by Allie York
I rubbed up Jovie’s arm, saying her name. Amelia stirred first, blinking and grabbing her glasses. I told her to get dressed and she knew from my tone to listen. Jovie opened her eyes, looked over my face, and jumped out of bed. “What is it, Ewan?” she yelled at me from our room as I crossed the hall.
“It’s Nick, darling.” I heard something hit the floor and she ran out of the room toward the stairs. She hadn’t changed out of her Harry Potter sweat pants and tank top, but had thrown on flip flops. Amelia was the last one out, diving into the back seat of my car. I peeled backward out of the driveway and sped the two miles to the hospital. Jovie cried silently next to me, and I rested my hand on her leg. She curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her knees. I dropped her and Ams off at the entrance and watched her bolt in the door, nearly taking out an older man in the process. I parked and went in the same entrance after paying for parking.
When I finally found Nick’s room in the critical care unit, Amelia was standing outside, tears streaking her face. “Jovie and Rae are in there. His parents are in the waiting room.” My little sister fell into me, heaving giant sobs into my chest. In the weeks Jovie had lived with us, Ams had gotten really attached to Nick and Rae. They came over for dinner at least once a week and came over for board games all the time. Jove missed having them next door so they came over a lot. I patted my sister’s hair until an older couple appeared next to us and Amelia threw herself at the man. The older man shushed her, rubbing her back. Shelly and Ronnie introduced themselves as Nick’s parents and hugged me as opposed to a hand shake.
“Someone messed with his brakes.” Ronnie rubbed a hand down his face, stroking his long gray goatee. “Cops said his line was cut clean. He stayed with my Pops last night at the home and ran straight through a stop sign. Truck t-boned him.” Ronnie shook his head, putting his arm around Amelia again. I shoved my hands in my pockets and started pacing the hall. A nurse came out saying we could go in when one of them came out, but wouldn’t give us any more details about his condition. Amelia and Shelly found a seat, but Ronnie only watched me pace.
Rae finally came out a while later, her fair skin was red and tear-stained. “Nick’s as stable as he can be.” She shook, rubbing her hands together. “He has a brain injury and a collapsed lung. His leg is shattered and needs surgery.” I pulled Rae in for a hug and she moved her face close to my ear. “Do you think that sicko did this?” I nodded against the side of her face and Rae choked out a sob. Shelly went in the room, leaving Amelia with Ronnie. I led Rae over to the chairs and made sure she was comfortable before getting her a bottle of water. When I came back, Jovie’s family had just come in. They were all comforting Rae and Ronnie. Reese ran at me when I walked around the corner.
“How’s Jove?” Reese hugged me, and Lydia patted my back.
“Not sure. She went straight in and hasn’t come out yet.” I shook my head. While Nick being in the hospital fighting for his life was awful, the reaction from Jovie broke me. Rae was holding it together more than I ever could. Her husband, the father of her unborn child, was on a ventilator and she was somehow able to speak, function. Shelly came out, motioning for Ronnie to go in.
“I couldn’t ask Jovie to leave yet.” Shelly shook her head and took a seat next to Rae. They grabbed each other’s hands and Rae leaned into her mother-in-law. “She’s curled up in the bed with him, talking to him about all the crazy things they did as kids. I couldn’t have her leave.” My breath caught in my throat. Jovie loved the man in that room in a way I could only compare to my love for Amelia. Nick was her brother, her “hetero-life-mate”. Shelly wiped her tears and rubbed Rae’s arm.
Everyone took turns going in, and each person came out in a different state of tears, even Mike, Jovie’s dad. He was a stoic man, not one to show any emotion at all, much less cry, but he was teared up. Her whole family loved Nick. Reese came out, wiping her face, and sent me in. Jovie still hadn’t appeared. I went in hesitantly, not really feeling it was my place to be there. Nick was my girlfriend’s best friend, a huge part of her life, but not mine.
