by Alison Mello
A bitterness swirled in his belly. Could he make this right? If Summer wanted to walk away, Rafe would accept it, but he needed to give it one last try for his sanity. “I have no right to fuck her life up.”
“Then don’t. Summer’s your wife in every way that matters, and you love her. Go and get her back or I’ll kick that stubborn ass of yours to kingdom come.”
Rafe dipped his head low and rolled the broad band on his ring finger. “I will…tomorrow.”
He sighed. He knew if he chased after her right now, they would end up repeating the last twenty-four hours. No, he needed to speak with her at Betty’s, on neutral ground. And that way, she couldn’t run.
“Anyway, are you going to explain why you’re both here on a Sunday?” Rafe asked.
Niall strutted away and pulled out a mug to help himself to the coffee. He leaned back on the table to stare over at Rafe. Rafe darted his gaze at Gabriel, who eyed him over the rim of his mug. A sinking sensation grew. Niall sipped on his steaming brew and sighed.
“Don’t say anything. I’m going to need lots of caffeine in my system when I hear it, aren’t I?”
Niall nodded.
Rafe’s leg burned, and he gripped the limb, squeezing it tightly to force the excruciating pain away.
“You okay, man?”
Gritting his teeth, he counted to twenty as he moved his leg back and forth. “Nothing meds won’t fix.”
CHAPTER 13
Summer
After a sleepless night, because Summer expected Rafe to appear at her door at any moment, angry emotions swirled inside her because he didn’t. All morning, she couldn’t function, worried he’d turn up. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she plastered a weak smile on her face to disguise her confusion.
“You okay, chick?”
Nodding in answer was the best she could manage right now because, in all honesty, today her head throbbed, along with every part of her body that screamed for Rafe. And try as she might, memories of yesterday haunted her, along with the ludicrous belief that she loved the man. The music kicked in from the jukebox and Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” bounced through the diner. Flashes like lightbulbs from a camera flickered inside her head.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The music stirred her brain. Shivers trickled down her spine, and before she knew it, Summer left the kitchen to stride into the diner on auto-pilot.
The warm room swayed with chatty customers, but a different lively venue with bright colors shimmered around her clearly in her head. The pungent smell of beer and sweat greeted her as familiar female voices whispered and laughed around her. Weaving her way from one table to the next, she reached out to grip the chairs as she blinked. Memories bathed her. The void from the missing months burst inside her, one by one. Summer continued to take orders, but a sense of detachment grew. An hour later, the bell tinkled, and her gut prickled.
The hair at the nape of her neck drifted upward and she twisted to meet the unyielding stare of Rafe, who slanted his pinched face to the side. She studied him, one of the many missing pieces in the puzzle of her life. She folded and clenched her fists. A rush of pure anger and burning humiliation erupted. Before she could stop herself, she walked the several steps between them and slapped his face hard. Summer gasped at her own action and covered her mouth with her hand as tears erupted. Rafe didn’t flinch, even when customers gasped.
“Summer!” Nicki yelled.
Aware of the intense scrutiny of everyone in the diner, she raced for the door and ran outside, not wanting to talk to anyone, especially Rafe. She quickened her pace and headed toward her car.
“Stop, Summer! For Christ’s sake, stop. What will running away achieve?”
His words rang true and halted her movement. She swiveled around. Her chest heaved with the disbelief coursing through her, and she trembled with sadness and loss. But she bit her lip, forcing herself not to jump down Rafe’s throat. Part of her yearned for his explanation. Examining him, she noticed the dark shadows that guarded his eyes. A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead. Rafe frowned and winced as he made his way toward her, limping. She had never seen him limp before. She edged closer, studying his drawn face. He looked dreadful, and taking the last step to bring them together, he wobbled. Darting forward, she gripped his arm, scared he would fall. Summer wrapped her arm around his waist, and he didn’t refuse her help as he blinked. Taking a deep breath, he paused, and she waited until he was ready.
Gazing down at her, he smiled. “Finally, I have your attention.”
