“Oh. Well, I guess in some ways that’s good. Isn’t it?” God, she loved being in his arms. She’d been so afraid that she’d never know this feeling again. That she’d never get to see him, to touch him, to kiss him, and to show him exactly how much he meant to her.
“It is. I feel great. And lucky.” He ran his hands up her back, drawing her body into his. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’m in the middle of a wonderful dream and don’t want to wake up. Oh, Ryan. Is this real?” She put her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heart. It was beating as wildly as her own.
He stroked the back of her head, holding her tight. “I couldn’t leave without seeing you again. I’m sorry for the way I acted in the hospital. For hurting you.”
“I know, my love. I couldn’t bear it either.” She was clinging to him, crying softly, and not in the least bit ashamed. “I was trying to convince myself that I’d be all right, but I wouldn’t have. I would never, never have gotten over you.” She put her hands around his neck and gave him a sloppy kiss.
They kissed for a long time, both of them afraid to let go, afraid of losing each other again.
He pulled away first. “I want to take you to bed, but we need to talk first.”
She smiled, dazed by his kisses, warmed by his words. “For once in my life I don’t want to talk.”
He chuckled. “How could I have thought I’d be able to walk away?”
They stood looking at each other for a few moments, wrapped in a happy glow. Finally, she whispered, “I’ve never seen you look so at peace.”
“I am.” He dipped his head down and took her mouth. “But more importantly, I want you, Leila. I want you for keeps.”
“What do you mean?” Her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure he could feel it. Excitement, and hope, and so much love danced through her, making her giddy.
“Love me, Leila. Love me,” he said fiercely. His hands ran up and down her back, caressing her, warming her, melting her from the inside out.
“I do, Ryan. I do.” She cupped his face, holding him still so she could kiss him properly. It was very important for her to make him understand that her love was real. It wasn’t gratitude. It wasn’t sisterly. It was passion and joy and all that was good in the world. It sprang from her heart and filled her entire body with sunshine and warmth. She never wanted to lose that feeling, ever again.
“Sweetheart, that’s what I wanted to hear.” Ryan hugged her so tight, she was breathless. Then he said, “I once told you that you could have any old part of me that you wanted. Well, I’ve changed my mind.”
“You have?” Her voice faltered. “Isn’t it kind of late for that?”
“No, not at all.” He nuzzled her cheek. “What I mean, my sweet love, is that you and Callie can’t have only a part of me. You can have all of me, for the rest of your lives.”
Her knees went weak, but luckily he was holding her up. She smiled, allowing all of her love to flow right out of her and into him. After so many unhappy years, joy was such a welcome emotion, and she wasn’t afraid to show it.
She put her arms around his neck and laughed. “Oh, Ryan. All of you is exactly what I want. For now. For always.”
“I know it’s difficult with my business there and your job here. But I’ve been thinking. What if we could juggle both?” In his excitement, he was talking fast, trying to close the deal. “I can leave Jim in charge for months at a time, so I could spend the winter with you. And then in the summer, you and Callie could come to Queensland.”
“That might work.” She gave him a loving smile. Whatever it took, even if it meant relocating to Australia and dragging her mother with her, she’d darn well make it work. “Callie will be thrilled. I know you don’t want to live here, and if it’s too awful for you, we won’t.”
“You’d do that? Move for me?”
“Yes. The important part is being together. Forever.”
“Leila, sweetheart. You have made me the happiest, luckiest guy in the world.” He smiled down at her. “I love you so much. Will you please marry me?”
She laughed, brimming over with joy. “You bet I will.” She leaned back and gave him a teasing smile. “And now will you please stop talking?”
“You have something better to do?” He nibbled on her ear, and his hands were on the move.
“Yes, I can think of a few things.” She moved in closer, so she could feel him all the way to her toes.
“Will I be involved?”
“Oh, you most certainly will be.” And then she took his face in her hands, and sealed the deal with a kiss.
