Broken Ties (The Healing Series Book 5)

by Kelly Seibold

  She was breathing hard, her panties were soaked, and she was five seconds from coming without him even touching her. He leaned forward and, with his hands, rubbed her breasts and stomach, spreading his cum all over. Her hips jerked slightly on a moan.

  His hands slid down her stomach and into her panties. "You're so wet," he whispered as he stroked her clit, her hips jerked, and she came with a scream of his name.

  *******

  After returning to her room at the facility and taking a shower, Stephanie was flipping through the TV channels as she munched on some French fries. Layla dropped off some ibuprofen and yes, okay, her orgasms with her body tensing didn't stop her from hurting, but if she was going to be in pain, she might as well hurt doing something she loved.

  On the other hand, Jake would be upset if he knew he had contributed to her pain in any way. Her cheeks heated just thinking about earlier, and when Elizabeth entered the room, she was blushing.

  She checked her vitals. "What are you thinking about? You are flushed."

  "Jake."

  "Yeah? I hope he's careful with you. You aren't cleared for another two weeks."

  "I know. We haven't had sex."

  "But you're hurting right now, aren't you?" She wasn't going to answer her. "Oh my word, Stephanie, you don't want him to know."

  "He would be so upset. Please, don't tell him."

  "I know," Elizabeth sighed. "I heard him talk about someone named Annie for years. Years! I didn't realize that was you until later. I think he's been in love with you forever."

  "Really?"

  "Absolutely, but I think you need to tell him you're hurting a little."

  "He is careful with me," she defended him.

  "I have no doubt. Call us if you need anything. It's starting to snow outside, so I'm sure people will be calling out soon, but Jake has that new girl, and the HR guy just showed up as well."

  "He needs sleep."

  "I tried to get him to go to his grandfather's or even my new house, but he hardly ever leaves here. Well, lately, he's left with you. I think you're good for him."

  "Thanks."

  "Yep. Talk to ya later," she said and went out the door.

  Stephanie stuffed one more fry in her mouth before turning back to the TV. She couldn't see out the window very well and wanted to see it snow. Jake promised to take her outside to see, but he had meetings all day, and now with his employees calling out, he'd probably be covering for someone. Knowing him, he'd want to see his parents, who were spending the day with her parents.

  She was handling this adoption all wrong. She tried to think of what advice she'd give a patient of hers with the same problem. She knew it wouldn't be avoiding them as she had been. She might even suggest a mediator.

  The door opened, and Jake strolled in with a smile on his face, but he did look tired. He shot her a look and grin that had her heart speeding up in her chest. "I came to tell you goodnight. I took something, and it's going to be a long day tomorrow, and I need to go if the roads are clear to see if I can help Mom and Dad."

  "Okay, I wish you weren't staying here. You need a bed, not the couch in your office."

  "I haven't had the chance to look for a place. I'm hiring a new chief of staff soon, so I won't have to be here as often. How about you? Are you okay tonight?"

  She thought back to what Elizabeth had said about telling him she was in pain, and made a snap decision. "Um, my hips and lower back are hurting...from earlier. I think." She watched his face fall and immediately regretted telling him. "I shouldn't have said anything."

  "I'm so sorry," he said as he sat on the edge of her bed and grabbed her hands. "I want you so much," he confessed. "And I'm having trouble keeping my hands off you."

  "I want you too."

  "Maybe we should. I mean, maybe I should be hands-off until you're cleared."

  "I'll probably hurt then too. Does that mean we can't make love? Jake, there is a possibility I will hurt for the rest of my life, and I don't want that to hinder me from getting you. From having you. All of you. Haven't I waited long enough?" A tear broke free from under her eyelash, and he cupped her face and stared into her eyes.

  "I will never make you wait again. I will work so hard to be the man you deserve, and if I could redo what happened that day, I would have run to you instead of away from you."

  "I have always loved you," she whispered. "Time didn't make that go away."

  "If I had known that, I'd have protected your heart from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I'm sorry I threw it away."

