“Thank you for staying with her,” Andrew said. His tone was formal, not the tone of a man who’d been like a second father to me most of my life.
“Yes, thank you for staying with me,” Izzy’s sleep-thickened voice chimed in, rumbling against my chest. She lifted her head from where it rested against my heart. Even marked with bruises, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
My fingers stroked the hair from her face. “No need to thank me, flutterby. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here with you.” No truer words had ever left my lips, even if I desperately needed to ignore their truth.
“Mom, Dad, what are you guys doing here?” She turned her head to them.
“Honey, Dawson called us and told us about the accident. Of course, we’re here,” her dad admonished her.
“You don’t need to worry. I’m fine. Just a little banged up. And pissed about my artwork. But you didn’t have to rush here. This isn’t like back then. I promise.” Her eyes begged them not to worry.
Izzy had always hated being the center of attention. Even laid up in a hospital bed, it seemed that hadn’t changed.
Her mom reached over to stroke Izzy’s arm. “We’re your parents. We will always worry. Kind of goes with the territory.”
“I know. I’ve just caused you so much worry over the past few years. This really isn’t a big deal. I’d tell you if it was more.”
“Would you?” her dad asked. His face was creased with lines and a large dose of hurt.
Izzy dropped her head back to my chest, refusing to meet her parents’ eyes. Something went on between Izzy and her parents while we were out of touch. But that was a topic to explore at a later date.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I made no move to check it, choosing to stay wrapped up in Izzy for just a few moments longer.
“Have you talked to the doctor yet this morning,” Susan asked.
“Yes. He came by super early when I first woke up. He’ll be back by later. If things look good then, I’ll probably go home,” Izzy said.
“Can you go back home alone? Or do you need to come home with us?” Andrew asked.
“I would assume I can go home. I just got knocked down. It’s not like my insides got pulverized or anything. We don’t have to be dramatic about it. It was just an accident. The police think it was a drunk driver.” Izzy cut her eyes at me.
Why didn’t she tell them it might have been on purpose?
“You probably shouldn’t be left alone though, honey. You could just come home with us for a few days,” Susan pleaded.
“Mom, I know you want to take care of me. And you guys have always done a great job. But I have to stay in town to deal with finishing things for my show. I can’t leave,” Izzy’s voice was stern.
“I suppose I could stay with you,” Susan offered.
“Mom, no. I love you, but I don’t need someone hovering. I have to work. I have to create my last pieces. Please understand,” her voice held an entreating note.
“I don’t know. I’d worry so much if we left you here alone,” her mom said, wringing her hands.
“Me too,” her dad’s deep voice huffed out.
Before I could even properly think it through, I said, “I’m not supposed to leave town until tomorrow. I can extend my visit if I need to, so I’ll stay with her. Make sure she’s OK.”
♪ I’ll Be by Edwin McCain
I’d have to text the guys and tell them I’d be flying back by myself later in the week. Joe would be pissed. But oh well.
“Really?” Izzy asked, her voice hopeful.
“Really.” I beamed down at her. “But I have to go take care of a few things first, so I’ll be ready if they discharge you soon.”
She pouted but eased her body off mine, so I could climb out of her bed. As I shifted to a sitting position, she yanked my head down to hers. “You promise you’re coming back?” she whispered in my ear.
“I promise. I love you, flutterby,” I breathed the words into her ear.
“I love you too,” she spoke softly before letting me go.
Leaning over the rail, I tried to figure out how to free myself from the metal caging of the bed.
“Knock, knock,” a voice spoke outside Izzy’s door.
“Come in,” Susan called out.
Beckett strolled in. The tiniest hint of a frown turned his lips down as he caught sight of me and Izzy before he schooled his features.
“How are you feeling, babe? I mean… Isabelle,” he asked.
“Just a little sore. I was just trying to explain to Mom and Dad that this isn’t something to get all worked up about. You tell them,” Izzy begged him.
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t like her asking for his help. I didn’t want her to need anything else from him. Ever again.
I tuned out their conversation and continued to try to figure out the contraption trapping me.
“Need some help, Dawson?” Beckett asked as he stepped to the side of the bed and with a quick shift lowered the bedrail.
“Thanks, man,” I said gruffly and dropped my feet to the floor.
“Come back soon,” Izzy said from behind me.
I turned to her and gave her my most dazzling smile—the one that belonged to her alone. “Wild horses—”
“Couldn’t keep you away,” she finished.
I chuckled and winked at her. I pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll be quick,” I vowed as I fought against every force in the universe that demanded I stay right here with her.
“I’ll walk out with you. I need a cup of coffee. I’ll be back in a bit, Sue,” Andrew offered.
My heart thundered nervously as I moved from Izzy’s room and into the hallway with her father trailing behind me. Ty fell in step with me. As we walked, I pulled out my cell. A text from Joe, letting me know he’d taken the photos and was on the way to talk with the detective.
“Grab a cup of coffee with me,” Andrew asked as we boarded the elevator.
“Sure. Ty, this is Andrew Clark, Izzy’s dad. Andrew, this is Ty, a member of my security team,” I introduced them.