She flicked her gaze over his striking features and knew he wasn’t well. “Is it your leg?” she asked, holding him.
He nodded as he leaned heavily on his left side, and she tightened her grip around his waist, not wanting him to stumble. Summer ran her hand over his forehead.
Damn it. He’s burning up.
“Rafe, you have a fever. You need to see a doctor.” She glanced around the alleyway, estimating how many steps it would take to get back to the diner. If he collapsed, there was no one here to help them.
“Morning, Sunshine,” he said in a strangled voice.
Summer pressed her eyes closed as a single tear slid down her cheeks.
Morning, Sunshine.
As shivers rippled down her spine, she realized why those two simple words resonated deep inside, pulling her back to a different time and place. Why it felt more like a gentle kiss than mere words. Opening her eyes, she studied the man before her who had greeted her from the very beginning with that phrase.
The bed was warm and cozy. Summer clutched the pillow against her face, inhaling Rafe’s scent, not wanting to move and she needed to. One night had turned into several days of hot sex and late-night chats that stripped her bare physically and psychologically. Even now after making love for hours, her body tingled from his relentless possession and damn it, she wanted more. How could this man she had met at the Irish bar only days ago affect her so? The door creaked open, and she flopped on her side. Rafe strolled in, carrying a tray with a steaming plate of food, dressed in a white T-shirt and boxers.
“Morning, Sunshine. I thought you might be hungry.”
Her stomach rumbled in response, but her hunger went far beyond food. Unable to peel her eyes away from this gorgeous hunk, she admitted if only to herself how this would be a glorious way to start every morning.
From that morning on, Rafe made a point of making breakfast and greeting her with those two words that made her feel the center of his world. Special. Loved. She gasped at her memory.
“I remember…” She pulled his large frame against her side, taking as much of his weight as she could, but he sagged. They were never going to make it. Birds cawed high above them, the sky a clear blue, and she prayed as they took one step after another back the way they came.
“Summer, I wanted to tell you the moment I saw you, but I couldn’t. I promised…”
“Shh, not now. We need to get you seen, Rafe. How long have you been like this?”
“I’m sorry…for everything.”
She stopped to study the complex man next to her. His face twisted in pain. Summer stared at his left hand, not wanting to discuss the past right now, but snapshots of the past filled her head.
Unbelievable.
A memory of them laughing and giggling as they hugged each other like kids while studying an array of wedding bands stole her breath and straightened her spine. As soon as she’d seen the slim platinum band with tiny diamonds he’d picked up, she’d known it was perfect. Choosing his had been easy. Summer was drawn to the bold masculine design edged in black; it suited him. She had fallen for the rough around the edges Navy SEAL who wouldn’t accept anything less than his ring on her finger, only it hadn’t quite worked out that way. She shook away the memories, not wanting to revisit them. She had given him everything until he knew all her secrets.
“Rafe.” She breathed the words out like a sigh. The atmosphere around them tensed like before a s
torm. Memories pulsed inside, each one like an electrical current: The night at the crazy Irish bar in Boston. The sex—earth-shattering, all-consuming sex. The arguments. Living together. Las Vegas. Rafe’s drinking—and his nightmares. All the memories piled up, and she trembled, zoning out. She let go of him. Her head ached, and her hands strayed to her belly as her mind registered everything she had lost the night of the car crash in the torrential rain. She stepped back from him, unable to stop the torrent of memories bursting inside her mind.
But he gathered her into his arms and held her as she sobbed against his chest. They stood there, locked in each other’s arms, for moments, and she didn’t move.
“Shh, baby. It will be all right. We’ll figure it out.”
It was too much. Swallowing down her tears and anger, she shrugged out of his hold. Rafe stood awkwardly and raked his hands through his shoulder-length hair. Her chest tightened, and she gasped for air, struggling to process the overwhelming deluge of information. Despite his obvious discomfort, all she could see was Rafe climbing over her naked body, smiling, and saying, “Morning, Sunshine,” as he kissed her flat belly and the wedding band on her left hand. The burst of truth was a hard impact right in her gut, which knocked her back. She was his wife. She belonged to him.