  "You broke it."

  "Let me put it back together again."

  "You already have."

  He softly touched his lips to hers and pulled back slightly. "In case I haven't mentioned it, I love you so damn much."

  She burst into tears as her dreams came true, and he gathered her to his chest.

  Chapter 22

  Jake walked up to his parents' new apartment. The snow had slacked off just a bit but was due to start back up tonight. He had promised Stephanie a walk in the snow, and that was happening later. The U-Haul had left already, but a car he assumed was Marlon and Cheryl's sat beside his parents' vehicle.

  He had never bothered knocking at his parents' house before, so why start now? "Where does this go?" Cheryl was asking Gloria as he came through the door. "The other boxes are marked, but this one's not."

  "Put it on the kitchen counter. That's where all the other unmarked boxes are. I bet Mike didn't mark his stuff as I asked."

  "I heard that, honey," Michael said from the living room. And Jake was glad that he was indeed parked in front of his giant screen. He was covered in a blanket, drinking out of a mug. His dad didn't like coffee, so it was probably hot chocolate.

  "Oh! Hi, Jake!" his mom said and engulfed him in a hug. "The moving truck left already."

  "It's okay, Mom. I don't want to move twice, to here and when I find a place."

  "What about Stephanie?"

  He glanced at Cheryl, who was staring at him. "What about her?" Jake asked his mother.

  "I thought you'd maybe want to move in together or something."

  "I have to fix her house a little bit. I think she's going to start using crutches soon, but she still needs a chair sometimes. Her house isn't wheelchair accessible."

  He looked at Cheryl, who had moved closer to him. "She's going to walk on crutches?" Goodness, she looked close to tears.

  "I think so. She's pushing her physical therapist to start this week, but I'm not sure he's going to let her."

  "Is it true you're dating her?"

  Jake smiled. "Yes."

  "It's about time," Cheryl said. "Has she been okay?"

  "Mrs. Waterford, I mean Cheryl. She loves you so much. You know that, right? She's dealing with so much, she was blindsided, and she's angry."

  Cheryl nodded. "Your parents know, I told them this morning, so if there is anything else you want to tell me, you can."

  Jake wasn't sure what he could say. He didn't want Stephanie mad at him, but Cheryl looked desperate for information.

  "We met her biological mother."

  If possible, Cheryl got paler. Marlon walked up behind her and grabbed her by the waist.

  "She has a younger brother who she adores. He came to the facility, and they had lunch."

  "How-how was she?"

  "She was very nice. Her husband was nice as well. Listen, Cheryl, I think you should talk to Stephanie about this."

  "How can I? She took me off the visitation list and hasn’t returned my texts or calls or her father's. Does she even see me like that anymore?"

  "Of course she does."

  "I didn't let her see Emily because she'd been in juvie, and I..."

  Jake held up his hand. He was taught not to interrupt someone older than him, but he had to stop the path of her thoughts. "Look, did you ask Emily why?"

  "No."

  "Okay, it's not my place, but Stephanie knows, and you need to talk to your daught
er. I'll talk to her about it, but I think she's close to talking to you."

  "Thanks, and I'm glad she has you. She's always liked you."

  "Yeah. I am learning that everyone knew this but me."

  That caused a small smile out of Cheryl, and Marlon winked at her before walking back to the living room where Jake's dad sat observing.

  "Mom, how about a tour? I can stay and help for a couple of hours before I have to go."

  After the tour and helping to put away and break down some boxes, Jake was on his way back to work. He had another meeting at six, and then he was taking Stephanie outside to look at the snow.

  ********

  Layla handed her a beanie. "Put this on. Jake should be here shortly. He said to have you ready and make sure you are wrapped up accordingly. Do you need anything else?"

  Stephanie shook her head.

  Jake stepped in the door. "Ready, baby?"

  "Yeah." She grinned. "I freaking love snow! Let's do this!"

  "Your chariot awaits," he said as he held her chair for her, and she got herself situated. He rolled her out into the hallway.

