by Lacey Wolfe
“No, my grandfather is in the hospital.”
Her heart sunk in her chest. “What happened?”
“He collapsed at work. The doctors are doing tests right now. Just please, go find Jarred.”
“I will. I’ll be there soon.”
Steven proceeded to tell her which hospital before getting off the phone. Grabbing her keys and purse, address book in hand, she left quickly. Once she was in her car, she typed Jarred’s address into the GPS, and it said she’d be there within ten minutes.
On the drive over, she worried about Jasper. He was such a kind, loving, and funny man. Hopefully, whatever happened wasn’t serious. Her GPS directed her to take the next right and she saw it was going to lead her into a small condo community. The eighth mailbox down, she pulled into the short driveway.
After she was out of the car, she climbed the front steps and rang the doorbell. The door opened and Darcy was faced with a familiar redhead. Was that Terry?
“Hi. Is Jarred here?” Darcy asked, pretending as though she had no idea who the woman was.
“He’s a little busy at the moment,” Terry purred.
“Well, he needs to get unbusy. His grandfather is in the hospital.”
Terry stepped back and called out to Jarred. Terry’s eyes filled with tears as she told Jarred the news from the doorway. He rushed to the door.
“Is he okay?” he asked, out of breath.
“I don’t have the details yet. Steven said he tried to call you and couldn’t reach you. So, I came to see if you were home.”
Terry hugged Jarred and Darcy found herself feeling very confused. Wasn’t Terry Steven’s ex? Why was she there with Jarred?
She pushed the thoughts aside. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. “I’m headed to the hospital now. He’s at Memorial.”
“We’ll be right behind you,” Jarred said.
Darcy made her way down the steps and back to her car. As she drove to the hospital, she wondered how to bring this up to Steven. Would he be mad? Darcy pushed her foot down on the pedal, she had to get to the hospital, not only to make sure Jasper was okay, but to make sure Steven was too.
Chapter 18
Steven sat in the cold metal chair, waiting for news. They’d been in a business meeting. His grandfather had stood before everyone talking, when all of a sudden, he’d grabbed the chair in front of him. Two co-workers were there in an instant, catching his grandfather as he lost consciousness. The horrible image kept playing through Steven’s head.
And now he had to sit there and wait. His father was down the hall, pleading with the nurses for any answers, but they said they couldn’t confirm anything yet. What did they have to confirm?
“Steven.”
He turned and saw Darcy walking rapidly down the long, white hallway toward him. He stood and went to her. She practically slammed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He lay his head on top of hers and inhaled her intoxicating fruit smell. The comfort of being in her arms made him feel better instantly.
After a few moments, he pulled away. He went back over to where he’d been seated and she followed.
“Any idea what happened?” she asked.
“Still waiting. Did you find Jarred?”
She nodded and a look washed over her face. He was about to ask if she was okay, but then he saw his brother and Terry coming their way. Why was she there? He looked back at Darcy who was trying to avoid eye contact with all of them. She was probably just as confused as he was about Terry and Jarred being together. He’d never told her about it because he didn’t see the point. Now, he wished he had.
“How is Grandfather?” Jarred asked.
“Still waiting for news.”
“What happened?” Terry asked.
“We were in a meeting and he collapsed.”
“Was it his heart?” Terry spoke again.
“He didn’t clutch at his heart.” Steven thought back. Never once had his grandfather reached for his chest.
“We’ll all have answers soon,” Darcy said.
And soon it was. His father was following a doctor their way. His father didn’t look as upset as he had when they got there. Hopefully that meant they weren’t getting bad news.
Steven stood and braced himself for whatever was to come.
“I’m Dr. Collins, and I’ve been treating Mr. McDonald. While it’s alarming when someone collapses, especially at his age, I can tell you it was nothing serious—this time. Mr. McDonald was dehydrated. He admitted he forgot to eat or drink this morning. He’s lucky he didn’t hit his head or break anything when he fell, but for now, he’s going to be fine. However, we’re going to hold him overnight for observation, mainly due to his age.”
Dehydrated? All of that because he hadn’t eaten or drank? How could he forget such a thing?
“So, you’re telling me he’s going to be okay?” Steven asked.
The doctor nodded. “It isn’t that dehydration isn’t serious, it is, especially at his age, but it wasn’t a heart attack or stroke. He’s in room 226 if you’d like to go in.” The doctor excused himself and left.
“I’d like to see him,” Steven said.
“You go ahead, son. You and Darcy. I know how scary it was for you. I’m going to talk to your brother a minute,” his father said.
Steven tugged on Darcy’s hand and led her down the hallway to room 226. As they entered the room, Steven heard his grandfather talking. A nurse was seated at the end of his bed, laughing. When they noticed Steven and Darcy, she stood up.
“You have one funny grandfather.” She left the room, still chuckling.
Steven smiled. She was right, and he was damn lucky to have him. “Hey, Grandfather. How are you feeling?”
“Better if I could go home, but they say I have to stay.”
