by Force, Marie
“Thank you so much for this. I had no idea how much I needed it until you made it happen.”
He reached for her hand. “It was entirely my pleasure.”
Maggie smiled as she kissed his neck. “Do I smell bacon?”
“You do. It’s not as good as Mitch’s, but it’ll do.” He poured her a cup of coffee, stirred in the cream she liked and handed it to her.
“Thank you.” She sat in the other seat at the table and took the first sip of coffee, which was one of her favorite moments of the day. “Have you been up for long?” Maggie noted the heavy, dark stubble on his jaw that appeared every morning and gave him a rough, sexy, untamed look that she loved on him—almost as much as the clean-shaven version. She could stare at his face all day, every day and never get tired of the view.
“What’re you looking at over there?”
“Scruffy Brayden.”
He rubbed at the stubble on his jaw. “Drives me crazy.”
“I like it.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Maybe I’ll keep it if you like it.”
“Not if it drives you crazy.”
“We’ll take it under advisement.”
Maggie devoured the bacon and cheese omelet he’d ordered for her as if she hadn’t seen food in a month. “Did you already eat?” She couldn’t stop looking at his beautiful chest and cut abs.
“Yeah, I was starving. You wore me out.”
She snorted with laughter. “I’d say it was quite the other way around. I was minding my business at three a.m. when I was rudely awakened by a man who’d already had the goods twice.”
“The goods are so good, he needed more.”
That sexy little smile of his would be her undoing. All he had to do was look at her the way he was right then, and she was a goner. The moment was interrupted when Maggie’s phone chimed with a text.
“I should check that.”
“Go ahead.”
She got up and crossed the room to the chair where she’d left her purse. In all the months she’d been in charge at Matthews House, she’d never been out of touch this long. Maggie pulled out the phone and realized there were several texts from Teresa, and as she read them, her heart sank.
Sorry to disturb your time away. I thought you’d want to know that Trey was released from jail last night, and Corey must’ve snuck out before we set the alarm. I realized she was gone this morning. The gate reported an Uber pickup right around ten. We checked her room, and her things are gone.
“Ugh,” Maggie said.
“What’s wrong?”
She filled him in as she texted Teresa, the only other person on the staff who had a key to the office. Go into my office and pull up her file. Get me the last known address for her.
Already did. Here you go. She sent a photo containing the info.
I’m on it.
Is Brayden still with you? You shouldn’t go there alone.
Yes, he’s here.
Be careful.
Maggie put down the phone, picked up her clothes from the floor and headed for the shower. If only she’d been there, she might’ve been able to stop Corey from leaving. Damn it! She should’ve been there! As she stood under the hot water, Maggie took a minute to formulate a plan. Corey shouldn’t be out running around less than two weeks after major surgery. And what if Trey hurt her again?
Brayden stepped into the shower and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I know what you’re thinking, and you need to stop blaming yourself. She was determined to see him, and you couldn’t have stopped her even if you’d been there.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do, and when you take a minute to breathe, you’ll know it, too.”
“How can she go running back to him after what he did to her and their baby?”
“I don’t know, but she would’ve found a way back to him whether you’d been there or not. Maybe she wouldn’t have left last night, but you couldn’t force her to stay if she didn’t want to.”
Maggie sagged into the warm comfort he provided.
He propped his chin on her shoulder. “You’re not going to save them all, Maggie, no matter how hard you try.”
“I want to save them all. I want them to be safe and secure and happy.”
“I know, honey, but people are going to do what they’re going to do, and you can’t stop them from making bad decisions.”
“So I shouldn’t go after her?”
“I didn’t say that. We can go by and check on her, but you need to prepare yourself for the fact that she’s not going to want to go back to Matthews House, even if that’s the best thing for her right now.”
“She’s not even two weeks out from major surgery.”
“I know.”
They finished showering, got dressed, called down for his truck and were on their way to Corey’s twenty minutes after Maggie received the text from Teresa, following the GPS to an address north of downtown Nashville.
The closer they got to the address, the more nervous Maggie became about Corey’s safety. She’d been gone more than twelve hours at that point. A lot could happen in that much time. Brayden took a right turn into a run-down apartment complex, and Maggie’s heart stopped when she saw police and fire vehicles in the parking lot. “Oh my God.”
She got out of the truck and ran for the first cop car she could get to. “I’m looking for the woman who lives in six twenty-two.”
“We transported her to Nashville General,” the officer said.
“Is she… What happened?”
“Are you a relative?”
“No, a friend.”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
Maggie turned to go back to the truck and nearly ran into Brayden, who grasped her arms. “She’s back in the hospital,” she told him in a flat tone that was in direct contrast to how she felt inside. She wanted to rage and scream over this turn of events. But that wouldn’t help Corey. “Nashville General.”
