by Sienna Skye
I got in the car and headed out onto the road. I heard the tires screeching before I saw the SUV barreling through the stop sign and heading toward my car. And then, darkness. Somewhere in the darkness, I heard the faint sounds of a familiar voice. Jace. And then I fell back into the silence.
Chapter Thirty Three
Morgan
“Morgan. You with me?”
Hunter and I were working on the final touches of the deal I had negotiated in Europe. My mind kept wandering back to Jules. “Love you” I liked hearing it more than I wanted to admit. Sure, it was a slip of the tongue. The deafening sound of her panicked silence made that obvious. But, she meant it. Maybe I didn’t want to admit it to anyone else, but it’s not like my feelings for her had just vanished. I couldn’t say it back, though. Even if it hadn’t shocked the hell out of me. Too much shit had happened.
“Sorry, just thinking about Sophia,” I lied. “She’s anxious for Jules to get back home, but I don’t want to tell her yet she is on the way.”
Hunter made a show out of scanning the room as if looking for a hidden toddler. Wait. Was she a toddler? I needed to get that shit straight. “Well unless she snuck back in here while I wasn’t looking, she is still hanging out with Callie.”
We were still looking for a preschool for Sophia, so I had been bringing her to work with me. Callie made her the intern’s intern. She even set Sophia up with a clipboard decked out in princess stickers and a purple pen with this feathery pom pom thing on top. I had to admit, it was pretty fucking cute. Besides, Callie would fix Sophia’s hair for me. I was still trying to make pigtails that weren’t lopsided and don’t even get me started on braids. “Do you want to know what I already know?” Now what was he talking about?
“What is it that you think you know?”
“What I know is you are all tied up in knots over Julia.”
“Fuck you.”
“You just keep tripping over that big hard head of yours.”
“You are not as smart as you think you are.”
“Everybody sees it, Morgan. Do you know Kyle took Julia out the other night?”
“They’ve always —“
“No, on a date. A real date. He called me to see how I would feel if they started dating.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him I wouldn’t have any problem with it, but he also told me he was holding off for now because he felt the two of you still had feelings for each other and he didn’t want to get in the way of that. He also asked me to tell you that you should pull your head out of your ass. I happen to agree with him.”
“Apparently, he will have to get in line behind Trey. He already put me on notice.” I was starting to get really tired of people telling me my head was up my ass.
“I have to admit, Julia and Trey would be good together. Julia is fiery enough to challenge him.”
Did he really think I was going to fall for that? “I know what you are doing, Hunter. Why do you all think I should forget about what happened?”
“Nobody is saying that. Try and take a step back and view this as an outsider. You both made some bad decisions. But the whole situation was so fucked up it's kind of easy to see how it could happen. Neither one of you wanted to hurt the other. Who knows what any of us would have done in the same situation? The thing is, you are so caught up in the details, that you are missing the big picture.”
“And that is?”
“You love her. You want to be with her and you are unhappy without her. Think about it. Have you even looked at another woman since she’s been back?”
“No, but she hasn’t been back that long.”
The scowl on his face told me he wasn’t buying it.
“Even if you were correct about me, you seem to be forgetting I’m not the only one in this equation. You said it yourself, she went out with Kyle and she has Trey sniffing around.”
“Because you have led her to believe you don’t care.”
Love you.
I’ll see you when you get back.
“Morgan, do you want to hold on to the anger and resentment or do you want to be happy? You need to make a choice.”
Before I had time to respond, his phone rang. Hunter looked at it in confusion and then looked up at me. “It’s Jace.” He answered the phone. “Hey, Jace.” I watched as Hunter’s face paled while he listened. “Son of a bitch! How badly is she hurt?” Fear gripped me as I listened to Hunter’s end of the conversation. “Yes, of course. Which hospital?.....I should be there in a couple of hours….I’ll fly…Thanks, Jace.”
“Hunter, what happened?”
“Julia was in an accident. An SUV sped through the stop sign and hit her. She and Jace had just left from having breakfast so he saw the whole thing. He went with her to the hospital.”
I spoke past the lump in my throat. “How is she?”
“Jace said the doctor said there was bleeding in her brain.”
Please let her be alright.
“Is that as bad as it sounds? Is she conscious?”
“I don’t know how serious it is, but Jace said she is conscious and talking. So that’s good, right? Listen, Morgan, I will let you know when I know more. I have to go.”
“Fuck that. I’m going with you.”
“No, you are not. She told Jace she wanted me. Specifically.”
Well that was fucking harsh.
“If you want to help Julia, take care of your daughter. You know she’ll be worried about her.” Hunter ran out and I texted Callie explaining what had happened and asked if she would please watch Sophia for a little longer. I needed to wrap my head around it first. Our last conversation continued to haunt me.
Love you.
I’ll see you when you get back.
What a fucking asshole.
I watched the clock as I paced in my office. Thankfully, Jace had been there. She wasn’t alone. He’d look out for her. I was confident of that.
Callie called asking if she could take Sophia for frozen yogurt. I met them in the lobby so I could give her money. I picked Sophia up and gave her a big hug.