“No…” she whispered, covering her face with her hands.
“Shit…Summer. The pain is too…I…” His fingers touched her wrist but fell away. The air around her shifted, and a dull thud registered, along with a groan of agony. Summer opened her eyes and Rafe lay unconscious on the ground.
“Rafe!” she screamed. His eyes fluttered open, and she knelt to cradle his head on her lap. Stroking his cheek, she rambled. “Don’t you dare leave me, Rafe Bryant. I have so many questions. You cannot leave me. Please, I love you.” Holding him close to her, she stared into his pale face.
***
Summer
Summer paced up and down the hospital corridor, hating the medicinal and clinical scent, as she chewed on the tips of her fingers. The neat nails had gone long ago, and her heart surged fast in her chest as nameless faces passed by her in a blur. The doctor said as soon as there was news, he would be back to tell her what was going on. A sick sensation welled, threatening to drag her under, but she needed to keep it together for Rafe. He lay unconscious in the emergency room as doctors and nurses raced in, wheeling equipment and pulling curtains around the gurney.
Desperation had made her call the one person she didn’t want to. Her father answered on the first ring, and his monotone voice at the end of the phone told her he would be there as soon as he could get a flight. Staring down the corridor outside of the emergency room, she knew whatever was going on with Rafe, her dad would be able to command the best medical help possible. Two hazy figures approached from the distant horizon, and she knew right away who they were. Niall and Gabriel. Had they known who she was all along? Summer bit down her resentment.
“Summer, are you all right?” Niall asked with an arched eyebrow.
She sighed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as the fierce man examined her intently. “Yes…no. What do you think, Niall? I just remembered why I am so at ease with Rafe, and he collapses right in front of me before I can ring his bloody neck. I’ve had better days.”
“You know who I am?” Niall asked in a quiet voice as Gabriel stepped back, looking away.
Summer glared from one to the other and nodded. “Yes, I remember you. Memories have been filling up my inbox all morning. Ever since I heard a song on the damn Jukebox. It’s like the fourth of July up here.” She tapped her head, and her voice broke. “I was so angry at him, and I knew he wasn’t well.”
She sniffed, shaking her head. “He collapsed right in front of me when I remembered that he and I were married. Well, sort of…” She laughed and stopped. “What a mess,” she said shaking.
Peering at both tall, handsome men—conscious of their military brotherhood with Rafe—she held her immediate desire to scream at them at bay. Shouting wouldn’t achieve anything. Instead, Summer relayed all she knew, which wasn’t much, her voice devoid of any emotion.
“All the doctors have said is that he has a fever and is dehydrated. They’re taking blood and correcting his fluid imbalance. The doctors don’t know the cause yet, but I’ve called my father to get him transferred to Boston.”
She wrapped her arms around her stomach to stop the shivers taking over. Niall stepped next to her, and before she knew it, his arms wrapped around her, encasing her in a fierce bear hug that stopped the tremors right away. She couldn’t help but sag into his strong body, letting out her breath and tears.
He held her tight and rubbed her back. “He’s strong, Summer. He’ll bounce back, but getting your father involved isn’t a good idea. He did not exactly take to Rafe.”
She jerked back, unaware that Rafe had ever met her dad, and another round of questions circulated inside her brain. What other secrets had he kept from her?
“Shit, he didn’t look right yesterday, and he’s been popping his meds like candy. I asked him about it, but he shrugged it off, like usual,” Gabriel stated.
Summer switched her attention to Gabriel, whose green eyes didn’t meet hers but kept their focus zeroed on Niall, who eased his grip enough for her to step back.
“His leg. He was in pain today when he walked. I’ve never seen him look…” She couldn’t finish the sentence as the shaking started again and her hand shook. She had seen Rafe in pain before. Almost a year ago, but not like today. The disjointed memories circulating in her head still flashed, and each one shook her. She tried to put them in order to process what the scenes were and work out how she felt but frowned. There were more important issues right now. The female doctor from earlier, dressed in blue surgical scrubs and a long white coat, approached. She flicked her gaze over the three of them.
