Love, Honor & Protect- Addicted to You 1

by Jamilia Fair

  "I will see you later, okay?"

  I nod. "Of course."

  She leans down and kisses my lips before rounding my desk and moving toward the couch to retrieve her bag. Pulling it onto her shoulder, she looks at me from behind Jessica and mouths 'sorry' before heading towards the door.

  She stops mid-stride and turns around to look at Jessica, who now has her back to me. "Jessica." I can hear the amusement in her voice. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

  She smiles and winks at me before walking out of my office.

  I swear that woman is going to be the death of me.

  Jeremiah

  Past

  (13)

  It's been a week since the incident with Jessica in my office happened. I apologized to her about the whole thing, but she said she understood. She wasn't upset and she didn't want that to make things awkward between us. That was a huge relief. Jessica and I have been friends since elementary school. I don't want things to be awkward or weird between us.

  "So, are you coming up for lunch today?"

  Tabitha chuckles on the other end of the phone. "Of course, as long as you still want me to."

  "I'll always want you with me, Tabitha. Do well to remember that."

  "I will if you do the same."

  "Deal."

  Again, she chuckles. "All right, I will see you soon. Don't work too hard."

  "I won't," I say truthfully. "You don't need to work too hard either."

  "I'll try not to."

  "I'm serious, Tabitha. You don't think I've noticed all the sleeping you've been doing? You're overworking yourself."

  She sighs into the phone. "I hear you, Jer. I promise I'll take it easy from now on."

  "Starting today. I'm going to take you to a spa."

  "Jeremiah—"

  "I'm not fighting you on this, Davenport. You need to relax. So, you're going to the spa. My treat."

  She groans and I know I've won. "Fine, but only because I'm too tired to argue with you."

  "Good. I'll see you soon after my twelve o'clock meeting."

  "Soon," she says before the line went dead.

  My twelve o'clock meeting looks like it's going run a bit over. It's already 12:50 p.m. and I've been grilling Nicolas Moore, and his two partners, for the last half an hour about their knowledge of my company. I must say that I was impressed by their ability to articulate how my agency worked and created provable value for my clients. I admire that. I also admire how cool he remains under pressure. No one likes a man, or woman, who cracks under pressure, or who can't handle a little heat.

  "Well done, Mr. Moore," I praise lightly as I wrap things up. "I look forward to going over the REP when the time presents itself."

  "Thank you, sir. I look forward to doing further business with you and hope to revisit next week," he says, rising to his feet.

  I take his hand. "I will have my receptionist set up the appointment for this same time next week."

  "Thank you."

  I nod before turning and walking out of the conference room. I couldn't wait to see Tabitha. I haven't seen her all day because her dick of a manager was keeping her so fucking busy that she barely has enough time to relax for even five minutes. I'm tempted to take the elevator down to her floor, barge into his office and fire his ass, tossing him out right on his ass. Fucking prick. I swear if anything happens to her, and he's to blame because she's being overworked, I will not be held responsible for what my fists do to his face.

  "Mr. Keegan?"

  I look up to see Kelly, the receptionist, heading my way with a worried look on her face. "What is it, Kelly?"

  She looks surprised that I remember her name. "Uh, sir, I tried to stop them, to tell them that you were in a meeting, but they wouldn’t listen."

  "Who?"

  She swallows. "Your parents, your brother and his wife, and Remy,” she says nervously. "They're in your office right now, sir."

  I take a deep breath and pinch the bridge of my nose. "How long have they been here?"

  "Fifteen minutes at the most, sir."

  I look at her and force a smile. "Thank you, Kelly. I'm not angry with you for letting them in. My family can be very intimidating, along with very pushy."

  She nods. "Thank you, sir."

  I nod, then cross the room to my office. The moment I open the door, the first person I see is my brother. He's sitting at my desk with his feet up. "If you don't remove your dirty shoes from off my desk I will break your legs," I growl.

  Everyone turns at the sound of my voice. "Jeremiah!" my mother squeals before rushing forward and drawing me into an embrace.

