“Hey, man, what can I do?” Archer asked as he and their father sidled up to him. “Do you want me to try to take Hadley?”
Before coming to the hospital, and while juggling a hysterical Hadley, Archer had found Daphne’s phone in her bag and called her parents. He’d arranged for Tessa Remington to fly to the Cape and bring them to the island and for Jules to pick them up at the airport. He’d also been the one to call their parents and Jules, who had sent a group text, alerting the rest of their family. Archer was fielding those texts for him, too. Jock didn’t know what he would have done without him.
“No. You’ve done more than enough. Thanks. I just…I can’t lose her, and I can’t fucking stop it from happening.” He brushed a hand down Hadley’s back, tears welling in his eyes. “We can’t lose her. I wish they’d tell me something. Anything.”
He’d begged the woman at the desk to get him an update, but they wouldn’t tell him a damn thing because he wasn’t family. He had no idea how he’d face her family. He didn’t even know them. How could he tell them he had no idea if Daphne would live or die? His chest seized just thinking about it.
“You’re not going to lose her,” his father said.
Jock whispered harshly, “They were talking about brain injuries and internal bleeding. We don’t know what they’ll find.” He struggled against tears and said, “I was going to propose to her in the park yesterday, and I held back. I didn’t want to rush her. I shouldn’t have held back. If she doesn’t make it, she’ll never know how much I wanted to be a family with her and Hadley. She needs to know. She deserves to know.”
“Dude, you are not going to lose her,” Archer said adamantly. “She’s strong. That woman in there looked me in the eye—me, the biggest asshole on the planet for the last decade—and said that I didn’t have to like her or her daughter, but that didn’t mean she’d dislike me. She’s tough, man. She has bigger balls than we do.”
Their father put his arm around Jock and said, “Archer is right. She’s strong, son. Have faith. I know that’s hard right now.”
“I promised I’d never let anything happen to her, and now…It’s like some kind of fucked-up punishment,” Jock seethed. “Hadley and Daphne don’t deserve to pay the price for my mistakes.”
Archer got in his face and said, “This is not a punishment. What happened to Kayla and Liam was not your fault. You didn’t run that red light, and you didn’t cause this. And if you think Daphne doesn’t know how much you love her, you’ve got your head up your ass. She looks at you like you’re a fucking god.”
Jock gritted his teeth. “If only I were a god, then I could fix this mess.”
Their mother came out of the ladies’ room, her face a mask of despair. She touched Jock’s arm and said, “Honey, why don’t you sit down for a bit?”
Jock shook his head. “I can’t. I need to know she’s okay, Mom. She’s my world.”
Her eyes teared up. “I know. Oh gosh, now I’m going to cry again.”
“Come here, Shell.” Their father drew her into his arms.
Jules hurried into the waiting room with a couple who looked like they’d been through war—Daphne’s parents—and her brother, who Jock recognized from seeing him at Daphne’s apartment, and…the girl from the gym who Cree had wanted to set him up with? What the hell?
“Jock!” Jules hugged him, careful not to wake Hadley, and said, “These are Daphne’s parents, Ken and Diane, and her brother and sister, Sean and Renee.”
“Hi.” Jock shook her father’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Diane took one look at Hadley and burst into tears. Ken pulled her into his arms, comforting her. Jock ached for them. For all of them, Hadley, Daphne, and himself included. He’d give anything to be able to hold Daphne in his arms and comfort her.
“We don’t know anything yet,” Jock explained. “They won’t tell me anything because I’m not family. Daphne woke up in the ambulance for a few seconds. She was disoriented, and they’re running tests. I don’t know anything else.” He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat and said, “Hadley ran into the parking lot and we went after her, but—”
“It’s okay, Jock,” Ken said. He was a rugged-looking man with serious blue eyes and wavy brown and gray hair. The firm set of his shoulders told of his ageless strength and his comforting tone told of his experience dealing with grave circumstances. “Archer told us how it happened when he called.”
“Archer, right. Sorry.” Jock introduced Archer and his parents to the Zablonskis.
