julia.”

  “Eliana was wondering where you are. Dinner’s about to be served.” Julia glanced at him and then at Becca, her eyes widening when she saw the tears running down her face. “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine. Please tell my mother I’ll be down in a moment. Becca isn’t feeling very well.”

  Becca tried to smile through her tears. It was a big fail.

  “Okay,” Julia said, frowning. “I’ll let her know.”

  As soon as she’d gone, Daniel closed the door softly. “I need to go downstairs.”

  “Yes. Please do.”

  “And you?”

  “I should leave.” She wanted to go home. To think. To be away from the intense emotions Daniel stirred up in her. She couldn’t stay here, not now. She needed the comfort only her home could give.

  I’m a heartless asshole who puts himself above everybody else. Is that what you want to hear?

  She didn’t believe it. But she also didn’t know how to make this evening better. She’d go and give them both some space. Eliana deserved an evening with her son. It was her birthday, after all.

  Daniel stared at her, unspeaking. He didn’t beg her to stay. Or tell her he’d call her later, or say anything else that might have given her the tiniest seed of hope she so desperately wanted. Instead, he opened the bedroom door and turned to look at her, his face blank.

  “Drive carefully.”

  He lasted fifteen minutes before something broke inside him, and the emotions made him start to shake. He was sitting next to his mother, an empty chair next to his own, as the waiter walked around with a pair of silver tongs, offering bread to each guest.

  “I need to go,” he said, looking at his mom. “I just made a huge fucking mistake.”

  “Daniel!”

  “Sorry.” He wasn’t even aware that he’d sworn. “But I can’t stay. I can’t.”

  Eliana put her hand over his. “Is it Becca?”

  He nodded.

  “She isn’t sick?”

  “No. I asked her to leave. She’s angry with me. She found out about the baby Melissa and I lost.”

  “You hadn’t told her?”

  He pressed his lips together. His hands really needed to stop shaking. “No. I’m an idiot.”

  “Yes, you are. You need to go see her. How long ago did she leave?”

  “About ten minutes ago, I think.” At least that’s when he’d heard the front door open and close.

  She squeezed his hand. “You have time to catch up with her if you leave now.”

  He stood right as the waiter reached him, shaking his head at the offer of a roll. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  She smiled softly. “I’d mind more if you stayed. Thank god you came to your senses. Now go and get her.”

  He kissed her cheek and grabbed his phone, ignoring the raised eyebrows of the other guests as he passed them, the handset pressed to his ear. His mother called out something, but he didn’t hear her, as Becca’s recorded voice filled his ears

  “Hey, it’s Becca, leave a message.”

  “It’s me. If you get this, please call me back. I’ll be in the car. I’m coming to find you. I’m so damn sorry. For everything. Please let me see you and explain, okay?”

  “Are you leaving?” Nina asked, as he passed her, ending the call and sliding his phone into his pocket.

  “Yeah.”

  “Lawrence and Melissa left, too. Your poor mom.” She sighed in sympathy.

  “I’ll make it up to her.”

  Nina smiled. “I know you will. You always were a good kid.”

  He gave her an absentminded nod and headed to the hallway, not bothering to stop to get his travel bag. He’d worry about that later. Right now he needed to find his girl.

  To somehow persuade her to listen to him. Give him a chance to finally talk.

  The empty space next to his Corvette made his chest hurt. He pressed the button on his keyfob and climbed inside, his hands shaking so damn much it took him two attempts to close the door behind him. Damn, he was a mess. He needed to see her now. He couldn’t function without her.

  Pressing the ignition, he reversed out of his spot and sped down the driveway, out of the gates and onto the street. It was killing him to keep to the speed limit. She couldn’t be that far away. He was sweating. He reached up to wipe his brow with the back of his hand as the houses thinned out on either side of him, and he reached the city’s edge, taking a right onto the road out of Charleston.

  It was dark enough that he had to concentrate to read the license plates of each car in front of him. Dammit, where was she? He checked to make sure his Bluetooth was connected, then gritted his teeth because it was.

  When he reached the highway, he pulled into the fast lane and put his foot down, his hands shaking as he held the steering wheel straight. A bead of sweat dropped into his eyes, and he had to blink to stop it from stinging.

  Exhaling heavily, he glanced at the dashboard again. It was almost eight-thirty. His teeth started to chatter. Damn, he’d injected his fast acting insulin when he’d gone into the kitchen to get Melissa a cool compress. He should have eaten something before he left.

  He glanced at the passenger seat, grimacing as he realized he’d left his emergency kit at the house. There was no food in here. Nothing to bring his sugar up. He needed to pull over and call somebody.

  It took an act of will to keep his hands on the wheel as a wave of dizziness came over him. He lifted his gaze to the mirror, the reflection blurry, and signaled, moving his car to the right, while biting on his lip to keep himself conscious. With his foot on the brake, he slowed the car, his indicator still on as he began to pull over to the soft shoulder. Knowing he was still driving too fast, the treeline looming large as his car hit the grass.