“Is Mama coming home soon?”
“I know you miss your Mama. She misses you too. She will be back as soon as she can.”
“Sophia and I are going to have a lot of fun together. Aren’t we Sophia?”
“Callie said I can have sprinkles on my ice cream.”
“Have fun with Callie and make sure you thank her for taking you.” I gave Sophia a kiss and then turned to Callie. “Thanks so much for taking care of her.”
“It’s no problem. She’s a good kid. I can keep her as long as you need tonight.”
“Thanks, Callie. I’ll let you know.”
There were things around the office that needed to be taken care of. I worked through the day in a fog. About three hours later, Jace called.
“How is she?” I didn’t even bother with a greeting.
“She is pretty good, all things considered. That SUV hit her hard, Morgan. I was scared to death when I ran over to her.”
“Thanks for looking out for her.”
“No thanks needed. I love that girl.”
I chose to ignore his last comment. Even though I understood the context, I didn’t want to deal with it. Didn’t want to deal with knowing he probably told her the words I couldn’t. “Did Hunter get there?”
“Yeah, he’s with her now. He made sure the hospital knew he was footing the bill and he wanted the best specialist they had.”
“That’s good. He’ll make sure everything is done right. Jace, can you do me a favor?”
“You want me to tell her you asked about her.” I really hated how he could do that.
“Please. And let her know I will take care of...” I cut off my words because I didn’t’ know if Jace knew.
“Sophia. She told me about her today.”
“Just let her know.”
“I will. And Morgan?”
“Yeah?”
/> “I just want you happy, dude.”
Chapter Thirty Four
Julia
I only spent a couple of days in the hospital. The specialist said the bleeding in my brain was very tiny and they didn’t seem overly concerned. I did have a concussion and was rocking a pretty intense headache. Hunter and/or Jace were always there at the hospital.
When it was time for me to be discharged, Hunter brought me back home. When I got there, I found some detailed schedules stuck on my refrigerator.
“What’s this?”
“It’s schedules.” Geez, Hunter, even with a concussion I think I could figure that out.
“I see that. What are they for?”
“I have people coming to stay with you, to help out with Sophia, bring you food.”
“Holy cow. When did you do all this?”
“You slept a lot in the hospital.” Well that was true.
“Do you think this is really necessary?” I glanced at the schedules. “You have people sleeping over? Where are they going to sleep?”
“Yes, I think it’s necessary. It took fucking years off of my life when Jace called. Come with me.”
He led me down the hall to my office. My office which now had a futon and a couple of stacks of extra bedding.
“Since you are not supposed to be working right now anyway…”
“Killed two birds with one stone there, didn’t you?”
I have to admit, it was incredibly helpful. The headaches and the fatigue were worse than I had anticipated. Just about everyone rotated through my house. Hunter, Sarah, Callie, Trey, Kyle, and Jenna. Irene brought over meals and Jace even came up for a weekend. Like I said, just about everyone. Except Morgan. Sure, he pulled Dad duty and put in extra time with Sophia. And he came over to hang out when Jace was over.
Sophia was coloring at the coffee table and I was sitting on the couch, not paying any attention to whatever was on TV. Morgan was doing something in the other room. That was his usual behavior when he was over. Stay away from me as much as possible. Jace plopped down on the couch next to me.
“Hey beautiful.”
“Hey.” I put my head on his shoulder and tucked myself against him.
“How’s the head?”
“It comes and goes. It’s not so bad right now, though. It’s nice to have you here.”
“Just happy to have you here. When I saw that truck hit you like that, I thought for sure…I’m just so fucking thankful that you weren’t hurt worse than you were.” He kissed the top of my head. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t freak me out a little to hear what Jace said. I shivered a bit as I tried to push away the thought. “Oh, sorry about the F bomb.” He jerked his head in Sophia’s direction.
“I don’t think she heard it. She’s pretty into her coloring over there.”
He laughed. “I can see that. She frowns just like Morgan when she concentrates.”
That made me laugh. “Yes, she does.”
She looked up at that moment. “Hey! You and Uncow Jace are cuddling. Cuddling makes my boo boos feel better, Mama. You keep cuddling my mama. She got a boo boo.” She nodded her head in a very matter of fact manner, showing her approval of Jace’s boo boo fixing methods. I didn’t even have time to respond, when Morgan pushed the kitchen door open, his line of sight directed at me and Jace.
“Do you want me to feed Sophia before I leave?”
It shouldn’t have bothered me. Really. The doctors said my emotions might be on all over the place. And he was offering to feed Sophia which was helpful. Why it bothered me if he wasn’t offering me food was beyond me. But, it did.
“No, that’s okay…” I couldn’t even finish the answer. I looked up at the ceiling. Who knows why? Maybe praying to the ceiling Gods to keep me from crying, but my eyes started to water anyway. Jace looked at me, understanding in his eyes.
“I was planning on taking these two ladies out to dinner tonight. Unless you don’t feel up to it. I could order take out.”
“I’m not feeling so bad right now. Besides, I think it would do me good to get out of the house a bit.”
“Hey, Morgan. Why don’t you come with us man?”
