Around two in the morning of the eighth day, Erik had his head resting on his arms on the edge of Kat’s bed, drifting in and out of sleep. As he slipped deeper into that in-between state, the most magnificent dream began to unfold.
Kat’s weak fingers drifted across his hand, then sifted through his hair and settled on his scalp. The effort exhausted her and she drifted back to sleep with her hand resting on top of his head. Several foggy moments later, Erik’s brain cells fired, and he realized it hadn’t been a dream.
Kat had reached out to him.
He snapped his head up and in the process woke her. His heart pounded in triple time, and his breath rushed out as she cracked open her eyes and settled her gaze on his face.
God, did she recognize him? Had she known it was him lying on her bed, or had she simply been trying to figure out who the mysterious person was?
He smiled and said, “Hey. Welcome back.”
Earlier in the day, her Glasgow Coma score had been high enough for the doctor to remove the ventilator. Despite the balm Erik had been applying, her lips were dry and chapped, and she licked at them several times. She tried to speak, but couldn’t get the words past her parched throat.
He siphoned a small amount of water into a straw, and said, “Open up. I’ll drizzle a little water into your mouth.”
It took a lot of effort for her to swallow. But as soon as the liquid was down, she opened her mouth like a tiny bird, eager for more. He grinned and refilled the straw. He was so glad to see her awake and responding, he would’ve been happy to sit there, feeding her water one straw-full at a time, forever.
After repeating the process several times, she whispered, “Thanks.” Weak and barely audible, it was the most beautiful sound he ever heard.
There were so many things he wanted to say, but all of it would probably overwhelm her. Not even entirely sure she recognized him, he decided to stuff his emotional needs. Hopefully, he would have all the time in the world to shower her with I’m-sorrys and I-love-yous. But for now, his primary concern was making sure she was comfortable.
He also needed to call Granddad. Even though she had sporadic lucid moments over the past several days, this was the first time she was alert enough to speak.
“Your granddad’s at the hotel getting some sleep. I need to call him and let him know you’re awake.”
When he reached for the phone, she rested her palm on his wrist. She looked at the phone and shook her head no, then whispered, “Glad you’re here.”
Extreme joy and nauseating remorse swamped him. She knew him. But he also had the sense she remembered the way he treated her. He blinked to stop the burn in his eyes, but kept his gaze locked on hers as he ran a thumb over her cracked lips, then across her cheek. “I’m so damned sorry, Kat.” He took her hand in his and decided to let it all pour out. He’d rather overwhelm her with love than leave her doubting for one more second. “I love you more than anything in this world. I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am for the way I treated you.”
“I know.”
Unsure if he heard correctly, he said, “You know?”
“I know… you love me. I prayed…” She licked her lips and swallowed. “I didn’t want you… to go through that again.”
His breath left in a whoosh and he dropped his head to the bed. He didn’t know when she had that thought, but with all that she’d been through, how could he have been her concern? There were a million thoughts zinging around in his brain, but one kept jumping to the forefront. “How in the hell did I get so lucky? I don’t deserve you.”
She smiled faintly. “Thank you… for taking care… of me.” Her eyes drifted shut as she murmured, “I love you,” then went back to sleep.
The words had been barely audible, but he felt them as plainly as if they’d been screamed at the top of her lungs. “I love you, Kat. And I swear to you, I will spend the rest of my life making sure you never doubt that. Not for one second.”
***
Kat didn’t know how many days she’d been out of it, but it must have been a lot. Once she understood the need for the ventilator, she discovered sleep was her new best friend. It provided the escape she needed to make the tubing tolerable, and her aching body had been more than happy to cooperate.
Granddad and Erik had also been more at ease while she slept, so even if awake, she pretended to keep sleeping. After listening to their conversations for several cycles, she figured out their routines. Granddad stayed with her during the day, but went to a hotel to sleep at night. Erik went to the hotel to shower, but was never gone for long. Aside from that brief trip each day, he refused to leave her room.
At first, she was confused about where she was and what had happened. But as she listened to their conversations, the pieces fell into place until she eventually had the entire puzzle. She could tell Erik had so many regrets and kept beating himself up, and she didn’t want that for him. But communicating with the ventilator in place was nearly impossible, so she waited until they removed it and her grandfather had left before reaching out to him.
There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but their brief conversation exhausted her, and it was pointless to try and get more out of her body at the moment. Rather than fight it, she let Erik’s words settle around her like a comfortable blanket and fell back into the void of sleep.
Two days later, they moved Kat to a step-down unit and her hospital room became as cramped and lively as Erik’s house had been during his Saturday night party. She learned her parents had gone back to Charlotte, upon Granddad’s urging. And, much to her delight, she learned Granddad would be living in Erik’s guesthouse to help care for her while she recuperated.
During a brief lull in visits, Kat reached for Erik’s hand and said, “How is Granddad going to get from your house to my house every day?”
Erik’s smile was like a jolt of electricity to her system, lighting her up from the inside out. “He’ll walk across the patio and in the back door.” At her arched brow, he said, “Oh, have I forgotten to tell you that I’ve had some of your things moved to my house?”