The scene I walked into was gut wrenching. It knocked the wind from me. Jovie was balled up next to Nick, talking non-stop, “Oh, and do you remember the time we were high as hell with Lydia and wrecked the first Blazer? Those cops asked if you were drunk and Lydia almost yelled out we were high. We had just left Justin’s party where he had soaked Lyds with the sprayer from the sink and kept grabbing my boobs. Gods, we were like sixteen and nineteen. Way too young to be out getting baked with thirty-year-old men.” She took a breath and looked up at me. I stood in the corner, hands in my pockets, and gave her a weak smile. “Oh, and that time we were stuck at my place in the ice storm!” Jovie went on with her story, clinging to his hand, and sobbing, barely able to speak. I wanted to punch something. Mason Hobbs was preferable, but anything would do. The man had caused her enough pain, had nearly killed her best friend, and was the source of her nightmares. It had been weeks and no one could find him. The sick bastard had vanished into nothingness. Samuel was a damn detective for the local PD and had kept me up-to-date, but there was nothing, no sign of him.
“Jovie, we should let someone else come in. Rae should be in here.” Jovie stopped talking and looked up at me like she just realized I was in the room.
“It’s my fault. Mason cut the brake line because he thinks I’m sleeping with Nick. I brought all it on. What if he comes after you next?” Her voice moved from sad to panicked, her pitch rising with each word. “Or Amelia? Oh, Gods, Ewan what if the sicko comes after her?” She climbed out of the bed and ran to me, letting me hold her tight. Her body shook, trembling with each cry. “I need to move out. I need to go somewhere else …” I grabbed her face, covering her mouth with my thumbs.
“No, you didn’t cause anything, and you aren’t going anywhere. Now we need to let Rae come in, she needs to be with her husband and we can talk outside.” Jove jerked out of my grip and spun back toward the bed. She brushed back Nick’s graying hair and kissed his forehead, promising to be back soon, telling him he had to fight. “Come on.” She took my hand and we walked back out to the waiting room. Rae slid past us with Shelly and Jovie walked straight out the door, ignoring the waiting room entirely. Once we were outside, Jovie ran for the grass and braced on the building to throw up. I stood back at first, not sure how to help, what to do. When the vomiting didn’t stop, I went to her, holding her hair and rubbing her back.
Once it stopped, she wiped her mouth and slid down the wall onto the concrete. “He can’t die on me, Ewan. He has to come through this and be okay. They have a baby coming and he has us.” I sat next to her, holding her while she cried again. The woman I loved, the one with my heart and soul was in pain, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
Chapter Nineteen
JOVIE
Days after the accident blurred together. I knew it had been at least two, but I quit asking anyone what day it was anymore. Rae and I didn’t leave his room for any reason. When Nick woke up, we were going to be there. Once he was stable, they did surgery on his leg, putting in pins to reattach the bones. Those hours were terrible and dragged like I never knew time could. I hadn’t kept down food in days—my stomach refused to accept anything but water. I didn’t sleep more than an hour at a time and it was when I was too tired to keep my eyes open. More than once I woke up slumped over in a chair or with my head on his bed and my ass in a chair.
Guilt gripped me, completely overwhelming me, making it impossible to breathe. It was my fault. Nick was fighting for his life, and I was to blame. I may not have cut his brake line, I may not have been driving the truck that hit him, but I might as well have done all of it. Mason wanted me and he was going to take out every one in my life until the sick bastard got what he wanted. The worst part was not knowing why. What made him suddenly obsess over me? What had I done to bring it on? Ewan swore I had done nothing. His friend Sam said several women in Virginia had orders of protection against
Mason and he had been committed to psyche hospitals several times. The women were all different ages, different ethnicities, and none of them knew each other. His victims were random, and I was one of them. The worst part was that no one had stopped him yet.
