Treven dropped the man’s hand. “There’s more?”
“Part of the tumor was on her voice box.” He hung his head. “The damage was very minimal, and she can speak, but I don’t think she’ll ever sing the same again.”
A darkness coated the room. The doctor splayed his hands then shrugged his shoulders and turned to go.
“Can we see her?” Jamison asked.
He glanced back at him. “Yes. She’s coming around now. Go to the nurse’s station, and they’ll help you.”
“Thanks.” Jamison followed the man out of the room. He was halfway down the hall when he realized he was alone. What the heck? He turned back, and Treven poked his head out. “You coming?”
Treven gave him a sad smile. “I think you two need a few minutes alone.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Jamison wanted to run to Daisy, but he stopped. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Treven leaned against the doorframe. “It’s tough to think about her not singing, but all that matters is she’s healthy.”
Jamison agreed. He hoped Daisy would feel the same way.
“Go.” Treven shooed him with his hands and a bigger smile. “Kiss my sister. See if I care.”
Jamison couldn’t help but laugh. He hurried down the hall, found the nurse’s station, and within minutes, was sitting by Daisy’s bedside. Her eyes were closed, but they said she’d been awake a minute ago.
He picked up her hand and held it between both of his. It was cold, but at least they’d taken all the tubes out of her arm. She looked so beautiful with her dark hair splayed across the pillow and her face restful.
She blinked and glanced up at him.
“Wake up, beautiful fairy.”
She opened her blue eyes fully and focused on him. She whispered something, but he couldn’t hear her. Jamison leaned in close.
Daisy swallowed slowly, and a grimace crossed her face. Jamison offered her the ice the nurse had told him she could have. She accepted a spoonful and sucked on it then she whispered carefully, “I want … my ring.”
“Demanding, demanding,” Jamison said, his heart about bursting. She could hardly talk, but she wanted the ring. He released her hand and yanked the ring box out, gently sliding the diamond onto her left ring finger.
Daisy held her hand up and smiled, blinking some more. Then she said softly. “Sleepy.”
“Go back to sleep. I’ll just sit here and watch you.”
“Creepy,” she murmured, smiling.
“That’s right.”
A few minutes passed before she opened her eyes again. “Jamison?” Her voice sounded scratchy and small, and he wondered how much it hurt her to talk.
“Yes?”
“No … singing?”
He grasped her hand tightly. “No. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She squeezed his hand and didn’t try to talk anymore. Jamison didn’t know how to make it better, but he wasn’t leaving her or letting her leave again. That was for dang sure.
Chapter 16
It had been two weeks since her surgery, and Daisy could finally speak at a semi-normal volume. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around not singing ever again, but at least all the biopsy results showed that they’d got the cancer.
Wrapping her arms around Jamison’s taut abdomen, she laid her head against his muscular back. Jade swayed underneath them as they rode up the trail they’d first met on again. Had that really only been a month ago?
The air was so crisp today she could taste it. She’d been able to eat some of the Thanksgiving dinner at Jamison’s mom’s house. It’d been a great occasion with Treven and Hazel there as well. Maddie had her baby five days before and they’d been able to bring little Tucker home after only three days in the newborn intensive care. They were both home resting.
Jordan and Hazel had raced around the house like crazy people. So stinking cute. Jamison’s mom fussed over Daisy. After the boys had cleaned up all the dishes and everyone was being lazy watching football, Jamison whispered that they should sneak away. Now, they were almost to the top of their trail, as she liked to think of it. The view was magnificent with all the pine trees and snow.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it. It buzzed again as Jamison reined Jade to a stop at the overlook. She released him as he swung down from the saddle. He wrapped his large hands around her waist and lifted her down, and her phone went off again. “It’s okay. I’ll think you’re rude to interrupt this view and our alone time, but you can answer your phone.”
Daisy laughed, and it hurt. She clutched her throat, something she’d done far too often the past two weeks. “Stop making me laugh.”
Jamison sobered and held out his hand. “I’ll answer it.”
“I can talk.” She pulled the phone out and wanted to silence it again. She held up the display for Jamison to see. Isaac. On Thanksgiving Day. Seriously.
He held out his hand again. She placed the phone in it. Let him deal with her agent. A week ago they’d flown to California and done a press release to satiate the media. The hubbub had finally died down about her tumor and surgery and never singing again. Her songs were selling like mad still, which she supposed was good, but it had come at a huge cost to her. No singing sometimes reverberated through her head and made her want to bawl. She placed a hand on Jamison’s muscular forearm, and he gave her a grin. Being with Jamison made up for all of it.
“Hello?” Jamison answered. “No, Daisy can’t talk right now.” He listened then cocked an eyebrow at her. “Really? Okay, maybe she can’t talk, but she’ll probably want to listen.” He lowered the phone and pushed the speaker button.
“Daisy, it’s Isaac. You don’t have to talk, but I will need a verbal yes at some point.”
Daisy looked at Jamison and made the crazy sign with her fingers and eyes. He laughed.
“Millennial wants your songs.”
“They have my songs,” she forced out.