THE END
Catered Affair
Patrice Wilton
CHAPTER ONE
Jenna Cassali had a death grip on the steering wheel of the monster vehicle she drove, and a murderous glint in her eye. She’d like to wring her sister’s neck right now.
Cindy had to be the most inconsiderate… No forget that, the most reckless person in the world. She had her five-month-old baby in the backseat of her car, but raced down I-95 like it was the Daytona speedway, with no regard for anyone’s safety.
For the past several miles, Jenna tried to keep up, but she wasn’t used to driving ten-ton gas-guzzlers in heavy traffic. As a New Yorker, she took cabs everywhere. She’d only arrived in Palm Beach yesterday for a three day visit.
This morning her sister had to take her new sexy red convertible to the dealership for its five thousand mile inspection. Jenna had asked to drive the smaller, sportier vehicle, but then Cindy had decided she didn’t want to waste time putting the baby-seat in the SUV, so Jenna got stuck driving the beast.
A familiar ring caught her attention. Oh no. She looked down at the cell phone on the passenger seat, knowing she’d have to answer. She relinquished one hand from the wheel, picked up the phone, and spoke. “Yes?”
“Hey, sis. You’re lagging behind. If you can’t keep up, remember we’re getting off on Okeechobee. It’s the next exit.”
“So, why aren’t you in the right lane? Slow down, will you?”
She’d always had suspicions about her sister, but now she knew Cindy was certifiably nuts. For the past several miles she’d watched her weaving in and out of traffic, dashing around huge trucks, driving at least ten miles over the speed limit.
“I’m living life in the fast lane,” Cindy laughed.
“Not funny, moron.”
“You need to put your big girl panties on, and have some fun. You’re driving a tank, for heavens sake. Live a little.”
If this was living, Cindy could have it. It was all Jenna could do to keep the SUV in the center of her lane while keeping an eye on her sister’s car.
A mile back, Jenna had seen a warning sign that construction was ahead. She could see the traffic slowing, and also that Cindy had pulled out to pass another truck.
What was she doing? Jenna thought. Didn’t she see cars braking ahead of her, slowing down to a stop?
“Cindy! Watch out. The cars are…”
The brake lights on Cindy’s convertible suddenly flashed, and the car went into a skid. Jenna watched in horror as her sister’s vehicle smashed into a truck, stopped in the left lane. The car immediately behind her had to swerve onto the shoulder to avoid a rear-end collision.
“Cindy! Cindy!” There was no answer.
Tears blurred her Jenna’s vision as she slammed on her own breaks. All around her vehicles stopped. People raced to the scene of the accident. Jenna sat trembling, more scared than she’d ever been in her life.
She no longer wanted to kill her sister—she wanted to see her miraculously walk away from that smashed vehicle, thumbing her nose at death.
Jenna still had her cell phone in hand and punched in 911. When the dispatcher answered, she reported the accident and their location on 95. She then ran for Cindy’s car. When she got close enough to clearly see the damage, she stopped and clutched at her stomach. She felt as though she’d been hit by a cannonball.
Thoughts swirled like a cyclone inside her brain. She was light-headed, dizzy and nauseous. Cindy was dead. She had to be. Nobody could survive that. The front of the car was crumpled like an accordion.
Jenna lurched toward the wreck, but strong hands held her back. “That’s my sister,” she cried, trying to twist free. “Let me go. Please, let me go.”
A big man stepped in front of her. “You should wait for the ambulance. It looks bad, miss. You don’t want to see your sister right now.”
She pushed past him and saw Cindy’s head against the driver’s window. The shattered glass was covered in blood. Cindy looked like a broken doll, her head twisted at an odd angle.
A moan escaped Jenna’s lips, and her knees gave way. As she started to sink to the ground, the big man grabbed her and held her up.
“She has a baby in the back,” Jenna choked out. “Please…let me see the baby.”
“It’s okay, miss. The baby looks fine.”
In the distance she heard the wail of a siren. Looking around at the stalled vehicles in every lane of the highway, she wondered how long it would take them to get there. How long before Cindy would get help?
