by Cameron Hart
“Hell yeah! That’ what I’ve been saying for years.”
I manage a chuckle at his response.
“I’ll see you soon, Coop. Thanks for this.”
“Any time. Seriously. I know these last six months have been hard on all of us, but you know I love you, right?”
“Don’t get all mushy on me now,” I grunt.
“Alright, fine. I’ll save it for when you get back,” he teases.
There’s a beat of silence over the phone. “I love you too, Coop,” I tell him.
“Psh, don’t get all mushy on me now.”
“Fuck you,” I say, in mock anger.
Cooper laughs and I hang up on him. Bastard.
✽✽✽
Twelve fucking hours later, I finally land at JFK. I ditched Ash after our late lunch meeting and haven’t answered any of his many calls. I sent him a text saying something came up and I had to go back home. I may not particularly like the guy most of the time, but I don’t want him to worry.
And he’s not worried. He’s pissed. That’s fine, I’ll deal with him later. Right now, I need to find my hummingbird.
I booked the next flight to New York, which meant several long layovers. It’s seven a.m. as I step off the final plane and call my driver. I haven’t slept all night and I’m feeling it. I know sleep will be impossible until I have Luna in my arms again.
My first stop is Luna’s apartment, which is empty. I tell my driver to head to St. Joseph’s next. I have a bad feeling, and I will tear down the fucking walls of that hospital to find Lucas and Luna.
I storm through the doors to the main reception area and proceed to argue with the front desk lady who won’t give me any information.
“This is fucking bullshit,” I grumble to myself while pacing around and calling Luna for the tenth time today. I don’t know for certain that she’s even here, I just have a hunch that if neither her nor Lucas are at their place, something is wrong.
The front desk lady is eyeing me warily after our latest exchange, but then she turns to help someone else. I take the opportunity to slip into the ICU and wander around as inconspicuously as I can.
No such luck.
Next, I hit up the oncology wing, but don’t see any sign of Lucas or Luna. I see a sign pointing towards the surgical wing, and my stomach drops thinking about Lucas going into surgery while Luna waits for him all alone.
I search the waiting room, but don’t see any sign of Luna. I growl in frustration, earning me a few startled looks from those around me. I’m about to find out who the head of the hospital board is and give a generous donation in exchange for information about Lucas, but then I see Luna come out of the bathroom
I feel like my heart beats for the first time since I heard she quit. She doesn’t see me at first as I make my way towards her. Luna is always beautiful, but right now she looks so run down, not unlike that night I picked her up and brought her to my home.
When she looks up, fresh tears stream down her face, making me run to close the distance between us. She flings herself into my arms and I scoop her up, squeezing her tightly as she sobs in my arms. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but it doesn’t matter as long as I have her here with me.
Reluctantly, I let her go so I can walk us over to a nearby bench on the side of the room, offering us a bit of privacy. Luna moves to sit down next to me, but I grab her hips and guide her so she’s sitting in my lap, unwilling to have her that far away from me right now, possibly ever.
“How’s Lucas? What happened?”
She sniffles and I wipe away more tears from her beautifully haunted face.
“He has a tumor pushing on his lungs. He came in yesterday and went into surgery a little over two hours ago.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, sweetheart. Why didn’t you call? Or answer your phone?”
She looks away from me, guilt coloring her features. I reach out and cup her chin, turning her face towards me once again.
“Why did you quit, baby girl?” I ask after she doesn’t answer my first set of questions.
Luna sighs and buries her head into the side of my neck. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.
“Whatever it is, we’ll get through it, ok?”
She nods and curls up farther into my chest. We’re silent for a few minutes. I’m not sure what to say to make her talk to me, but if this is what she needs, I can give it to her.
“Tiffany had a recording,” she finally says, her voice soft and defeated.
“What?”
“That day… in your office. She left her phone out and recorded us. She said if I didn’t quit, she’d release it to the board and you’d lose everything.”
“Fuck!” I growl, making Luna tense in my arms. “Sorry, Luna, I… Fuck, this is my fault. I shouldn’t have taken you in my office like that.”
As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I know they were the were the wrong things to say.
“That came out wrong. What I meant is that I shouldn’t have kept us a secret. It was setting us up for something like this, and I’m so sorry you had to deal with this alone. Why didn’t you say anything to me? Or tell her to fuck off?”
The more I think about it, the angrier I get. How fucking dare Tiffany threated my hummingbird? What the hell is her end game? Does she really think I’d choose her just because Luna isn’t in the office anymore?
“I would never ruin your career, Declan, especially when you’re so close to having everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Her words are so painful I can’t even breathe for a second. I lean back and tip her chin up. The look of absolute devotion and yet deep hurt in her eyes fucking guts me.
“Luna, don’t you know? You are everything I’ve ever wanted.” Another wave of unbearable pain seizes my heart when I see doubt in her eyes.
“But… but that day you told me we needed to keep our relationship a secret, you said the company meant everything to you. You said it was your legacy. I won’t destroy that, Declan, you’ve worked too hard.”
