Love Me (Coopers Creek Book 1)

by Bronwen Evans

  “Me neither.” Emily sniffed and hugged him a little tighter.

  Tyler didn’t mind a bit. It felt so right to hold her and they both needed the comfort at the moment. “Don’t cry. She’s okay. She’ll be up and around in no time making more Sandbox News videos.”

  Emily laughed. “With the super beavers.”

  His chest shook with silent laughter. “I love her so much. She can try your patience, but most of the time she’s so sweet. How long does she have to stay?”

  Drawing back a little, Emily met his eyes. “A couple of days, just to be sure that there aren’t any complications.”

  “Okay.” His gaze lowered to her lush, pink mouth and he barely resisted the urge to kiss her. “Let’s go sit with her.” It wasn’t the right time or place.

  She nodded, but it was obvious that she’d been thinking the same thing. They released each other and went into Hayley’s room.

  *****

  About twenty minutes later, Hayley woke up and looked around. “Aunt Emily? Uncle Tyler?”

  Tyler stood up from his chair on the left side of Hayley’s bed. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m right here.”

  Hayley’s face lit up and she reached for him. Carefully, Tyler gathered her to him, mindful of her stitches. She felt so little and frail in his arms and he wanted to keep holding her, protecting her from every hurt in the world.

  “There’s my Blue Eyes,” he said.

  “Here I am. I have to stay here.” Her voice conveyed her disapproval.

  Tyler gently kissed her forehead and eased her back unto the bed. “I know, but the good news is that we’re staying with you, so you won’t be lonely.”

  “You are?” Hayley asked, looking at Emily for confirmation.

  “That’s right. We’ll be right here,” she said, coming over to the bed.

  “Okay.”

  A woman wearing a white doctor’s coat entered the room. “Hi, folks.” She gave them a smile and moved to stand at the foot of Hayley’s bed. “I’m Dr. Burnette and I’ll be Hayley’s doctor while she’s here.”

  Tyler shook her hand. “I’m Hayley’s uncle, Tyler Jeffries, and this is her aunt, Emily Stanford.”

  Emily blinked a little at Tyler’s inclusive introduction.

  “It’s nice to meet the both of you,” Dr. Burnette said. “How are you feeling, Miss Hayley?”

  “Okay.”

  “Is it all right if I take a look at you?” asked the doctor.

  “Okay.”

  Emily and Tyler stepped away from the bed so that Dr. Burnette could examine Hayley. They liked the way that she teased Hayley and asked about her favorite cartoons. She was warm and friendly and made Hayley giggle a couple of times.

  When she was finished, Dr. Burnette said, “Well, Miss Hayley, we’ll keep an eye on you, but I think you’ll be able to go home in a couple of days. How does that sound?”

  “Good. I want to play in the sandbox,” Hayley said.

  “Well, you might not be doing that for a little bit. We have to be careful not to do anything to hurt your cute little noggin again, okay?”

  Hayley frowned. “Okay.”

  “I’ll be back to check on you later,” Dr. Burnette said. As she turned away from Hayley, she indicated that Tyler and Emily should follow her.

  “We’ll be right back, honey,” Emily said.

  Hayley yawned. “Okay.”

  Once they’d convened in the hallway, Dr. Burnette said, “I think she’ll be fine, but concussions should be watched closely, especially in children. There are things that you’ll need to be on the lookout for over the next month.”

  “The next month?” Tyler asked. “That long? I had a concussion when I was in high school, but I was better in about a week.”

  Dr. Burnette said, “Hayley is much younger than that and her skull bones are still somewhat soft. Each concussion can be different. Plus, we understand a lot more about concussions in young children now and they should be watched for a lot longer than previously thought.”

  “What sort of things should we watch for?” Emily asked.

  “Continued dizziness, cognitive changes, such as not doing as well in school or short-term memory loss. If she has any personality changes. We all know that kids can be challenging sometimes or get angry, but if Hayley really starts acting out, it could be indicative of changes in her brain.

