by Layla Hagen
Val was calling.
“Hello, Val.”
“Hi, Paige. Don’t panic. Will just called me. They’re taking him to the hospital. He said he tried to call you too, but you didn’t answer.”
“Oh my God. What happened?”
“He and his partner were in a chase. Some glass panel broke and they got injured. I don’t have a lot of details, just that they’re going to do some surgery.” Val’s voice shook. “Can you meet me there? I’ll text you the address.”
“Yes. Yes. I’m... on my way.”
I couldn’t breathe. I felt as though I was running in a fog as I crossed the city in the back of a cab. I was in no condition to drive. We drove straight into a traffic nightmare on La Cienega Boulevard, and it took almost three hours to reach the hospital. My phone’s battery died midway through the ordeal, so I wasn’t getting any updates from Val. What if I lost him? What if he.... No, I wouldn’t let myself even think it. I knew I wasn’t being rational. If he’d been in serious danger, he wouldn’t have called Val. The hospital or the police would have contacted next of kin. My emotions were taking over though, and I couldn’t fight them. I even cried a little.
When we finally, finally pulled in front of the damned hospital, I knocked over three people on my way to the floor where Val was waiting. I wiped my face clean, but knew my eyes were swollen, so there would be no hiding.
Val took one look at my face, then pulled me in a hug. “Oh, Paige. Come here. Calm down, please. You didn’t get my texts?”
“Phone battery died.”
“Surgery didn’t last long. Come on, let’s go see him.”
I felt like my bones might liquefy, that’s how relieved I was. Val led me to Will’s room, and I wasn’t surprised at all to see that Jace and Hailey were with him. I knew that Landon and Lori were in Hawaii with their spouses and little ones, or I was sure they’d be rallying around him as well.
His right arm was bandaged from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers, but other than that, he looked like himself.
“Paige,” Will said brightly.
Jace shook his head. “I worked a good fifteen minutes to cheer him up, and nothing. You’re here, and look at him. I’m losing my touch.”
“Yeah, me too,” Hailey said.
Val clapped her hands once. “Okay, both of you out before you give him a headache.”
Jace and Hailey exchanged a glance, but it was Hailey who spoke next. “She still thinks she can boss us around.”
The three of them left, but not before Val affectionately ruffled his hair as if Will was a kid. He grinned at his sister, then held his good arm out for me. I climbed right in next to him on the bed, and to my embarrassment, started crying again—this time out of pure relief.
Will looked stricken. “Paige, I’m okay. A glass panel crashed onto us, but I only had shards in my right arm. They managed to take them all out.”
“I was so scared,” I admitted, scrambling to pull myself together. “I didn’t know what had happened, if you were okay. I didn’t know for three hours. It was hell.”
I was sitting right next to him, and then I lay down, hiding in the crook of his good arm until my sobs subsided.
Will held me to him, whispering soothingly, and I felt more than a little ashamed that he was the one hospitalized, yet I was crying.
“I’m done now, I promise,” I said, sitting up on an elbow so I could look at him. “Are you comfortable? Do you need another pillow? Something to drink?”
“I’m fine, Paige. I’m going to have to take a leave of absence from work. A few weeks at least.”
“Are you telling me that you’ll be mine to pamper twenty-four hours a day?” I was glad for a chance to lighten things up.
“That’s right.”
“I’ll make you soup and stuff.”
“No, thanks.”
I glared at him. “You’re in a hospital bed. How can you be mean even now? Besides, when you’re sick, soup is good for you.”
He was getting groggy, but he still managed to wink. “Other things are good for me too. Things at which you’re very talented.”
I gave him a kiss, which was meant to be soft and quick, but then Will’s good hand went to the back of my head and he deepened the kiss before pulling me under him. Typical Will. He took over no matter what.
He fell asleep a short while later, courtesy of the pain meds. When I left his room, I was surprised to find that Val, Jace, and Hailey were still there.
“He’s asleep,” I told them.
“We wanted to talk to you,” Val said. “About his care for the next weeks—”
“I’ve got it covered,” I assured them. “I’ve been living with him anyway.”
Jace grinned big, nudging Hailey. “Told you.”
Hailey took a phone out of her bag. “I’m going to call Landon. He was already talking about hiring a nurse. I’ll convince him not to come back from the vacation, though knowing him, he’s probably on a plane already.”
Jace pondered this. “Don’t call Landon, call Lori. Have her make those puppy eyes at Landon and ask that they don’t come back from Hawaii. The puppy eyes work.”
Everyone stared at Jace. He shrugged. “What? They work on me.”
Val gave him a thumbs-up. Hailey whistled cheerfully. “Finally you admit it, brother. And your strategy just might work. I’m going to call Lori.”
Hailey stepped a few feet away, phone at her ear.
“But look, if you do want help at some point, call me at any time, okay? I’m actually getting better at working remotely, so I can stop by,” Val said.
“Val, you’re worse than Landon sometimes.” Jace patted my shoulder. “Paige here said she can handle it. Stop micromanaging everything.”
Val gave him the stink eye. “Okay, I’ll try. But just so you know, Will can get grouchy when he’s sick. Like, very grouchy.”