She laughed, then instantly regretted it as her fractured rib and broken clavicle made their presence known. “Yeah, I think you did.”
“Huh…” He rubbed his hand along his jaw and chewed on the inside of his cheek, deep in thought. After several minutes, his expression grew serious and he scooted forward to the edge of his chair. “I can think of a million better places and ways to do this, but I can’t think of a better time.” He took her hand in both of his and stared into her eyes. “Will you marry me? We can wait as long as we need for you to be fully recovered, but I want you to know how serious I am—about you, how much I love you, and my intentions to take care of you. Not just while you’re in the hospital, but forever.”
Despite the busted rib and injured lung, Kat’s chest expanded with joy and love. She believed he was serious, but she had one lingering question that needed to be answered before she agreed. “You’re not asking out of a sense of responsibility or regret for what happened, are you?”
“No. Absolutely not. I was there… when you had the accident.” He winced and hunched over as if in pain. “I was on your deck, waiting for you to come home. I intended to tell you then how much I love you. And eventually get to this step. This is not because of the accident. This is because I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have found you, and I’m making sure you don’t get away from me again.”
A noise at the door had both of them looking that way. Rusty had stopped midstride, and was in the process of pivoting. “Uhhh… I’m interrupting a moment. I’ll come back.”
“No. Well, yeah.” Guarding her torso, she laughed. “But I want to talk to you. Could you wait outside for a minute while I give Erik an answer to this important question?”
Without another word, Rusty slipped out of the room and around the corner.
Feeling like she could pop with joy, Kat said, “Yes! I love you… I hav
e since the night we met…” She leaned in close and whispered, “…and you did that thing with your tongue.”
Erik laughed loud and deep and she fell a little deeper. “Now, I have a question for you.”
“Okay.”
“Given this new turn of events, I guess you’d be okay with me handling your account again.”
He lowered his gaze and tilted his head away from her. After several muttered curses, he said, “I have so many things to apologize for.”
“No, no apologies. I just… well, I’ve been thinking, and I’d really like to continue handling yours and Kevin’s account. That is, if Rusty’s in agreement with me working part time and only handling those accounts.”
“Is that really what you want? You don’t have to work at all and can do all the volunteering you want.”
“If I’m working part time, I’ll still be able to volunteer. And I really want to oversee this project with the CPA.”
Erik kissed her long and hard. “Then that’s what you’ll do.”
“Thank you. Do you mind getting Rusty for me?”
“Not at all. How about I get a pizza while you’re talking with him, and we’ll celebrate.”
“Oh, my God. That would be amazing.” Kat cut her eyes to the leftover mashed potatoes, soup, and roll from lunch. “Do you think they’ll let me eat something good for a change?”
Erik grinned. “Sure. Especially if they don’t know about it.”
With another quick kiss, he was off, and Rusty took a seat in what she’d come to think of as Erik’s recliner. “You scared us.” Erik had told her that Rusty and Seth visited daily, and it was obvious from his tone and expression Rusty had truly been worried about her condition.
“Thanks for coming to check on me so often. It means a lot to know how much you care.”
“When do you think you’ll go home?”
Kat pushed herself into a more upright position, then caught her breath as everything settled into place. “Maybe tomorrow. If not, then definitely the next day.”
He cleared his throat and grinned. “Sooo… did I really walk in on Erik popping the question?”
“Yeah, you did.” She laughed, then coughed. The doctor said the coughing would continue for a while, but she hoped like hell he was wrong… It hurt like a bitch. “He should’ve shut the door if he wanted privacy. I’m glad you’re here. I was thinking about calling you.”
“Oh yeah?” He leaned forward in the recliner and rested his forearms on his knees.
“I was wondering if I could rescind my resignation. Well, partially rescind it.”
“In what way?”
“I’d like to keep Erik and Kevin’s accounts and work the cross promotion with the CPA. It’s going to take a while for me to get back to full strength, but if those are the only two accounts I’m handling, I can easily work those from home.” She grinned. “I don’t think either of the clients would mind if I did that.”
He laughed and relaxed back in the chair. “But those are the only two accounts you want?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I enjoy the challenge of creating effective promotions, but I’m tired of the political nastiness. Those two accounts are safe. I don’t have to worry about Elise going after either of them. I mean, she can try, but Kevin and Erik won’t let her within ten miles of their accounts, so I’m not concerned about that.”
“Elise won’t be a problem.” His tone was harsh and carried an edge, and she wondered what had happened with Elise and the Kaufmann Motors account. Seeing her unasked question, Rusty said, “I think Elise has had a change of heart about you. I know she’s had a change of heart about the way she handled things.”
Kat grinned. “Did this change of heart happen on its own, or did you have something to do with it?”
A funny expression crossed his face, and he shrugged. “A little of both.” His voice was no longer harsh, but soft and kind of sultry, and his body language…
Could they…
Rusty and Elise…
A couple?
