by Dawn Brower
“Fine,” she agreed. “He can take me to the hospital.”
“I’m glad you’re seeing reason,” Eric replied.
“Yeah, I’m still not going to forgive you anytime soon. In fact, you two can call his brother and ruin his wedding night by informing him of Wes’s condition.”
Vitoria didn’t want to be the bearer of the bad news. Dallas would be livid—and as worried as she was. Good grief, what a way to end a wonderful day. Their wedding had been so beautiful and absolutely wonderful. Now Wes was being taken to the hospital with a bullet wound.
“I can do that on the way to the hospital.” Eric turned to Vivian. “You’re coming with us.”
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“I want you both to get checked out,” he replied.
“You can go to hell,” Vivian retorted. “I don’t have to do anything you tell me to.”
“Viv…”
“Don’t even start, Eric. I’m really pissed off at you right now.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not about to forgive you because you bat your pretty eyelashes at me.”
“This has nothing to do with forgiving me.” His eyes hardened as he stared at her. “I don’t expect you too.”
Vitoria could see the hurt filling her sister’s eyes. Eric was an ass. She was starting to see why he and Wes seemed to get along so well. They were both destined to make a complete mockery of the women they claimed to love.
“Right, how stupid of me.” Vivian rolled her eyes. “You didn’t bother to tell me you were alive. Why would you want to seek any kind of absolution? It’s clear you never loved me.”
“Viv—that’s not it at all.” Eric reached for her.
“Come on Tori, let’s go outside and wait for his royal jackass to come out to drive us to the hospital.”
“I can come with you now—”
“Don’t rush on our account.” Vivian glared at him. “I know you have better things to do with your time.”
Eric remained silent. Vitoria allowed Vivian to lead her outside. Her spurned lover followed closely behind them. He clicked his remote and unlocked his vehicle. Tori sat in the backseat. She really didn’t want to talk to anyone. She heard Eric make the dreaded phone call to Dallas.
All the way to the hospital, she didn’t say a word. Silence was her friend. If she didn’t talk about what was on her mind, everything would be fine. Wes would be waiting for her at the hospital with a charming smile. He’d call her sweetheart and pull her into his arms. Of course he would be all right. Vitoria wouldn’t accept anything less.
When Eric put the car in park outside the hospital Vitoria leaped out and ran inside. She halted in front of the information desk.
“I’m looking for information on Wes Novak?”
“Are you family?”
She’d learned her lesson the first time. Of course she was family if it got her into see him.
She nodded her head. “Yes”
“Hmmm let me see.” She began to press her fingers against her keyboard. “Ah yeah he’s in surgery. Once he’s out of recovery he’ll be moved to a private room.”
“Where can we wait?”
Vivian and Eric came inside and stood beside her. She really didn’t want either of them there.
“You can wait in the family waiting room on the fourth floor. It will be where he’s moved to when he’s taken to his room.”
“Right, so we can go up there now?”
Dallas, Ginnifer, and Emma rushed into the room. Emma’s face was stark white. Dallas’s was the opposite, a bright red, and displayed angry worry.
“Where’s Wes?” Dallas barked out.
Tori turned to see his face filled with worry. “He’s in surgery. She was about to tell me where the waiting room is.”
The woman stared up at them and nodded her head. She cleared her throat. “Ah yes, um right. Fourth floor. Take the elevator over there,” she pointed her finger, “make a right once you exit the elevator. The waiting room will be all the way down the hall on your left. I’ll leave a note for the doctor to come see you once he’s out of surgery.”
They didn’t bother to thank her. All six of them walked toward the elevator and headed to the fourth floor.
“What the hell happened?” Dallas demanded.
“A crime lord kidnapped me and Viv,” Tori explained. “Wes and Eric came to save us.”
Dallas pinned his stare on Eric. “I thought you were dead.”
“Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” Eric replied dryly. “It’s a long story.”
“One I’d like to hear someday. When I’m not so worried about my brother.”
Ginnifer wrapped her arms around Tori. “When did things change between you and Wes?”
Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. “I don’t know for sure. A few weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tori bit her lip. “I couldn’t—I was afraid to jinx it. Things were going so well…”
“I understand. Once this is all over though, we’re going to have a long talk.”
Vitoria nodded and fought to keep the tears from falling. They got off the elevator and walked to the waiting room. Where Tori did nothing but pace until the surgeon finally came to update them.