Her mother hen tendencies were adorable. She projected an inner warmth and quiet strength that made me feel at ease, even though I suspected she was just good at not letting her turmoil show. She was so different from Hailey, who was boisterous and currently talking to Lori on the phone. I could see why she was good at managing PR crises.
“I’ll let you know, Val,” I assured her. Jace groaned. He seemed blasé, but he kept massaging the back of his neck, as if he’d spent the past hours in a state of constant tension.
“Please don’t. That’ll just fuel her micromanaging tendencies. If my brother does try to impersonate the Grinch, let me know, future sister-in-law.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I grinned. I really liked Jace.
Chapter Thirty
Paige
Will was discharged two days later, and he was an excellent patient... in the beginning.
There were moments when he looked at me as if fearing I might burst into tears at any moment, and I regretted crying in front of him at the hospital. After a few days, grumpy Will made his appearance. Not being able to use his arm wasn’t helping with the grumpiness in the slightest. I tried cheering him up by using my trusty techniques of seduction, but they only seemed to work half the time. I thought that maybe Will needed some space, and I was being overbearing. It turned out I had some mother hen instincts myself, as my repeated attempts to poison him with my soup showed.
But I couldn’t exactly give him space because I had to be at the inn daily, and Will came with me, even though I didn’t let him do any work. I’d set him up in the one bedroom that hadn’t been converted into a classroom yet, and had also brought a lounger outside in the yard so he could lie in the sun, but Will had a mind of his own. He rarely stayed put.
“Will, you’re still recovering,” I said one morning.
“I need to occupy my time.”
“You can entertain me. Start by removing some of those clothes. You don’t really need the shirt, do you?”
“Paige—”
I made the mistake of looking Will directly in the eyes, and the fire in his
dark gaze almost melted my resolve.
“Will, we have instructions from your doctor, and we are going to follow them.”
“Remember my view on rules?”
I cleared my throat. “These are not rules. They’re instructions. So sit outside on the lounger and do nothing. Except playing eye candy. If you’re so inclined, you can kick off your jeans too until the workers arrive.”
Will tilted his head, taking one step forward, and I almost felt my dress melting from the sheer heat and masculinity pouring off him. But I was saved by the bell... or in that case the electrician.
As days passed, though, Will’s mood didn’t improve, and I started wondering if the recovery was the only thing causing him distress.
“I’ve just booked someone to repaint my apartment so I can get my deposit back in full. My lease is up in one week,” I said one afternoon, after we’d returned to his apartment.
I had my back to Will, facing a mirror, and I saw his reflection. He was frowning. I felt the first stab of fear that afternoon, after which I started reading into every little thing, overanalyzing every reaction. Was he having second thoughts? Now that my lease was up and I was officially unemployed, maybe he wasn’t finding this whole thing appealing. Maybe he realized just how tied together we were and it wasn’t sitting well with him. I tried to neutralize those thoughts the second they popped up, but I wasn’t always successful.
I thought about talking about my concerns with him, but honestly, I was embarrassed. If they were unfounded, it would just be awkward. If they weren’t unfounded... well, I wasn’t sure I was equipped to handle the outcome, not with all the other changes occurring in my life at the moment. I was going to wait for Will to get better, and then I’d see if things changed.
One afternoon, Jace called.
“What’s up, almost sister-in-law?”
“Jace, don’t call me that.” But I grinned at his words nonetheless. “So, you and Val were right. Will isn’t... himself.”
“Well, that took longer than expected. I was betting with Landon that this might be the first time Will isn’t grouchy.”
“I thought Will was your betting partner,” I countered.
“I’m adaptable. So, listen. You remember my cousin Blake Bennett? He was at Lori’s wedding.”
“Hmmm, vaguely.”
“He co-owns some bars and restaurants with his sister Alice in San Francisco, and now they’ve franchised their business here too. He’s in town to oversee the opening of the first bar and wants to do a test run with the family on Saturday. Are you and Will up to it?”
“Oh, I think that’s a great idea. And he’s not on pain medication anymore so he can drink as well. I’ll ask him. What time should we be there?”
“Afternoon. I don’t know the exact hour yet, but I’ll text you.”
“Perfect.”
I briefly considered asking Jace to ask Will if two weeks of convalescence was the only thing bothering him, but then decided not to. I wasn’t that close to Jace.
***
Will
“Blake, you’ve certainly done well for yourself,” I said. We were in Blake and Alice’s first franchised bar. “I think I like it even more than the ones you have in San Francisco.”
“Location’s great,” Blake agreed. “If things work out here, we’re going to green light the opening of two more.”
The bar was on the rooftop of a five-story building, overlooking the beach. Paige and I had arrived early, along with Jace.
The three of us were perched on stools in front of the bar, and Blake was behind it. The rest of the family would be filtering in soon.
“Impressive,” Paige said. “You also own restaurants, right? Do you plan to franchise those as well?”
Blake nodded. “Yes, we do. Eventually. We actually wanted to start by franchising the restaurants, but quality control is more hassle, and profit margins are higher for bars, so we’ll stick to them for now. What can I get you to drink?”