Rob! She pulled out her cell and punched in her sister’s husband’s number. She sobbed the second she heard his voice.
“Jenna? Is that you? Is something wrong?”
“Yes. Yes, Rob.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry, but there’s been an accident.”
“Tell me.” His voice was gruff. “Who’s hurt?”
“Cindy,” she whispered. “And Amy was with her.”
As the sound of sirens got louder, she looked around to see an ambulance driving on the shoulder to get around the stalled traffic. A fire department rescue truck followed. The vehicles stopped, sirens still blaring. Paramedics and firefighters rushed to Cindy’s car.
Jenna stayed on the phone with Rob, reporting what she was seeing.
“They’ve got Amy out and I can hear her crying. But they can’t get Cindy’s door open. One of the firemen just said something about using jaws.”
Her nails dug into the palms of her hands. “Rob, I’m so scared.”
“I know you are.” His voice seemed unusually calm but she knew he must be freaking inside. “Focus on Amy for now. Where is she?” he asked. “How is she?”
Jenna ran over to the ambulance where one of the paramedics was checking Amy over. The medic told her the child was conscious and didn’t have any apparent life-threatening injuries, but that she’d be transported to St. Mary’s hospital for observation.
She passed on the information to Rob, and stayed on the phone, giving an account of the rescue team’s actions.
A giant cutter that resembled scissors sliced through the roof of the car, snapping the car-door post like a twig. Powerful pincers inserted into the side of the vehicle pulled a section out. The machines tore the car apart as easily as if it were a can of sardines. But sardines weren’t inside. It was her sister.
When the firefighters eased Cindy’s body from the wrecked car and onto a stretcher, Jenna nearly whimpered. Cindy looked lifeless.
She stepped up to one of the firefighters. “Please…that’s my sister…is she alive?”
“Yes. There’s a pulse.”
“Thank you.” She spoke into her phone. “Did you hear that, Rob? She’s alive, but unconscious. I’ll see you at the hospital.”
* * *
Jenna had no recollection of the drive to the hospital, but she arrived a few minutes after her sister and niece were both wheeled into emergency.
“Are you her mother or next of kin?” the admitting nurse in the children’s ward asked. “We need some paperwork filled out.”
“Yes, I’m her aunt. Her mother was in the car with her and brought in separately.”
The nurse handed her a clipboard of papers and told her to fill them out the best she could. Still feeling shell-shocked, Jenna headed to the waiting room, a bright, happy room, with plenty of toys and children in mind.
She forced herself to focus on the paperwork, but she didn’t have any of her sister’s insurance information. Still, Amy wouldn’t simply be Baby Jane Doe. Jenna returned the mostly blank forms and went back to the waiting room. She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring blankly at the brightly colored walls.
“Ms. Madison?”
She looked up. A tall man wearing a white lab coat stood in front of her. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with dark hair that was slightly graying, and deep creases around his mouth. She wondered if they came from smiling or the stress of the job. She figured the latter.
She stood, but her knees were wobbling so badly she didn’t know if they’d keep her up. “I’m Jenna Cassali, Amy Madison’s aunt.”
“I’m Dr. Marshall.” He shook her hand. “Are Amy’s parents here?”
“Her mother was in the car with her, but…” She spotted Rob coming down the hall, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Here comes the father.”
“Is Amy okay?” Rob asked when he reached them. His chest heaved as though he’d sprinted from the parking lot.
The doctor answered. “Amy is fine,” he assured them. “She’s resting right now. We’ll need permission to keep her overnight.”
“Keep her?” Rob’s raised voice showed his strain. “Can’t I take her home?”
“No, I’m afraid not.” The doctor spoke gently as if to relieve their fears. “She needs to be observed.”
“But you said nothing was wrong.” Rob spoke harshly, and Jenna knew he was sick with worry.
“Rob?” She put her hand on his arm. “The doctor knows what’s best for her, I’m sure. What’s happening with Cindy?”
