Hatred replaced the calculating smugness on his face and before she realized his intent, he shoved her hard. Aubrey lost her balance and fell back, striking her head against a side table that held magazines and a lamp. Pain engulfed her as her vision darkened around the edges. She heard someone yell her name, heard the sounds of a fight, but it all swam through a haze as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Sirens soon entered the darkness, and she forced her eyes open. Something told her that she needed to stay awake, although she couldn’t seem to focus on why. Merryl picked up her hand and she tried to smile at her friend, but her muscles didn’t want to cooperate. Then Merryl was gone and strangers bent over her, talking to her. They wanted a response so she tried to say something but only gibberish seemed to come out of her mouth. The strangers lifted her, and she wanted to vomit, but the darkness clawed its way forward until it won. With a soft sigh of surrender, Aubrey embraced it.
****
The soft swish of a door dragged her from slumber. Aubrey fluttered her eyes a few times until they were willing to stay open. A woman in scrubs stood next to her, looking at some machines. Warmth engulfed her left hand and slowly, she turned her head to see Gordon resting in a chair too small for his frame, his hand holding tightly to hers.
“You’re awake,” the nurse said.
Aubrey turned her head back to the woman, and the world swam into focus, like it was a few seconds slower than her brain comprehending what was going on. The action made her slightly nauseous and she had to swallow down the bile.
“If you need nausea medicine I can administer that.”
“Y-yes, please.”
The words were rough, like sandpaper grating across her vocal chords.
“And I’ll get you some water.”
“Okay.”
The nurse smiled at her and left the room. Aubrey closed her eyes, but movement from Gordon had her opening them again. Once more, she slowly turned her head to find him staring intently. Concern blazed from his eyes.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Horrible.”
“You have a concussion,” he said. “The doctors have been monitoring to make sure you don’t have any brain swelling.”
She reached up with her free hand to find her head covered in gauze. “Oh God.”
“Shh, it’s okay,” he promised. He reached up and brought her hand down, resting it on her belly. “They’re taking good care of you.”
“I don’t have health insurance,” she whispered, slightly panicked. “I can’t afford this.”
“Don’t worry about it, Aubrey. Do you really think I wouldn’t do everything in my power to make sure you receive the best care?”
Aubrey looked down at his hand that held hers. Bruising puffed out the knuckles, and a bandage lay over an obvious cut.
“What happened?”
“I hit the fucking asshole for laying a hand on you,” he admitted. “Took Jason and three others to pry me off the bastard. The police showed up. Morgan was arrested. I was arrested—”
“What?”
“They let me go once they got everyone’s statement,” he assured her. “Plus they saw the security tape. That was hard to watch, I tell you. But the police were just doing their job and they didn’t know who the culprit was, so for forty-five minutes I sat in the back of a police car until everything was settled. The only thing that pissed me off was that I couldn’t ride with you to the hospital.”
“Oh, Gordon. I’m sorry.”
He kissed the back of her hand. “Don’t ever apologize, Aubrey. This is all my fault, you know. I was the one who called that asshole’s boss and told him what he’d done to you. You told me to forget about it, but I couldn’t. I just could not let him walk away scot-free after deceiving you. Men like him need to pay for their crimes, but I never thought you’d be hurt like this. I’m so sorry, Aubrey. Can you forgive me?”
Her heart melted at the plea in his voice. “There’s nothing to forgive, Gordon. I might have done the same if our positions were reversed.”
“You mean a lot to me,” he said.
She smiled. “Same here.”
The nurse walked in with a small carrier filled with vials of medicine and syringes. “I’m going to give you some anti-nausea medicine, okay?”
“Okay,” Aubrey whispered.
She lay back but didn’t let go of Gordon’s hand. Their fingers entwined, and that comforted and calmed her more than the medicine going into her IV. The stranger she had met not that long ago had turned into one of the most important people in her life, and his touch still made her heart beat fast.
Epilogue
Six months later…
Aubrey entered the office and smiled at Jenny who sat behind the reception desk. “Is he in his office?”
“Yep. You got those new sketches?”
Aubrey held up her drawing pad. “I think he’s going to like what I’ve drawn for the church restoration.”
“Awesome.” Jenny smiled and thumbed toward the back. “He’s on the phone, but go on. Surprise him.”
Aubrey hurried toward Gordon’s office, nodding hello at a few people. Change had definitely come to her life, at first scary since she actually had to go back to college. The whole experience was different the second time around, and she’d managed to finish up her art degree while pursuing a history degree. Her work and school load had been heavy at first, but having friends rally behind her gave her the support she needed. Morgan had moved on once he’d finished with the community service and anger management classes the judge had given him, and rarely did she think about him anymore. Whenever he did happen to cross her mind, all Aubrey had to do was glance at Gordon. He was her future.
She knocked on the closed door and waited till he called out to enter. She held up the overly large cupcake and opened the door.
“Happy birthday!” she said excitedly as she walked in.
Gordon leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Who told you?”
“Jason. Merryl. Jenny. And surprisingly the lady at the bakeshop. I think you spend too much money there.”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.”
Aubrey put the cupcake on his desk and opened her satchel to take out her sketchbook. “I finished my research of the church and discovered it was partially built by Irish immigrants. I incorporated a few Celtic designs. Nothing too overt, but enough to bring out the history.”
Gordon flipped through her drawings. “Yes. I really like these. We can mock them up and present the idea to the historical society.”
Aubrey happily clapped her hands. “Yea! I’m glad you like them.”
Gordon set the notebook to the side and stood. He walked over to the door and locked it. Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Long, deep, and sensual, Aubrey’s foot raised a little off the ground as desire flooded through her. When they broke to breathe, he hugged her tight to his chest.
“This is the best birthday,” he murmured. “You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because I have you in my life. I am in love with you, Aubrey Magill.”
“I’m in love with you too,” she said. “Why don’t we go home and I can give you a proper birthday present.”
“Does it involve us getting naked?”
She winked at him.
The End
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Other Books by Beth D. Carter:
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A Stranger's Touch Page 10