  Then everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “I’m sorry,” Becca breathed into Mia’s shoulder. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “There’s no need to be sorry,” Mia’s voice was soft. “I’m glad you called. Nobody should be this upset alone. And anyway, the guys were watching some shoot-em-up movie. It was a good excuse to get out of there.” Becca had called Mia on her Bluetooth as she’d driven back from Charleston. She’d been waiting for Becca when she arrived back at her condo.

  “Does Cam know it’s me you’re with?” Becca looked up, her eyes rimmed red.

  “No. I told him it was a girl emergency, and that shut him up. You know your brothers and girl stuff.”

  Yeah, she did. And she was glad Cam had no idea, because she couldn’t cope with her brothers right now. They’d get angry and she couldn’t deal with it. She just wanted to cry.

  “So Daniel left a message on your voicemail saying he was coming to see you?”

  “He did.” Becca checked her watch. That was hours ago. “He should be here soon, unless he’s changed his mind. He was so angry with me, you should have seen him. And he was right to be. I should have been understanding, bu
t instead I accused him of lying to me.”

  “He should have told you before. That was a horrible way to find out.” Mia rubbed her back. “I can’t believe he hid it from you.”

  “I think he was embarrassed.”

  “I guess so. Maybe you should try calling him. See if he’s still planning on coming here.”

  “You’re right.” Becca sighed, and lifted her phone to her ear. It rang then went to voicemail. “Um, it’s me. I made it home. Call me back when you get a chance.” How lame was that? She sighed and hung up.

  Somewhere between Charleston and Hartson’s Creek, she’d realized how stupid their argument was. He’d asked her to leave, but she should have stayed. Talked it out with him. Instead, she’d gotten hysterical.

  “Maybe I’m just really bad at relationships,” Becca muttered, shaking her head as she sat down next to Mia.

  “They take work. And getting to know each other. I don’t know a single relationship that doesn’t go through ups and downs. Look at me and Cam. We separated and he went back to Boston after Michael found out about us.” Mia rubbed her arm gently. “And then there’s Van and Tanner. Look how many years they were apart.”

  Becca squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t imagine how painful that was.” The thought of not seeing Daniel for years made her chest ache.

  “The first argument is always the toughest. It’s when things get real. It’s not that the fairytale is over, so long as you pause it occasionally to face your differences head on. Working through your differences together is what separates successful relationships from the ones that will never work.”

  “I didn’t work through it. I walked out.” Becca squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to remember their explosive argument.

  “Sometimes you need a break from each other, too. Look how much good it’s done you already. You’ve had a chance to think things through.” Mia smiled gently. “Maybe you know yourself better than you realize. You said you couldn’t think there, and that’s why you came home. Maybe that was the best thing to do.”

  “How did you get so wise?”

  Mia laughed. “I’m older than you. And I learned from all my mistakes. And for what it’s worth, I really like Daniel. Any guy who’s willing to go up against all four of your brothers at once is a keeper. He must really like you to do that.”

  Becca’s heart clenched at the memory. “Or he has a death wish.”

  Mia stood, pulling Becca up with her. “How about I make us some tea and a sandwich or something? If you left before dinner, you must be starving. We’ll put on a movie and wait for Daniel to call you back. Or show up. And then I’ll melt away into the distance and leave you two alone.

  “You’re a good friend.” Becca hugged her. “But I’ll make the food. It’s my condo, after all.”

  “Hey, I never turn down your cooking.” Mia held her hands up, smiling.

  Making a light supper for herself and Mia was the perfect way to keep busy. Becca sliced some of the sourdough bread she’d made, layering it with ham and lettuce, sprinkling some cheese on the top before grilling it. Pouring some glasses of sweet tea, she laid them out on a tray, while Mia scrolled through Netflix in search of the perfect easy watch.

  “Do you want a movie or a series?” Mia called out.

  “I’m fine with either.” Becca laid the tray on the coffee table just as her phone started to ring. She almost ran for the phone, her brows knitting together when it wasn’t Daniel’s name on the screen.

  It was Eliana’s.

  Mia leaned over to look. “Maybe his battery died or something.”

  Becca shrugged and accepted the call. “Eliana? Hi. I’m so sorry I didn’t stay for dinner. I wasn’t feeling well.”

  Mia wrinkled her nose at Becca’s obvious discomfort. It was kind of true, but it still felt like a lie. And she didn’t like telling untruths to her boss.

  “It doesn’t matter. None of it does,” Eliana was almost breathless. “The police have just called. Daniel’s been in an accident. They’ve taken him to Charleston Memorial Hospital.”

  Mia insisted on driving her to Charleston, batting off Becca’s protests as she opened the car door. “We don’t need two of you in the hospital. You haven’t eaten either and you’re in no state of mind to drive.”

  “But you should be with Cam and your boys.”