  They made it out the sliding doors just as two of the janitors finished clearing a path for her wheelchair. They gave Jake high-fives as they passed with their shovels.

  "This is wonderful!" she exclaimed as she tilted her head back and breathed in the fresh air. She closed her eyes as the white, fluffy snowflakes hit her in the face. "Thank you, Jake."

  "You're wonderful, and I will work very hard every day to have that smile permanently on your face."

  "Why are you frowning, then?"

  "I saw your parents today. Your mom is not doing well."

  "What do you mean?"

  "She's sad. I don't know what else to say, but I think you need to talk to them."

  "I know I do," she said softly.

  "So, what's holding you back?"

  Stephanie held out her tongue, caught a snowflake, and smirked a little before it fell off her face as soon as it appeared. "I want to be able to walk, I want to move home, but I don't want my parents living there, and I can't kick them out, so I really don't know what to do."

  "Sorry."

  "Yep, and I really don't like the fact that you sleep here."

  "It's all right. I'm close to you."

  "Why—well."

  "What?"

  "You could move in with me. I mean when I get out of here, and my house is empty." She wiped her gloved hands on her pant legs. Why was she so nervous? And the quieter he was, the more anxious she became. "Forget it. It was stupid," she mumbled.

  "Wait, no. I'm sorry. It's not stupid. I was just thinking about taking Jace and Damon off the kitchen and having them fix up your house to help you on days you need your chair."

  "Oh."

  "Yeah, but they need to finish the kitchen. I'm sure the staff is tired of getting everything from the hospital. They were working on it today. I checked on them earlier. I didn't see Dylan," he added sadly.

  "I need to check on Sam." She rubbed her hands together. The temperature had dropped since they’d come out, and the cleared path was beginning to cover back up. "As much as I love it out here, my back will lock up if I stay outside."

  Jake didn't say anything, just rolled her back inside and into her room. She shook out her beanie, took off her gloves, and took off her jacket while he paced back and forth a few times.

  "Jacob. What's the matter?"

  "Are your parents moving here, or were they just here until you got settled?"

  "I don't know the answer to that. Why? What are you thinking?"

  "They know you want to move back home; I might have told them, and my mom asked if we were moving in together."

  "She did?"

  "Yes, so maybe they'll start looking for a new place, and we don't have to make that conversation awkward."

  "What conversation?"

  "The one where I tell them to move out ASAP because I want you alone!"

  "All alone?"

  "Well, sure we can have visitors..." His voice trailed off.

  "I'm teasing you," she laughed and sent him a glorious smile that lit her up from the inside out.

  "I'm so in love with you right now."

  If possible, her smile grew as her eyes got misty. "That's good," she replied lamely.

  Elizabeth took that moment to enter the room with Stephanie's dinner. She nodded at Jake, placed the tray on the table, and retrieved a drink from her fridge. Stephanie's phone rang sitting on the table. "Will you hand that to me?" Stephanie asked her.

  "Yeah." Elizabeth grabbed the phone, and Stephanie saw her brow furrow. "Here you go." She forced a smile. "I'll see you guys later." She turned quickly, and power walked out the door.

  Stephanie swiped the screen and held it to her ear. "Hey, Matt."

  Jake narrowed her eyes at her while Stephanie winked at him.

  "Okay, see you tomorrow." She took the phone away from her ear and opened her mouth, but Jake cut her off.

  "Okay, that was odd. She acted weird when she noticed who was calling."

  "SEE!" Stephanie threw up her hands.

  "I'll pay more attention."

  "Good, be discreet!"

  "Yes, boss."

  Stephanie giggled.

  "What did he want anyway?"

  "Therapy at nine. We are going to try to do it three times this week, and I will beat him with my chair if he doesn't let me try crutches tomorrow!" She stood by herself and got on the bed. "Have you eaten, Jacob?"

  "No. I'll get something later. Do you mind if I take a pill and sleep in the recliner?"

  "I want you in a bed."

  He wiggled his eyebrows.