Ewan had a security system installed at the house complete with cameras and text alerts. None of it made me feel better, safer. I was terrified he would come after Amelia or Ewan or my family. The urge to leave, move far away and stay away from my loved ones, was overwhelming. Ewan shut me down every time I brought it up, so I stopped talking about it. The idea was always in the back of my mind, nagging at me, telling me to protect them. Reese and Lydia bought me clothes and sat with Rae so I could run home to shower occasionally. I knew better than to argue with them, so I went. Every time I came back, it was like walking into that room for the first time again. Seeing my big, strong, Nick laid out in a tiny hospital bed took my breath. Pain and fear laced every nerve in my body. His face was pale, clammy, and there were tubes everywhere. I had cried until there were no tears, my eyes were permanently red, and I had apologized to him until my voice was raw.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I nearly fell from the chair I was in. Ewan caught me. He was in a dress shirt and slacks, so it must have been evening, “Where is Amelia?” I looked around frantically. Rae was asleep in the recliner with her hand on Nicks on the other side of the bed. The idea of Amelia being anywhere alone terrified me.
“She’s with Cori and Erica at your shop. Remember? They are having her answer phones on weekends.” I nodded, shoving my hair from my face. “You have to come home for a while. You have to sleep in a real bed and you have to eat. It’s been a week, and Shelly is coming to sit with him and Rae.” Ewan was using his tone that meant I didn’t have a choice. I kissed Nick on the cheek, then Rae, and let Ewan drag me from the room.
When we got home, I stripped in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I looked worse than Nick. I had lost weight, my eyes were red and sunken with purple circles. My skin was pale, more pale than usual. I looked sick. The shower water was as hot as I could get it, turning my skin pink, punishing myself for letting Nick end up hurt. I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for Mason’s next move, but no one had seen him in weeks. He had vanished again. Before I turned the shower off, Ewan slipped in with me, pulling me to him and stroking my wet hair. The poor man had taken such good care of me and I had neglected him. My mind was completely foggy. I focused on Nick, and my fear of someone else getting hurt.
Ewan started at my forehead, kissing me slowly down my cheek to my mouth, never lingering in one place long. I looked horrible, but when I protested, insisting I looked like shit, he spun me around, pressing his front to my back, and grabbed my breasts. My thoughts cleared, and my head dropped back onto his shoulder. His hard length was pressed into me, and he ground it into my lower back. Ewan slid his hand down toward my center, holding me firm with one hand cupping my breast, running his thumb over my nipple. His grip was so tight; I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to. I reached around, grabbing the back of his neck as he bit into my shoulder, stroking me toward one hell of an orgasm. Everything left my mind, the weight was gone, and I came undone. I cried out his name as he shoved me into the tile, positioning my leg so he could thrust himself into me. Ewan pinned me against the wall, having his way with me. Ewan had never been forceful—it was always slow, sensual—but he needed it, needed me. Just as I reached the cusp of another orgasm, he did too, but he didn’t stop. Ewan growled out my name, and pumped his hips a few more times, making me tremor.
Once he caught his breath, he released me, letting me slump back into him. He turned the shower off, wrapped me in a towel, and led me to where one of his shirts was laid out on the bed. I got dressed and Ewan disappeared into the hall. I collapsed into the bed, letting my eyes close and letting my fatigue take over for the first time in days.
I woke up to find Amelia and Ewan in bed with me. She was asleep, but he was awake, lying on his side to face us. I was sandwiched between them with her curled around my back. “You slept thirteen hours. Hungry?” he whispered, smiling softly. His face told me everything. There was concern, love, and adoration written plainly. I climbed out of bed, following him downstairs and sitting on the counter while he cooked. Ewan slid between my knees, pulling me close to him. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are right now?”
“If it’s the same image I saw in the mirror last night, then no.” I rolled my eyes, and Ewan grabbed my chin.
“What have I told you about that?” His phone chimed, but he didn’t move. “You in my shirt, sitting on my counter, is the sexiest thing I have ever seen.” His phone chimed again. His mouth covered mine, devouring my lips and jump-starting my pulse. The toast popped out of the toaster, his phone chimed, and I moaned against his mouth when his hand moved up my thigh and slid my panties over. I briefly thought about Amelia upstairs, but it was early, barely light. His phone chimed. Two fingers slid in and out of me while his thumb grazed over my clit. My head fell back into the cabinet and he kissed down my throat, threading his fingers into my hair while I clawed at his shoulders. I bit my lip, struggling not to cry out when Ewan drove me to my orgasm. I caught my breath, letting my forehead fall against his and peeked to see him watching me with hooded eyes.