“Nah, but thanks anyway, Jace. You guys go have fun. I need to get going.”
Like I said. He stayed away from me as much as possible.
My goal was to get back to my usual self before I started on Your Wake Up Call. I followed my orders. Both the doctor’s and Hunter’s. Hunter’s orders were stricter that the doctor’s. I turned the corner and was feeling much more like myself a good week and a half before my first air date.
You have to wake up pretty doggone early to make it to the city for a morning news show. First stop was hair and makeup. People kept popping in, telling me things, giving me instructions. Next came wardrobe. Distressed jeans, high heeled cage sandals, and a dressy tee that showed more of the girls than I thought morning TV would allow.
What if somebody asked me a question I couldn’t answer? What the hell would I do then? Why did I think this was a good idea? Maybe I could change my mind, say it was a mistake.
Just then a guy in a suit with a look on his face like he just sucked on a lemon walked up to me. He scowled at me. This guy really needed to have some fun or at least have someone remove the stick that was firmly implanted in his ass.
“Julia. We are going to go on set. You can have a few minutes with the anchors before the segment starts. Are you ready?”
“My brain was bleeding.” I blurted out. Loudly.
Suit man opened and closed his mouth like a fish. He stared at my head like he had X-ray vision or something. “Will it be bleeding on set?”
I waved my hand casually in the air, trying to act as if I didn’t suddenly come down with a case of Tourette’s. “No, no,” I said breezily. “It’s all done now.”
“You are not going to freak out on me.” That wasn’t really a question. It sounded more like a threat. Maybe he would beat me with his ass stick. Force me to suck on lemons.
He walked me out on set where the anchors, Vince and Sunny, welcomed me. A hair stylist came out and fixed Sunny’s hair. A makeup artist powdered the shine away on Vince’s face. Somebody else brought them notes and gave them show updates. How many freaking people were there? Just then somebody came and handed me a tumbler.
“It’s iced black tea lemonade, Julia.”
“Iced black tea lemonade. Good, good. Black tea lemonade.” I took a sip to shut myself up.
My phone vibrated. I glanced down. There was a text from Jace. Vince and Sunny were on their phones. I glanced up, wondering if stick man was in hiding, ready to pounce. I read the text.
Knock ‘em dead, Beautiful! I’m sitting here with a room full of rowdy Marines just waiting to see you do your stuff. ;)
“Not helping, Jace! So. Not. Helping.”
Vince and Sunny glanced up from their phones wondering who I was talking to. I smiled sweetly and took another sip of tea. My phone buzzed again. Hunter this time.
Breathe, Julia. You are going to do great. Remember, you are good at what you do, that’s why they wanted you. BTW, you look amazing.”
Wait. What? Hunter was here? I popped my head up and looked around. Another text.
Of course I came. Had to support my little sister on her big debut, right?
I shook my head and laughed. God, I loved that man. I typed out a quick text.
Love you, big brother.
Love you, Idg.
There was a sudden burst of energy as people started to scurry around set. Somebody started to count down. And then we were on.
“Welcome back! As we mentioned in the teaser at the start of this morning’s show, we are starting a new segment today. Sunny and I are very excited about it aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are. Many of you are probably familiar with Edge magazine and their cutting edge topics. One of the magazine’s most popular features is their ‘Ask Nikki’ column.”
“That’s right, Sunny. And
we are lucky enough to have none other than ‘Ask Nikki’ herself, Julia Angelini joining us each week to answer your questions with the same candor and wit as she does in her column. Welcome, Julia.”
“Thank you. I’m excited to be here.”
“This is the first time your fans are learning your real name. It’s the first time they are even seeing your face. What would you like them to call you? Nikki or Julia?”
“Whatever they feel comfortable with. As you said, they have always known me as Nikki, so if that’s what they want to call me, I’m fine with that.
“Alright, we have our first caller. Ms. Part Time Benefits is on the line. What’s your question?”
I listened as Ms. Part Time Benefits discussed the problem with her “friend with benefits.” She was looking for more than their current arrangement. I could do this. My thoughts and comments rolled through my head as I listened to her speak.
“Here’s the thing. Friends with benefit situations can be very tricky. They can be incredibly fun and well…beneficial…as well. The only way that can happen though is if ground rules are set that both parties are in agreement with. And as with most things, good communication is key. Let me ask you, do you guys have an agreement?”
“Yes, we do.”
“And what was that agreement? Was it strictly a sexual situation or were you both open to it being more?”
“We agreed upon a no strings attached sexual situation.”
“And now you want more. What makes you think he changed his mind as well?”
“The chemistry is great, and he doesn’t just get up and go after we are done. And I know he thinks of me other times too. He has called me after he has been out on dates so he can come see me.”
Oh boy. “PTB, I think you are doing something that is actually very common. You are confusing good sex with love…or at least very strong like. The fact that he doesn’t get up and go can either mean he likes the cuddle time or that he is not a total…” Damn, probably can’t say ass on TV. “…jerk. But, I have to tell you, I’m not having too much faith in our man here since you told me he calls you after he has been on a date.”
“But, why not? He’s thinking about me.”