  "That's not what I meant, you dork. Help me with my shoes."

  He dutifully did what she told him and turned when the door crashed open. Sam stood there, shivering, looking shell-shocked.

  "Samantha!"

  Jake left the end of the bed, grabbed Sam by the arm, and gently pulled her into the room. He grabbed a blanket someone had folded on the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before gently leading her to the recliner and making her sit.

  "Samantha. Hey, babe. What's going on?" Her eyes weren't focused, and her fingers were still as she stared out into space. "Jake, help me to her."

  Jake lifted her, put her in her chair, and pushed her close to Sam. Stephanie grabbed her hands, and Sam finally focused on Stephanie's face. "Hi," she said softly. "What's going on, babe?"

  "Dylan," she whispered.

  "What happened?"

  "He fell."

  "Where is he?"

  "Hospital."

  "I'll check," Jake said and ran from the room.

  "What happened?"

  Sam's eyes drifted to the door. Stephanie needed to get her to focus, so she tapped a beat on the top of her hand, and Sam's gaze swung to their hands. Stephanie counted a rhythm out loud until Sam's eyes returned to Stephanie's face.

  "What happened?"

  "He-he's been upset with Drew." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "And we sent Drew to stay with Steve's parents because we are having trouble dealing. I don't know if that was the right thing to do or not." She took a deep breath and began to tap on Stephanie's hand. "Well, Dylan thought he would show Drew how much he loves him by remodeling his treehouse that he can't even get Drew to play in."

  "That sounds like a solid plan."

  "But Dylan was trying to get it done before Drew got home today, and he slipped on some ice on the ladder."

  "Where is Drew?"

  "They didn't bring him home. They didn't want to drive in the snow."

  "So, he doesn't know."

  Sam shook her head.

  "How's Dylan?"

  "Asleep."

  "How badly was he hurt?"

  "I zoned out. I-I'm not sure. I left him. I need to get back."

  "No, Jake will find all that out. You need to sit here and relax."

  "I have to do something."

&nbs
p; "Was he conscious?"

  "Yes. Briefly. He talked to me before they gave him something, and now he's asleep. That's what they said, I think. What if he wakes up, and I'm not there?"

  "It will be fine. I need you to sit here. And Dylan needs you to be calm for him."

  Sam's hand stopped her tapping and moved over her stomach. Her head dropped as more tears leaked and ran over her cheeks. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm pregnant," she admitted softly.

  Stephanie smiled. "Congratulations."

  "I haven't told anyone."

  "Not even Dylan?"

  "No. I wanted it to be special when I told him, but I'm afraid it will push Drew over the edge if he's not there already."

  "I think Drew needs to talk to someone." She waited for Sam to look at her again before speaking, "I know some great therapists who specialize with children."

  "He's so angry all the time."

  "I'm sorry you are going through this."

  "I'm supposed to call people. I don't know who I'm supposed to call. I need to call his dad."

  Jake returned with Leslie in tow. Stephanie rolled back, and Sam stood on shaky legs. Leslie took a few steps and wrapped her up in her arms before she could fall, and she sobbed, "I need to call Jack and my parents."

  "Jace and Damon are taking care of it. Relax."

  "He might wake up."

  "He won't for a while."

  "Daisy!"

  "Jace has her."

  "He grounds me," she whispered in Leslie's ear.

  "I know."

  Jake grabbed the blanket and urged Sam to sit back down. Leslie stepped back and held Sam's hand while Jake kneeled in front of Sam so he was eye level with her. "Listen. I talked to the doctor on call. Dylan is going to be all right, but he is under sedation because he is in pain, so you can sit here, relax, take a nap if you want, and don't worry about him waking up while you aren't there."

  "Thank you."

  "You're welcome. Now." He stood and looked at Stephanie. "Annie, are you ready to get back in bed?"

  "Yeah."

  He rolled her over to the side of the bed before lifting her and tucking her back in. He placed her hair behind her ear before kissing her on the lips. "I'll rustle up some chairs. Hang tight, people."