“Luna, I was a fucking idiot. Screw the company, my legacy, all of it. I just want you. I need you. I’m so sorry I made you doubt that. You are my heart, little hummingbird.”
She cups my face and kisses me, slow and deep. When we break apart, she rests her forehead on mine.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again,” she whispers.
“You can’t get rid of me now, sweetheart. I’m afraid I can’t let you go. I won’t.”
Before she can respond, someone calls out her name. I kiss her forehead and help her up.
“How is he?” She asks.
“He’s out of surgery now. Lucas did really well, it’s the best we could have possibly hoped for. We removed the tumor and already his vitals are improving.”
Luna leans into me, completely devoid of strength. I wrap an arm around her waist and tuck her into my side, holding her up.
“Thank you, dr. Stanhope,” I say.
He nods. “You can see him now, if you want. He’s still knocked out from the anesthesia, but he should be awake in the next hour or so.”
I thank him again and lead Luna towards his room, practically dragging her little body along. She just has to hold on a little longer, then I’ll take her home and make her forget about this horrible fucking day. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
I can’t believe how careless I was with my words that night we discussed our relationship. Of course, I didn’t mean that the company was everything to me. Has she really thought that the entire time we’ve been together these last few weeks? I suppose my being cold with her in the office and then warm with her when we were at her place only cemented that thought in her head. God, I am such a fucking fool for ever choosing the company over her.
When we get to Lucas’ room Luna slumps against me. I kiss the top of her head and guide her towards the chair next to his bed. Sitting down, I pull her into my lap while she takes a hold of his
hand. We sit like that for what feels like an eternity, Luna resting her head on my shoulder and holding Lucas’ hand while I stroke her hair and hold her close.
“Luna?” A weak voice floats through the air, causing us both to snap our eyes over to Lucas.
“Hey,” she says in a calming voice. “Can I get you some water? The doc says only clear liquids for the rest of the day. I can order some chicken broth and your favorite tea for lunch.”
God, she’s so fucking strong. I know she’s at the absolute end of herself, but she somehow summoned the strength and grace to be everything he needs right now.
“Fuck the food, how are you?” He asks, making me smile. The kid has some fight in him, that’s for sure. I love that he’s as protective of her as she is of him.
Luna sighs and slips off my lap so she can hug her brother. “Better now that you’re awake. Dr. Stanhope says you did really good.”
He nods. “You taking care of my sister?” Lucas asks me.
“I’m fine, Lucas,” Luna answers for me. “Right now, your health is the most important thing.”
“Lulu, I love you,” he starts. “But you have to take care of yourself, too.” Luna sighs, but Lucas continues. “You,” he points to me. “Take her home and make sure she eats something and sleeps.”
“Lucas,” Luna protests.
“Nuh-uh. No, ma’am. I don’t want to see you until tomorrow afternoon. And please, for the love of god, don’t go into work tomorrow.”
I step in before she can say anything.
“I’ll make sure she gets food and sleep, and I’ll keep her in bed all day, by any means necessary.”
“Oh my god, I do not want to hear that,” Lucas whines, but I see a smile tugging on his lips.
Luna, on the other hand, looks absolutely mortified. Lucas and I share a look, and I know it’s time to go.
Chapter 19
Declan
Once we get back to my penthouse, I scoop Luna up and place her on the counter in my bathroom while I run a bath for us. I gently strip her of her clothing and place her in the tub. She doesn’t say anything, she just brings her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs.
She looks so small and so vulnerable right now. All I want in the whole world is to hold her and shield her from every bad thing.
So, I do.
I rid myself of my clothes and get in the tub behind her, coaxing her to lean back against me. She does so without protest, and I wrap my arms around her, nuzzling into the top of her head and breathing her in. Even after the long night in the hospital, she still smells like my Luna. Citrus and vanilla and mine.
“I’m so sorry, hummingbird. So fucking sorry.”
“It’s ok, you’re here now.”
“It’s not ok. Did you spend the last few weeks thinking the company was more important to me than you?”
She shrugs in my arms and I squeeze her tighter.
“That’s the furthest thing from the truth, Luna. I was thoughtless with my words and I’m so sorry I hurt you. If it ever came down to it, I would choose you over the company every time, hummingbird.”
She turns in my arms and kisses me. It’s slow and sweet and full of promises.
I turn her around and begin washing her body, taking inventory of every curve, every inch of her smooth skin. All of it is mine. Mine to protect, mine to love, mine to cherish.
When I’m done, I dry us off and carry Luna to bed, snuggling in behind her and holding her close.
“Get some sleep, my little hummingbird,” I murmur before placing soft kisses on the back of her neck and shoulder.
“Mmhmm,” she mumbles, already halfway there. I smile and bury my face in her hair, breathing in her scent and letting it consume me while I hold her in my arms.
I stay with her for a while, just watching over her as she sleeps. Finally, I roll over and look at the clock. Two p.m. Just enough time to put my plan into action.
I slip out of the room and call Cooper.
“Declan, did you find your girl?” He asks as soon as he picks up the phone.
“Yeah, she was at the hospital with her brother.”
“Oh shit, everything ok?”
