by Sabrina York
“She also made it a point to warn me away from you. Apparently we’re not allowed to be seen together . . . or else.”
He stilled. His expression darkened. “Or else what?”
“She didn’t say. Something horrible, I suppose.”
“Who the fuck are we talking about?” he growled.
“Can’t you figure it out?” she said with a laugh.
His features locked. The tip of his nose quivered. The muscle in his cheek bunched. “No. No. Not her.”
“Yep.”
“Did she really threaten you?”
“Pretty much.”
“What did she say?”
“Just a friendly warning. Keep away from Cody Silver,” she repeated in a slithery voice.
“Shit. That does sound like a warning.”
“Yup.”
He frowned at her. “So, why are you grinning?”
“Because, my darling, you are the one who should be warned.”
“Shit. Shit shit shit.”
She toasted her coffee to him.
“You have to help me,” he said.
“Oh, there’s no help for you. Tibby wants you and everyone knows, Tibby gets what Tibby wants.”
“No, seriously. You have to help me.”
“And how exactly do I do that?”
“Protect me!”
“Protect you?” It was damn hard holding back a laugh.
“Yes!”
“Big bad Cody needs a bodyguard.” Despite her best efforts, a snicker slipped out.
“It’s not funny. I kind of do.”
“Why don’t you just find her a boyfriend? I have it on good authority that you have lots of horny friends.”
He looked appalled. “I would never do that to any of my friends.”
“Is there someone you don’t particularly like?”
He frowned. “That’s not very nice. Besides . . .”
“Besides what?”
“Karma.”
“Karma is a bitch.”
“I know. And I don’t want that cosmic rubber band coming back to smack me upside the head.”
“We’ll have to think of another plan then,” she said.
“I’m leaning toward bodyguard.”
“If you’re asking me to throw myself between you when she launches herself at you, that shit is going to cost you. Hell, her perfume alone might knock me out.”
“Right?” He wrinkled his nose. “But you’ll do it, won’t you? Have my six?” He sent her a puppy-dog look, one no red-blooded woman could ignore. “It’s what a true friend would do.”
“Is that so?” She smirked. “Ford’s your friend. He wouldn’t throw himself on that grenade.”
“Sure he would. If it meant thwarting Tibby.”
She had to laugh. He was so goofy and adorable and . . . panicked.
She really liked that he was panicked at the prospect of being hunted by another woman, especially Tibby.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Think about it?” he whined.
“Yup.” That was all he was getting right here and right now. But honestly, if the opportunity came to foil Tibby, she was all over that.
***
They spent the rest of the day in the hospital playing cards and waiting for news on Henry. And somehow, being with Sidney completely eradicated Cody’s deathly fear of waiting rooms. It was almost—dare he say it—pleasant.
When he finally convinced her to leave—frankly because Nurse Ratched kicked them out—he took her to her place, where Lisa and Claire had spent the day with Sidney’s mom. They both wanted to stay, but Cody shooed them away, insisting he would cover the night.
Together he and Sidney got her mother ready for bed, and then Sidney showed him the security system they had in place to make sure Mrs. Stevens didn’t go wandering in the night. It was fairly simple. An alarm that sounded if any doors or windows opened.
After that, they sat in the living room and watched TV and shared a bottle of wine. It was all very domestic, and it felt to Cody very much like marriage. He was surprised how much he enjoyed it, especially when a less than stellar disaster movie came on and Sidney sat at his side providing an acidic commentary that had him in stitches.
The only awkward moment was when they said good night. And that was only awkward because he didn’t want to say good night. He wanted so much more. But he gave her a kiss on her forehead and pushed her into her room, and tried to ignore the fact that she might have been receptive to more.
He refused to give her more.
As painful as it was, as hard as it was—and it was—he was not sleeping with her. Not until they had a firmer foundation. Not until they had something they could build on. He’d learned the folly of leaping into bed with her all willy-nilly, and he would not do that again. Not until he was certain their sexual relationship wouldn’t overwhelm the rest of what they had—as it had in the past.
Yeah, part of his brain whispered that he was an idiot, but his instincts told him this was the way it needed to be if he wanted something real and lasting with her.
Aside from all that—and that was a lot—she was dating Ben. Asking for or demanding something more from her would be wrong. Ben was his friend and, more importantly, Cody didn’t want to put Sidney in the position of having to make a choice between the two men, or, worse, regretting a choice to be with him come morning. The last thing he wanted to do was overstep his bounds and screw up this fragile friendship.
But in the back of his mind, hope lingered. He could use this time to strengthen that bond between them, and there was one. If nothing else, they would have that. Forever.
And people broke up all the time, didn’t they? Not that he wanted that for Sidney and Ben, but if it happened, he would be here, waiting in the wings.
As pathetic as that sounded, he would be.
At some point, a guy had to make up his mind what kind of man he wanted to be, and he needed to commit to that path.
Cade was right. True love was selfless. It had to be. Cody wanted Sidney to be happy. Even if it meant he lost her. Even if it meant she ended up with another guy.
That was the kind of man he wanted to be. Someone strong and supportive and selfless.
