She fumbled for her phone and realized the battery had died. “Mm. Guess I should have plugged it in.”
“Have a good nap?”
She blinked and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. How’s your mom?”
He slid in beside her, putting an arm over her shoulder and drawing her against him. “She’s doing better. Worried about Natalie. They’ve had to keep her on Valium so she doesn’t freak out, but the doctor said as long as she takes it easy, she can come home tomorrow. I’ve already contacted home health about checking in on her once we get her back.”
“Good. Have you heard anything about the drop-off yet?” Jonquil looked over at the clock and had to do a double-take when she realized it was almost eleven. Had she slept that long?
He frowned. “I got a call this afternoon. The news wasn’t good.” He filled her in on what happened. “Jeremy is going to get Mom from the hospital tomorrow while I stay home, waiting for the call.”
“What are you going to do about the extra money?”
He frowned. “It’s been handled. Vince said Alex stopped in Denver before coming into town today and worked some magic.” He rubbed a hand down his face, looking exhausted. “I’m never going to be able to pay everyone back. Not soon, anyway. Unless the cops catch the guys and recover the money.”
Jonquil nodded. She had signed some forms regarding her part of the ‘loan’ from the estate, but it was less than ten thousand, so she didn’t know where the rest had come from. “Then don’t worry about that right now. Focus on Natalie and take care of yourself. Hungry?” She realized she was. Starving even, though she’d had a snack before her nap.
“Yes. I had something to eat earlier, but was saving room to eat with you.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
Jonquil felt herself melt a little. “Then let’s dish it up.”
“I’m heading to bed,” Delphi said from the kitchen area. Her brows lifted knowingly before she pivoted for the basement steps.
Angela pursed her lips, a devilish expression on her face, as if she were trying to decide whether or not to follow Delphi’s example. Finally she shrugged. “I have a long day tomorrow anyway. We’re performing a few songs at some event downtown in the afternoon to advertise. And I have a lunch date with Alex.” She wiggled her brows and grinned. “Goodnight.”
“Whoa? You have lunch with Alex?” Jonquil turned in surprise. “When did you meet Alex?”
Angela smirked a little. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She turned and sauntered up the stairs to her room.
“Goodnight.” Jonquil stared after her. She would have to get the full story later. “And good luck on your date.”
“He won’t know what hit him,” Angela called over her shoulder and headed up the stairs to her room.
“I have the feeling she means that literally,” Gage said as he stood. He held out a hand to Jonquil to help her up.
“You never can tell with Angela.” They kept up the small talk while she dished out bowls of soup and retrieved the home-style bread she’d bought a couple of days earlier.
It was late, and despite the nap—or maybe because of it?—Jonquil was still tired, but it was good to end the day with him like that, the two of them talking together about inconsequential things, even though she couldn’t forget the more serious topics they were avoiding.
When they finished eating, she packaged up some leftovers for him. “I should finish setup for this wedding in the morning so I’ll be over tomorrow by noon.”
“You don’t have to,” Gage said as he took the food and set it on the counter in front of him.
She paused and searched for words that wouldn’t put pressure on him if he was starting to second-guess their relationship, but would still make her stance clear. “Are you saying that because you don’t want to impose or because you would rather I not be there? It’s a stressful time and I understand if you don’t want distractions.” She wouldn’t understand, but she would accept it anyway, and try not to take it personally.
He grabbed her hand across the kitchen island, drawing her gaze back to his dark eyes. “I want you there. I’m finding that I always want you around now. I’m not sure what to think about that, actually, but I like having you with me. I don’t want you to feel like you have to drop everything for me, though.”
Relief filled her. “Good. Then I’ll come as soon as I tie up some loose ends at work. I’m guessing the guys will be there?”
“Vince is coming. And Joel has been in on everything and said he’d cut out from work to be there. Now that the kidnappers know the police are involved, the detective sees no reason to hold back, so they’ll be at the house with me, waiting for the call to come through.”
“Then you’ll have a crowd to feed. I’ll make sure you have something to eat.” That was something she could do.
“You don’t have to.”
Jonquil came around the counter and pushed him back against it, her movements slow and deliberate. “I don’t have to do any of this, but someone ought to. You give to everyone around you, always being there when Vince or Jeremy need something—don’t argue,” she said when he opened his mouth, “I know you’ve jumped in to help the other guys out. I’ve been here long enough to figure that out. And you jump when you mom needs something, or when your sister does something stupid that gets her into trouble. You manage things at the ski resort and run the mountain bike festival. You’re running a special mountain bike race the second week of July that benefits a cancer victim, which you’re getting no pay for. You handle the reins of the ballooning business, and—”
“Stop before I get a big head.” Gage was starting to look a little red in the face. “No wonder I’m worn out if I can keep up with all of that. You make me sound like a saint.”
“Oh no, you’re not that.” Jonquil leaned in and kissed him. She could never have fallen in love with a man who was flawless. Right now, standing in front of him with everything laid out so simply, she realized it was love, not just attraction, admiration and enjoyment. This was more. It filled her up and made her want to fill him with the feeling as well.