  I wrap my arms around her small waist. "Hey, mom." I kiss her hair and draw back. "How have you been?"

  She glares at me. "You'd know that if you bothered to call or visit occasionally."

  "I'm sorry. I've been busy."

  "Too busy to come see your parents?" my father says from his place on the couch.

  “And your friends?” Remy adds.

  I sigh. "It won't happen again. Promise."

  "Good. We've missed you," Amber says, moving to hug me.

  "How's my favorite sister-in-law?"

  She draws back and rolls her eyes. "She's your only sister-in-law," Jason says, pushing to his feet and rounding my desk. “It’s good to see you, little brother," he says as he wraps his arms around me.

  "Same, brother."

  Suddenly, there's a knock at the door and I already know who is. It's one o'clock and it was her lunch—our—lunchtime. I'd been looking forward to this since I woke up this morning, and now I had to share it with my family.

  "Jer, are you busy?" She steps into my office and her eyes quickly sweep the room. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll come back later." She goes to turn around and I stop her.

  "Tabitha, wait."

  "Jer, I can come back later. You look like you have your hands full. We can do lunch later." Again, she goes to turn away, but it's my mother who stops her this time.

  "And who might this beautiful young woman be?"

  I reach for Tabitha's hand and direct her toward my mother. "Tabitha, I would like you to meet Julia Cross, my mother."

  She looks at me with wide eyes. "Mother?"

  I nod. "Mom, meet Tabitha Davenport. My girlfriend."

  My mother’s eyes widen in complete and utter shock. "Girlfriend?

  I fight the urge to groan. "Yes, mother. Girlfriend."

  She lets out a squealing noise before throwing herself at Tabitha. "Oh, honey, I am so glad to meet you!" She wraps her arms around her neck. "I was so worried about my youngest boy."

  Tabitha, to my surprise, wraps her arms around my mother’s middle and smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Mrs. Cross."

  My mother draws back and holds her at arm’s length. "Oh, please, call me Julia."

  Tabitha nods. "All right."

  "I was so worried that Jeremiah had gone to the other side." I stare at her in confusion. "I mean, I'd still love him either way, but I want grandkids."

  It wasn't until Jason and Amber burst into a fit of laughter that I understood what she meant. "What?" I bark, startling both her and Tabitha. "You thought I was gay?"

  She glares at me. "Lower your voice, Jeremiah Cross Keegan," she hisses. "And can you really blame me? I haven't seen you with a woman in five years. I was worried."

  I shake my head in disbelief. "Wow. My own mother thought I was gay."

  "She's not the only one,” Remy says suddenly.

  I turn my glare on him. "What?"

  "Amber was thinking the same thing," Jason adds.

  Amber glares at him before smacking him on the arm. "Thanks. Just throw your wife under the bus."

  He chuckles and pretends her hit hurt. "Ow. It's not my fault you assumed something that wasn't true."

  "Really, Amber?" I look at her.

  She looks at me with apologetic eyes. "Well, it's like your mother said, you hadn't been with a woman in five years," she states. "I thought y
ou were trying to figure out a way to come out of the closet."

  I run a frustrated hand through my hair. "If everyone was so concerned about my sexuality, why didn't any of you just come out and ask me?" I snap.

  "We wanted to give you your space. We didn't want to force you, especially if you weren't ready," my mother says.

  I shake my head and look to my father. "Are you going to tell me you thought the same thing?"

  He pushes to his feet and crosses the room to stand in front of me. "You're my son. Of course, I knew you weren't gay," he says, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Besides, after your last relationship, I can understand why you stopped dating."

  "Thanks, dad."

  He nods, then turns his attention to a smiling Tabitha. “Hello, Tabitha, I'm Nicolas Cross. I'm where my son gets his charmingly good looks."

  She chuckles and takes his outstretched hand. "I can see that. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cross," she says.

  He gives her his signature crooked smile. "Likewise, young lady."