The two men shook hands.
Ty turned to me. “Key went to get the car pulled around back for us. But you have time for coffee.”
The cafeteria was empty at the moment, probably because it wasn’t meal time yet.
“You still drink your coffee with one cream and two sugars like me?” Andrew asked.
I nodded, touched he remembered after all this time. We’d shared several cups in his kitchen over the years, just the two of us.
“I’ll go grab it. You find us a quiet corner to talk where you won’t be bothered,” he said as he clapped me on the shoulder.
Ty surveyed the empty room before pointing to a table near a side entrance and out of the way of the main entrance. He settled at a table nearby and pulled out his phone, no doubt sending a message to Key or Joe about my whereabouts.
Andrew set my cup in front of me and sank into the seat on the other side of the table. Prying the lid off, I emptied cream and sugar into the dark liquid, watching as the deep black swirled and lightened. Andrew moved through the same motions with his cup. Once I replaced the lid, I wrapped my hands around the large paper cup, drawing comfort from the heat seeping into my palms.
The silence swirled around us. My natural instinct was to fill it, but I owed this man the courtesy of time to gather his thoughts. Even if I suspected I wouldn’t like what he had to say.
Andrew took a sip of his coffee then looked me directly in the eyes. “What are you doing, Dawson?”
“I won’t pretend I can’t guess exactly what you mean. You want to know what I’m doing here with Izzy?” I cut right to the chase.
He gave me a curt nod.
“There’s nowhere else I could possibly be. I love your daughter. I have loved her for as long as I’ve been able to understand what those four letters mean. Probably even before that. I loved her these past two years while we were apart. She is l
ying in a hospital bed upstairs, injured. I couldn’t be anywhere else. And regardless of what anyone thinks about me, had I known what she was going through back home, I would’ve cancelled my tour and shredded my contract to be by her side.” I paused to take a breath.
Silently, I begged him to understand. To not throw me out of Izzy’s life. Even if that is what any sane father would do.
“I know you love her, Son,” he said gently. “And I don’t know what went on with the two of you. I only know that as her body was breaking, so was her heart. And it was devastating to watch. I’m not blind. I know that what she has or had with Beckett doesn’t hold a candle to what she had with you. But he’s a good man. He saved her life. And—”
“And he didn’t break her heart,” I finished for him.
“Yeah. I don’t know if she could survive losing you again. So, I guess what I’m really asking is will this time end differently than last time?” His gaze searched mine, seeking answers I might withhold.
“Andrew, I don’t know that I could survive losing her again. And I plan to do everything in my power to protect her. I love her, and in a perfect world, I’d be her prince charming,” I started.
“But this isn’t a perfect world. And you can’t commit to her?” he asked, his voice dripping with disappointment.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’d marry her today if I wasn’t me. But being who I am, and being with me, poses a risk to her. And I just vowed to you to protect her,” my voice was strained. Picking up my cup, I took a sip of my coffee. It didn’t warm me like I needed it to. The liquid tasted sour on my tongue and felt like gravel going down.
“Do you mean because of all the temptations you deal with every day? The sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll?” Andrew asked.
“No. That isn’t it at all. I haven’t had a chance to talk with Izzy yet about everything that went down two years ago. But I swear on all that is important in my life, I never cheated on Izzy. And drugs and alcohol weren’t part of my life until I needed to escape the reality of her absence,” I told him earnestly.
“Then what risk are you talking about?” He sipped his coffee while waiting for my answer.
As Izzy’s father, he deserved the truth. I had to give it to him. “Being a celebrity comes with a few drawbacks. One of which is the attraction of unstable, stalker-types. I’m worried that what happened to Izzy wasn’t merely an accident but a deliberate attempt to hurt the person I love.”
His face darkened with concern and anger. His fingers squeezed his coffee cup, the pressure forcing the lid to pop off.
Before he could order me to stay away from his daughter, I continued, “So, as much as I want to be in Izzy’s life and start building a forever with her—” I swallowed a scalding sip of my coffee, welcoming the pain in my throat, which echoed the one in my heart. “—my gut tells me I need to stay away from Izzy. But not drop completely out of her life. Maybe only talk on the phone and stuff. At least until this particular stalker is caught.”
“Son, I know you think that’s for the best. But I think you should really think about it. Take a few days to really think through things. I mean with your security team and everyone being aware, isn’t the risk less than it was? Izzy knows what you suspect, right? She knows you don’t think it was a drunk driver?” he asked in a calm tone.
“Yes. I told her my fears. I’m sure she didn’t mention them to you because she didn’t want to worry you.” Absentmindedly, I began shredding a napkin from the dispenser.
“Yeah, she tends to omit details she thinks will worry us. But the main thing is, if she knows about your suspicions, then I’m sure she’ll be more careful too.”
“I don’t know—”
“Exactly,” he interrupted me. “So, until you do know for sure, don’t make decisions that may create larger consequences.” He cocked his head at me.
Andrew had always been a source of wisdom for me growing up. Always treating me like a man.