He took her hand. “Come on.” Brayden led her back to his truck and helped her into the passenger seat.
“Breathe,” he said as he drove faster than he probably should have to get them to the hospital.
Maggie forced air into her lungs. Even as she told herself this wasn’t her fault, that there was nothing she could’ve done to keep Corey from going back to Trey if that was what she really wanted to do, she still felt responsible somehow.
Brayden pulled up to the emergency entrance. “Go ahead. I’ll find you.”
Maggie jumped out of the truck and ran inside, wishing she had something other than heels for this mission. “I’m looking for Corey Gellar.”
“Are you a family member?” the nurse working the desk asked.
“No, I’m the director of the shelter where she’s been staying. She listed me as a contact when she was here recently to give birth.” Maggie showed her Matthews House ID, thankful she had it with her. “I’m not aware of any family in the area.”
“Have a seat. I’ll see what I can do.”
Maggie didn’t want to have a seat, but having no other choice, she found two empty seats in the crowded waiting room and waved to Brayden when he came in a few minutes later.
“What’d they say?”
“That I have to wait.”
He took her hand. “Breathe, Maggie. Just keep breathing and stop blaming yourself.”
“I’m trying.”
They waited a long time, maybe more than an hour, while Maggie vibrated with tension and anxiety, feeling as if she was going to explode if she didn’t hear something soon. Finally, a woman came into the waiting room and asked for the family of Corey Gellar.
Maggie shot up and went to her. “I’m Maggie Harrington, the director of Matthews House where Ms. Gellar was staying until last night. Another member of my team and I are here for her.”
“You can come on back.”
Maggie signaled for Brayden to come with her, and they follow
ed the woman through the double doors, where they were shown to a small room that had a table with four chairs around it and nothing else inside. Her heart fell when a police officer entered the room.
“A doctor will be right in,” the nurse said as she stepped out.
Brayden’s hands on Maggie’s shoulders helped to keep her calm as she braced herself for what she was going to hear.
“What happened?” Maggie asked the cop.
“We received a call at eight twenty this morning from a neighbor who heard screaming coming from the apartment next door. When we arrived, we found the front door open and Ms. Gellar bleeding and unconscious on the floor. We think she’d been there for quite some time before we arrived.”
Maggie processed the information with a growing feeling of dread. “And her boyfriend…”
“We’re looking for him.”
“He… He’s done this before. He just got out of jail.”
“We’re very familiar with Mr. Williams. He has a long history with our department.”
Maggie wanted to break down, but she held it together because Corey needed her to be strong.
A woman in a white coat came into the now-crowded room and introduced herself as Dr. Halstead.
“How is she?” Maggie asked.
“Have a seat,” the doctor said as she sat at the table.
Maggie sat across from her.
“I understand Ms. Gellar put you on her list of contacts when she was here to deliver her baby.”
“Yes, she has no family in the area. She’s been staying at our facility.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you she was badly beaten and is in very critical condition.”
Maggie whimpered.
Brayden sat next to her and put his arm around her.
“We’ve taken her up to surgery to contend with some internal bleeding and the reopening of her previous surgical site.”
At that news, Maggie dropped her head into her hands. “Is she going to be okay?”
“We don’t know yet. Our primary concern is a rather significant head injury.”
This could not be happening.
The next few hours seemed to unfold in slow motion as Maggie and Brayden waited for news. At two, she suggested Brayden go to the house to carry on as planned with the kids and the riding lessons.
“I wouldn’t feel right leaving you here alone.”
“I’m all right. The kids will be disappointed if we cancel.”
“I’ll come right back after.”
“Ask Teresa to send me some jeans and sneakers?”
He kissed her forehead. “I’ll take care of it, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Thanks again for the great night.”
“I’m sorry it ended here.”
She offered him a weak smile. “A wise person once told me that we can’t control what other people do.”
“Keep reminding yourself of that.” He kissed her cheek and got up to leave.
Maggie watched him go, thankful for him and the support he offered so easily, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to want to be there for her. She recalled something her mother once told her when she was mourning the loss of the more serious of her two college relationships. He’s out there, she’d said, and when you find him, you’ll know it because he’s there for you, he listens to you, he sees you. The right guy makes you feel like the most important thing in his world. Wait for that guy, and when he shows up, make sure you notice.
Was Brayden that guy? The one she’d hoped to find someday? He checked all the boxes on her mother’s list, and suddenly, more than anything, she wanted to talk to her mom about him and Corey and Debbie. She found a secluded corner, away from the main waiting area, and put through the call.
Her mom answered on the third ring, sounding like she’d run for the phone. “Hey, this is a nice surprise.”
“Are you busy?”
“Just doing some yoga before I have to pick up the boys.”
“I can call you later.”