As they greeted each other, his mother embraced Diane and said, “I’m so sorry,” starting a flood of tears from both of them.
“Hadley?” Diane asked through her tears. “Did she see…?”
“At first,” Jock said regretfully. “But Archer took care of her. Hopefully she won’t remember.”
Ken held Jock’s gaze and said, “I’m glad you were there. Daphne told my wife everything you’ve been through, and this can’t be easy. We appreciate all you’ve done. My family tells me our little girl is crazy about you.” His eyes shifted to Hadley. “She has two good reasons to fight with everything she has to get through this, and Daphne is a fighter. As a fire chief, I’ve seen hundreds of accidents. Usually they look worse than they are, and that’s what we’re praying for. I’m going to see what I can find out.”
“I’ll come with you,” Jock’s father offered.
“Why don’t we sit down,” his mother suggested.
“I can’t,” Jock said.
Archer crossed his arms and said, “I’m not leaving his side.”
“I’d rather stand, Mom, thanks,” Jules said.
“Sean? Renee?” Diane asked.
Sean and Renee exchanged a glance, and Sean said, “We’re okay, Mom.”
Their mothers went to sit down, and Sean said, “She’s my twin, Jock. She’s going to be okay. I can feel it.”
“Thanks, man.”
“My dad was right about Daphne being crazy about you,” Sean said. “She saved you from getting your ass kicked the night you came by her apartment.”
Archer scoffed and stepped forward. “You and what army?”
Sean threw his shoulders back, and Archer did the same.
“Would you two stop?” Jules put a hand on both their chests, pushing them back.
“Daphne is in there fighting for her life, and with everything Jock has been through, do you think he needs to hear you two bickering?” Renee added. “This is when we come together, so put your dicks away and be supportive.”
Archer cocked a brow at Renee, his eyes gliding down the length of her. Jules swatted him.
“Listen, Sean. I have a shitty past, but I’d never hurt Daphne,” Jock reassured him. “That night I saw you in her apartment, I told her everything I’d been through. I love her, and I’d give my life to be the one in there instead of her.”
“I know. She called me yesterday and said she was madly in love with you,” Sean said.
“She called you?” Renee asked. “Why didn’t she call me?”
“You didn’t share a womb with her,” Sean said arrogantly.
“I feel your pain, Renee,” Jules said. “I have two sets of twin siblings.”
Jock looked at Renee and said, “We go to the same boxing club, right?”
“Yes. It was me who asked Cree about you.” Renee shrugged and said, “You can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“Sorry to have blown you off, but—”
“I get it,” Renee interrupted. “You had your eye on my gorgeous sister. You were her white knight bearing apology gifts and all the sweetness she deserves. You made the right choice. She’s the best person I know. I would have just broken your heart.”
Archer chuckled, and then he turned a scorching gaze on Renee, singeing the air with electricity. Sean glared at him, and Renee rolled her eyes at her brother.
Jock stepped away. He didn’t want to watch Archer flirt, or see a brother protect his sister. He wanted
to plow through the double doors, take Daphne in his arms, and never let her go.
AFTER WHAT FELT like forever, the doctor finally came through the double doors. Jock pushed to his feet with Hadley in his arms. Hadley had asked about Daphne when she’d woken up, and Jock had told her that the doctor was just fixing Mommy’s boo-boos—then he’d prayed his fucking heart out, as he’d been doing all day.
As everyone else stood up, making a semicircle around the doctor, Jock scrutinized the doctor’s face, but he was giving away nothing.
“Mr. Zablonski?” the doctor said.
Ken stepped forward, his arm around Diane. “That’s me. We’re Daphne’s parents. Is she okay?”
“Would you like to talk in private?” he asked.
Ken glanced at the rest of them, his eyes settling on Jock. “No. We’re all family. How is she?”
“She’s stable, and very lucky.”
The air rushed from Jock’s lungs, and tears burned his eyes as murmurs of gratitude sounded around them. He kissed Hadley’s cheek, finally able to breathe a little easier. Archer put a hand on his shoulder.