“It’ll be hours before we hear anything. All I’ve been told is she has a head injury.”
“Would you like to see Amy?” Dr. Marshall asked. “She has some bruises where the straps from her car seat held her, but no other apparent injuries.”
They followed the doctor down the hall to Amy’s room. Jenna wondered how he could do this sort of thing every day and apparently stay so calm and uninvolved. Must have ice in his veins, she decided.
He led them to Amy’s crib. She was sleeping, and the doctor rubbed the baby’s cheek with the back of his fingers, smiling down at her.
Rob’s voice shook as he looked down at his daughter. “You’re sure she’s okay? She’s going to wake up, isn’t she?” He swiped at a tear. “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her.”
Jenna swallowed a big lump in her throat as she looked at Rob and the baby. He loved her so much. She had been an unexpected gift to the family. They already had two teenagers, and Cindy had thought her child-raising days were over until Amy came along.
“She’s going to be just fine,” the doctor answered. “I won’t let anything happen to her, I promise.” His genuine smile instilled trust.
There was no ice in this man’s veins.
Jenna said softly, “Thank you for taking care of her.” She ran a hand over Amy’s back, remembering how her little body had felt in her arms just an hour earlier. “I know she’s in good hands.”
The doctor’s gaze met hers over the crib, and she thought irrationally that his eyes were like melted honey.
He said, “I love the babies. But I’m happiest when I see them leave.”
She smiled. “We’ll be back in a little while. What time are the visiting hours over?”
“Come anytime. I’ll leave word with the nurses to expect you regardless of the hour.”
Rob reached out to shake his hand. “We appreciate that. Thank you.” After a last kiss for Amy, her brother-in-law followed Jenna into the hall.
“Let’s go see how her mother is.” Rob’s expression was grim. It was obvious to Jenna that he feared the worst.
“She’s going to make it, Rob. I know Cindy. It’ll take more than this to keep her down.”
His attempt at a smile came out as a twisted curl of his lips. The sorry effort tore at her hea
rt.
They didn’t say another word, but simply retraced their steps to the main wing of the hospital. When they reached the ER waiting room, Jenna said she’d go find some coffee and sandwiches.
“I can’t eat.” He looked at her with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen on a man. “I guess I need to call your mother. And mine.” He ran a hand over his face, and his shoulders shook. A second or two later, he whispered, “How am I going to tell the kids?”
“You’ll know what to say,” Jenna said, and put a hand on his arm. “Do you want me to go get them?”
“Nick has his car. I’ll call the school and have the kids meet us here.”
“Yes, that’s good.” She stood, looking down at him for a moment. “Make the phone calls. I’ll get the coffee.”
She walked down the hall and got them each a cup of caffeine from a dispenser, and then returned to sit by his side. He had his long legs spread out in front of him and was staring at his feet.
“Here, Rob. I didn’t know if you took it loaded or black, so I added cream and sugar.”
He lifted his eyes to look at her. “Thanks.” He sipped the steaming liquid, but she was pretty sure he didn’t taste a thing. “Did you see her, Jenna? Was she cut up bad?”
“I saw her, but not up close. There was some blood, but at least her head didn’t go through the windshield. The seatbelt and airbags protected her. She was unconscious.”
Jenna tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Cindy had survived more than one catastrophe, and she would survive another. Was there ever a time, she wondered, when Cindy hadn’t walked the edge of disaster, with Jenna there to save her?
“Did Cindy ever tell you about the time we got stung by bees?”
Rob shook his head, still staring at the floor.
“She was about six, and even then she was fearless. We had a rope swing tied to a tree, and Mom told us not to play on it because the bees had build a hive near the swing.”
Jenna shook her head, and smiled at the memory. “You know Cindy. She didn’t pay Mom any mind—or the bees either—and got up on that rope. The bees buzzed around her as she swung, and she’d swat at them, but for some reason they left her alone.”
ESCAPE INTO ROMANCE- 4 Book Bundle Page 25