  "Um, I apologize for my brother’s lack of manners. I'm Jason Cross, his older brother," Jason says, moving to take her hand. "And this beautiful woman right here is my wife, Amber Cross."

  “And I’m Remington Morgan, Jeremiah’s closest friend, but you can call me Remy,” Remy says, holding out his hand.

  "It's a pleasure to meet the three of you," she says, taking their hands. "Jeremiah talks about all of you often when he's not talking about himself," she jokes.

  "That sounds like him," my father says.

  I shrug. "I am my father’s son."

  He smiles. "Damn straight."

  "Oh, I almost forgot." A wide smile spread across Tabitha's lips as she turns to face me. "Thank you for the balloons and latte. It woke me right up."

  I raise a brow in confusion. “What balloons and latte?"

  "The ones you had delivered to me not long ago," she says.

  "Tabitha, I didn't send you any balloons or latte."

  She frowns. "Are you sure? It came with a card with your name on it and everything."

  I nod. "If I'm going to send you anything, it damn sure wouldn't be balloons and a latte."

  "Maybe it's a secret admirer," Jason butts in.

  I glare at him. "Shut up."

  "Leave Jeremiah alone, Jase," Amber scolds.

  "If you didn't send it, I wonder who did. And why would they say it was from you?" she questions out loud. "Well, either way, I really needed that latte."

  "Why is that, sweetie?" my mother asked.

  "Her manager has been working her over," I growl. "I'm tempted to go and throw him out on his ass, but Tabitha won't let me."

  "Yeah, I don't want you to because he's been stressing a lot lately too. Three people quit last week and he's having a challenging time trying to keep up with all the different accounts that were just thrown into his lap," Tabitha defends him.

  "Well, then, maybe Jeremiah should find someone who won't crack under pressure," Jason suggests.

  "No, he should give the guy a break," she says sternly. "How would you feel if someone fired you all because of something you had no control over?"

  Jason smiles, raises his arms and takes a step back. "My apologies, Tabitha. I meant no harm," he says softly, his smile widening as he turns to me. "You've got yourself a fighter."

  I chuckle. "Yeah, so you may not want to get on her bad side."

  He shakes his head, then lowers his arms. "I won't."

  Amber bursts out into a fit of laughter. "Oh, I like her."

  "So do I," my mother says.

  Suddenly, Tabitha reaches out and grabs my arm. "Woah." She wraps her other hand around my bicep as she stumbles forward.

  "Tabitha?" I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing. Just kind of light headed. I haven't eaten all day," she says, pulling herself.

  "Are you sure, sweetie?" my mother questions. "You don't look so good."

  She nods. "I just need to sit down."

  I keep one arm around her middle as I help her cross the room towards the couch. "Do you want something to drink or eat?" I ask her. "I can have Kelly stop by your mother’s diner."

  She shakes her head. "No, really, I'm fine—"

  Without warning, she collapses in my arms. "Tabitha!"

  "Oh my God!" I hear my mother and Amber shriek.

  I fall to the floor with her in my arms and cup her face. "Baby, I need you to open your eyes for me." I gently caress her cheek with my thumb as I stare down into her beautiful face with panicked eyes. "Baby, please, wake up."

  "I just called an ambulance. They're on their way," Amber says, suddenly kneeling beside me.

  "Is there a possibility that she could be pregnant?" Amber questions.

  I shake my head. "No."

  "Are you sure, Jeremiah?"

  "We haven't even had sex, Amber. She's not ready and I'm willing to wait."

  I don't take my eyes off Tabitha's face, but I can see the look of shock on my sister’s face. “Wow. She must be special to you."

  I nod my head slowly. "She is. Very special." I run my fingers through her hair and pull her closer. I've never felt this way about someone before. I've never wanted to give up everything just to run away with someone, but I do with Tabitha. When I'm with her, I just want to drop everything, give up everything, and run away somewhere with her. She's everything I'll ever need. "I love her and I'm falling in love with her."

  Before she, or anyone else, can say anything, there's a knock at the door and three paramedics burst into my office. "What happened?" the blonde female paramedic questions as she moves to crouch down in front of me.