“Free food,” Darcy chimed in.
His grandfather chuckled. “Oh yeah, best I ever had. Hey, think you could get me some more of that soda you two had?”
“I don’t think you need soda right now,” Steven said.
His grandfather crossed his arms. “I’m fine, nothing to worry about.”
“This is serious. How could you forget to eat or drink?” Was he even able to live alone anymore? Why had they let this get this far?
“Steven, not now,” Darcy said with kindness in her voice. “He needs his rest, not you getting onto him.”
He gazed at her and nodded. She was right. He wanted to demand answers but all his grandfather really needed was love and rest. Walking over, he hugged him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I love you. Get some rest. I think Dad’s waiting to come in.”
“All right, I will. Love you both.”
Steven took Darcy’s hand and they left the room. Jarred and his father were standing outside, ready to go in. He told his father he’d call him. Right now he wanted to get out of there. He wished he could go straight home to be with Darcy, but he needed to at least stop by work and let everyone know that his grandfather was okay.
As they headed toward the entrance, Terry appeared. “Jasper okay?” she asked.
“He’s going to be.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“If you’ll excuse us, we have to be on our way.” He didn’t wait for a response, just tugged Darcy along until they were out of the building.
When they reached Darcy’s car, they stood there silently. He could tell she was waiting on him to speak, but he didn’t have it in him. He was at a loss. At the moment he wasn’t sure how he felt. Relief that his grandfather was okay, but at the same time, it’d been a wake-up call.
“Are you okay, Steven?” she asked, looking at him with concern.
He nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’s been a hell of a day. I’m so glad it wasn’t anything serious.”
Darcy rubbed his arm and smiled. “Come on home. We can watch a movie and simply relax.”
“I wish I could. I need to go into the office and let everyone know my grandfather is okay.”
> Her fingers intertwined with his. “A phone call will work just as well. Come on, they can’t expect you to come back after what happened.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He squeezed her hand. “I can grab a pizza on the way home.”
“How about I get the pizza and you just go home?”
He pulled her to him, needing to feel her body against his. It had been a few days since they’d been together. He missed the feel of Darcy. “Deal.” Leaning forward, he kissed her, letting his lips linger on hers.
He had hoped for the kiss to intensify, but she pulled away much too quickly. “I’ll see you at home.”
Darcy opened her car door and climbed in. After he shut the door for her, he waved and then jogged across the parking lot to find his truck. Once he was inside his vehicle, he sat there with his head on the steering wheel. He took a few moments to pull himself together then picked up his phone to call work. Darcy was right, he didn’t need to go in. In fact, he wasn’t sure he even had the strength to drive home.
* * * *
Darcy finished her pizza and then put the paper plate in the trash. She placed the pizza box in the oven and grabbed her drink and headed into the living room. When she’d arrived home, Steven had been passed out on the couch. She ate alone in the kitchen, and now debated on whether to watch TV out there on the giant TV, or disappear into her room.
She didn’t want to disturb Steven, so she chose the latter. Placing her cup on the nightstand, she found the remote in the drawer and turned the TV on. She flipped through the channels until she landed on a reality show.
“Darcy.” Steven walked into her room, pizza in hand, about twenty minutes after she’d started to watch TV. “Sorry I fell asleep.” He sat down on the bed.
“It’s no problem. You needed your rest.”
“I really did. I’m feeling much better now.”
Darcy patted the spot next to her. “Come on and take a seat a little closer. Promise I won’t bite.”
He grinned, showing his adorable dimple. After he was seated next to her, she wondered if she should change the channel to something he’d like as well. But as the actress caught her attention, she decided after this one, then she’d find something else.
Once the show was over, she turned the volume down and looked over at him. “Something is bothering me.”
“What?” he asked.
“I’m new to your life and family, but when I went to Jarred’s today, Terry was there. And I was shocked, seeing as she’s your ex. I planned on telling you, but when they showed up at the hospital together, you didn’t seem at all surprised. Am I missing something?”
After he took the last bite of his pizza, he said, “I just found out about it myself, and I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was something you needed to know about.”
She didn’t need to know? Darcy hated the idea that he was keeping things from her. Sure, this wasn’t a real relationship, but it sure as hell felt like it was. And to realize how much it wasn’t…well, that sucked. “I guess you had no reason to share that, since it’s personal and all.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean, it didn’t seem important at the time.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t like it and I’m worried it comes across as though I’m still hung up on Terry. I’m not, but I don’t understand why my brother is seeing her.”
“Look, you don’t owe me an explanation.”
Steven reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, I do. And I should have told you about them and the possibility of running into her since they are seeing one another. I’m sure having an ex of mine around isn’t a pleasant experience for you.”
Terry was a stunning woman with a perfect body. Seeing her time and time again did nothing for Darcy’s self-esteem and constantly reminded her that she didn’t have a real chance in hell with Steven.
“I think I’m still trying to wrap my head around it as well,” he said.
“Yeah, guess that is a little weird, your brother with your leftovers.”