How had her father known what she would need, who she would need to make everything come together so perfectly? How, now that she’d found Gage, connected with him, could she let him suffer without being there to support him?
He kissed her back, folding her in his arms and pouring some of himself into her as well. He tasted hot and spicy, though the food had been neither. His hands molded her back, running down her spine and making her hold tight, hold on as if she could keep the moment from ever stopping.
His phone rang and she snapped out of it, releasing him as he jerked away. At that moment, she resented his phone, and that he couldn’t afford to miss a call.
He was still breathing hard and blinking when he put the cell to his ear. “Yeah?”
Jonquil couldn’t hear what the other person said, but the voice was feminine—not the guy who had called him about the ransom in the first place, then. As she watched his expression though, she knew it was bad news. His eyes widened and his face went pale.
“What? When? Can’t you do something? Of course. Yes. I’ll be there in about an hour.” He hung up, looking shocked and exhausted.
When he started to turn away, she stopped him, using her hand to turn his face back to her. “What’s going on?”
“My mom, something happened. She started having heart problems a little while ago. I have to go back to Denver.” He moved away from her. “I’ll call you when I know what’s going on.”
Jonquil saw the haunted look in his eyes and snatched the keys from his hand as soon as he pulled them out of his pocket. “You’re not going to drive. You’re way too tired.” She picked up the bowl of leftover soup and stashed it in the fridge, then slipped on the shoes she left next to the garage door. “Let’s go.”
“You’ve already done so much, and you need your sleep,” Gage argued.
“I won’t sleep if I’m afraid you’re goi
ng to crash on the way down the mountain.” She stopped and blocked the path, making sure he was looking her in the eye. “You and I have something going on. I care about you. I want to make sure you get down the mountain. You’re stressed and exhausted, not a good combination. I can call one of the guys to take you if you insist, but you’re not going anywhere on your own. And I want to be there for you. Just let me be there.”
He lifted her chin and planted a fast, firm kiss on her mouth. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Jonquil wondered how much more he could take before he completely fell apart.
Gage spent the full drive down the mountain to Denver blaming himself for leaving the hospital. He should have stayed so he could have been there for his mom. She must be terrified.
Jonquil sat beside him, holding his hand and humming along with the radio, but not bothering him with chatter when he wanted his head free to think.
There was no moon and the darkness oppressed him as they reached the hospital parking lot.
“Just go on inside and let me park it,” Jonquil suggested as she stopped in front of the building.
He hesitated for only a moment before opening his door.
“I’ll find you inside,” she said as he got out of the car.
He nodded and rushed through the front doors and up to his mother’s room. The elevator seemed to take forever to arrive and then stopped twice on the way up to her floor to let people in and out. Gage held back from snapping at them, just barely, as he drummed his fingers against his leg impatiently.
Gage had tried to get a call through to the doctors during the drive to the hospital—after they got through the twists and turns to where there was a cell signal again. But no one had answered the phone at the nurses’ station, making him even more irritable. They called to tell him he should hurry back down the mountain and then they didn’t answer when he called for an update?
He pushed through the doors to his mom’s area and rounded the corner by her room. It was quiet. The nurses at the desk were speaking on the phone or working computers and a third one lifted her head to look at him. She had checked on his mom shortly before he left. She frowned a little and approached him. “Hi, Gage. I’ll let the doctor know you’re here. Would you like to take a seat?”
He scowled. “How is my mom? I need to see her.”
“The doctor will be out to talk to you in a moment.”
Gage didn’t want to wait any longer. “He can talk to me after I see her.” He moved to pass her, but caught sight of the doctor striding toward him. Gage glanced at his mother’s room where the door was shut and the light off—was she sleeping or had they moved her to another area of the hospital?
“Mr. Mathews, come, let’s talk where it’s more private.”
His words sent a shot of foreboding through Gage. There was no one else around them except the nurse, who presumably already knew about the state of his mother’s health. “What’s going on? Is she okay?”
The doctor led him to a quiet corner. “She had a heart attack. We did everything we could think of but we couldn’t save her. I’m so sorry.”
Every thought vacated Gage’s brain except for the one that his mother was dead. “What… How… What caused the heart attack?” She had been fine a few hours earlier. Upbeat, lucid, looking forward to being back in her own home.
“We’re not certain, but there will be an autopsy.” The doctor’s face was full of empathy. “Sometimes things happen that we can’t anticipate and the injury and surgery put a lot of stress on her system.”
The doors to the main hall opened behind Gage, and Jonquil appeared, smiling. Her smile dropped as she looked at Gage. “You’re white as a ghost. Is she okay?”
“My mom… didn’t make it.” Pain filled him as he said it aloud.
“I’m so sorry.” She pulled him into a hug, and Gage held onto her, not having realized how much he needed someone to hold onto until she was there. How could this be happening? His mom had been doing so much better, he thought for sure she was going to be fine, and now she was gone.
