Blended (Redemption #1)

by Sasha Brümmer

  “Jesus.”

  She tosses the pillow at me and walks across the bedroom and into the en suite to clean up. When she emerges, Madelyn is at my side, paying too much attention to me for my liking. Her fingers flutter down my bicep and down to my wrist to where she’s inserted an IV.

  “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Hadley spits out in my direction. “Did my pussy in your face not satisfy you enough? Do you have to have another woman fucking swooning over you?”

  I jerk my arm away from Madelyn, and she pouts her pink lips at me. “That’s bullshit, Rye, and you know it is. Come here.”

  Madelyn is grinning like a fucking fool beside me as she prepares to insert the medication into my blood stream.

  “No. I can’t stand her being so close to you. I’m sick of her flirting with you and laying touches on you.”

  “Hadley,” I warn her.

  “Fuck this, Wade. I can’t deal with any of it any longer.”

  I know that this has more to do with my surgery tomorrow and her fear of losing me to the knife, than it does Madelyn’s flirtatious ways. Instead of heading to the bed and to me, she walks over to the door and slams it behind her on her way out.

  I inhale a deep breath before expelling it noisily from my body.

  “Madelyn. I understand this infatuation you have with me, but this shit needs to stop, or I will have Dr. Heath replace you with someone who is more capable of doing the job.”

  “Mr. Brass, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve been doing what I’ve been instructed to do by Dr. Heath.”

  “Don’t fucking push me. Hand me my phone.”

  Her brows furrow as she picks up my phone from my nightstand and hands it to me and I type out a message to Jacobs: I need you to find Hadley and physically bring her to me. Now.

  “Give me the medication and go, Madelyn. If my girlfriend is still uncomfortable with you by the morning, then you will be permanently dismissed. Am I understood?”

  Her face fills with shock, and she nods her head before inserting the liquid into my IV, and leaves the bedroom. As she’s closing the door, I hear Hadley yelling something before the bedroom door opens again, and Jacobs delivers a squirming Hadley to my bed.

  “You’re an asshole, Waylon!” she complains as he sets her down and walks out of the room.

  “Don’t make me get him back in here,” I tell her as she sits up to leave.

  “Why? Huh? Do you want her? Tell me.”

  “You already know the answer to that. Listen to me, gorgeous.” Her tear-filled eyes meet mine, and I reach out for her. “You’re concerned about tomorrow.”

  She tries to swallow past the lump in her throat before coming to lie down beside me. “I’m terrified.”

  I circle my arm around her and press my lips to her forehead. “I love you,” I tell her, because I don’t have the reassuring words that I should have. Tomorrow will have one of three outcomes, and only one of them is positive.

  Recovery.

  Permanent paralysis.

  Death.

  “I know. I love you too, and I’m sorry,” she says as she wipes her eyes. “I just . . .”

  “Don’t apologize, but I need you to understand that I’m not interested in her or any other woman but you.”

  “Okay.”

  She buries her face into my chest and caresses the skin directly above my waistline—the last part of my body that I’m able to feel. A few nights ago, she was determined to find out where I was able to feel any sensation until I lost feeling completely. Ever since she’s found the spot that borders on nothingness, she runs her fingers along the imaginary line.

  “Tell me the first thing that you want to do once I’ve been given the all clear to walk?”

  “What I want? You’ve been the one suffering, Wade. You shouldn’t be asking me that question.”

  “But I am.”

  She shakes her head and kisses my bare chest while running her fingers along the imaginary line. “Lilly and I were talking about it last night when you had fallen asleep.”

  “What did you two come up with?”

  I’m grateful that the two women in my life have been getting along famously. My mother has strict instructions on what do to if I don’t make it through this surgery or any others succeeding it. I’ve had her sign off on a new will when my lawyers flew in to finalize the Australian contracts.