“Now is fine. What’s up?”
Maggie’s throat closed, and she couldn’t breathe or speak.
“Maggie? Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” She forced herself to calm down and do what Brayden had told her to do all morning: breathe.
“What’s wrong, Maggie?”
“I… I think this job might be too much for me.” The words, once spoken, could never be stuffed back into the jar where she’d kept them contained for months.
“Why do you say that? From what I’ve heard, you’re doing a brilliant job.”
“One of the moms died last week.”
“I know. Have you heard what happened?”
“Her mom told me she had an enlarged heart.”
“So she was probably a ticking time bomb. You have to know there was nothing you could’ve done to prevent her death, right?”
“How do I know that for sure?”
“Maggie! It’s not your fault.”
She wallowed in the comfort of her mother’s emphatic words. “Last night, I stayed in town with a friend.”
“I assume you’re allowed a night off every now and then.”
“Yes, but while I was gone, one of the residents checked herself out to return to the man who beat her so badly, their baby was born prematurely. He got released from jail yesterday, and today, I’m at the ER waiting to hear if she’s going to survive the head injury she received when he beat her again—so badly, she’s in surgery.” Her voice caught on a sob.
“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry that happened to someone you care about.”
“She’s so young and has no one.”
“Which is why she went running back to him the first chance she got. He’s her someone, for better or worse.”
“Why does it make all the sense when you put it that way?”
“It’ll never make sense to you because you’re not in her relationship. Maybe at one point, before it went bad, he was the first person to ever truly care about her. Maybe she’s still hoping to find that guy in him again.”
“I hope she’s done looking for that in him after this.”
“You need to prepare yourself for the possibility that she’ll continue to go back to him. You can only do what you can, honey. You can’t live their lives for them. You can only try to make their lives easier and more comfortable while they figure it out for themselves.”
Maggie absorbed her mother’s words of wisdom, letting the comforting sound of her voice wash over her. “Thank you for listening.”
“The job isn’t too much for you, Mags. It’s that your heart is too big to handle the hurt sometimes. It’s always been that way. Your dad and I were very concerned about whether the job would break your big, beautiful heart.”
“You were? You guys talked about that?”
“Here’s a newsflash you can share with your sisters. We talk about you guys all the time.”
Maggie laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Are you all right, honey?”
“I suppose I will be. I’m really worried about Corey.”
“I’ll say a prayer for her—and for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“So about this ‘friend’ you stayed in town with… Anything you want to tell me about her or him?”
“You still suck at subtlety.”
“So my daughters tell me.”
“His name is Brayden, which you know because Jill and Kate have big mouths, and I think I love him.”
Clare gasped. “You do? Really?”
“I think so. He’s amazing, smart, sweet, talented and quite possibly the sexiest dude I’ve ever met.”
“Oh, well…”
Maggie laughed again. “You asked.”
“This is truly wonderful news. How does he feel?”
“I don’t know. It’s still early days, but he arranged the night away for me, which was really sweet.” Maggie told her about the fundraiser th
ey’d attended and about him accepting the award on behalf of his late mother.
“How long ago did he lose her?”
“A couple of months ago in a car accident.”
“The poor guy. It’s still new.”
“Yes, and she was his only family.”
“Oh dear. Well, I’m glad he has you and that you have him.”
“Don’t get too excited yet, and don’t tell Dad.”
“I don’t keep things from him. You know that.”
“You guys are divorced. Why can’t you act like it once in a while?”
Clare cracked up laughing. “We’re not divorced when it comes to our beloved daughters.”
“I’ll tell him when I’m ready to, Mom. Seriously, don’t tell him. He’ll fly here to give Brayden an inquisition.”
“You’re right. He probably would.”
“So keep it between us for now. I promise I’ll tell him when the time is right.”
“Fine. I’ll keep your secrets. For now.”
“How’s the wedding stuff?” Maggie asked, because she wanted to keep her mom on the phone for a little while longer.
“It’s all done but the waiting. Andi made it super easy on us. She’s got it down to a science after all these years of overseeing weddings at the hotel. Although she said she’s never helped to plan a wedding for one of her own kids.”
“Does it bug you when she refers to us that way?”
“Nah, I got over that years ago when I realized how lucky we were that you girls had her to lean on when I couldn’t be there for you.”
“Sometimes all that seems like a million years ago, and then other times, it feels like it happened last week.”
“I know what you mean. Even after all these years, it’s still weird to me sometimes that I’m married to Aidan and not your father.”
“That’s because you missed the part where your first marriage ended.”
“Very true. I want to add that I love Aidan madly. Wouldn’t want you to think otherwise.”
“I know you do.”
“I missed a lot during those years.”
Clare had often said how she left three girls behind and woke up from her coma to three young women who’d nearly finished growing up without their mother.
