“I’m going for a casual vibe.” Her excitement was impossible to miss. “I’m having the pool covered with a clear plexiglass, and that’s where the dance floor will be. Just beyond the first row of landscaping, there’s a stone pathway leading to the altar, so I’ll need to have it constructed. There will also be a tent for food, but the reception will be here. Tables scattered around the landscaping, and so forth. Fortunately, I’ll have some help from my mother’s friend, who is a wedding planner, but I want to be really involved, having creative control over everything, and then utilizing her to delegate.”
“Have you decided on a date?” I asked.
“Yes, the first of the month.”
My mouth dropped open.
“That’s three weeks away! The dress alone…”
“That’s where my maid of honor comes in. I’m wearing my mother’s gown, and it only needs some minor altering. And it just so happens that my future sister in law is a designer, so…”
“That’s truly beautiful, Eden. Of course I’ll do it.” I paused, breathing in her enthusiasm. It was contagious. “I just hope I’ll do it justice. No pressure, right?”
“You’re being way too modest,” she said, swiping away my insecurities.
“Now, this is one of my favorites. I have a cello and violin planned for the ceremony, and a local band for the reception. And Gage is walking me down the aisle.”
I loved every part of her plan. This would be a very special wedding, and I was happy to be a part of it. I took pictures of the wedding gown so I could work on my ideas. I was absolutely thrilled to do it. Four hours passed in the blink of an eye, and we had solved all the wedding obstacles. Surprisingly, everything had just fallen into place. Then it was time for me to leave.
Darkness had descended, and branches swayed in the sky, as if a storm was approaching. The sense of being watched coiled in my gut. Once I entered the car, I quickly locked it, started its engine, and sped away, surprised when my tires squealed. The feeling was unnerving, and impossible to shake. When I reached Alex’s house, I parked in the circle drive, quickly making my way inside, and locking the door behind me.
“Are you all right?” Grabbing my shoulders when I came in, Alex searched my face for answers. “Madison you’re as pale as a ghost.”
He wrapped his arm tightly around my waist and walked me into the great room.
“I’m probably being silly, but on my way to Eden’s, I felt as if someone was following me. They turned off before my exit, so I was probably just imagining it.” I leaned into his body then, his calm presence wrapping me in his warmth. “Then, when I was leaving, I felt someone’s eyes were on me again, but I never saw or even heard anything remotely close to being real. My mind must have been playing tricks on me.”
Alex didn’t seem to doubt me, and he looked out the window in deep thought. We were in a gated community here, but that wouldn’t stop someone if they truly wanted in.
“You’re safe now. I turned the alarm on, and the house is secure.”
I rested my head on his shoulder.
“Tell me about today—Eden, and the wedding plans.”
His attempt to distract me was obvious, but I welcomed it all the same.
“She asked me to be her maid of honor, and to redesign her mother’s wedding gown.”
It felt nice to be needed. I knew we were getting closer—Eden, Theo, and I, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
“We rank pretty high, with me being best man and you being maid of honor.” He placed a sweet kiss on my cheek. “Want a glass of wine?”
“I’d love one.” My heart was finally beginning to slow. “Hey, did you know it’s a backyard wedding?” I watched him from across the room as he poured two glasses. “Well, officially it’s an elegant garden wedding,” I clarified.
“I can’t envision Eden walking down the aisle in cowboy boots.”
His eyes found mine, and we both smiled.
“This will be more sophisticated than that—relaxed and fun.”
“That sounds just like Eden.”
He handed me my glass, and I made room as he snuggled back in. After consuming several long swallows, a warm heat began to spread through my body.
Then suddenly, my phone rang. I was curious as to who would be calling at this time of night. It wasn’t that late, it was only unusual. Staring at the screen, my confusion just increased.
“Mom?” I answered, listening intensely.
“What happened?”
My heart sank.
“You don’t know anything yet? When will you know?”
I twirled my hair around my finger, a habit from when I was very young.
“Uh-huh.”
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed, hearing only my side of the conversation.
“Where is he? Okay, well I’m on my way. I’m not sure when I’ll be there, but don’t worry, I’m coming.”
“I have to act fast,” I said as soon as I put down the phone. “My father has had a heart attack.” All I knew was that I had to get there right away. “I need to book a flight. Where’s my phone? No, I need my laptop!”
My composure was rapidly fleeing.
“Hey, hey, hey—babe!” Alex gripped my shoulders, holding me in place, forcing me to focus and listen.
My pulse was beating fast, my breath almost stolen from my body.
“I’ll call for the company jet, and we can be there tonight.”
A shudder of relief went through me. I could feel my panic downshift into something that resembled intensely worried. We clung together for only a moment, then each of us shifted to concentrate on our individual tasks.
Once we were on the way, Alex barreled down the road full throttle, wasting no time as we raced to the jet, which was on standby and waiting for us. The pilot had his flight plan in hand.
Once in the air, my level of anxiety dissipated. I was one step closer to my family, but as reality set in, the thought of losing my father was sobering.