  Hadley Rye is now one of the four beneficiaries in my will. The other three include Colin Jacobs, Isla Madden, and Lillian Brass. My mother is the only person aside from my lawyers who has seen the will, and if it’s up to me, I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  When I asked my mother to be the witness to my new will, she never once objected to the addition of Hadley. She was rather pleased to know that a woman meant that much to me.

  Here I am in love with a woman whom I’ve known for just over two months. I’m about to go into a surgery that will decide the remainder of my life, and if today is my last day, then I’ll go being content because of her. I might have saved her from an addiction, but she’s saved me from myself. I was on a path of self-destruction, leaning toward the addiction again in more ways than one, and she stopped me from diving in headfirst.

  “Well?” I prod, wanting an answer before the medication sends me into the darkness.

  “We both agreed that you needed to head to the beach and feel the waves hit your feet.”

  “I’d like that, Rye.”

  “I’ve got you, Whiskey.”

  “Good,” I say as I close my eyes and feel her lips on mine just as I can no longer fight off the medication. It sweeps me into a dreamless sleep, surrounding me in nothingness. If this is what death feels like, then I hope I’ll, at the very least, have the image of her stuck in my head instead of this nothingness.

  Dr. Heath told us that the surgery could take up to three hours. Well, it’s been four, and I’m about to burst through those fucking doors and demand an answer.

  Isla’s flight came in late last night once Wade had fallen asleep, and Lillian went with Colin to collect her while I stayed with my man. Between the three of us women in this waiting room, one of us has been pacing at all times. Right now, it’s me who’s walking the length of the room, turning and walking back, as thoughts run through my head, bombarding me with the worst of possible outcomes. I think I’ve cut my bottom lip from the amount of pressure I’ve been applying to it with my teeth.

  My phone goes off in my hand, causing me to jump. I glance down at the screen that is now lit up with a text message from Lola: Hey. How’s it going? Is he out yet?

  I want to chuck the device across the room, but I type out my response instead: No. They still have him in surgery. I’m going insane, Lo. How’s Holden? I ask her to distract myself. I wait for her to reply as I start to pace again. One foot in front of the other is all that I can manage right now. Just keep moving, Hadley Rye.

  I’m sure that he’s okay. Wade truly must have you wrapped around his dick, considering that you’re still playing nurse on the other side of the world. Holden has been asking about you a lot. I haven’t told him that you’re with Wade, but just that you’re in Australia. I don’t need to be the one to experience a pissed-off Parker brother again.

  I sigh and look up at Lillian. She’s been watching me as I pace this entire time, and I think that the action is hypnotic, almost soothing to her. She half-smiles and pats the seat beside her, inviting me to join her. I send a reply to Lo before walking over to her.

  I’m glad that Hold’s okay. And Lo, I’ve never had sex with him, so I couldn’t be wrapped around his cock, even if I wanted to be. I haven’t told her that yet, and I’m sure that right now is a little inappropriate, but I want to be seen as more than just the girl who would walk across a busy interstate to be fucked.

  Her reply comes just as I take a seat next to Lilly: Holy shit.

  Lilly takes my hand in both of hers, supporting me when I should be the one supporti
ng her. “Are you hanging in there, sweetie?”

  “I’m trying to. All of this is still so new to me. I don’t think that I’ve ever cared for anyone the way I care for him. It frightens me, and being here isn’t helping with that.”

  “I’m sure that he would be saying the same things about you if the roles were reversed. Through all of my years with him, I haven’t been able to experience Waylon without the fear of him falling back into his addiction. Well, until now. Until you came into his life.”

  “Oh no. He’s the one that has been providing me with a sanctuary, not the other way around.”

  “You may not realize it, but you have been providing him with the same thing, Hadley. You’re good for him, and I’m thrilled that he is able to see that.”

  I look down at my feet and let out a breath. “I love his ridiculously stubborn ass.”

  “I know you do, sweet girl. It’s easy to see, and I know that he feels the same toward you.”

  “He’s told you?”

  “Not as directly as you just did, but yes, he has.”

