by Roma James
First, I had to make it back inside the building.
My hand connected with the door handle just as he tossed the gas can aside, the loud clang as it hit the pavement making me flinch as I fumbled to open the door wide enough to slip inside.
It only delayed me by a second at the most, but it was enough time for him to close the distance between us, grabbing my arm and twisting just as I stumbled backward into the open doorway.
“You’re not nearly as clever as you think you are, bitch,” he growled, making my eyes water as he held my arm up and twisted it some more. God, he was going to break it. He was really going to break my arm. “And neither are those dumb bikers you let fuck you. I gave you a chance to do the right thing, but you were too damn stubborn, weren’t you? And then they thought they could come after me?” He laughed and shook his head. “Too bad they didn’t realize I was already on my way over here to pay you a little visit. Too bad they won’t be here in time to keep this place from burning down around you.”
My eyes went wide and I swallowed hard. If I didn’t do something, I had no doubt he would make good on his threat. I’d seen the gas can with my own two eyes, after all. One lit match would send the whole place up in flames.
He reached for my other hand, but I was faster, pulling it back and then punching him as hard as I could, square in the nose. Pain exploded in my hand as blood sprayed out over me like a fountain. He dropped my other arm, and I winced as it fell to my side, limp and likely out of socket.
“You fucking bitch,” he roared, lunging at me.
This time, I wasn’t quick enough. I couldn’t move out of the way before his body connected with mine, sending both of us hurtling across the room and knocking the breath out of me as he slammed me up against the concrete wall.
A million white lights went off behind my eyes, and I felt something warm trickle down the back of my neck as I slid down the wall and landed in a heap.
He picked himself up and took a step back, waiting until I looked up at him before he spoke again. “I should have known you’d never learn. This could have ended differently for you, you know.” He shook his head, then shrugged, as if it was of no real consequence. “Oh, well.”
He kicked me in the ribs, hard, then laughed as a strangled cry escaped my lips. My whole body felt broken as I doubled over in pain.
The last thing I saw as my vision dimmed was his feet as he walked back toward the open door.
Then everything went dark.
The stench of smoke burned my nostrils, and I could hear yelling nearby, but I couldn’t make my eyes open. My head felt like it had been squeezed in a vice, and as soon as I tried to move, the sharp pain in my ribs made me whimper and go still again.
I need to open my eyes. I had to.
I concentrated on the voices, the shouting. I could hear Jaeger and Cody, then Garrick.
Where was Ty?
“Grace?” Ty’s voice cut through the fog in my head, as if he’d been conjured from my thoughts. “Grace? Are you in there? Can you hear me?”
I could tell he was close by the sound of his voice, but he wasn’t close enough.
“Over here,” I tried to say, but the words would only come out as a hoarse whisper. “Over here, Ty.”
There was no way he’d heard me.
Why couldn’t I just open my eyes? I needed to move. I needed to get Ty’s attention.
“Grace?” His voice was more distant now. He had gone past without seeing me slumped in the corner. “Grace, babe? Where are you?”
It hurt to breathe, hurt to even think, but I had to do something. I wiggled my fingers, the only parts of my body that still felt normal. I moved my hand around on the floor, slowly but insistently, trying to ignore the pain that kept me from standing, from even opening my eyes.
All I felt at first was cold tile, but I kept reaching, kept moving my hand until my fingers found something. Something plastic. A cylinder. A bottle of pills.
It rattled as I closed my hand around it.
“Grace?” Ty’s voice was coming closer again. This was the only chance I was going to get. “Grace… come on, Grace. Where are you, babe?”
I breathed in as deep as I could, my lungs filling with smoke and making me convulse in silent agony on the floor. I had to get past it, though. I had to.
Using reserves of strength I didn’t know I had, I lifted my arm and threw the bottle of pills as hard as I could, hearing it clatter against the wall before spilling out onto the floor.
Please let that be loud enough. Please let him hear.
Let him find me, God.
Please.
I felt my eyes finally open just enough to confirm what I already knew. The room was too dark, too full of smoke, and I was too far from the door to be seen.
“Grace, oh my God, oh shit. Help! Someone help!” Ty’s voice was loud. Too loud. Didn’t he know my head was killing me? “Grace, baby,” he said. “Grace, I’m here. Hold on for me babe. I’m gonna get you out of here.”
He was the only thing I could see as I opened my eyes again. He really was here. I wasn’t dreaming it. But God, my eyelids were heavy. I couldn’t keep them open.
More voices called out, called my name. More footsteps fell around me.
Then it all faded away again.
Later…
“Gracie.” My grandmother’s firm voice called my name as I felt her hand press gently against my cheek. “Gracie, open your eyes.”
Yes. That was what I needed to do. I needed to open my eyes.
But why was Nana here? Why was she in the clinic with me?
She needed to get out, to get to safety! Couldn’t she see that the place was on fire? Couldn’t she smell the smoke?”
“Gracie…” Her voice again. “Open your eyes, honey.”
I concentrated on her voice. I wanted to do what she was asking, but it was so hard. My head hurt so much.