“She hit her head on the pavement, but there are no indications of brain injury, no swelling or bleeding,” the doctor explained. “She has suffered a concussion, which we’ll need to monitor. She has a fractured knee and ankle, which we’ve stabilized, and several scrapes and bruises. She’s going to be sore all over for a while.”
Relief consumed Jock. He hugged Hadley tighter and whispered to Archer, “I need you to do me a favor…”
As Archer headed for the elevator, the doctor said, “We’re going to need to keep her here for observation for the next four or five days, but she should make a full recovery.”
“Can we see her?” Jock and Daphne’s parents asked at once.
“Yes. We’ve given her something for pain, and it’s normal for her to be a bit groggy, so don’t be alarmed. I would suggest not overwhelming her. Perhaps three or four of you at a time? Keep the commotion to a minimum.”
As her parents thanked the doctor, Jock hugged Hadley again and said, “Mommy’s okay, princess. She’s okay.” He kissed her cheek again and again, thanking the heavens above.
“Mommy’s boo-boos fixed?” Hadley asked.
“Yes. She’s going to have a special bandage on her knee and ankle for a while, but she’s okay.” He was sure she didn’t have a clue what he meant, but she was grinning so big, it didn’t matter. She’d see it for herself soon enough, as Ken and Diane had invited him to bring Hadley into Daphne’s room with them.
His heart slammed against his ribs as they pushed through the double doors and the woman behind the desk told them where to find Daphne’s room. “We have to be quiet in case Mommy’s sleeping,” he said to Hadley.
“I be quiet,” she said.
He wanted to bolt ahead, but out of respect for her parents, he let her father lead them into the room. Daphne lay with her eyes closed, looking fragile and beautiful beneath the sterile sheets. Her leg was casted from her thigh down, propped on pillows, and she had an IV snaking from one arm. Her eyes opened to only half-mast, and her head lolled in their direction. The sweetest smile lifted her lips, drawing tears from Jock and her parents and an excited whisper from Hadley.
“Mommy! Your boo-boos are better.”
“Almost,” Daphne said groggily.
It was killing Jock to let her parents go to her bedside and hold her hands first, but as he stood beside her father while her parents talked with her, he knew it was the right thing to do. If this situation had happened to Hadley, even though he wasn’t Hadley’s father, he’d need to feel her hand in his, to talk to her, to know she was safe just as much as they did with Daphne.
Ken looked at Jock, and he must have seen the need in his eyes, because he said, “Come here, son.”
“Thank you,” he said as they changed places.
“Why don’t you give me Hadley,” Ken suggested.
Ken reached for Hadley, but she clung tighter to Jock and whined, “My Dock, Pop Pop.”
“It’s okay. I’d feel like I was missing a limb without her.” Jock took Daphne’s hand and said, “Hey, angel.”
Tears welled in her eyes, bringing tears to his own.
“Mommy.” Hadley lunged for Daphne.
Jock caught her and said, “Hadley, baby, we have to be very gentle with Mommy right now. Okay?”
“Gentle, Mama,” she said as Jock leaned down so she could touch Daphne’s face. Daphne kissed her little hand and held it against her cheek for a moment, bringing even more tears to all of them.
“I love you, chickadee,” Daphne said.
“Love you, Mommy,” Hadley said.
Daphne’s teary eyes met Jock’s, and she sobbed. Her eyes shot to Hadley, and she tried to hold the sobs in as she said, “I lost my bracelet.”
“No, baby, you didn’t. They took it off in the ambulance.” He pulled it from his pocket and handed it to her father. “Would you mind, please?”
Tears slipped down Daphne’s cheeks as her father put it on her.
“Thank you.” Jock got choked up as he sat on the edge of the bed with Hadley on his lap so she could hold Daphne’s hand. “Angel, I’m so glad you’re okay. Just the thought of something happening to you…”
He held Hadley tight and leaned closer, their temples touching, and closed his eyes, breathing her in. Her arm circled him, and neither said a word as they cried for what they’d almost lost.
“I love you,” he finally managed.
“I was so scared,” she said against his neck. “I didn’t know if Hadley got hit.”