“No. They want everything new. I might have mentioned that you’ve written way more songs than we produced, and they want them—all of them. The contract is really good, Daisy. I know it’s not singing, but it’s still doing something you love. Daisy? Daisy? I need a yes.”
Daisy’s heart was beating hard and fast. Jamison wrapped an arm around her. “It’s up to you, love. If you’ll enjoy it, keep writing those songs.”
She smiled at him and then looked over the picturesque valley below them. She would miss singing always, but all of this must be the Lord’s plan for her. Who knows when she would’ve come home to Jamison and the rest of her family if she hadn’t had the tumor and lost her ability to perform? A rightness filled her, and she said, “Yes.”
Isaac hooted. Then he started rambling. “Okay. I’ll send you the contract. You’ll work with John from Millen—”
“Send the contract.” Jamison interrupted him. “I need to kiss my future wife right now, so the rest of the details don’t matter.”
Isaac’s laughter was cut off by Jamison ending the call.
He dropped the phone into his pocket and wrapped his arms around her back, urging her closer. Daisy smiled up at him. It still hurt a little bit when she talked, but right now, it was worth it. “I love you, my big tough, basketball-playing, horse-riding, funny-talking stud.”
Jamison bent closer. “I love you, my beautiful, song-writing fairy Daisy Pipsqueak.” Then he kissed her, and she was grateful they were experts at nonverbal communication.
Don’t miss any of Cami’s Snow Valley Romances:
Full Court Devotion: Christmas in Snow Valley
A Touch of Love: Summer in Snow Valley
Running from the Cowboy: Spring in Snow Valley
Light in Your Eyes: Winter in Snow Valley
Romancing the Singer: Return to Snow Valley
Fighting for Love: Return to Snow Valley
Snow Valley Collection - All 6 books in 1 set.
Fighting for Love
Hannah sped down the snow-covered hill. S
he felt free and wild on her old K2 skis, as if she didn’t have a worry in the world. Of course, that was a farce. Physician assistant school, alone, was enough to cause ulcers. Add to that her mom recently receiving a new kidney and her sister Lexi being in Cancun with the Callum Hawk, instead of home with her family.
Hannah had quite a load of stress. But her mom was doing fabulous and pushed Hannah to go ski this beautiful Christmas Eve morning after being stuck inside with the snowstorm the past two days, deep cleaning the house.
Callum had apparently given their family enough money to wipe out all their debt, including her student loans, and make this a happy Christmas. The charity rubbed her raw but who was she to kick a generous billionaire, who apparently loved her only sister, in the teeth? Their family had gotten pretty low with her dad’s injury last year giving him a bum arm, and hoping and praying for a kidney donor, as well as the money to pay for the surgery. The dairy farm had fallen into disarray with their parents sickly and her and Lexi not around to help.
Her mind flitted back to her sister as Hannah curved around a pine tree. Lexi couldn’t really be engaged. She would’ve told Hannah, right? They weren’t “talk on the phone every day” sisters with their busy lives, but they loved each other and kept in touch. It stung to think Lexi could be engaged to the enigma Callum Hawk and not even tell her.
She pushed all of that away and glided to the lodge. Maybe she’d splurge on a hot chocolate and brownie before she hit a few more runs, and then headed home to Snow Valley and her parents. She wanted to bake and cook and make Christmas Eve fabulous for her parents, even if they all longed for Lexi’s happy smile.
As she whooshed to a stop next to the lodge, she pushed her goggles up onto her forehead and muttered, “No, no, no.” Her stomach dropped like she’d been forced to ride a roller coaster.
Striding toward her was none other than her high school boyfriend Joshua Steven Porter, aka famous Boston Bruins’ hockey player, the hottest man in the world, and the man who had ripped out her heart and thrown it in the manure pit.
What was he doing back in Snow Valley? His dark, curly hair poked out from under a fleece hat that had the Bruins’ logo on it. His manly, sculpted face was more defined than when she’d seen him last and had a few new scars. He was also a lot more filled out than high school—six-three, maybe four, and lots of muscles that helped him rock the hockey arena.
So deliciously hot.
His gaze met hers as she stared at him like a hockey groupie and his blue eyes lit up. “Hannah?”
Hannah tried to back up. Forgetting she was on her skis, she succeeded in crossing her skis and falling onto her butt. Hot shame rushed through her and her skin burned. She uncrossed her skis and tried to push off and right herself quickly but Josh was right there, moving faster than she could. He grasped both her arms and easily lifted her. Hannah found herself standing much too close to his broad chest. She stared at the Bruins’ logo on his sweatshirt for a second before letting her eyes rise to meet his. He was staring at her with an amused smile.
“Hannah.” He was tougher than Captain America on the ice but he’d always been soft for her, and only her. Until the day he cheated on her.
Hannah shuffled back a step. Being too close to Joshua Porter was not good for her blood pressure or her heart. If the man wasn’t ticking her off, he was making her want to kiss him. That horse galloped off, without any riders, into the sunset years ago.
