by Lara Wynter
A middle-aged cheerful nurse soon arrives and helps me get ready.
She winks conspiratorially at me. “That Wes Bowman is certainly a keeper. And so sexy as well. You are one lucky girl.”
“We’re not actually together.”
She laughs. “Sure, honey. Hot famous musicians just hang out all night by our patient’s beds all the time.”
“Wes is the sort of man who would do that for anyone.”
“Oh no, I’ve seen all sorts here sweetie, couples in love, couples who really shouldn’t be together. That man is in love with you one hundred percent.” She reaches past me and turns on the water. “He’s asleep now but he was up most of the night asking how you were and making sure we were doing all we could to make sure you were comfortable.” She pats my arm reassuringly. “But don’t worry, honey. I won’t say a word to the press. I just wanted to say how lucky you are. Not many people find their soulmate. Of course, I was lucky to find mine when I was about your age. He’s not as sexy as your young man but he certainly knows how to treat me and that’s the most important thing.”
“Uh thanks. I wish it were that simple.” She helps me under the water and into the shower chair. She pulls the curtain closed to give me a semblance of privacy.
“Do you love him, sugar?”
“Yes, I do. So much it hurts.” I’m not sure why I’m confiding in a stranger but Nurse Jenny is just that sort of universal mom figure.
“Well, if he loves you and you love him, what’s the problem?”
I lather up my hair as I contemplate the question anew. “Well, he’s kind of famous. I’m not sure I can deal with that. I don’t want my photograph to appear in the papers, or have my relationship discussed by the world. Not to mention the lies that get spread.”
“Are you worried about your scars, honey? You do realize you’re beautiful, don’t you?”
I rinse the shampoo out of my hair. “It’s not my face I’m worried about, well, not just that. It’s about everyone knowing what happened to me and…and my parents don’t know about it. It would break their hearts to find out what happened to me.”
“Honey, I have kids of my own, so believe me I know. Your folks are stronger than you think. Trust me they can handle it.”
Is she right? Have I avoided seeing my parents for no reason? Could they cope with knowing what happened to me? Have I wasted all this time?
“It’s just my Mom had a stroke and they’re both not very well. I don’t think I could forgive myself if I told them and something bad happened.” It’s hard to confess my innermost fears but I somehow feel better sharing the burden with someone.
“Oh sugar, don’t you know God knows the number of our days here on earth? I know you’re worried about them but believe me they love you and want to be a part of your life. I’m not saying you can’t break it to them gently, I’m just saying that you’re only hurting yourself.”
My shoulders hunch, and I start to sob. I feel like I’ve made so many mistakes. How did my life get so complicated? The water stops and Nurse Jenny wraps me up in soft white towels. She rubs my back gently and dries the water from my aching body.
“He prayed for you last night you know.” Nurse Jenny says when my tears have stopped.
I look up shocked. “Wes?”
“Yes. Whatever you’re worried about, don’t let the fear blind you.”
“How do you know so much about me when we’ve only just met?”
Jenny helps me get dressed in a clean hospital gown before she answers. “Sometimes we cross paths with people for a reason. This job is more than just healing physical pain,” she taps her chest, “It’s the pain in here that sometimes trips people up. As soon as I saw you, I just knew you were one of the people that had both types of pain. I don’t claim to offer miracles but I hope our little chat has helped you feel a bit better on the inside.”
Nurse Jenny helps me to my feet and I wrap my arms around her. “Thank you. It has. I can’t promise you I’ll go and see my parents right away, but I think you’re right, they deserve to know.”
She hands me my crutches. “And your young man?”
“Yes, I promise to give him a chance too.” I smile as she holds the door open for me.
She winks. “Send me an invitation to the wedding.”
I laugh as I turn back to the bed.
Wes
Something has changed. I can see it in her face. The way she laughed just now was so carefree. I’m glad she isn’t worried about Trent. I wish I had the same confidence. I know how Trent thinks. He won’t be content to leave this alone. I’m afraid he’ll want some sort of revenge. Even though he was the one at fault, he won’t see it that way. All he’ll see is that he lost his job and Jemma is to blame. His ruthlessness, so helpful in business, will now be directed toward Jemma and Infusion Deep.
Why did we keep him with us for so long? I should have seen something like this was inevitable. I should have listened to Finn when he complained about our manager. So many little things that we just let go. And now everything I care most about is under threat.
“Hi, Wes. Thanks for staying with me last night.”
Jemma’s smile makes me ache from deep within. “I was so worried about you last night. Your leg was bleeding so much and you wouldn’t open your eyes…I’m just so happy to see you looking so well this morning. It’s like a miracle.” I frown, remembering how Jemma looked last night. “Although when I woke up and you weren’t in the bed I think my heart stopped.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to wake you. You looked exhausted. Perhaps you should head back to the hotel and get some sleep? Aren’t you supposed to be back at the venue in a few hours?”
We have a second show here in Orlando tonight but there’s no way I’m leaving the hospital yet, and I’m certainly not leaving her alone for a second. “The rest of the guys can take care of things without me. Things are pretty much ready to go anyway, seeing as how we set up yesterday.”