“I got to her and the car turned to miss us. I’m so sorry, baby.”
“No, it’s not your fault. You saved our little girl.”
Our. She felt it, too…
He leaned up and brushed his hand down Hadley’s back, kissing her cheek. Hadley put her head on his shoulder as he gazed at Daphne and said, “Daph, everything I want is right here in front of me. I’ve known it since the first time I watched you put Hadley to bed. I wanted to say something at the park, but I thought you might need more time, and maybe you still do, but I don’t want to wait, so here goes. I don’t want to miss a single day with you and Hadley. Let’s throw caution to the wind, angel. Let me be your husband instead of your boyfriend, and Daddy instead of Dock. We can move to the island and you can plan events with my mom, or we can stay on the Cape. I don’t care where we live, as long as we’re together. You’re my other half, baby. Marry me, Daphne, and I promise to make all of yours and Hadley’s dreams come true.”
“Oh, Jock” came out with a sob. “Yes. You’re everything we want, too.”
His heart stumbled. “Yeah?”
“Yes. With all my heart and soul, yes!”
“She said yes!” he said, making her parents laugh through their tears. As he leaned down and pressed his lips to Daphne’s, Hadley exclaimed, “Yes!”
Jock hugged her and lowered her to kiss her mommy’s cheek.
“Do you want Jock to be your daddy?” Daphne asked.
Hadley nodded. “Daddy Dock?”
They all laughed, and Jock said, “Daddy Dock sounds perfect to me.”
“I don’t care what the doctor said. I’m going in that room.” Archer’s angry voice sailed down the hall seconds before he flew through the door. He scanned their teary eyes and said, “Those better be happy tears after what I just went through.” He pushed the little black box into Jock’s hand and said, “How’re you doing, Daphne?”
“I’m getting married,” Daphne said loudly, earning more elated laughter.
Archer slapped Jock on the back and said, “Congratulations, bro.”
“Thanks. Hadley, can you go to Pop Pop for a minute, please?” Jock asked.
“Unca Awcher.” She reached grabby hands for Archer.
“All the girls want Awcher,” he said with a wink, and took her from Jock.
Jock opened the box, revealing the teardrop-shaped ha
lo diamond engagement ring he’d bought while they were in town. Several small marquis diamonds formed a crowned peak above the rounded end of the center diamond.
Daphne and her mother gasped.
“Jock,” Daphne said breathlessly. “Where did that come from?”
“The engagement fairy.” God, he loved her. “I want to do this right, baby, because you deserve the best of everything, and I plan on showing you how special marriage vows are every day for the rest of our lives.” Jock got down on one knee beside the bed and took Daphne’s hand as her parents watched with tears in their eyes. “My sweet Daphne, you came into my life like the most beautiful, unexpected gift, bringing light into my dark world, and in a few short weeks you showed me how to believe in myself and trust in others. You made me laugh and love and feel deeper than I ever thought possible. You and Hadley gave me a reason to conquer my past and believe in a future I never saw coming. And somehow your brilliant little girl knew all along that we belonged together. You have become the axis on which my world spins. I love you, Daphne Zablonski, with every iota of my being. I love the sound of your voice, the way you blush, the way you kiss, the way you touch my face, and the way you mother your baby girl. I love your big, beautiful heart, and I hope one day we have babies with your ability to see past the surface, to the heart of others.”
He paused to take in the light in her eyes, the flush of her cheeks, and the hope in her heart, which he could feel beating between them, and said, “Daphne, will you do me the honor of being my wife and allow me to be Hadley’s father? To love, honor, and cherish you both? To scare off boys as Hadley gets older and to love your muffins even when we’re too old to eat them? Daphne, my angel, my love, will you marry me?”
“Absolutely, positively yes!”
Jock slid the ring on her finger as he rose to his feet, and with her mother crying and her father and Archer watching with approving grins, he sealed their promises with a long, sensual kiss. “I love you,” he said against her lips, and then he went back for more, because he knew he’d never get enough.
Tempted by Love: Jack Jock Steele (The Steeles at Silver Island Book 1) Page 39