She thought about it a few minutes, trying it on for size, and decided it wasn’t out of the question. However, she didn’t want any details if that’s what was cooking, so she switched the subject back to something more comfortable. “So, are you okay with me working part time, on just those two accounts?”
Rusty shrugged. “I’d like for you to come back full time once you’re able, but yeah, I’ll take whatever I can get.” He grinned. “Maybe I can gradually get you back to full time.”
“Don’t count on it. But I appreciate you working with me.”
“I suppose you’ll need time off for a wedding?” He sounded annoyed, but the grin on his face indicated he was anything but.
“Yeah, I guess I will. I think I’d like something low key and informal.”
“I think that sounds perfect.”
“Yeah… me too.”
Later that evening, while eating their pizza, Kat, Erik, and Granddad made plans for an informal wedding at Erik’s house along the banks of the Pamlico River. They would invite only close friends and family—whether or not they’d invite mothers was questionable.
After Granddad left for the hotel, Kat said, “If you got up here in bed with me, how well do you think we’d sleep?”
Erik laughed. “It would be the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks.” He crawled in next to her, tucked her next to his side, and kissed the top of her head. “Good night, Katydid. I love you.”
Epilogue
Three months later
Kat sat on the pier, watching Erik’s boat close in. He seemed to be running faster than normal, and she wondered why the rush. As he approached the pier, rather than pulling into the boathouse like normal, he pulled alongside and motioned excitedly. “Come on, get in.”
“Get in? Where are we going?”
His grin was ear to ear, and his eyes were positively sparkling when he took off his sunglasses. “It’s a surprise. But if you don’t hurry up, you’ll miss it.”
Moving as quickly as possible, given she still lacked full mobility, she climbed aboard with Erik’s help, then settled onto the padded seat he installed for her. As soon as she was situated, he pulled away from the pier, gave the boat full throttle, and headed back across the river.
They were almost to the middle when Kat saw them… three porpoises jumping and splashing, headed out toward the Sound.
As Erik approached, he decreased his speed, then set the boat to idle. As always, the creatures turned toward his boat and began their dance.
Erik helped Kat out of her seat, then grabbed the hem of her top and stripped it off over her head. “Hey,” she said, playfully swatting at his hands. “What are you doing?”
He gave her a quick kiss and smiled broadly. “You wanted to swim with them, so we’re going swimming.” His eyes grew dark and heavy lidded. “I’ve been thinking. In the water, with buoyancy on our side, we might be able to start our honeymoon.”
She didn’t need to hear the suggestion twice or need further encouragement. Despite her repeated attempts to consummate their marriage, Erik had been so afraid of hurting her that cuddling and snuggling was as close to sex as they’d gotten.
Moving slowly and gingerly, she undressed Erik while he undressed her. It would have been easier and more efficient to take off their own clothing, but she missed these moments of intimacy with him and didn’t want to rush.
As she stared at his naked form, nervous excitement rippled through her. It had been a long time since they’d been together, and if it took getting in the water for Erik to make love to her, she’d stay there until she was as shriveled as a hundred-year-old prune.
She just hoped the porpoise weren’t under age, because they were about to get quite a show.
Last Call
Book #2 in the Heat Wave Series
(The Heat Wave series books are loosely connected stories that all take place in coastal locations, mostly in North and South Carolina. The characters in Bo
ok #1 are different than those in Book #2, but in Book #3 there will be a merging of the two that will continue throughout the series.)
Chapter One
Gavin McLeod turned into the Blackout Bar and Grill’s gravel parking lot, whipped his SUV into the first available parking space, and slammed the shifter into park. The vehicle was still rocking from the abrupt stop when he shoved the door open and stepped out into the crisp evening air.
His chest expanded as he drew the heavy salt air into his lungs, then let the explosive tension trapped in his head and neck escape on a sharp exhale. The hour-long drive from Myrtle Beach to Anticue would have been a relaxing trip, had it not been filled with constant chatter and relentless questions from his three female companions. Finally free of the confining vehicle, he took a moment to let the peaceful calm of Anticue Island seep into every cell of his body.
He hadn’t been to the island in... Damn, had it really been fifteen years? The Blackout Bar and Grill was a new addition, and the old fishing pier next door was closed. But other than that, nothing about the island seemed to have changed.
The back doors of the SUV opened, and two-thirds of the troublesome trio climbed out. Their four-inch spiked heels dug into the loose, sandy gravel, pitching them off-kilter, sending them to and fro. Too far away to grab either of them, Gavin held his breath and hoped for the best. Each girl put a hand to the side of the vehicle to gain her balance, then used the car as a handrail as they made their way to the ballast-stone sidewalk.
The other one-third of his problem—which accounted for two-thirds of his headache—remained in the passenger seat. If this were a date, he would open the door and help her from the car like the gentleman his grandfather raised him to be. If it were a platonic, non-forced date with a friend, he still would help her from the car.
But this wasn’t a date. And he’d be damned if he’d do anything to give the impression he was okay with Max and Callie’s plan of manipulating him into pretending it was. In fact, Gavin was so annoyed with Max, he was thinking of demanding an increase in his profit sharing to cover his escort fee.
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