“Yeah, it will be. She’s resting at my place now.”
“Good, good. So, what’s up? Did you find out why she quit?”
“Yes,” I growl. “That’s why I’m calling. First of all, Tiffany needs to be fired. Immediately.”
“Okaaaay… I mean, no big loss there. I certainly won’t miss the way she throws herself at all of us even though I’m pretty sure no one has taken the bait. Wait, do you think Ash slept with her at some point?”
“No way, you know his policy on office romance. And women in general.”
“No relationships, no attachments. Pretty sure he doesn’t just feel that way about women.”
I sigh and think about Ash. If I was a cold bastard before Luna came into my life, Ash is like the Arctic tundra.
“We can worry about him later, right now I need to ask for your help. Especially in convincing Ash about what I need to do next.”
“You know I love any opportunity to go toe to toe with Asher.”
“I don’t want a big, blow-up fight. I need us to be a united front on this.”
“Uuuuuggggghhhh,” Cooper sighs exasperatedly. “Maybe just a little yelling? And a sprinkle of snark?”
I chuckle over the phone. I really have missed the kind of easy relationship Cooper and I had back in the day. But right now I need to convey the importance of all of us getting on the same page.
“Look, this is serious, Coop. Tiffany has a recording of… Luna and me. In my office.”
“Oh ho ho, no way! I knew you were filthy. Good job, brother, that’s fucking hot.”
I growl into the phone.
“Dude, chill. I just didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Anyway,” I continue, a little more annoyed than before. “She threatened Luna with it and made her quit. The thing is, I doubt that will be enough for her. I have a feeling she’s going to the board anyway. We need to get ahead of this thing, you know?”
“Shit, Declan, that’s fucked up. Is Luna ok?”
“What do you think? She’s shaken up and it made her doubt my feelings for her.”
Cooper laughs over the phone. “I’m still not used to you having any feelings at all.”
“Yeah, well…” I don’t really know how to respond to that.
“Hey, it’s a good thing. I always felt left out of the soulless billionaire brother’s club with you and Asher. It’s nice having you on my side.”
“There are no sides, Cooper. Or, at least I hope there aren’t anymore. I’m sorry you felt like the odd man out.”
Cooper is silent for a moment. “Holy shit, dude. Are you apologizing?”
“Yeah, yeah, fuck off,” I grumble.
“Hey, it’s great. Luna worked some magic on you. God knows I tried to get you to loosen up and give a shit about something other than pleasing dad and building the company. I’m just happy for you. For real.”
He sounds sincere, almost wistful. I remember something he said over the phone yesterday. I can’t wait to fall in love. I’m tired of playing the field.
“Are you seeing anyone?” I ask, realizing I don’t know much about my brother any more, but hoping to find out more.
“Nah, I’m kind of tired of the women throwing themselves at me just cuz all of us make the most eligible whatever-the-fuck list every year. It was fun at first, but now it’s just… I don’t know. I just want to mean something to someone, you know?”
“Damn, Coop. That’s heavy.” He’s always been more in touch with his feelings, sure, but he’s usually the comic relief, the goofball.
“Yeah, well, it’s whatever. I’m just looking for something real.”
“Sure, yeah. I get it. I mean, I didn’t know that’s what I was looking for until I met Luna, but now… Well, now I can’t picture my life without her.”
<
br /> “Aww, Declan! My little baby is all grown up and ready to settle down and shit!” He laughs. “Are you going to lock it down? Get a ring and promise forever?”
“That’s part of the plan, yeah. But I need your help.”
We spend the next hour calling the necessary people and setting up the pieces. Hopefully, by tonight I can offer the kind of life my little Luna deserves, without any obstacles in the way.
Chapter 20
Luna
I wake up warm and cozy, with the now familiar peppermint and pine scent of Declan all around me. I’m in his bed. Which means I didn’t just dream him storming into the hospital yesterday and holding me. And he really did tell me I’m more important than his company, that I’m everything
I roll over to snuggle up with him, but frown when he’s not there. I do, however, see a note on the night stand, next to the clock, which reads six-thirty p.m. Jeez, I guess I really did need to sleep.
Sitting up, I reach for the note and smile as I read over the words.
My beautiful hummingbird,
I had to step out and take care of a few things. There is a snack in the kitchen for you. I won’t be back till later this evening, but I know I’m thinking about you always.
Yours,
Declan
I remember the other note he left me, that first morning I woke up in his guest room. He signed off in the same way. Yours. I didn’t believe it then, but I do now. He’s mine in every way, and I’m his.
I wander out into the kitchen and see a tray of scones, chocolate chip, of course. He knows me well. If there’s an option between fruit and chocolate, I’ll choose chocolate every time.
After eating two scones, I decide to start a fire and find a good book to read to take my mind off of whatever Declan is out doing.
Before long, the elevator doors ding, signaling Declan will be walking in any second.
“God, it’s good to come home to you, hummingbird,” he says, leaning against the doorway of the living room.
I can’t help but smile. He seems exhausted, but not anxious or upset with me. I, however, still have questions, things we didn’t discuss before I passed out on the bed.