Slowly, painfully, my eyelids fluttered open. How was it possible that even my eyelids hurt?
“Thank you, Jesus,” Cody’s voice murmured from behind her.
“Gracie, can you see me, honey?” Nana asked.
I opened my mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a wheezing sound. All I could do was try for a shallow nod and hope that would be enough.
“I’m here,” she said. “We’re all here with you, Gracie.”
“We’re all here,” Ty’s voice repeated what Nana had just said.
“You’re safe now,” Jaeger added.
It was still hard to keep my eyes open, but the more I tried, the more things came into focus. I had no idea where I was, but I knew I was flat on my back and could see daylight behind Nana.
Everyone was standing over me.
“Where am I?” I wanted to ask. “What happened? The animals! Are they okay?”
“They’re going to put you in the ambulance, babe,” Ty somehow answered the thoughts in my head.
Or maybe I’d actually asked that question out loud. I had no idea. I honestly didn’t know if any of this was real, or just some kind of bizarre dream.
But the pain… that was real. The smell of smoke in the air was too vivid to be part of any dream. Bits and pieces started to come back to me. How I hurt my head. How I was lying on the floor. How Ty had come to save me.
“Garrick…” I whispered. Or hoped I’d whispered. Maybe I’d just thought it inside my head again.
“They’re taking him to jail,” Cody said, stepping aside and pointing to something in the distance that could have been a police car. I was just going to have to take his word for it.
I struggled to take a breath, but God, it hurt so much. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep my eyes open again this time.
“It’s okay, Gracie,” Nana said, gently pushing my hair back away from my face. “Rest now. We’ll be here when you wake up.”
Yes. Rest seemed like a good idea. Nana always knew just what to do. I was lucky to have her in my life.
; I was lucky to have them all in my life.
Now that she had said it was okay, I let my eyes drift closed again.
I hoped she was right.
I hoped they were all still right here with me the next time I opened them.
“Nana?” I called out, my voice sounding quiet and strange to my own ears. “Ty?”
“We’re here,” Ty’s voice soothed my nerves a little as his warm hand slipped into mine.
“We’re all here,” Nana’s voice joined his.
Thank goodness. I opened my eyes, taking a moment to let them adjust to the dark room. I could hear the faint humming and beeping of machines around me.
“Where are we?” I asked. Not that it really mattered, since everyone I cared about—my whole world—was here with me.
“The hospital,” Cody said, appearing at my other side along with Jaeger.
“You were out for a while this time, beautiful,” Jaeger said. “You had us all worried.”
“Am I okay?” I asked, struggling to sit up a little before changing my mind. I definitely didn’t feel okay.
My whole… everything… hurt.
Especially when I moved. Or blinked my eyes. Or took a breath.
“You’re going to be okay,” Nana said. “You’re tough, like your grandmother.”
I smiled, or tried to. She was right. I was tough. Like her. But dear God, I felt like I had been run over by a freight train.
“We’re going to help you get better,” Ty said, gently squeezing my hand just enough to remind me that he was there. As if I could ever forget. “All of us.”
“The doctor said you’re lucky,” Cody added, though I certainly didn’t feel very lucky at the moment.
Or maybe I did?
Sure, I was in the most pain I’d ever felt in my entire life, but I was also surrounded by people who cared about me. Every single one of them.
That seemed pretty damn lucky to me.
“A concussion and two cracked ribs,” Jaeger said, ticking off my injuries on his fingers. “A hell of a lot of bruising. But nothing that a little time won’t heal.”
“And a little love,” Ty added.
I nodded, then felt my eyes open wider for the first time. I ignored the pain this time, because what I’d just heard was a lot more important than a concussion and… all that other stuff.
I was pretty sure I’d heard it, anyway. But now I couldn’t be certain.
“Love?” I asked, my eyes finding Ty again and zeroing in on his smiling face. “Did you say…”
“Love,” he repeated, bringing a smile to my lips. “I love you, Grace. We all do.”
“We do,” Cody said. “I love you, Grace.”
“And I love you, too,” Jaeger added, reaching out to rub my leg through the thin hospital blanket. “More than my life. More than anything.”
I didn’t know what to say. All around me, their smiling faces beamed back at me. Even Nana seemed really happy.
“These men love you, Gracie. You’re so lucky to have them.”
“I love you, Ty,” I said. “And Cody—I love you, too.” My eyes drifted over to Jaeger. “I love you, my love.”
My eyes were heavy again, but I knew it was okay this time. I just needed some rest. They would keep me safe while I slept.
It turned out that doctor was right. And so was Nana. I really was lucky.
Lucky to have these brave, sexy, amazing men in my life. Lucky to have my grandmother’s wisdom.
Lucky to have love.
Epilogue - Grace
One Year Later
It was still strange to walk in the front door of the clinic and not see Jenny’s face smiling up at me from the reception desk.
Then again, out of all the things that had changed in the past year, a new face at the desk was a relatively minor one.
“Good morning, Dr. Black,” New Jenny said, smiling sweetly as I stepped inside the waiting area. “My goodness, I think little Emily gets bigger every time I see her.”