“Who is Mr. Bryant’s next of kin?”
When the EMTs arrived at the diner earlier, she didn’t explain her relationship to Rafe. How could she?
Noting the doctor’s emotionless face, the room swam around her. Was he dead? She curled her fingers into Niall’s sleeve to hold on.
“Summer’s his wife.”
She shot her gaze at Niall, who didn’t blink an eye as he listened to the doctor. Time sped up, and everything faded. She didn’t catch a word as the doctor recited the details of Rafe’s condition and plans for his care. Summer pulled on Niall’s arm to get his attention.
“What did she say? I didn’t quite…”
“It’s okay, Summer. They’re moving him to a room on the second floor. He’s stable and awake. They’ve taken more blood and put up intravenous fluids. Like you said, he was dehydrated, and they’re doing x-rays as we speak. Hopefully, those will tell us more, but he will be okay.”
Relief lifted from her shoulders, zapping her energy, and her legs wouldn’t hold her up any longer. She fainted. The dark provided relief from the brewing storm, and Summer let it swallow her whole. Dreaming of the past and Rafe.
A tap on her shoulder made her twist around to face the man from across the crowded bar who she had brazenly stared at. Up close, he was even more breathtaking, if a little intimidating. Without a word, he gripped her elbow and marched her away from her friends into the corner where he stood in front blocking out the rest of the world. Her heart stampeded at his bold move. She should push him away and find her friends. But his commanding, take-charge attitude thrilled her. Perhaps, it was because tonight she needed a distraction from the mess that was her life. Maybe this was it.
“You were staring at me…why?”
His directness shook her. She expected some cheesy chat-up line, not this frank openness, and before she examined her words, she replied.
“You looked lost and out of place. I wondered if your friends dragged you here like mine did, to cheer you up.”
He nodded and stepped closer. “Why are they trying to cheer you up?” he said, brushing her hair back over her ea
r.
Taken aback by his intimate caress, she didn’t answer right away, trying to sum him up. Summer licked her lips, observing his piercing blue eyes that zeroed in on her. He was older and more weathered than the men she had dated. Taking a deep breath, she responded.
“The usual—a failed relationship. I’m here to find a man for the night, no strings, just sex.”
A part of her wanted to shock him, but when he cocked his head to the side and smiled, showing even gleaming white teeth, her heart almost stopped. He was gorgeous, and her confidence stumbled. She wriggled to remove herself from his grip, and her cheeks heated.
“Look, I’m sorry if I…”
Before she finished her sentence, his lips slammed over hers and his whiskers grazed her skin, but she didn’t mind. He hauled her against his rock-hard abs, fusing their bodies together lighting a fire deep inside. She should be annoyed, but as his kisses teased and probed, a devilish exhilaration grew. He broke the kiss and breathed over her mouth, stroking her cheek with his thumb, as butterflies rose in her belly.
“I’m your man.”
Summer jerked forward, panting at the vivid memory of the night she met Rafe. Right from the beginning, he called to something deep and primal inside that no one else had ever reached before. They had quickly left the bar, laughing and joking. It was only meant to be one night of sex, but it transformed into so much more. Where did that leave them now? Opening her eyes, she frowned, staring straight ahead.
“How are you feeling?” Gabriel asked.
Summer slid her head to the side, surprised to find Rafe’s friend peering at her. His vivid green eyes avoided hers, and she wondered where Niall was. All Rafe’s military buddies were fierce warriors, each imposing and acutely masculine in their own way. Battered and worn around the edges for sure, but she liked each one for their plain-talking and no-nonsense attitude. Summer opened her mouth to ask a question, but Gabriel handed her a glass of water. Nodding, she accepted the plastic tumbler. Her throat was as dry as the Ryvita crackers she liked to eat.