  "I don't know. She was fine at first, then she said she felt light headed." I watch as she takes her blood pressure and checks for a heartbeat. "I went to help her to the couch when she fell into my arms, unconscious."

  "Her pulse is weak and that worries me. We need to get her to a hospital, now," the woman says. "What hospital did you want us to take her to?"

  "OSF Saint Frances Hospital. It's where she was born," I say.

  "All right. I'm going to need you to let these men put her on a gurney. So, as calmly and gently as you can, lay her flat on the floor."

  Reluctantly, I do as she instructs and take a few steps back as the two male paramedics carefully lift her onto the gurney and quickly fasten her in.

  "Can anyone ride along?" Amber questions.

  "No, I'm sorry. We're going to need all the room we can as we try and figure out what's wrong with her," the woman paramedic says before they start to exit my office.

  "I'm right behind you." I quickly grab my coat and my phone, before rushing after them.

  "We're coming with you, son," I hear my father say.

  "You don't have to. I don't expect you, too, especially since you've only met her today."

  "Nonsense," my mother says. "You said you love her, which already makes her a part of this family. And we take care of family."

  "Thank you."

  Pulling in after the ambulance, I quickly park my car, jump out and rush in after them. Her parents are on their way. I called them while I was in the car and her mother instantly broke out into tears. I told them where they were taking her and they said they'd be here as soon as possible.

  "Uh, sir, you can't go back there!" a nurse calls after me as I near the double doors that lead back into the emergency area. I cast her a quick glare, one that stops her in her tracks before pushing through the doors.

  "Where is she?" I question the familiar blonde paramedic.

  A look of guilt crosses her face. "They're working on her."

  "What happened?" I growl at her.

  "She stopped breathing on the way here. We couldn’t revive her."

  My entire body ran cold. "No!"

  I push passed her and crossed the room to where I saw the most doctors and what I saw made my heart stop. Her skin looked pale, her lips were dark, almost blue and she wasn't
breathing, but what made my heart stop was seeing her eyes open and staring at nothing. There was a distant look in them. I watched, stunned, as the doctors performed CPR and chest compressions, but as the seconds ticked by, nothing happened.

  "Save her!" I scream at them, my voice unfamiliar to my own ears. "Don't you let her die!"

  "Sir, you can't be back here. You need to leave," one of the doctors snaps.

  "I'm not going any-fucking-where until you save her life!" I hiss.

  Just then, someone wraps their hand around my arm. "Sir, come on, you can't be in here."

  I turn around and come face to face with the hospital security. "Don't fucking touch me," I snap.

  He glares at me. "You need to leave this room, sir. You can do it voluntarily, or I will be forced to remove you from the premises."

  "I'm not leaving her," I growl. "I can't. Not until I know she's all right. You have to understand that." I try and calm myself down because the last thing I need is to be kicked out of the hospital and not get to see her.

  "I do, believe me, but you have to let the doctors do their job." His voice is calmer and his glare softens. "Come with me and let them do what they're good at."

  I reluctantly allow him to guide me out of the room and out into the waiting area where my parents were and where Tabitha's parents were just entering. The moment Janice sees me, she rushes forward with a tall, dark-skinned man with graying curly hair and the build of a military man.

  "Jeremiah! Where is she? Where is my little girl?" Janice stops in front of me and grabs at my coat. "Please tell me she's all right."

  I swallow. "They're working on her right now."

  "What happened?" an unfamiliar, and very deep voice questions.

  I look towards Tabitha's father and he's staring at me. "I can't tell you, sir, because I'm lost to the cause of what happened." I stare directly into his eyes. "One minute she was fine, then the next she fell unconscious in my arms." I choke at the end.

  He nods. "I wish we'd met on better terms, son. My name is Joseph Davenport." He holds his hand out to me and I quickly take it. "My wife has told me quite a bit about you."

  "I wish we'd met on better terms, too, sir."

  "Oh my!" I hear my mother cry out.