  “These can be signs of post-concussion syndrome or even a subdural hematoma, or brain bleed. There’s no sign of that right now, but sometimes they don’t occur for a couple of weeks or even a couple of months after a concussion,” Dr. Burnette explained.

  Tyler met her gaze. “Worst case scenario and Hayley develops a subdural hematoma, what happens then? How is it treated?”

  “They would have to do brain surgery.”

  Emily paled. “Brain surgery?”

  Tyler put an arm around her shoulders. “Can she withstand that given her age?”

  Dr. Burnette smiled kindly. “Yes, but let’s not go borrowing trouble. Right now, she’s fine and I have every confidence that she’ll make a full recovery. I’ll be back later on this afternoon. I’ll see you then.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Burnette,” Tyler said.

  “You’re welcome.” She gave a last smile and walked away.

  Emily’s cellphone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s Ric. I’m not telling him about having to watch Hayley after we take her home. At least not yet. He’ll panic and want to get on a plane. I had to talk him out of it earlier.”

  Tyler smiled. “Me, too. I’ll go sit with Hayley.”

  “I’ll go get us some coffee and some juice for Hayley,” Emily said and pressed the answer button. “Hi, Ric.”

  “How is she? What did the doctor say?” he asked.

  Emily sighed as she walked down the hall to the elevator. “She’s fine. She’s been sleeping since they got her settled in her room. We just spoke to Dr. Burnette and she said that Hayley is doing fine and that she can go home in a couple of days once the dizziness has passed.”

  “Okay. That’s good,” Ric said. “Where did this Dr. Burnette go to school? Do we know her?”

  “Ric, I don’t go around asking doctors where they got their degrees from and, no, I don’t know her. People do move here, you know,” Emily said irritably.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. How are you doing?” he asked, returning to his usual reasonable self.

  “Well, I’ve had better days, but it’s such a relief that Hayley is going to be all right.”

  “Yeah. How’s Ty handling it?”

  “Like he handles everything. Head on.” Emily stopped at the elevator and punched the down button. The doors opened and she got on. “He’s so sweet with her, Ric. I never would’ve thought that about him. You know how buttoned up he can be.”

  “Yeah, but inside, Ty’s still the same guy we’ve known all these years. He just buried himself in work after Lizzie died,” Ric said. “I completely understand that. I did the same thing.”

  Emily frowned as the elevator descended to the first floor. “What do you mean?”

  “Look, Tyler doesn’t know this, but Lizzie and I were close. I was in love with her, but she didn’t feel the same way about me. So we were just friends, even after her and Simon got together. I tried everything to get her to break up with him. Tried to point out he was taking her down a road she would regret travelling.

  “It hurt that she didn’t love me the same way I did her, but at least I had her in my life. When she died…it ripped my heart out. I keep wondering what drew me to her. She was so wild and out of control.”

  “Perhaps it’s because you had to be in control at such a young age. You had our family to look after and to think of. That’s why I think you gravitate to the wildcats I’ve seen you hook up with, big brother.” Emily heard her brother sigh.

  “Perhaps. But I’m getting fussier in my old age.”

  “You’re not old, although I would love to see you settle down and fi
nd that perfect woman.”

  There was silence on the phone.

  “There is no such thing as perfection. If you’re waiting for perfection you’ll be waiting a long time. I’ve learned that from experience.”

  Emily hated how cynical her brother sounded. She wished she’d known of his feelings back then. She knew how selfish and self absorbed Lizzie was and she could have helped him see more clearly that Lizzie wasn’t the right woman for him.

  “Anyway, that’s why I threw myself into the business and I just now started raising my head out of it a little. Maybe having to raise Hayley is doing the same thing with Tyler. I mean, he lost Lizzie and he’s just lost his mom, the two people he put first after his dad left Everyone deals with grief in their own way,” Ric said.

  Emily stepped off the elevator. “If you were in love with Lizzie, why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  “Because I was embarrassed. No guy wants to admit that the woman he loves doesn’t love him back. Plus, I didn’t want to be pitied about it,” Ric said. “That goes no further than you and me, sis. Okay?”