Feeling safer in the warmth of Alex’s embrace, I rambled.
“His thick military skin is not going to like this. I’m his only daughter, his only child. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl.” A tear landed on his blue shirt, and I attempt to swipe it away, unsuccessfully. “My mother’s not strong enough for this, and I’m not certain I am, either.”
He hugged me closer, just listening. The gentle vibrations and the humming sound of the aircraft were lulling me into a restless sleep.
“We’re here, babe.”
He moved me slightly and I startled awake, my mouth dry.
“I had no intension of falling asleep.”
“I’m glad you did. You’ll need it.”
By the time we arrived, it was the middle of the night.
***
I was greeted by my disheveled mother, who pulled me into her arms. Her eyes were red and swollen.
“What do you know?” I asked her.
“I’m still waiting,” she said.
I held her at arm’s length, looking closer at her. She had aged. The lines were deeper, and there were a few more grays present. I swallowed down the lump in my throat.
“You remember Alex.”
I pulled him into our circle.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
His hand resting softly on her shoulder, and there was warmth in her eyes when she noticed his arm snaking around my waist, pulling me closer.
As we all sat and waited, we flipped through old magazines, checked our phones, and drank coffee to stay awake.
Hours passed.
Finally, a nurse approached us.
“Mrs. Perry, your husband has been transferred to a room. Here’s the number. The doctor will be in soon to explain everything.”
“How is he? Is he going to be all right?”
My mother’s rapid-fire questions didn’t faze the well-trained nurse.
“It doesn’t look as serious as we originally thought,” she said in a hushed
tone, as if it were a secret.
I heard my mother’s sigh of relief as we made our way to the elevators. And now we stod at his door, room 322. My mother entered first. I threw a concerned look over my shoulder to Alex.
“I’ll give you ladies a few minutes.”
I nodded as he squeezed my hand, then released it.
I entered the room to see my mother sitting on my dad’s right, holding his hand. My gaze then shifted to my father, who was sleeping in the hospital bed, his complexion tinted gray.
“We’ll know soon, honey.”
I nodded in understanding, but I gravitated to the man lying helpless in the bed. I sat gently next to him, taking his hand in mine.
He stirred, his eyes glazed and milky.
”Maddie?”
His voice was filled with gravel.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Your sweet face, little Maddie. Higher daddy, higher. Remember that?”
I knew then that the medication they had given him was taking effect.
“Of course I do. You were pushing me on the swing set you built for me, the one in the backyard.”
Tears were falling down my face of their own accord, as if I had no control or even acknowledgment of their escape. The tug of emotions pulled on my heart and twisted it until I was numb. We watched as he drifted in and out, and then I heard Alex enter quietly.
His eyes darted to the sound of the beeping monitor. I was watching him intently as he approached the machine. His hand caressed the top, trembling, and his expression was filled with pain as his face twisted with dark memories. I recognized the signs, because I had lived through them, too. It made sense, the beeping sound was now triggering a memory for him.
“Mom, can you grab us each a coffee? If the doctor arrives, I’ll ask him to stay until you return.”
“Of course, honey.”
Her curious look was searching for answers, but she swiftly left the room.
I dashed to his side. “Alex, look at me.” But I couldn’t penetrate his faraway gaze. He was somewhere else, somewhere I couldn’t reach. “Alex, they’re only memories. You can push them aside. You have the ability to release your old fears and find your way back.”
He began to shake. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had zero skills concerning PTSD.
I grabbed both of his heavy shoulders until he was facing me, but he looked right through me as if I wasn’t even there.
“You are not in that damn forest. You’re safe, here with me. Fight it, Alex.”
I could feel the tension and the fear consuming him. All I wanted was to lock those memories away and throw away the key.
Then he suddenly stilled and took a breath, as if he’d been holding it all along. The tension melted, and his breathing eased. He titled his head in confusion.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Me? Alex, trust me on this. You just vanished in a memory, and lost touch with reality for a brief moment. I was so scared! Do you remember what just happened?”
“No, I haven’t had flashbacks since…”
He didn’t finish his thought, but we both knew he meant since he’d confronted Graham.
“I think it was the sound of the monitor beeping, mixed with the hospital atmosphere, that caused it. Please promise me you’ll talk to my brother about this.”
He nodded.
“Promise me, Alex.”
I was still in panic mode.
“I promise.” He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight. “I’m fine now. Promise. Please, let’s just forget it ever happened—at least for now.”
I heard the vulnerability in his voice.
“Yes, for now.”
Then I peeked over at my father, who was fully engulfed in a drug-induced sleep. It was probably for the best. My mother arrived a couple minutes later with two coffees.
“Everything okay here?”
She was searching my eyes for any sign of distress.
“Everything’s fine,” Alex answered, asserting himself, and bringing me back to the here and now.
“But still no doctor?”
“I’m going to see who’s on staff,” Tired of waiting. “I’d really like some answers.”
