Much to his delight, Chelsea used her considerable assets to turn him on and did most of the work to bring them both to mind-numbing pleasure.
Chapter 26
The following morning, Chelsea found a portable gas burner, like the one Brad had tried to bring with them. A couple of pots, a can opener, and an abundance of soup and other canned goods made preparing breakfast the easiest thing she’d fixed in a while. True, they had canned spaghetti first thing in the morning, but she didn’t expect Brad to complain. Combined with the jerky they ate yesterday, it was more food than they’d had all week.
As expected, Brad gobbled his food while Chelsea heated a second can for herself.
“It’s definitely not Shane’s pasta,” he said between bites, “but I think Quinn just turned into my favorite person for keeping this stuff here.”
Chelsea couldn’t help but chuckle. “Does that mean you’ll tell him that?”
Brad shrugged. “Depends if he’s glad we raided his supplies to survive or if he gets mad. Here.” He extended a forkful of pasta. “Have some of this while yours heats up.”
Chelsea ducked down, bringing her mouth to the fork so Brad didn’t struggle to lift it higher. Although they were in good spirits this morning, knowing they would have plenty of water and full bellies, Chelsea hadn’t forgotten about their problems.
They needed to walk the remaining ten to fifteen miles it would take to reach the resort. While the trail was easier, they were only at the halfway point from the hot spring. It had taken them five days to cross that distance, and Chelsea feared even with a path cut from frequent passage of Quinn and Larissa’s horses, they were going to need at least three more days.
Brad needed a doctor sooner than that. Although he could still move his arms somewhat with a great amount of pain, they seemed worse every day. Chelsea feared he’d torn ligaments, and continued use of them only aggravated the problem, ripping them further.
She pulled her food off the burner, shutting off the gas. “You know, it seems odd that Quinn has so many supplies up here. Don’t they pack lunches when they spend the day?”
“Well, yeah, but they got stranded here once.” Brad blew on some noodles and took another bite before continuing. “Quinn almost died and hurt his leg in the process. They were trapped here with no supplies.”
“Oh my goodness. Not exactly something you want to have happen if you aren’t on a survival trip.”
“Yep. The island had a rare lightning storm and the horses took off, leaving them stranded. Plus, cell phones don’t work out here and he didn’t think to take a satellite phone.”
Chelsea stared down at her food, not wanting to talk about satellite phones. If she hadn’t screwed up with that, she’d already have Brad safely under a doctor’s care.
“When the horses showed up at the stable the next morning,” Brad continued, “I knew something was wrong so I had a pilot take me out to search for them.”
Chelsea couldn’t stop her eyebrows from rising. “You searched for him even though you hate him?”
“I told you, we might fight but McCallisters stick together. I wouldn’t have left him here, no matter how jealous I was of him.”
“So he and Larissa stocked this place with food in case they ever get stuck here again.” Chelsea looked at the loaded shelves, wondering what else might be wrapped in those plastic bags. “What about calling for help if they do get trapped? I can’t imagine Quinn would bring his pregnant wife up here without a way to call someone.”
Brad shrugged although the motion caused a contorted mask of pain to cross his face. “He probably brings a satellite phone now when they come.”
“True. He’d want to carry it with him in case she went into labor on the trail somewhere.” Chelsea chewed her lower lip, still looking at the shelves. “But Quinn seems thorough. Don’t you think he’d have a backup plan?”
“What do you mean?”
“The phone he carries might break if they fall off the horses or whatever happened to hurt his leg before. I bet there’s a phone somewhere in here too.”
Convinced Quinn wouldn’t take any chances with his wife and unborn child, Chelsea hopped to her feet, pawing through each bag until she made sure there wasn’t a phone inside.
“There are tons of things up there, but it’s mostly art stuff,” Brad protested. “You really think he’d carry a phone plus have one here?”
“Would you give us each a phone next time we go out after this disaster?” she asked, continuing to search.