  “Yes. Of course,” Emily said. “I’m not pitying you, but I am sorry that you went through that. I was so wrapped up in my own grief…you must have been grieving all alone.”

  “Thanks. Crap. I’m getting a call from a client. Gotta go. I’ll check in with you later on. Give Hayley a hug and a kiss for me.”

  “I will. Bye.”

  Emily shook her head a little as she made her way to the cafeteria. Ric had hidden his feelings for Lizzie very well and Lizzie had never mentioned it. She thought about the irony of how the siblings of each family had sort of crisscrossed. How different their worlds might have been if Lizzie had returned Ric’s feelings. Life really was a bitch sometimes.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, someone nudged Emily awake. Opening her bleary eyes, she saw Brooke staring down at her.

  “You’ve been here all night? I thought you said that you were going to go home when I stopped by last night?” she asked quietly.

  Emily straightened up in her chair and rubbed her eyes. “I guess we both fell asleep.”

  Looking across Emily’s bed, she saw Tyler in the other chair and smiled. He’d taken off his suit jacket and tie last night. His shirtsleeves were rolled up and he’d propped his long legs up on the bed. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head rested against the wall.

  “How’d she sleep last night?” Brooke asked.

  “Just fine,” Emily said with a yawn.

  “Honey, why don’t you and Tyler go home and shower and maybe have a nap? I’ll stay with her. I’m working a mid-shift today and I don’t start until eleven,” Brooke said.

  Emily looked at Hayley, uncertain about leaving her. “I don’t know.”

  Brooke arched an eyebrow. “Now, listen to me. You’re no good to that little girl if you’re too tired to keep your eyes open. Plus, your hair’s looking all funky now. You might want to clean up a little.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Emily quipped.

  “I just call them like I see them. Go on and go.” Brooke stepped over to Tyler and patted his shoulder. “Wake up, GQ.” This was what she’d nicknamed Tyler.

  He woke with a start. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

  Brooke shushed him. “Not so loud. You’ll wake Hayley up. You and Emily are going home for a while to rest and clean up. I’m staying with Hayley until you come back. I don’t go to work until eleven. Now that you’re all up to speed, get going.”

  Tyler slowly lifted his legs off the bed and put his feet on the floor. “Okay. I won’t argue.”

  “That’s right, because you’ll lose,” Brooke said.

  Tyler rose and stretched as he looked at Hayley and smiled. “I’m glad she slept so well. Call if there’s any change,” he said, picking up his suit jacket.

  Brooke said, “I will. Now get out of here and get some rest.”

  Emily hugged her. “Thank you. We’ll be back after a bit.” She and Tyler left Hayley’s room. “That’s so nice of her.”

  “Mmm hmm,” Tyler said, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “She’s a good friend.”

  “The best.”

  Emily was surprised when he put an arm around her shoulders and she looked up at him. She wasn’t prepared for the soft light in his eyes. It took her back to the days before Lizzie’s accident. Back to the time when he hadn’t needed to speak in order to tell her that he loved her.

  It was an unguarded expression that made hope rise in Emily’s heart and that what she was seeing was true. Not wanting to spoil the moment by questioning it, she put an arm around his waist and smiled at him. He returned her smile as they walked to the elevator.

  They didn’t speak as they rode down the elevator and went out to the Beast. They didn’t talk on the way home, either. It wasn’t until they entered the kitchen that Tyler spoke.

  “Why don’t you go shower and I’ll put on some coffee?” he suggested.

  “Are you sure?” Emily asked.

  His gorgeous smile flashed. “Yeah. Ladies first.”

  She smiled back. “Okay. I won’t take long.”

  As she walked upstairs, she reflected on Tyler’s warmer treatment of her. What did that mean? Was he only acting that way because of Hayley’s accident? Was it making him sentimental or was there a deeper meaning to it?

  Going into her room, she undressed and put on her robe and fuzzy panda slippers. Padding to the bathroom, Emily smiled as she remembered how Tyler had teased her about them a couple of times. She turned on the water and took off her robe while it warmed up.