The selfless part would take a little work, but he was up to the challenge.
He was almost certain he was.
With all that crap on his mind—along with the knowledge that Sidney was in the next room . . . possibly naked?—it was amazing that he fell asleep, but he did. He realized that fact when, in the dead of night, the alarm blared.
It took him a second or two to come to his senses—he’d been in the middle of a steamy dream featuring a mermaid, who looked exceptionally like Sidney, who was inclined to spank him with her flipper—but when he realized where he was and what was happening, he bounded from bed.
He was wearing nothing by his sweatpants, which was a shame, because they did little to hide his boner, but it couldn’t be helped.
He met Sidney in the hall—she was in a long, sexy T-shirt; not that it was all too sexy, but she was—and her gaze flicked to his crotch.
Awkward.
He felt heat creep up his cheeks, but he ignored it. “Is it your mom?” he asked.
Sidney shook her head. “Mom’s in her room. The alarm woke her up though. It scares her.”
Shit. That meant someone else had opened a door or a window downstairs. He pushed Sidney behind him and started for the stairs. She thrust something at him, and it took a moment for him to realize it was Henry’s rifle.
“Seriously?” he asked.
“Just in case.” She crept down the stairs behind him, using him as her shield. While he appreciated her warmth, he would really have preferred her to remain upstairs where it was safe.
/> “Damn it,” a low voice echoed through the foyer, and Cody stilled. Someone was there. A man. He raised the rifle, but kept his finger off the trigger, just in case. The last thing he wanted to do was shoot a helpful neighbor or something.
“Who’s there?” he barked. “Show yourself.”
To his surprise, the outraged response that arose was female. “Who the hell are you?” a wrathful bellow echoed up the stairs.
“Oh God,” Sidney moaned and then yelled back over the blare of the alarm, “Hanna?”
“Sidney?”
She pushed past him then and pounded down the stairs. He followed in time to see Sidney and Hanna embrace. The male, the fella who’d almost gotten himself shot, was of course Logan.
Cody padded to the landing and set the rifle against the wall, making sure the safety was on first. Then he sat on the stairs and frowned down at them. He shook with reaction. Not for himself, for Sidney. She’d been through so much, being awakened to a claxon was the last thing she needed.
But she seemed to be taking this all in stride. She quickly punched in the code to shut off the alarm and then phoned the security company to let them know it was a false alarm before she hugged Hanna again.
“I am so glad you’re here,” she said.
Hanna smiled and tucked Sidney’s hair behind her ear. “I am so sorry we woke you. We didn’t think anyone was home. And when did Dad change the code?”
Sidney shrugged. “I don’t know. Mrs. Johnson gave this one to me. Oh Hanna, I’m so glad you made it.”
They headed into the kitchen and Sidney put water on for tea, though tea was the last thing Cody wanted at two in the morning.
“How’s Dad?” Hanna asked. “I’ve been worried sick since we got the message.”
Sidney huffed a sigh. “The same. Which is better than worse.”
Hanna paled. “How bad is it?”
“He’s in ICU. He hasn’t woken up yet.”
“Oh God.” She shot a look at Logan. “We should go over and see him now.”
Cody grunted. “Nurse Ratched won’t let you in. It’s after visiting hours.”
“Is she still there?” Logan asked. “I’da thunk she’d be retired by now.” Or dead, his expression added.
“Well, she’s not. And she’s as strict as ever,” Cody grumbled.
“She might be off duty,” Hanna suggested.
Logan pulled her into a hug. “Honey, you need to rest. We’ve been traveling for hours. Go get some sleep and we’ll go over first thing in the morning.”
“You’re right. Of course.” Her gaze flicked to Sidney. “How’s Mom?”
“She’s fine. She has no idea what’s happening.” And that was a blessing—as tragic as it was. “Lisa and Claire came over and stayed with her yesterday. Claire is coming back today.”
“Oh,” Hanna said in a pert tone. Her gaze drifted to Cody and danced over his bare chest and his grungy sweats. Thank God his erection had subsided. Alarms and fear and cacophony had a tendency to, ahem, shatter a mood. Even when there were mermaids involved. “And . . . Cody stayed tonight?”
There was more than one question there. Trepidation sizzled up his spine at her expression.
Yes, he had stayed, but he hadn’t stayed.
He forced a laugh. “Sorry, Hanna. I took your room.”
Her brow lifted in an exquisite arch. “Really?” She glanced at Sidney, who opened her eyes all wide and innocent.
“I thought the frills suited him.”
Yes. It was an exceptionally girly room, but he’d wanted to be close if Sidney needed him.
“You and Logan can take the downstairs guest room. Unless”—Sidney batted her lashes—“you want to change the sheets and sleep in your own room. I’m sure Cody and Logan won’t mind sharing the queen.”
Hanna sniffed. “The guest room is fine. But I want to check on Mom before we go to bed.”
The teakettle whistled and Sidney hopped up. “I’ll make the tea.”
“Valerian, please,” Hanna said, and she and Logan headed upstairs.
Once they were gone, Cody laughed. “That was exciting.”