Brad might be feeling down today, a bit on the negative side, but Chelsea felt her usual optimistic self taking over. They were tired and hurt but about to be rescued.
After a few more bags, Chelsea picked up something that was triple wrapped and had a familiar shape. “This is it! I told you he wouldn’t take the chance.”
As fast as she could, Chelsea undid each section of plastic until the black satellite phone was free of its protective covering. She had no clue how long the phone had been in there, but she hope Quinn regularly checked the battery. Holding her breath, she hit the power button and waited for it to go through its startup process. Once it finished, the battery indicator revealed that it was half charged.
With a victorious smile, she showed it to Brad. “There’s power. Time to get you to a doctor, love.”
“Wait.” He struggled to his feet, crossing the cave to stand beside her. Brad kissed her cheek. “You didn’t want to be rescued and said that would be a failure. I don’t want our first trip together to be a failure.”
Chelsea’s heart melted toward him that much more. It made her feel so special that Brad wanted to do what it took to make her dreams come true, even if that meant staying in excruciating pain.
“Someone once told me we don’t fail until we quit trying,” she said and handed him the phone. “Make the call. Once your back and shoulders are healed, we can always take another trip and try again.”
* * *
Brad stood next to Chelsea, holding her hand as they watched the helicopter land in the meadow next to the waterfall. The adventure might not have been a success, exactly, but he’d been able to get all the things he wanted. In this moment, life couldn’t be better. Well, except having his body healed so he could show Chelsea a good time without her doing all the work.
To his surprise, when the back door of the helicopter slid open, Quinn jumped out, paint in his hair and all.
“Are you okay?” he shouted above the whirring blades.
Chelsea took a step forward, towing Brad along. “He needs a doctor. Hurt himself something horrible saving my life.”
Quinn said something into the headset he wore, likely telling the pilot to take them to the island’s clinic.
It took both Quinn and Chelsea’s help to load Brad into the chopper. He’d feel worse about that, except once upon a time he did the same thing for Quinn.
Chelsea fitted a headset over his ears and buckled his seatbelt before taking care of herself.
“I’m surprised to see you,” Brad said. “Don’t you have a shop to run?”
Quinn grinned. “Perks of being my own boss. I shut it down when the pilot called to say you'd been stranded at the waterfall and used my phone to call for rescue. Good to see you’re both in one piece.”
The warmth of Quinn’s words flooded across Brad. His brother meant what he said. For the first time in his life, Brad smiled at Quinn, honestly happy to be around him.
“Thanks for coming along with the rescue squad,” Brad said. “Chelsea and I have had a pretty rough time.”
“Only because I messed things up,” Chelsea chimed in.
Quinn’s grin hadn’t faded. “You two look cozy, though. Don’t worry about messing things up, Chelsea. Love makes you do crazy things.”
“True, but I have a feeling it’s worth it.” Chelsea moved her microphone farther to the side and kissed Brad softly. “You’re worth it. Thanks for being my hero.”
Chapter 27
Brad’s back had started to heal slowly and he was able to use his arms again, but she worried that he’d need surgery on his torn rotator cuff on the right side. The doctor over on the Big Island who took his MRI seemed shocked that Brad had been able to pull Chelsea to safety after the injury occurred.
Chelsea chalked it up to the miracle that Brad had claimed it was. Who knew? Maybe her grandma had been there, helping him pull her up to safety. Crazier things could happen, and Chelsea had many patients who swore they had seen angels. As happy as her life was now, it was getting harder and harder to stay angry with the way her earlier life had been. Everything that happened led her to this island and to Brad.
“How’s that feel?” Larissa asked. “Too much pressure?”
“Nope, it’s just right.”
Larissa’s baby bump had become unwieldy, especially over the past week as though the kid had decided to put on a major growth spurt. Even though the baby wasn’t due for nearly two more months, Chelsea wondered how much longer Larissa would be able to continue working.