  Stepping under the spray, Emily let the hot water flow over her tense shoulders and wet her hair. Drawing it back from her face, she picked up the bottle of passion-fruit body wash and lathered up her loofa. Her eyes fell on Tyler’s sandalwood soap on one of the shelves and she thought how strange yet nice it was sharing a bathroom with him.

  Tyler was a study in contradictions. Ruthless in the boardroom and when he was angry, but warm, caring, and playful, too. Thinking about the Tyler who’d shown up at the hospital the day before, Emily couldn’t help hoping that they could recapture their previous romance.

  *****

  Carefully, Tyler carried two steaming hot mugs of coffee as he ascended the stairs. Seeing that Emily’s door was open, he went in and sat her mug on her dresser. Unlike some women, Emily rarely took long in the shower and he figured that she could drink it while she dressed.

  Continuing down the hall to his room, he was going to catch up on some emails while he waited for the bathroom. As he passed the door, the sound of the shower reached his ears. His step faltered a little as the image of Emily’s soapy body rose in his mind. A tropical scent wafted out from under the door as he stood outside it.

  He well remembered the way it had felt to touch her flushed skin and kiss her warm, wet lips… The coffee mug slipped in his hand slightly and a little of it slopped onto his shoe.

  “Shit. Pay attention, Tyler,” he muttered and went on to his room.

  The problem was that he was indeed paying attention. Attention to the fact that he wanted Emily so desperately that just standing outside the bathroom door while she was showering got his juices flowing.

  He sat his coffee on his dresser and started taking off his shirt. He’d just sat it on his bed when a blood-curdling scream came from the bathroom. Sprinting out into the hallway, Tyler ran to the bathroom and burst inside.

  “What’s wrong? Christ, you scared me,” he demanded.

  Through the wavy privacy glass of the tub, he saw Emily point at the ceiling above the tub. Tyler couldn’t see anything because of all the steam.

  “Kill it!” Emily commanded and screamed again, pressing against the back of the shower wall.

  Tyler’s mind went on vacation as his eyes traveled over her naked form beyond the glass. Although blurry, the swells of her breasts were very clear, as was the flat plain of her stomach and gentle flare of
her hips.

  Mentally shaking himself, he went over to the tub and pulled back the door. “What is it? HOLY FUCK!”

  The mother of all spiders dangled from the ceiling. Tyler couldn’t remember seeing a spider that big—at least not in person.

  Tyler yanked the shower door closest to Emily open, wrapped his arms around her, and hauled her body out of the shower. He set her on her feet and rushed to the small closet, practically ripping the knob off the door as he opened it. Grabbing the plunger, he climbed in the running shower.

  Locating the spider, he struck out with the plunger. His hand-eye coordination was just as good as it had been when he’d been a quarterback. He hit the spider on the first try, squashing it against the wall with his weapon.

  “Got it!” he shouted in triumph. He watched the smashed arachnid go down the drain and then came out of the shower. “Take that, you monster.”

  “Is it gone?” Emily asked while she held a towel to her eyes.

  To his credit, Tyler did his best to ignore the fact that she stood before him in all of her naked, glistening wet, deliciousness. Heat that had nothing to do with the shower spread through him. “Yeah. It’s gone. What’s wrong with your eyes?”

  “I have shampoo in them. I wasn’t through washing my hair.”

  “Come here.” Tyler took her arm, guided her over to the tub, and helped her back in. “There. Now you can finish up.”

  “Thank you.”

  He could hear the embarrassment in her voice and wanted to distract her from it. “Still afraid of spiders, huh?”

  “What do you think?” She started rinsing her face off. “Get out of here, Tyler. Stop enjoying the show.”

  “Hell no. I like this show very much, Tyler said.

  Emily giggled reluctantly. “You’re such an ass.”

  Tyler knew when to take a risk and when to play it safe. This was definitely the time to take a risk.

  “Speaking of ass,” he murmured.

  He quickly undid his belt, unzipped his pants, and shoved them and his underwear down. He kicked them aside and stripped off his wet socks and shoes. Emily opened her eyes just as he stepped into the tub with her.