“Correction, that was the sexiest thing I have ever seen.” His phone chimed.
“Someone wants to talk to you awfully bad.” I adjusted my panties and slid off the counter, struggling to stand on weak legs. He shrugged and went on plating the food. When I reached around him to unbutton his pants, he shook his head.
“Rain check. You need to eat.” Ewan lifted me back up on the counter, handed me my plate, and propped next to me. “I talked to Rae before you woke up. Nick’s still stable. Not much change other than him squeezing her hand when prompted.” I nearly dropped my fork mid-bite. “I thought you would like that. So eat up.” I shoved my food down, barely chewing, and for the first time in a week, I didn’t puke.
Amelia wandered down a bit later, dressed and ready to go hang out with Ollie so Lydia could work. I hated the thought of her not being with Ewan, but she would be safe at my parents’ house. We dropped her off and got to the hospital in time for nurse shift change. Rae practically tackled me, talking about him responding to her. I’m not sure she took a breath. Overnight, Nick had started squeezing her hand in response to questions. I teared up, again.
I fell into him when I finally got to go in and saw him awake. The tube was still in his throat, but his eyes were open and filled with recognition when he saw me. His hands were restrained because he tried to rip the breathing tube out when he came to. I talked calmly to him, telling him he was in an accident, but he was going to be okay. My best friend squeezed my hand and would gag from the tube occasionally, but the nurse said it was normal. I sat and talked to him while Rae went to see Liara at our house and take a well-deserved nap. I still felt guilty, still blamed myself, but Nick had fought through. As much as he should have been angry for the hell I brought on them, he never would be, and would never mention it.
“You have that ‘just-got-laid’ look.” Nick cocked an eyebrow at me, making me giggle as I plopped down next to him and handed him half of my meatball sub. It took nearly two weeks for him to be able to talk to us, but once the tubes were out, he was back to being Nick. “Well, BooBoo, am I right?” He talked through the side of his mouth while he chewed. He hadn’t called me BooBoo in ages, but I still called him Lunchbox.
“None of your business, perv.” I hit him in the chest. “Just because you are in a dry spell, doesn’t mean you get to ask me personal shit.” The banter went on, with him trying to make me blush. It worked, of course. The guy could push my buttons. Once our sandwiches were done, I wheeled him out to the curb where Rae waited with her cute little SUV and a couple of nurses came out to help us load him up. Fortunately, their condo was on the lower level of the building. Nick hobbled in on crutches and colla
psed on the couch, taking a deep breath. Liara jumped up on the couch next to him and her whole butt wagged in response to him being home. I let myself out, leaving Nick on the couch with Rae and Liara.
The guilt of what happened was still fresh, but I put on a good face until I went to drive home from their house. I cried the whole way. Nick was in good spirits and would never blame me, but the suffocating feeling that I had brought it all on was there, bearing down on me. I pulled in at home. Home. I was still terrified that the other shoe was waiting to fall. Mason was still out there, but the house was safe. Ewan went out of his way to make it the next Fort Knox.
Chapter Twenty
EWAN
I turned my phone off, slamming it a little too hard on the counter. I had no idea what to do. The bastard had gotten a hold of my number and was sending everything from death threats to pictures. Mason had been near the house, but not close enough for the cameras to pick him up. He sent me pictures of me kissing her against the carin the driveway, of her and Amelia on the porch swing, and most recently, her helping Nick into her car to go eat lunch. I couldn’t tell her. Jovie was living almost normally again, Nick was improving, and as far she knew, things were quiet. In reality my work phone rang several hundred times a day, but no one was on the line and the texts were even worse. Samuel was tracing it the best he could, but the bastard was smart. Mason was some kind of tech genius or something. If I changed my number, she would know something was wrong, so I simply ignored it, keeping my phone on silent and deleting all the messages as they came in. For weeks on end, it didn’t let up.
Jovie still threatened to leave when anyone brought up Mason, saying it was dangerous to stay with me, but I silenced it quickly. She swore that Amelia or I were next, and she was right. Mason had made it very clear that I was to stay away from her, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Especially after the night I had planned. Jove was mine, and no psycho was taking her from me.