“Wasn’t it?” Sidney crossed her eyes. “They could have called.”
“Yeah. But I’m glad they’re here.”
“Me too.”
“It’ll make it easier for you.” He hated saying it, because the fact that her sister was here made him more than unnecessary. It made him the guy who was hanging around in a pathetic attempt to spend more time with her.
“And you,” she said, though she didn’t meet his eye.
His nerves fizzled. His fingers closed into a fist. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “You won’t have to stay with me.” She flicked a look at him. “You can get back to your life.”
She was his life.
“I don’t mind staying, helping.” The words caught in his throat. “Your dad means a lot to me.”
Oh crap. That’s not what he’d meant to say. She meant a lot to him. She did.
“Of course.” She cleared her throat. “You’re welcome, of course. I . . . appreciate having you around.”
He tipped his head to the side. “Do you?”
“Yes.”
What a freaking awesome thing to hear. “Then I guess you’re stuck with me,” he said with a grin. It thrilled him to the core that she grinned back.
Chapter Fifteen
It was wrong that it felt so right to walk into the hospital with Cody at her side. She really had no business keeping him from his work, but he’d insisted on coming, kind of, and the last thing she wanted to do was shoot him down.
Plus, she wanted him there. Needed him there. His support had become . . . necessary to her. It was as though as long as he was there, everything would be all right.
This postulation was proved correct when they got up to the ICU wing and were told that her father had just woken up.
It could have been Cody’s charmed presence, or Hanna’s. It seemed to Sidney that her sister lived a blessed existence—she waltzed into a disaster and the world magically flipped back to rights. But Sidney didn’t care who was responsible; she was simply delighted.
Granted, Dad still looked pale and weak, but it was glorious to see his eyes open, to see his smile, to feel his hand, warm and grasping hers. They only had a few minutes to chat because Nurse Nazi shooed them out. The doctor wanted him well-rested for the surgery, she told them, which would probably take place today. The word bypass was bandied about.
As they came out of ICU, Hanna crumpled. She’d been a real trooper in there, cheering Dad on and blathering about how he was doing great . . . but once they were beyond earshot, she choked on a sob and pulled Sidney into her arms. “Oh my God!” she wailed. “Oh my God. He looked so . . .”
“I know,” Sidney said, but it took an effort not to roll her eyes. He’d been far worse yesterday, but Hanna had missed that. “Trust me, this is good.” He’d been awake, alert and talking.
Once they got to the waiting room, Hanna deserted her for Logan; she draped herself over him and sobbed. He patted her back and murmured things like “There, there,” and “Now, now.” He shot Sidney a questioning glance over Hanna’s shoulder.
“He’s looking good,” she said in a chipper voice.
“Good?” Hanna howled.
“Much better than yesterday.”
“Really?” Hanna sniffed. She took the tissue Logan offered and mopped at her cheeks.
“Much better.” Sidney sat down next to Cody. He put his arm around her and rubbed her neck. It was so soothing she wanted to sink into it. “They’re thinking he’s ready for the surgery,” she told him.
“That’s great.”
It was. She leaned against him, setting her cheek on his chest, and he held her closer. It was nice
having someone around who would hold you when you were afraid. Nice having someone to stroke your nape, or brush your hair from your face when it needed it, or just to be there.
“Logan,” Hanna said, “I need some air.” She shot a glance at Sidney. “Do you mind if we go for a walk? I just can’t . . . It’s too . . . I—”
“Hanna. Go,” Sidney said. “I totally understand.” She hopped up to give her sister another hug. “I get it. Go do what you need to do. We’ll be here. I’ll call you if anything happens. I promise.”
Hanna tightened her hold. “I love you, Sidney,” she said, and Sidney stilled. It wasn’t something the two sisters ever said, although they knew, somewhere in the well of their souls, it was true. The words, however, were hard to say, and raw.
But she had to say them. Had to reciprocate. Had to force them past the prickly barriers in her throat. “I love you too, Hanna.”
The flush of warmth blossoming in her chest surprised her.
She’d had no inkling that uttering three such simple words would feel so good.
Hanna pulled back and offered her a watery smile and then hugged her again, quick, wild, and warm. “I promise we won’t be long,” she whispered in Sidney’s ear.
“Take your time.” She waggled her phone. “I’ll text you if anything happens.”
Sidney dropped into her chair with a sigh as she watched her sister and Logan head for the elevators. He wrapped her arm around Hanna’s shoulder and drew her close. It was a lovely image, but somehow blurred.
“Is your dad really looking better?” Cody asked.
Sidney blinked several times. “Yes. He is. Why do you ask?”
To her surprise, he gently touched her cheek, and she realized he was wiping away her tears. “You’re crying.”
“I’m not.” She sniffed.
“You are.” He held up a damp thumb. “Why are you sad?”
“I’m not sad.”
He sent her a dubious look.
“I’m not. I was just . . .” She waved in the general direction Hanna and Logan had gone. “I’m happy for them.”
Cody sighed. “I’ll never understand women.”
“What?” She scowled at him. “How is that germane to the conversation?”