Jemma makes her way slowly over toward the bed. “You still need to sleep.”
I stand up so that she’s right in front of me. I gently run my fingers down the side of her face. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” My voice comes out low and husky and filled with longing.
“Not a chance,” Jemma whispers and then she brushes her lips softly against my own.
I gently place my hands around her lower back just in case she lets go of her crutches. I won’t let her fall.
And then I kiss her deeply with all the love that I’m feeling. She returns the kiss with a passion that matches my own. There is no beginning and no end. There is only us.
The sound of someone loudly clearing his throat finally causes us to break apart. I keep my arms around Jemma. If that kiss affected her half as much as it did me, she’ll need my support. We both turn toward our interrupter. It’s Dr. Platt, a middle-aged man who put the sutures in Jemma’s leg last night.
“Well, well, it looks like you’re feeling a lot better, Miss Jones.”
Jemma blushes adorably, and I can’t help the grin that fills my face. I carefully lift her up and onto the bed, take her crutches, and place them back against the wall.
Dr. Platt picks up Jemma’s chart and has a quick look. “How are your pain levels?”
“Um, fine. I can’t really feel any pain.”
Dr. Platt smiles knowingly. “Indeed. Perhaps the devoted care of this young man is just what you need to get better.” He turns to me. “No sex though until after the stitches have been removed. The way the bottle cut into Jemma’s leg has left a jagged wound that was difficult to close. To minimize scarring, Jemma needs to rest as much as possible.”
I didn’t think I was capable of blushing, but it turns out I am. Heat radiates off my face. “No, ah, we haven’t…um…that won’t be a problem.”
Jemma reaches out and grabs my hand. “When can I go home? I mean back to the hotel?”
“Well, in normal circumstances we’d want to keep you i
n for another day at least. But Mr. Bowman has assured me you will have access to the best medical care at the hotel, so if you would prefer to recover there, I see no reason why we can’t discharge you soon.”
Jemma looks at me the gratitude evident in her expression. “Yes please. I’m not really a fan of hospitals. I’ve spent enough time in them already for one lifetime.”
“Ah yes, your burn injury. I have a colleague here you might be interested in seeing. He’s right up to date on the latest techniques in scar minimization, even on old scarring.”
“Thanks, but I’m happy with how things have healed. I really don’t want to undergo any more procedures.”
“Jemma is beautiful just the way she is.”
“Yes, well, I’ll just need to examine your leg Jemma before I discharge you. If you don’t mind waiting out in the hall Mr. Bowman?”
“Of course.”
I’ve doubled the security outside our room and insisted that Jemma stay in the third bedroom in our suite so I know she’s safe. There’s no point trying to convince her to sleep in the bed beside me so I don’t bother asking. I’ll probably end up sleeping on the couch so I know if anyone enters the room during the night. I know I’m being paranoid, but I just don’t trust Trent not to try anything.
Jemma rests on the couch surrounded by Sophie, Autumn, and the rest of the band. Finn and I haven’t really had a chance to talk about Trent, after all we know him the best. Finn looks my way and I tilt my head to indicate we should go into the kitchen. He gets up immediately and follows me. I open the fridge and grab a bottle of water to avoid arousing suspicion. I don’t want anyone else to know how worried I am.
“What’s up?”
I lean back against the granite bench-top so I’m facing away from the rest of the room. “I’m worried Trent’s going to try something to get back at Jemma or us. Heck, he’s probably plotting something right now guaranteed to cause the most casualties.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that as well. After what happened with Jason, I don’t think any of the girls should leave this room until we get back from the show.”
“Maybe we should cancel?”
Finn shakes his head. “No way, man, and let Trent know he’s gotten to us? The girls will be safe here. We have plenty of security. I think it’s more likely he’ll wait for the perfect opportunity. Wait until we relax our guard a bit.”
“But you agree he’s going to do something?”
“Absofrickinlutely.”
Chapter 18
Jemma
Two weeks of lying around in various hotel rooms is driving me crazy. At least I don’t need the crutches anymore. Sophie is becoming more difficult as well. If I don’t get her out of the hotel today, I’m worried she’ll sneak out. The band has a rare day off tomorrow, so maybe I can bribe her to sit tight for one more day.
I walk over to the door that opens out onto the terrace and head outside. This suite is not to my taste at all, so I’ve been sitting out here on the terrace to relax and study. The view of the Detroit city skyline from here is amazing. You think you’ll never get used to this sort of opulence, but you kind of do after a while. Still, I much prefer the quiet of Wes’s house to the myriad of hotel rooms, no matter how expensive they are. My hands itch to get back into his garden and do something outside.
“Hey, Jemma, what’s up?” Sophie sits on one of the chairs and puts her feet up on another.
“Hey, Soph. I was just thinking about what we could do tomorrow when the guys have their day off.”
“Yeah, at least no Trent means no last minute interviews or something.”
“Exactly, so what do you want to do?”
“I want to go shopping. Or see a movie or something.”