  “I’ll call them and let them know what’s going on. Now, are we going to Charleston or what?”

  The roads were thankfully empty. In less than two hours they were back in the city, a sense of déjà vu wafting over Becca as Mia followed the directions on her GPS.

  The Charleston Memorial Hospital was a sprawling modern sandstone building, with a glass frontage that sparkled as it reflected the night sky. Becca twisted her fingers, and swallowed hard. Somewhere in there was Daniel.

  In what state, she had no idea.

  “I’ll drop you at the entrance then park,” Mia said, as Becca shifted in her seat again. “Go straight to him. I’ll find you.”

  “You don’t need to stay.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone.” She pressed her lips together as she drove around the circle to the entrance. “Now go find him, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  The Emergency Room was full of Saturday night casualties. Mostly alcohol related, from the sound of slurring words and wails. At the front desk, the receptionist directed Becca to a family waiting room on the far side. When Becca walked in, she saw Eliana sitting there, Nina holding her hand.

  They both looked up as Becca approached, and Eliana patted the empty seat beside her.

  “Is there any news?” Becca asked her.

  “He’ll be okay. They’re treating him now.” Eliana breathed out heavily.

  Becca pulled her lip between her teeth. “Do they know what happened?”

  “They found his car on the shoulder of Route Sixty. He’d crashed into a tree. When the EMTs got there he was unconscious, his head against the deflated airbag. They gave him a glucose injection and brought him straight in.” She squeezed Becca’s hand. “He was coming to see you. To apologize for the things he said.”

  Becca’s eyes stung. “Do they know what caused the accident?”

  “He was hypoglycemic. He must have injected himself but then forgotten. He ran out before dinner was served. He was so worried about you. So angry with himself. He could barely sit still he was so agitated.”

  “This is my fault,” Becca whispered. If only she’d stayed.

  “No, it isn’t.” Nina gave Becca a sympathetic smile. “Daniel’s a grown man. He knows how to manage his diabetes. And this isn’t the first time we’ve been here for him, is it?”

  Eliana sighed. “No, it isn’t.”

  “And some of that’s because Dad refused to see it as a disease.” Nina’s eyes met Eliana’s, and some unspoken communication passed between them.

  “He was wrong,” Eliana said gruffly.

  “Yeah, he was.”

  Finally, a weary doctor finally walked into the waiting room. “Mrs. Carter?”

  Eliana looked up. “I’m Daniel Carter’s mother.”

  The doctor walked over, her hair pulled into a tight black ponytail. “Is this your family?”

  “Daniel’s sister and his girlfriend. And her friend.” Mia had come in shortly after Becca, and had been holding her hand in support ever since.

  “I’m Doctor Nixon. I’m pleased to tell you that Daniel is stable. We’ve gotten his blood sugar levels under control and treated his wounds. His injuries are mostly superficial. I want to monitor his levels overnight and send him for a brain scan in the morning to make sure his hypoglycemia hasn’t caused any damage. But there’s nothing for you to worry about, all the signs are looking good.”

  “Can I see him?” Eliana asked, her breath catching.

  Doctor Nixon looked at the four of them. “Yes, but only you. It’s late and most of the patients will be asleep. I suggest you all go home and do the same. Then come see Daniel
in the morning.”

  Eliana nodded. “You should go home,” she said to Nina. “Thank you for staying to take care of me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, darling. I’m sure. I’ll call you if there’s any change.”

  Nina gave her a hug.

  “You should go, too,” Becca told Mia. “Cam will be worried.”

  “Come home with me,” Mia urged. “I’ll bring you back tomorrow.”

  Becca shook her head. “I’m staying.” The thought of going home to her empty condo made her feel ill. She wanted to be where he was. Even if she couldn’t see him, it gave her comfort to know they were beneath the same roof.

  Half an hour later, Eliana came back, her eyes heavy and weary. “He’s asleep,” she told Becca, who was sitting alone. The waiting room had thinned out. “Why don’t we go back to my house and get some sleep, too?”

  Becca shook her head. “I’ll stay.” There was no way she was leaving. She wanted to be near him, however stupid that sounded.

  “I’d stay, too, but my bones are too old for these plastic chairs.” Eliana kissed her cheek. “Please call me if anything happens.”

  “I will.”

  “Thank you for being here. Daniel cares for you a lot.”

  “He does?” Becca’s eyes watered.

  “Yes. I wasn’t lying when I told you he was agitated tonight. I don’t know what happened between you, but I haven’t seen him like that before. My cool, calm, and collected boy in a mess over a girl.” Her lips curled. “And such a beautiful, lovely girl at that.” She cupped Becca’s cheeks with her palms. “Try to get some sleep. He’ll need you tomorrow.”

  “I will.” She’d already folded her jacket into a makeshift pillow. She’d curl up over a couple of chairs and wait.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Should we wake her up?”

  “I think we should. We don’t want her McMuffin to get cold.”