“Good morning, Rebecca,” I gave a little wave as I cradled the sling that held my daughter close to my body with my other arm. “And she’s two months old today, in fact. But yeah, she’s already so much bigger than the day I brought her home. Funny what a difference a couple of months makes.”
“It sure is,” she nodded. “Oh, and Dr. Blaine was asking for you just a few minutes ago. Shall I page her for you?”
I shook my head as I walked toward the door that led to the back. “No worries. I’ll find her.”
I had barely made it to the hallway before Jenny popped out of the office—my old office—with a big grin on her face.
“Hey, Grace,” she said, though her eyes had already gone to the baby sling strapped across my chest. “And there’s the most beautiful little girl in the world,” she cooed. “I swear, Grace, she already looks just like you.”
“Does it make you want another one, Dr. Blaine?” I asked, tossing her a wink. “It’s still so strange to hear Rebecca refer to you like that when I walk in,” I said. “But I have to admit that having you as a partner feels just perfect. I think this is the way it should have been all along.”
“I agree,” she said, nodding. “Maybe if I hadn’t taken eight years to earn that four year degree.”
I laughed and shook my head. “The important part is you did earn it. And you’ve more than earned your spot here.”
It was true, too. Jenny had worked her butt off to get to where she was now, and I was so proud of her. Taking her on as a partner had been one of the best decisions I’d made. Business had nearly doubled, and not only had we rebuilt and expanded the kennel—another part of the business that had paid for itself ten times over in just the past year—but we’d been able to add on a whole new wing to the clinic.
The framing was technically the only part of the new set of exam rooms and offices that had actually been built so far, but we were still on budget and on track to have it completed by the end of summer.
And if the next couple of months went by as quickly as the past two had, the new wing would be open for business before we knew it.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Jenny said, ushering me into her office. “I made a lasagna last night, and I brought tons for lunch. I can even send some home for the guys when you leave.”
“Oh my God, you’re going to be their new favorite person,” I said, laughing. “And then they’ll be begging me to make lasagna for the next week, so thanks for that.”
“Hey, I do what I can.” She pulled up a chair for me at the desk, which she had taken the time to set up like a table, with plates and silverware, and the biggest pan of lasagna I’d ever seen taking up most of the space. “We can go over the end-of-month paperwork while we eat, if that’s okay?”
“Perfect, I answered, carefully lowering myself into the chair so I didn’t disturb little Emily. “You’ve been a rockstar throughout this whole process,” I said, reaching to dish up some lasagna as she printed off the reports we’d need. “Seriously, I don’t know what I would have done without you here. The business probably wouldn’t have made it.”
She’d gotten her degree around the same time I’d had to go on maternity leave, so it had been a pretty seamless transition. Now that it was nearly time for me to come back to work, though, we had a standing twice-weekly lunch date so I could get up to speed on everything that was going on.
“I think it worked out perfectly for both of us, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded, taking a moment to let the delicious aroma of lasagna fill my nostrils. “Yeah, I really do.”
Everything had, really.
I had my baby, my best friend as a business partner, and the men I loved waiting for me at home.
My life was better than I had ever dared to dream it could be.
It was perfect.
“I smell lasagna,” Cody said, taking the pan of leftovers from my hands as soon as I walked into the kitchen. “Did Jenny make this?”
“She did,” I answered, leaning in for a quick kiss as Jaeger came up on the other side. “She thinks she can win you all over with food.”
“She’s absolutely right,” Jaeger said, taking his turn for a kiss as I passed baby Emily to him. “How are my two beautiful girls?”
“Tired,” I said, smiling. “But good. I’m just going to have to build my stamina back up again.”
Jaeger nodded. “You’ll get there, though. Don’t push yourself too hard all at once.”
Ty appeared from around the corner, then crossed the room to take me into his arms. “He’s right, you know. I know you’re itching to get back to the clinic, but try to remember to pace yourself. Your health is the number one priority for all of us.”
“I know,” I said, my heart doing a slow roll in my chest as I looked around the room at my little family—my three men and my daughter.
The only one missing was Nana.
“Is your grandmother going to be home for dinner tonight?” Cody asked, as if he’d read my mind. “I thought I’d fry up some extra chicken just in case. And now we’ve got all this lasagna, too.”
I shook my head. “She’s got her date with Mr. Olsen tonight out at the bingo hall.”
“Mr. Olsen should come by, too,” Jaeger said. “We’ve only ever met him once. I’d like to make sure he has good intentions with Amaya.”
I laughed. “He’s eighty-five. I’m pretty sure his intentions are to play bingo and then go to bed.”
“Sounds like a good life to me,” Ty shrugged. “But we really should make sure he feels welcome to come over. I’ll make sure I invite him next time I run into him at the farmer’s market.”
I wasn’t sure if Nana would be proud or irritated that they’d all taken such a keen interest in her love life. Probably a little of both. But she had definitely come to care for each of them over the past year, and it was clear that the feeling was mutual.
She had even been the one to suggest adding the extra bedrooms to the house—and just in time, since we had ended up needing the extra space for a nursery once little Emily came along.