“How is he?” Dallas asked.
“He’s going to be fine. He’ll be asleep a little while longer, but he’ll make a full recovery.”
“Can we go see him?” Emma asked.
“A couple of you at a time. I don’t want to overwhelm him tonight.”
“What room is he in?” Ginnifer inquired.
Once the doctor spilled the information, Vitoria ran out of the room and down the hall. She had to see for herself that he was all right.
She skidded to a halt outside the room.
The doctor said he’d be fine—a full recovery. Tori’s heart beat heavily in her chest. She’d rushed to his room, and now she was afraid to walk in.
“You should go in.”
Tori glanced behind her and saw Eric.
“I want to.”
“What’s holding you back?”
“I don’t know.”
Eric nodded. “I get it. You’re afraid the doctor was lying and he isn’t going to make it. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Go see him.”
Vitoria stared up into Eric’s eyes. He’d given Vivian up to save her. She could see that now. The man actually believed Vivian be better off if she’d believed he’d died. Men were so stupid.
But in one thing he was right. Vitoria opened up the door and walked inside to look at Wes.
His face was pale, yet peaceful. She raised her hand and caressed his cheek. The man was so beautiful—and she loved him so much. Foolishly she’d let her fear get in the way and hadn’t told him.
His eyes fluttered open.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“If you’re trying to get my attention, this wasn’t the way to go about it.” Vitoria folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.
Wes laughed and then coughed. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be,” he squeezed her hand. “I love you.”
Vitoria glared at him. “You’re such an asshole.”
“I tell you I love you and you insult me?” Wes shook his head, disbelief clouding his eyes as he stared back at her.
“Yes, you don’t do that.”
“What? Admit how much I adore you?”
Wes didn’t get it. How to explain why she as so mad? Simple terms were probably her best options. Vitoria sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, glancing down at him.
“You shouldn’t have to get shot to admit you love me. Why couldn’t you have told me when we were alone and having, I don’t know, a nice romantic dinner? This is not how I imagined telling you I love you, damn it.”
“God, I didn’t think you’d ever tell me you loved me.”
“Me? Do
we have to revisit it took you getting a bullet in your shoulder to admit your feelings?”
“It didn’t, I always planned on telling you tonight. You kept avoiding me.”
“I didn’t—”
Wes interrupted her. “Yes, you did.”
“Glad to see you’re going to be all right.” Eric laughed and turned to leave.
Vitoria had forgotten he was in the room.
“No Eric, wait,” Wes called.
He walked over to the bed. Misery was etched across every inch of his face. It appeared as if Eric held himself responsible for what had befell his friend.
“I’m sorry, Wes. I thought you’d be able to get Vivian and Vitoria out unnoticed. I didn’t intend—”
“It’s fine, Eric. You don’t need to apologize to me. I think you have someone else you need talk to.”
Eric stared at him. “What do you mean?”
Wes grinned. “Vivian.”
“Yeah, I have a lot of explaining to do.”
“No time like the present to start,” Wes said.
Eric nodded and left the room. Maybe they’d be able to work things out between them. Vitoria had seen how her sister looked at Eric.
“She loves him.”
Wes nodded. “He loves her too.”
“Do you think they can come out of this okay?”
Wes shrugged his shoulders and grimaced in pain. “I don’t know. Time will tell. I’m more concerned with where this leaves us.”
What he said—how much he wanted her—it depended on this one moment. If they were going to make it, be more than they were before, Tori needed him to want to be with her always. She wanted everything he could give her. As long as he was willing to give it to her, she intended to take it.
Vitoria bit her lip and glanced down. “What do you want from me Wes?”
“Forever.”
She hid a smile. Looked like she was going to get what she wanted, but not without a few negotiations first. Everything would work out fine as long as he needed her as much as she did him. The rest were tiny details.
“I’m willing to consider it. On one condition.”
He raised his eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Promise me right now no matter what, we will talk about everything. I don’t want to hold anything back ever again. Doubts have no place in happily ever afters… I want us to be have a life so filled with bliss we breathe it like the air surrounding us.”
Tori was going to love Wes forever. Nothing and no one would change how much she worshiped him. They’d made a lot of mistakes along the way, but Tori knew falling for Wes wasn’t one of them. The best thing she’d ever done was open her heart to him.