“You don’t want to see the Institute of Arts?”
Sophie laughs. “Seriously? I’ve been doing nothing but boring schoolwork. The last thing I want to do when I finally get to go out is more school stuff.”
“I suppose you have a point.” I shrug my shoulders. “Shopping and a movie then. I’m sure your brother will go along with that.”
“If you’re going, he’d go and watch the sappiest romantic movie anyway.”
I ignore her insinuation. Wes and I have been getting along well, but he hasn’t kissed me again yet and it’s driving me crazy. With all the extra stress and security measures, there hasn’t really been an opportunity for us to be alone.
“Did you have a movie in mind Soph?”
“Duh, the new Jackson Durant movie is out.”
I do a double take. “Uh, Soph, I don’t think Wes is going to be able to sit through two hours of Jackson on screen without losing it.”
Sophie pouts. “I don’t care, I’ve been cooped up for weeks. He owes me. Besides, he doesn’t have to watch it. Leon can come with me.” She smiles. “Leon’s hot.”
“If Wes hears you talking about him like that, he’ll be reassigned before you can blink.” The big black man is certainly good-looking, but much too old for Sophie to think so.
“Don’t get your knickers in a knot. It’s not like I want to date him, duh. He’s much too old for me.”
I laugh. “Where did you hear that old expression?”
“Simon said it to Leon.” Sophie and I both crack up at the image of the head roadie and the head of security going at it.
“What did Leon say?”
“Um…something like ‘I see what you're saying, but if I agreed with you then we'd both be wrong’.”
“This is where I should probably tell you that eavesdropping is wrong, but given our current lack of mental stimulation, I might leave that lesson for another time.”
Sophie grins. “So has my dopey brother kissed you again yet?”
My mouth gapes open. Did she see when Wes kissed me in the hotel room? “How do you know that he kissed me before?”
“Well, I was pretty sure he had, and now you’ve just confirmed it.”
“Are you sure you’re only thirteen?”
“That’s what you get when you only hang around old people.”
I laugh, early twenties is hardly old. But poor Soph has spent most of her life around people much older than her.
Sophie jumps up from her chair. “The band’s back. Quick, I need your help to convince them we should come to tonight’s show.”
I follow Sophie back into the suite. Guilt washes over me, as the main reason we haven’t been to any shows has been my sprained ankle. But now it’s better, we should be allowed to go. For once we are definitely of one mind.
My eyes immediately go to Wes. He looks amazing in a band T-shirt and dark denim jeans. He looks at me and smiles. His eyes crinkle adorably, and I really wish I could go up to him and kiss him hello. Instead I settle for walking up to the whole group gathered in the living area. Finn has his arm wrapped around Autumn. She was having a nap. She still looks half-asleep. Her cute baby bump is visible underneath her T-shirt.
Zane and Ryan are in between Finn and Wes. Sophie goes around the group getting hugs from everyone. Oh, to be young and full of confidence. I hang back slightly. Wes closes the distance and wraps his arms around me. I’m momentarily stunned. Coming to my senses, I snuggle into his warmth and wrap my arms around his waist.
“I missed you,” he whispers into my ear.
I close my eyes and take a breath. “I missed you too.”
“I can’t wait until this tour is over and we can spend some real time together.” He’s still whispering so no one else can hear. They’re all having a raucous conversation around us, so they wouldn’t be able to hear anyway.
“I’d like that too.”
Wes takes my hand and leads me back out onto the terrace. “I’m sorry we haven’t had any real time together since Trent left. I promised you I could give you a chance at a normal relationship with me, and I’ve failed already. You haven’t given up on me, have you?”
“No. I know what happened was out of your control. How could I hold that again
st you?”
Wes smiles broadly, his whole face lights up. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear that sweetheart.” He sits down and pulls me onto his lap.
I shriek and laugh at the same time as I collapse against him. “Why the change?” I love that he’s doing this but I’m not sure what’s changed. “Have you had news of Trent?”
“Yeah, he’s in L.A. doing his worst. And it turns out his worst is nothing like I feared.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Apparently, this woman who’s claiming to have given birth to my son is the best he can do.”
“You knew about her?” I ask, remembering back to when I heard about the woman.
“Of course. Rebecca, our publicist keeps us informed about all that stuff.”
“I know the baby isn’t yours. But aren’t you worried about the damage she could do to your reputation?”
Wes grins. “I’m glad you’re sure she’s lying about me.”
“Well, of course I am. You told me you haven’t had a relationship in over two years, so you couldn’t be that baby’s father.”
Wes puts his hands against my cheeks and closes his eyes. He opens them again, and it’s as if I can see into his soul. “You believe in me. You don’t know how rare that is in this industry. Thank you, my love.” He gently pulls me closer and places a whisper soft kiss against my lips.
“I’ll always believe in you, Wes. I know now you’re the man God had picked out for me. I know you’d never intentionally hurt me.”
Our arms wrap around each other. Intense emotions as swirl around us like a palpable force. I love this man with all my heart and if he asked me to marry him right now, I know what my answer would be.
Chapter 19
Wes