  My eyebrows rise in shock just as Isla joins us and sits next to Lillian, patting her knee for comfort as she speaks. “Hadley, I wanted to say thank you for helping to open him up. Since he’s known you, he’s been able to express himself the way that he wants to rather than the way that he thinks that he needs to. Thank you for taking care of him.”

  A tear leaks free, and I shake my head. “Don’t talk to me like that, like he’s not going to make it. I can still feel him. I can feel the static that draws me to him.”

  “I didn’t mean it in that way, Hads. I was truthfully just thanking you.”

  I sniffle and nod. “I understand, and I think that it’s he who’s opened me up.”

  “Maybe, but you’ve changed him just as much as he has you. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen the man so content with life.”

  I lean my head on Lilly’s shoulder and stare at the blank white wall in front of me as I let their words sink in.

  “I’m contemplating a whiskey when we get out of here,” Lillian says to the both of us.

  We join her in a weak laugh as Isla adds, “You don’t drink, Lilly.”

  “Dear Isla, after today I do.”

  We’re all smiling for the first time since they rolled him back there and it’s now that Dr. Heath chooses to walk into the almost-empty waiting room—the only exception being some man who has been on the phone the entire time that we’ve been here. The doctor pulls off his surgical cap and approaches us.

  “Good day, ladies.”

  “Dr. Heath.” Lillian stands and drags me up next to her. “How is Waylon?”

  He brushes his forehead off before speaking. “As you are well aware, the surgery took longer than we anticipated. Let’s take a seat and I’ll talk you through the procedure.”

  My immediate reaction is to yell at him and ask him how my boyfriend is doing. Did he make it? Where is he? But I contain my emotions for now and focus on what he’s going to tell us.

  Dr. Heath clears his throat and begins. “I made an incision in the middle of his lower back where I was able to expose the bone. After verifying the correct vertebra and upon further inspection, I confirmed that my suspicion was proved correct. Due to the accident, Waylon was suffering a pinched nerve, which caused the paraplegia. The nerve wasn’t severed, but my team and I decided to reconstruct it in the case that the injury caused too much damage for it to heal. We believe that he will make a full recovery.”

  I sit down in the seat behind me and sag in relief, cupping my hands around my face as the tears start again. “When can we see him?” I ask through my mess of tears.

  “Madelyn and my surgical nurses are tending to him as we speak. As soon as I get one more look at him, you all will be able to see him. In the meantime, though, I wanted to talk to you and Lillian about his road to recovery.”

  “Of course,” Lilly says. We both reach for each other at the same time, and I’m not entirely sure who is holding whose hand, but I can’t feel my fingers.

  Dr. Heath sits down in one of the seats across from us as he begins. “After this surgery as with any other, he will experience some discomfort which we will manage with a narcotic.” The three of us nod. “He will be under a few restrictions, which he needs to abide by in order to recover swiftly and wholly. He should not drive for four weeks. He should avoid sitting down for long periods of time. I suggest that he gets up and tries to walk around for as long as he is able to comfortably do so. He may not lift anything heavier than ten pounds. There needs to be no smoking and he will need to postpone any sexual activity until our follow-up appointment.”

  Lillian and Isla both look at me with smiles on their faces.

  Dr. Heath continues as we acknowledge his list of restrictions. “He will still need help when it comes to physical activities such as showering or bathing, as well as walking. We don’t plan on his wearing a brace, but if he’s unable to walk at all, we’ll need to consider it until his spine is strong enough after the surgery.”

  “You’ve mentioned that he’ll be able to walk. Are you sure about this?” Lilly asks the question that I’m dying to know the answer to.

  Dr. Heath smiles at us. “I have faith in the work that my team did. Mr. Brass spared no expense when it came down to flying in doctors who all have experience in spinal injuries and nerve reconstruction. Each of us have faith that he will pull off a full recovery within a few months.”

  “Holy crap,” I say and throw my arms around Lilly, who is now a blubbering mess.

  “I think I may need the fucking bottle of whiskey if Lilly needs a tumbler,” Isla says as she pulls out a Macallan 30-Year out of her tote.