Jace was studying the menu. “I’m usually not a cocktail kind of guy, but these look good.”
Paige propped an elbow on the bar and parked her chin in her palm. “Aren’t you supposed to stay away from sugary things during the season? Val wouldn’t give you dessert yesterday at dinner.”
“You’ve been around my sisters for too long,” Jace grumbled. “One drink won’t throw away my diet. But I’d better have it before the rest of the gang arrives. I can’t fight off everyone at the same time.”
Paige grinned. “I can still tell on you.”
Jace turned to me. “Will you have my back at some point?”
By way of answering, I drew my chair closer to Paige’s and kissed her bare shoulder. “Brother, I’m protecting my own interests. I’m with Paige on this one.”
She gave me a warm smile, looking at me with those soulful eyes. I’d felt a change in her over the past few days, a reticence that hadn’t been there before, and I couldn’t help thinking that she might be sensing my own turmoil. Ever since my accident, the idea that I might not be what Paige needed in her life wouldn’t leave me. Seeing her so hurt at the hospital gutted me. I’d watched her walk away from a job she loved to dedicate herself to a project that was dear to her, all with little hesitation, even though it was a big change. She’d been threatened with a knife that night at the restaurant, and she hadn’t even shed a tear. Paige was a strong, tough woman, and yet she’d been inconsolable at the hospital. I’d put her through that, and the thought did not sit well with me. I wasn’t sure what to do about it either.
“Blake, where is the ladies’ room?” Paige asked. My cousin gave her instructions, and she hopped off the chair, swinging those sinful hips as she crossed the bar.
As Blake prepared Jace’s drink, I noticed my brother was scrutinizing me.
“What crawled up your ass?” he asked.
I pointed at my arm, which was still bandaged. He didn’t buy it.
“No, it’s something else too. You haven’t tried to make even one lousy bet with me since you arrived, and you’ve almost been mute.”
“Just give him an hour,” Blake interjected. “We’ll get some cocktails into him. That’ll loosen his tongue.”
“So just because I don’t fight you for air time, it means something is wrong?” I would be annoyed if he wasn’t spot-on. In my family, nonverbal communication was more telling than actual words.
“Are things between you and Paige okay?” Jace went straight in for the kill. I wasn’t sure what to answer, but Jace picked up on my hesitation.
“They’re not,” he said. A statement, not a question.
Blake shoved a cocktail in front of Jace.
“Things have been off,” I said reluctantly. “I’m not sure this is the right thing—”
Blake cleared his throat. Jace turned in his seat and straightened as if he’d been electrocuted. I turned a second later. Shit. Paige had returned from the bathroom. And by the red color in her cheeks, she’d overheard at least part of the conversation.
“I’m going in the back to sort through some supplies that were delivered this morning,” Blake said smoothly.
“I’ll give you a hand,” my brother added. They went out quietly. Paige hadn’t moved. I walked over to her, despite the fact that she was shaking her head.
“Paige, I’m not sure what you heard.”
“Everything you told Jace.” Her voice was steely. “And I have to say, I always thought you’d have the guts to tell me to my face if something was wrong.”
I swallowed, searching for the right words. “Paige, there’s nothing wrong, per se... I just....”
I reached out a hand, but she stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. I pointed to the bandaged arm, trying to find the right words. The trouble was, I didn’t know what the right words were. I wanted Paige in my life more than I wanted anything else, but I felt guilty for having put her through a lot of worry. “At the hospital, you were so worried. That pain I saw on your face.
.. to know I caused it pains me. I’m afraid you’ll come to resent me for it.”
She dropped her hands by her sides. “I was scared. So what? It’s human. You said so yourself.”
Her walls were up. I saw it in the defensive stance, in the slight change in her pupils. I’d seen it countless times when people were brought in for questioning and they were putting on a poker face, hoping we wouldn’t see past it.
“Yes, it is human. You feel everything deeply, Paige. You love hard, you fight hard. And I’m afraid you’ll resent me, that you’ll come to think I’m not right for you,” I repeated, then shut my mouth.
I was making things worse. Absolutely worse. Paige crossed her arms again, averting her gaze. When I made to touch her shoulder, she pulled back yet again.
“I think all that pain medicine has affected your ability to think clearly. If you ever get your head out of your ass and decide to make sense again, come talk to me. I’ll be staying at the inn.” She rearranged the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Tell everyone else I had an emergency and I couldn’t stay.”
“Paige!”
She whirled on her heels, rushing out the front door of the bar. I recovered from my stunned stupor a few seconds later. What had I just done? Was I an idiot?
Judging by the fact that I was barely restraining myself from going after her, throwing her over my good shoulder, and bringing her back, the answer was a resounding yes. But I also wanted her to have no regrets. Right now every instinct told me to go after Paige, wrap my arms around her, and apologize for the fool I’d been, for hurting her. Somehow I managed to return to the counter, fighting my own instincts. Going after her right now was the worst thing I could do. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I’d upset her.
“Well, that was the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard,” Jace said.
I turned around. Blake and Jace and had just returned.
“You overheard us?”
Jace knocked against the wall separating the front area from the back. It sounded hollow.