“Are you and Brad coming to dinner tonight?” Larissa asked as she continued to rub the muscles in Chelsea’s neck.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
The meal would mark her fourth with the McCallister family. The last two weeks had gone relatively well. Brad had seemed happy to be with his brothers, and Chelsea noticed a difference in his relationship with Quinn.
“Chelsea, can I ask a question?” Larissa sounded hesitant, not a mood Chelsea normally associated with the confident younger woman.
“I guess so.”
“Are you...” Larissa stopped and bent over to whisper against Chelsea’s ear. “Your skin seems different this week, smoother and glowing, and there’s something in your face...”
“Spit it out, Larissa. What are you asking me?”
“Is there a chance you’re pregnant?”
“Of course not. I can’t be pregnant.” Chelsea paused, thinking about the date. She was late this month, but she figured that was due to the stress her body had undergone from the trip and her injuries.
Still, she was more than a week past due. That had never happened before. And there was a chance. She hadn’t bothered with protection either in the hot spring or their night beneath the waterfall.
She shook her head. How could she even consider that? There was no way Larissa could know anything. Even if Chelsea were pregnant, she couldn’t be more than three and a half weeks along. She wasn’t sure a test could even pick that up.
But she wondered if she should take a test, at least to be on the safe side. Brad had taken charge of things in the bedroom since they returned home. Each night after their sunset walk on the beach, he took her back to his hotel. He always used protection, so Chelsea could only guess a baby would not be welcomed news for him.
Not that she was pregnant. She couldn’t be pregnant.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Larissa resumed the massage. “My skin just took on a different feel when I first became pregnant. Are you sure there's absolutely no chance?”
“There is a chance,” Chelsea admitted. “Do you happen to know if the convenience store sells pregnancy tests?”
* * *
Chelsea stared at the small pink cross. It was faint, but it was there. Positive. How had Larissa guessed? Chelsea didn’t see a difference in herself. Her skin looked the same as it always had, and she didn’t feel any different.
Even though their relationship had been going strong since they arrived back to the resort, Chelsea wasn’t sure what to think. Of course, they had options if Brad wasn’t ready for a family. Those options were rather limited as far as Chelsea was concerned. Not only did she believe abortion was wrong unless there were extenuating circumstances, but she wanted a family.
Her options were for Brad to accept it, be happy and excited about fatherhood, or for her to leave the island and raise the child on her own. The McCallisters seemed wild about children, and the legitimate women of the family, the ones engaged or married to a McCallister man, were popping them out left and right. However, Chelsea wasn’t part of the family. She and Brad had a whopping total of six weeks of dating history. Everything was fresh and new. She really did love him, but it wasn’t long enough to know whether this would be something long term.
She needed to find a way to contact Larissa. She’d lie if she had to, tell Larissa the test was negative and she wasn’t pregnant. The important thing was that Larissa didn’t mention it to anyone else. Not until Chelsea knew whether she and Brad were going to last and if he’d want to raise this child. She had several months before anything would show. With her extra curvy body, she might even have longer than that. People might assume she’d gained weight, but they wouldn’t automatically recognize that she was pregnant the way they would with tiny girls like Sierra.
A knock sounded on her bedroom door. Already feeling guilty, Chelsea wrapped the pregnancy test in toilet paper and shoved it to the bottom of the garbage before exiting the bathroom. When she checked the peephole, she was tempted to pretend she wasn’t home.
As though thoughts of her had summoned the other woman, Sierra stood outside the door. “Come on, Chels,” she called. “I know you’re in there. I talked to Larissa and she told me—”
Chelsea yanked the door open. “Shhh...”
Sydney stood in the hallway next to Sierra. Great. So much for keeping this a secret.
Sydney pushed past her, dragging Sierra along. Without asking for permission, Sydney lounged against Chelsea’s bed, staring her down. “Is it true? Did my little brother knock you up?”