As I left the room, I looked over my shoulder at Alex. His arm was around my distraught mother. Our eyes met, and it was like the answer was staring me in the face. This was the man I wanted to share my life with—the good and the bad.
But that would have to wait until I was satisfied that my parents were taken care of.
***
“I have located your doctor,” I said as I briskly walked through the door, ten minutes later.
“Your daughter is very persuasive,” the man in question said, following me in.
“You could say that,” Alex agreed under his breath.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Whithers. Mr. and Mrs. Perry, it’s nice to meet you both. I have the test results here. It was a mild heart attack.”
He opened the chart, flipping through the pages.
“But allow me to explain. Whether a heart attack is mild or severe, they are both very serious. They occur when circulation of the blood to the heart is blocked. Heart tissue dies. A mild heart attack, which is what Mr. Perry experienced, affects a small portion of the heart muscle. It occurs in the small artery, and doesn’t completely block the blood flow. It’s a common misconception that a mild heart attack is not serious, but a threatening problem can occur, just the same. It also puts Mr. Perry at a higher risk for a second heart attack.”
He glanced around the room, looking for questions, but no one spoke.
“You’ll be staying with us for three or four days, Mr. Perry. Future treatment involves medications, which we’ll go over, exercise, minimizing stress, and nutrition. The goal is to avoid permanent heart damage.”
“Then I can go home?” my father asked in his gravelly voice. It sounded weak as he drifted in and out.
“Yes, but I’d like you to take it easy for several weeks after you leave. Any questions?”
“Not at this time,” I answered.
He nodded and left to finish his rounds.
“Come stay with me—with us,” Alex suggested as all eyes fall on him. “My home has plenty of room, and you both can stay in the east wing. It will allow absolute privacy, and I have a cook, which should relieve any nutrition challenges. Mrs. Davis is knowledgeable, and can adjust to any diet that fits your needs.”
“No, thank you,” my father said without hesitation.
“James Perry, that’s a gracious offer, and we would be able to spend time with Madison.”
I watched as my mother’s hands rose to her hips, ready for battle.
“We’re going.”
“Dad, the weather is perfect, too. I’ll make sure you have the right care, and you’ll have both Mom and me there to help. I can’t help unless you’re closer.”
Stubborn man.
“Fine,” he said. “Have it your way.”
“Lord help me,” my mother muttered.
***
“Alex, thank you. Logically, it makes perfect sense.” But I knew his real motives.
“And, of course, I’ll be extending my stay as well, but you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“Hmm, maybe I did.”
A smile appeared on his face as he kissed me—a-cat-that-ate-the-canary kind of smile.
“I’ll need a moment to make arrangements,” I said, stepping out of the room.
He had forced my hand, but I was thinking more clearly now. We wanted the same things, Alex and I. Commitment, trust, and a future together. Moving in was a step in the right direction.
He returned soon after.
“Everything has been taken care of at the house, and the plane has been scheduled to return in three days. A car will pick you up and escort you to the jet. You’ll arrive in Reno, and there will be a car waiting to bring you home.”
He steepled his hands, as if considering a job w
ell done.
“Mrs. Perry, do you need a room tonight, or will you be staying here?”
My father’s eyes were silently pleading.
“Thank you, but I’ll be staying here. They have approved the use of the other bed here in the room.”
She touched my father’s arm, and followed that with a gentle squeeze.
“Madison, I’m sure you’re exhausted. I have a hotel reserved. Shall we go?”
I nodded, gave hugs and kisses, and said goodbye.
“We’ll stop by tomorrow, before our flight leaves.”
Later on, as the town car approached the Baccarat Hotel, a very well-dressed man stood and opened my door.
“Welcome to the Baccarat.”
I glanced over at Alex.
“We need to discuss money.”
“We do?”
We were escorted to the top floor, a luxury suite. There were fresh-cut flowers and a huge gift basket filled with gourmet snacks and a bottle of Dom Pérignon chilling.
“This is my point.” Sweeping my arms wide, I turned, pointing out all the decadence. “The luxury, the jet, your home—it’s all so extravagant.”
“Does this change anything?”
“Definitely not, but…”
“But what? You deserve my love, and you deserve a man who accepts all of you, so why not share in my wealth?” He looked puzzled, as if no one had ever questioned his extravagant lifestyle before. “Madison, I was brought up like this. I’m sure we see money in two entirely different ways, and maybe that’s the point. You don’t have to do this alone anymore. Just knowing that you can’t live without me is enough.”
His gaze slid up my body, causing my pulse to quicken.
“But I want to hear you say it.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I took a small step back, my heel meeting the glass window. I was trapped.
“Say it,” he prodded.
“You’re giving yourself way too much credit.”
I was flirting, openly challenging him.
“Am I? Perhaps I need to prove it.”
His gaze was burning into me, seeing right through me.
“What’s stopping you?”
His body suddenly pressed into mine and crushed me against the glass window. His breath was at my ear. He waited a beat, then whispered.
Surviving the Storm (Surviving Series Book 2) Page 16