When she’d been a freshman in college, Hannah spent her food stipend money taking a bus from Vermont to Boston so she could surprise Josh and see him play at UMass. He’d been the one who’d surprised her, passionately kissing some redhead after the game while the students cheered the PDA on. Hannah had to struggle through the roaring crowd, pushing people out of her way to get away from the horrific scene that still hadn’t left her mind.
She’d gone back to school at Norwich University and forced herself to rip apart all the future dreams they’d had together—her becoming a pediatrician and him being a famous hockey player, but most importantly them being together. She sent him one terse text that they were through and then refused to answer his phone calls, texts, or emails. It was months before he gave up, but eventually he had given up, which sometimes hurt as much as watching him kiss another woman.
She hadn’t seen or heard from him in years, except when she Googled him or watched a Bruins’ game on television or he appeared in her dreams like some gift from heaven.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Picking up my cousin Tara and her friends.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Not here here. What are you doing back in Snow Valley?”
“We had a break between games.” He folded his burly arms across his chest as if she had no right to demand an explanation. She didn’t, but he was the one who’d broken her, so she felt justified demanding anything she wanted.
Hannah planted her hands on her hips. “Well you don’t have my permission to just show up and ruin my Christmas.”
His eyebrows arched up. “Ruin your Christmas? We must remember things differently. You dumped me.”
Her eyes narrowed and she pushed out one hip. “Yeah, because you’re a cheating scumbag.”
He took a step closer. His eyes filled with confusion and determination. That determination had made him a multi-million dollar athlete and used to make Hannah burn for him. Not anymore. She was strong and she was more than over Josh Porter.
“I never cheated on you.”
“I’m sure with all those millions of dollars you’ve acquired you can buy something called a smart phone and maybe even afford a few gigs of data on it. Then you can Google yourself and see all the lovely women constantly draped over your perfect body.” She sneered at him. “Then you can see what a cheating scumbag looks like.”
A smirk tilted Josh’s lips and his blue eyes deepened. He moved even closer into her space. Hannah held her ground, mostly because if she backed up she might tip into the snow again and her battered pride could not handle that.
“I’ll admit women flock to me, but I never cheated on you.”
“Argh!” Hannah growled at him and banged both gloved hands and her forearms against his chest. She put too much momentum into it. Her arms and hands bounced off of his hard chest, and she went flying backwards. Sprawling in the snow, she shut her eyes and muttered, “Just kill me now, Lord.”
Josh’s hands came around her waist and he lifted her back onto her feet. “I know you’ve always worshipped the ground I walk on, but you don’t have to literally throw yourself at my feet.”
Hannah stared into those beautiful blue eyes and knew that she’d never loved and hated anyone as much as she did him. She didn’t give him the courtesy of a response but shuffled away and pushed off, heading for the lift. Hot cocoa and a brownie would have to wait until Joshua Porter disappeared. She could wallow in both delicacies after a few more runs.
She hoped she could ski away with a little bit of her dignity in place, but the closest lift was actually up a slight incline. Hannah had to dig in with her poles and push with her skis and instead of skiing off gracefully she shuffled slowly to the lift, panting with exertion.
Josh easily caught her. He jogged by her side on the hard-packed snow. “We need to talk.” The rough, demanding hockey player was back. Good. He was easier to handle than the man she once loved.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“You called me a cheating scumbag; I think you’ve got plenty to say to me.”
Keep reading Fighting for Love here.
About the Author
Cami is a part-time author, part-time exercise consultant, part-time housekeeper, full-time wife, and overtime mother of four adorable boys. Sleep and relaxation are fond memories. She’s never been happier.
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www.camichecketts.com
Also by Cami Checketts
Strong Family Romance
Don’t Date Your Brother’s Best Friend
Her Loyal Protector
Don’t Fall for a Fugitive
Her Hockey Superstar Fake Fiance
Don’t Ditch a Detective
Steele Family Romance
Her Dream Date Boss
The Stranded Patriot
The Committed Warrior
Extreme Devotion
Quinn Family Romance
The Devoted Groom
The Conflicted Warrior
The Gentle Patriot
The Tough Warrior
Her Too-Perfect Boss
Her Forbidden Bodyguard
Georgia Patriots Romance
The Loyal Patriot
The Gentle Patriot
The Stranded Patriot
The Pursued Patriot
Jepson Brothers Romance
How to Design Love
How to Switch a Groom
How to Lose a Fiance
Billionaire Boss Romance
Her Dream Date Boss
Her Prince Charming Boss
Hawk Brothers Romance
The Determined Groom
The Stealth Warrior
Her Billionaire Boss Fake Fiance
Risking it All
Navy Seal Romance
The Protective Warrior
The Captivating Warrior
The Stealth Warrior
The Tough Warrior
Texas Titan Romance
The Fearless Groom
The Trustworthy Groom
The Beastly Groom
The Irresistible Groom
The Determined Groom
The Devoted Groom
Billionaire Beach Romance
Caribbean Rescue
Cozumel Escape
Cancun Getaway
Trusting the Billionaire
How to Kiss a Billionaire
Onboard for Love
Romancing the Singer (Cami's Snow Valley Romance Book 5) Page 11