Sierra glared at Sydney before turning to Chelsea. “Larissa said you seemed in shock and called me because she was worried. Are you okay?”
Chelsea shut the door and sank into the office chair next to the desk, spinning it to face the bed and her friends. “I’m fine. I took a test, but I’m all clear.”
“Bullshit!” Sydney chucked a pillow at Chelsea’s head. “You’re a terrible liar, my friend.”
“You really are terrible at it.” Sierra sat beside Sydney. “But we’re going to be pregnant together! That’s so awesome.”
“I feel a bit left out,” Sydney grumbled. “Matt isn’t ready for kids, but maybe I can trick him into it.”
“Yeah, right.” Sierra rolled her eyes. “Tell the man you want a baby, and he’d do everything to give you one. You’re the one who isn’t ready yet.”
“Ummm... Excuse me.” Chelsea put up a hand to stop their incessant chatter. “Did you come here to talk about me or yourselves?”
“Does Brad know yet?” Sydney asked. “Oh, duh. Of course he doesn’t. That’s why you tried to lie. We’ll pretend we don’t know when he announces it. Even if I am mad at you and Sierra for not telling me that she was pregnant months ago.”
Chelsea sank her head into her hands, already exhausted by their enthusiasm. “I can’t tell Brad about this baby.”
Sydney gasped in mock horror. “You whore! Whose kid is it?”
Chelsea snapped her head up, glaring while Sierra and Sydney dissolved into a fit of giggles.
“It is Brad’s, as you very well know,” Chelsea grumbled. “But I’m not sure he’ll be excited about it.”
“Are you kidding me?” Sydney sat upright, leaning across the end of the bed to grab Chelsea’s hand and squeeze it. “Chels, you're all he’s talked about since the day I returned to this island. My little brother is head over heels in love with you. A baby is only going to make his love grow.”
“Thinking you love someone you don’t know that well and falling for someone once you find out about all their quirks and problems are two different things,” Chelsea said.
Sierra rubbed her nonexistent baby bump. “This isn’t like you. What ha
ppened to the eternal optimist who always has a positive outlook for anyone who asks her opinion?”
Chelsea shrugged. “Apparently when I’m scared, I turn just as negative as anyone. The same thing happened on the trip before I realized Brad was trying to tell me that he loved me.”
Sydney squeezed her hand again. “Sweetie, if anything, Brad loves you even more now that he knows you. Matt and I have been working in the office building with him, so he and I take lunch together most days. My brother is actually happy. He smiles and talks about the future you guys will have together. He even likes Quinn and Parker now.” Sydney paused and glanced at Sierra. “No offense about your man, but Parker does do his best to piss Brad off.”
“I know but he’s been trying not to,” Sierra said with a shrug. “It’s a good thing Brad loves kids so much. I think Ryan is the only reason he ever comes around.”
Sydney smiled. “And now with the new little girls coming soon, he’s going to be in uncle heaven.”
Chelsea knew her friends were trying to ease her worries by pointing out that Brad loved her and loved children, but she still wasn’t sure. “Being an uncle is different from being a father.”
“Look Chels, it will never in a million years happen,” Sydney said, “but if Brad wusses out and doesn’t want to be dad to this kid, you still have nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah,” Sierra agreed. “We’ll be here for you and do whatever is needed to help out.”
Chelsea took in a deep breath, trying to clean away the negative thoughts bombarding her from every direction. She had a life here. She had a family in Sierra and Sydney. She may have lost everyone else in her past, but these girls loved her and would never leave her.
Deep down, she knew Brad felt the same way. Everything was going to be okay, she just had to trust him.
Chapter 28
Brad listened to the chatter around the family dinner table, laughing when Shane brought up the blenders for his restaurant again, begging Matt to do something about it. The decision to put Matt in charge was a good one, as the other man simply shook his head.
Love's Ride (McCallister's Paradise Book 4) Page 19