  Dr. Heath chuckles and stands. “I’ll go check on our patient and Madelyn will be out shortly to escort you back to his recovery room.”

  “Thank you,” the three of us say in unison

  I glance at Isla and almost throw myself at the bottle. “You sure as fuck have better brought something to drink that out of.”

  “Paper cups?” she says as she pulls out a small stack of paper coffee cups from her purse as well.

  I giggle and move to sit next to her as she pours the mahogany liquid into three cups and hands one each to Lilly and me. “Wade would kill us if he knew that we were drinking three-thousand-dollar whiskey out of paper cups.”

  “Cheers to his brass balls,” Isla says and holds up her cup.

  “To Waylon, and a successful surgery,” Lillian chimes in with a sniffle.

  Instead of sipping the fragrant, rich, mahogany-colored liquid, we all down it like a cheap shot. A rich sherry aroma hits my nose while notes of clove, nutmeg, and woodsmoke coat my palate.

  Lillian gasps for air after taking the shot. “That is something that I never plan on doing again, girls. I’ll leave you two and Wade to your whiskey. The stuff is vile.”

  “It’s horrific. I don’t even understand why I like it. It’s like sticking your face into a fire pit,” Isla says as she fills up our cups again.

  I lean my head on Isla’s shoulder after we smile knowingly at each other. Being with her makes me feel closer to Wade. I’m unsure as to why, but it does. They seem to be cut from the same cloth, and it settles me down from the fear that I might have lost him.

  Forty minutes and another two paper cups later, Madelyn walks out in her aqua-colored scrubs. “Mrs. Brass, Isla . . . Hadley,” she adds my name onto the end as if it’s laced with poison, “I can bring the three of you back to see him now.”

  All three of us stand together. I toss our cups in a trash receptacle close by before Isla comes beside me to link her arm with mine. “I lied about having eaten earlier, and I believe that you did too. We might need each other to ensure we don’t walk into the wrong room or a wall.”

  “I may have lied as well.” I squeeze her arm underneath mine as the excitement of seeing Whiskey hurtles through my body.

  “Right this way,” Madelyn says as we all fall
into step behind her as she scans her ID card and leads us through a countless number of doors until we are led down a quiet hallway with rooms on each side. The air is stuffy, and cheap pictures are hung up on the wall in an attempt to be uplifting. Madelyn comes to a stop and stands in front of the third room down before scanning her badge, and it unlocks with a click. She pushes the heavy door open and holds it for the three of us to enter.

  I let go of Isla the second I see him, and I feel like I’m experiencing deja vu. He’s asleep and unmoving as Lilly walks up to him. Isla follows behind her, but I stay my distance as I scan over him from my spot next to the door.

  He looks beyond his thirty-one years with all of the machines and wires surrounding him. The room is filled with sounds that distract me from him; I want to know what they all mean. I’ve started to fidget with the cuff of his sweatshirt that I’ve been wearing all day when I finally register my name being called.

  “Hads? Are you okay?”

  I turn to face the direction that the sound is coming from: Isla.

  My head starts to spin as I watch Madelyn adjust the wires hooked up to him. I think that I’m going to be sick at the sight of him so vulnerable. I cup my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stop myself from being ill, but my body lurches. A trashcan meets my face just in time as Isla shrieks while holding it in place.

  “Oh sweetie,” I hear Lilly say at a distance.

  I force my eyes shut and wipe my mouth off with a paper towel that Madelyn hands me. “You should sit down. I’ve got enough on my hands with watching his vitals. I’d need an extra hand if you decide to pass out on me.”

  I nod in compliance as Isla leads me to the single seat in the room. Before I can lower myself down to it, though, she drags both it and me closer to Wade, I sit down and curl up into a ball. I stretch my arm out and rest my hand on his as it rests on the white sheets covering the bed.

  “I’m sorry,” I croak.

  “Oh, quit it,” Isla says at the same time that Lilly says, “There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s a lot to take in.”