“What would you do if you were me and it was Sue who was in danger?” I asked quietly.
“I wouldn’t allow anyone to keep me from being with the person who owned my heart. And if you love Izzy like I love my Sue, you won’t either.” He pushed his chair back. “Thanks for talking to me and telling me what’s really going on.”
I stood and stepped into the aisle. Andrew pulled me into his arms. A weight lifted off my chest at his simple gesture.
“Do me one favor, Son.” His eyes were serious.
“What?” I’d deny him nothing at that point. Knowing that I had his acceptance and forgiveness was such a relief.
“Don’t disappear on her again. If you do, I will hunt you down myself.” He raised his brows.
I chuckled. “I promise.”
“See you later, Son.” With that, he loped off in the direction of the elevators.
Chapter 13
Izzy
Once Dawson left with my dad, an awkward silence filled the room.
“How are you, Beckett?” Mom asked him, trying to ease the weirdness. “And how was the concert? I mean… uh…”
“I’m good. And the concert, at least the part I stayed for, was amazing,” Beckett said with a tiny chuckle. “Isabelle, has the doctor been by yet this morning?” he asked, turning his focus to me.
“Yes. It was really early. Still dark out. He said he’d be back by in a bit to check in and maybe let me go home.” I tugged my blanket up around my body. I’d been cold since Dawson climbed out of my bed.
“I’m going to go find him and give him a copy of your records. While I’m at it, I’ll have him update my files with everything that’s been done since you were admitted last night. I’ll be back in a bit. OK, babe?” He shook his head sheepishly. “I mean… Isabelle.”
A smile lifted my lips. “See you in a little while. We still have some stuff to talk about.”
I needed everything cleared up before I could focus on the future. And even though I was beginning to realize just how wrong Beckett and I were for each other long term, I didn’t want him hurt. Over the past couple of years, he’d become important to me—first as my doctor, then as my friend, then as my hope and that had somehow morphed into more. But it wasn’t enough.
“We will. Promise.” His eyes darted to my mom before he spun on his heel and walked out the door.
Mom quirked her brow at me. I bit my lip, choosing to remain silent for a minute.
“You want to explain to me what’s going on?” she finally asked in that mom tone that brooked no room for argument.
“I’m not really sure where to start or how to explain.” I fidgeted with the hem of the thin, scratchy blanket.
“How about at the beginning?” she suggested in her logical mom voice.
Sighing, I started, “Well, ever since your party, Dawson and I have been kind of talking again.” I shrugged as her eyes widened and her mouth turned down.
“Just phone calls and texts, Mom. As friends. That’s it. Or that was it,” I said.
“And Beckett?” she asked, lifting one brow at me in question.
My eyes filled with tears, and I drew in a deep breath. “I swear I didn’t cheat on Beckett, Mom. I only intended to try to be friends with Dawson again. Once I saw him again, I just couldn’t say goodbye. It would hurt too much. My head knows how impossible it would be to try again.” My finger traced the abstract bruise covering my forearm.
A new frown transformed Mom’s face, but I didn’t dwell on it. I needed to finish telling her everything. “I mean, he’s launched to stardom in a way he only dreamed of. He’s going to be a super nova. I don’t remember much from astronomy, but I do remember that nothing can exist in the proximity of a super nova. Everything gets incinerated. I know I can’t go through losing him again. So, I need to be content to admire his light and bask in his warmth from afar.” Tears burned my eyes and my nostrils at the thought of the distance necessary to keep my heart from imploding.
“But—” Mom started before I
held up my hand to halt her words.
“But even though my head knows all that, my heart doesn’t care that it’s impossible. My heart is alive again with him back in my life. The world has color again. And I want to make the impossible become possible,” I whispered.
Mom’s fingers reached out and cupped my cheek. “Oh, sweetie.”
“Anyway, I was content to just have him back in my life, warming me up. Shining light on all my grey areas. Things hadn’t really changed between me and Beckett. We were still in this pleasant place. It was safe and content. But love isn’t supposed to be safe and content, is it?” I looked up at her, seeking the answer in her gaze.
“Not only safe and content. It should be fiery and passionate too,” she confirmed my fears.
“Anyway, Beckett had an epiphany or something at the concert. I’m not sure exactly. We haven’t had time to really talk about it yet. He just told me that we each deserved more. That we weren’t right for each other. And then he left halfway through the concert.” I twisted a lock of limp hair around my finger.
“And you jumped right back into things with Dawson?” Mom asked, pulling no punches.
“We aren’t officially back together. We haven’t had time to talk yet either. But we did kiss,” I confessed.
“And?” Mom nibbled her lip anxiously.
“And it was everything it used to be and more. And I don’t know how to rein in my heart. It’s somewhere out there in the stratosphere with little recall of how much it hurt when everything fell apart before. And I don’t know how Dawson felt about the kiss. Maybe it wasn’t the same for him. Maybe our friendship is enough. I just don’t know, Mom. I’m stuck somewhere between my head and my heart. Somewhere between being sensible and being… impulsive. Between being content and being…” I trailed off with the inability to find the perfect word to describe what I could have.
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