The doctor touched Gage’s arm. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Gage shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Okay, I’ll have someone speak with you about making arrangements for your mother. Come, have a seat.” He led them back to the waiting room. “It shouldn’t be long.”
Gage was glad to be left alone with Jonquil, who sat beside him, holding his hand and leaning in to offer comfort.
“How can this be happening?” he asked aloud. He felt numb and like he might explode all at the same time.
Jonquil’s free hand came to his cheek, turning his face toward hers. “I’m sorry this happened to you right now, but you’re going to get through it. You know that, right?”
“There’s so much to do.” He felt overwhelmed by grief and stress. “Natalie is still being held by murderous criminals, there’s a funeral to plan and people to notify.”
“Shhh.” Jonquil caught his gaze and held it steadily. “Don’t think about the big picture. Think about the next step. Just one tiny step, that’s all. When you’ve had time to sleep and you have Natalie back safe, there will be time to deal with the rest of it. And you have a lot of people in your corner. We’ll talk to this person now, make some arrangements for your mom tonight. Then we’ll go back to your place where you can sleep and get ready for the step after that.”
She was right. He took a few deep breaths despite the tightness in his lungs. He could handle it one step at a time. He’d done it before.
A woman came into the room and sat with them. She had paperwork and discussed arrangements for his mother’s remains. Gage told her which funeral home to call and she promised someone would contact him the next day with anything else—or rather, later in the day since it was already after 1 a.m.
When she left, Gage and Jonquil headed back to his home. He reminded himself that he’d been through all of this when his dad died, making all of the arrangements and handling the details. He’d barely been out of college then and his mom hadn’t helped with much of anything. If he could do it then, he could do it now. Of course he hadn’t been worried about a ransom demand and his sister’s life at the time.
When they reached his home, Jonquil walked back into his house with him. “You need to get some sleep,” she said. “You’re exhausted.”
“I don’t know if I can sleep.” He rubbed at the pain in his forehead, overwhelmed by everything that had happened that day.
“Are you hungry?”
“No, thanks.” It had only been a few hours since dinner and food did not appeal to him at all.
“Okay. You should get some rest anyway.”
He looked at the stairs leading to his bedroom, and then the big leather sofa nearby. “I think I’ll just sleep down here.”
“I don’t think so.” Jonquil led him up the stairs to his room and pulled off his shirt.
“I thought we were just going to be kissing friends,” he said, interest flaring inside him.
“Don’t get any bright ideas,” she said, dryly. “You’re holding yourself like a piece of cooked spaghetti. I’m just helping you get into bed. I’m not joining you there.” She nudged him to sit on the edge of the bed and started on his shoes and socks.
“Too bad. I could use some company.” She was so beautiful, and thoughtful, and sassy all at once. Why had he been pushing her away all of this time? He couldn’t remember, and right now he really didn’t want to. He wanted to be surrounded by her warmth and softness, to block out everything else around him and pour every ounce of his concentration on something lovely.
Jonquil set down his foot; they were both bare now. “I won’t say I’m not tempted, but I don’t want to be a convenience for you, someone you turn to physically because you’re in distress and then walk away from in a few days when you’re back under control. I’m not willing to go there unless it’s going to actually mean something to you. So you’ll sleep here an
d I’ll go back home and tomorrow you’ll be ready to face the day again.”
He couldn’t help but feel disappointed, even if she was right. “There’s some Tylenol PM in my bathroom cupboard. Can you get me some?”
“You honestly think you’ll need help to sleep tonight?” One of her perfect eyebrows lifted at him.
“Trust me.” Falling asleep would be cake. Staying that way with everything rolling in his head would be another issue. And the headache needed some attention as well.
She nodded. “I’ll be right back.” When she returned with a glass of water and two white tablets, he downed them both gratefully.
“I’ll call the guys to let them know what’s up, okay?” Jonquil pushed the hair back from his face.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” He’d thought about it on the drive back, but had been too tired to think of anything after reaching his house. Anything but how good she smelled and how sweet she was.
Yeah, she was probably right about waiting on the physical stuff for now. Except this. He scooped his hand behind her neck and drew her close for a goodnight kiss. It was long and languid, passion building as an urgency for more rose inside his chest.
Realizing he was only moments from pulling her down to the blankets, he made himself end it. She’d said no, so he’d respect that. Even if it killed him. “Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll call you in the morning.”
He shucked off his jeans and drifted off to sleep as he heard the front door close a moment later.
Though nightmares had plagued his sleep, Gage still felt better when he got up at eight that morning. He could hear noises downstairs and reached for the gun in his nightstand, then Vince’s laugh filtered up to him and he relaxed. If Vince was there, everything was fine.
Gage was hit by the memory of his mom’s death the previous night and leaned back against the headboard, the pain in his chest stealing the breath from his lungs. Gasping a little at first, he forced himself to breathe in and out a few times as he pushed back the ache enough to function. He got out of bed to take a shower.
The Last Bride (DiCarlo Brides #6) Page 15