Steven laughed and she joined him. He then rolled on top of her, pushing her legs apart so he could settle between them. Darcy was more than ready to kiss him and was pleasantly surprised when he instead tickled her.
“Oh God.” She laughed as she tried her best to wiggle out from under him.
“You’re not going anywhere.” He held her tighter as his free hand tickled her sides.
In between giggles, she managed to get out, “Okay, okay, stop!”
When the tickling finally ended, she breathed heavily to catch her breath. But she didn’t mistaken the feel of his hard cock pressing against her inner thigh. As she took a few more deep breaths, her gaze traveled to his and she saw his eyes were almost black. Licking her lips, she reached out and wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling his lips to hers.
She sighed at how much pleasure coursed through her just from a simple kiss. His mouth trailed down her neck and she took that time to start pulling at his shirt. Once she had it off, she tossed it across the room and rubbed her hands along his bare chest. As her fingers went further south, Darcy knew exactly what she wanted to do for him.
She fiddled with his belt and the button of his pants before she was finally able to push his jeans down his hips. Steven helped her as he kicked his pants and boxers off. He was completely naked and she was fully dressed. This was new, and she liked the control.
She winked at him and then shoved him so he landed on his back. She climbed on him, straddling his waist.
“I want you to lay back and relax,” she said.
“Relax? Isn’t that quite the opposite of what we’re about to do?”
Darcy smiled at him. “You’re not going to be doing anything, except lay there and enjoy.”
His eyes lit up when he realized what she was talking about. “Oh, Darcy, you don’t have to.”
She placed a finger over his lips. “Believe me, I want to. I want to very badly.”
Before he had a moment to protest again, she kissed her way down his chest, enjoying the feel of his hard body under her. When she finally reached the area she was looking most forward to spending some time with, she stole a glimpse of him. His eyes were closed and his hands were behind his head.
Darcy opened her lips wide and then slid him into her mouth as far as she could, letting her tongue glide up and down as well. Steven let out a loud moan, and she grinned. This was going to be enjoyable for each of them.
* * * *
Steven was up and out the door the next morning before the sun rose. He had a few things to get done at the office before he would pick up his grandfather and take him back to his parents’ house. He’d be staying there temporarily, and against his will, but the whole family had agreed it was what was best for him. Even though he was going to make their lives a living hell.
Scrolling through his emails, Steven saw nothing that needed his attention right that second. He then checked the email account he had set up for the ad in the paper. He needed to deactivate that account. Even though the ad was no longer running, the email was still getting flooded. For kicks, he scrolled through and read some of them. Most of the times the emails were from women who wanted a whole lot more than a fake sham, and then he’d get hate email from women who said he was a disgusting pig. With the mouse cursor, he went into settings and found where he could close out the account. A screen popped up with the message Are you sure you want to delete this account? This action is final. Steven clicked yes and closed out the browser.
There was a knock on his office door. His secretary hadn’t said he had a meeting. He pushed his chair out and went to open the door only to find Terry standing there. She strutted into his office, full of confidence.
“What do you want?” he asked with irritation.
“How is Jasper?”
He sat back down at his desk. “Ask Jarred.”
She grinned at him and took a seat on the corner of his desk. “I’m asking you.”
Steven pushed his chair back to get some distance from her. Terry’s perfume was strong, and she wanted something. “Why are you really here?”
“I want you back.”
“Oh yeah, after you slept with my brother. I don’t think so.” He rolled his eyes.
“I think you’ll dump little Miss Girl Next Door and come back to me.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because I know what you’re really up to.”
He raised an eyebrow. She couldn’t know, could she? He’d been very careful when he put this whole plan into motion. Not a soul knew, except for Kyle and Ryan, and there was no way they’d betray him. “And what am I up to?”
“You’re only with Darcy so you can get the company.”
He took a deep breath and pried a little more to make sure his secret wasn’t about to be exposed. “Why would you think that?”
“Because she looks too homey. Jarred said you two went to high school together and that she was a dork.”
“Did he also tell you that Darcy and I bumped into one another at the grocery store?”
“I don’t buy it.”
“And you don’t have to. My relationship with Darcy is between her and me. It has nothing to do with you, Jarred, or anyone else.”
Terry crossed her arms. “I would’ve married you so you could get the company. I know how important this place is to you, and that’s exactly why I think this is a set-up.”
Steven could feel his blood boiling. “I don’t have time to discuss this with you and I have no reason to convince you. We. Are. Over. Enjoy my brother, perhaps he will finally give you the McDonald name.”
Terry hopped off his desk, her face now matching the color of her hair. “I can’t believe I ever loved you, Steven!”
He laughed. “Love? That was never in the equation between us. Now, I have work to do. There’s the door, see yourself out.”
Terry marched toward the door and then swung around and glared at him. “You’ll be sorry.”
She slammed the door as she left. Steven leaned back in his chair and gazed up at the ceiling. He needed to get his work done and get out of there. He was in no mood to be there and his ex had just ruined his day.