“I might be able to do that,” he replied.
“Don’t go all out on my account.” Vitoria glared. “I’d hate to make you do something you don’t want to.”
“Sweetheart, I love you. When are you going to get it though that thick skull of yours?”
“It might take a while for me to be able to fully accept it.” She paused. “It’s not easy for me to believe in love. Even when it’s smacking me in the face. How can you be so sure?”
“I can make that promise, you wanna know why?” Wes leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her lips.
“Why?” she asked.
Vitoria smiled down at him, her contentment filling her face. He could have died and never gotten around to telling her what was in his heart. Instead they’d been given the opportunity to finally express their feelings. For that she was inherently grateful and blessed.
After he got himself patched up and released from the hospital, she intended to show him how much she desired him. For now she’d content herself with pampering him. It eased her and gave her something to focus on.
Life was good, and for once Tori believed in a world where happiness was possible. Everything worked out exactly how it was supposed to.
“Because happy endings are stories that haven’t finished yet—our story is just beginning, sweetheart. I intend to love you for the rest of my life, you can count on it.”
Keep reading for an excerpt to Novak Springs book three: Sensual Games
Chapter One
Emmaline Novak took a deep breath and entered the kitchen of her family home. Her older brother, Dallas, and his wife, Ginnifer, were already seated at the table. Both had cups in their hands, but her sister-in-law was giving hers a dirty look. No doubt because it was decaffeinated, and she hadn’t acclimated to it well. Ginnifer loved her coffee, and having to downgrade it—her words—happened to be pure torture.
Ginnifer took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. “Damn this stuff is awful.”
Dallas patted her hands, cajoling. “I know, think of how much healthier it is for the baby.”
Ginnifer glared at him. If possible, she’d have shot ice out of her eyes and froze him in place, her stare was that glacial. “Don’t patronize me.”
Emma muffled a chuckle with her hand. Ginnifer was pregnant with their first child. She was due in a little over a month. Emma couldn’t wait to meet her new niece or nephew.
“Hello.” Emma strolled into the kitchen and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard. “How are you two doing this fine morning?” She lifted the coffee pot, filled her mug, and took a sip of the hot beverage.
“The jury’s still out on whether it is indeed fine,” Ginnifer muttered. “You’re pretty chipper this morning.”
Emma grinned. “And you’re still a grump, but I love you anyway.”
Dallas studied her and tilted his head. “No, Gin’s right. You’re in a good mood. What happened?” He paused and held up his hands. “Not that it’s a bad thing, but generally you can match Gin for most irritated on a good day.”
Emma bit her lip. This was the hard part. She needed to tell Dallas her plans changed—again. She graduated over a year ago with a degree to work as a sports physical therapist. It was her dream job. One she abandoned when Colt Lewis broke her heart. She’d been offered a job at the Seattle Starlings before she graduated. Colt played on their team—a second-string quarterback. She couldn’t work with them knowing she’d have to see him every day she went into work. It would have killed her and broke what remained of her battered heart. So she’d come home and begged her brother to let her start the Cowgirl Yoga program. It had been so successful they’d sold out in their opening run, as well as their second season. But Emma’s heart wasn’t in it. So she hoped she could talk Ginnifer into taking it over for the next year, and every year after that.
“I have news,” she began, pausing to stare at both of them. “I found a job.”
“A job? I thought Cowgirl Yoga was your job,” Dallas stated.
“Well, yes, that’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s—well there’s no easy way to say this. I’m bored with it. It was never something I wanted to do fulltime.”
“So what, you’re going to abandon it now?”
“No, well, I was hoping I could talk Ginnifer into taking it over.” She turned toward her sister-in-law. “The Cowgirl Yoga program only runs for six weeks a year. You work from home for the most part with your freelance writing. This past season you did almost as much as I did to keep it running.”
“Yes, that’s true, but next year I’ll have the baby too.”
“I can come back and help out. I don’t want to be in charge.” Emma pleaded with her eyes, hoping Ginnifer could see how much she needed to escape. “I want to work in the field I trained for. I didn’t think I’d be able to, but when Henry Ellwood called begging me to reconsider working with them, I found I couldn’t refuse. Please say you’ll do it. I’d hate to see the Cowgirl Yoga program fall into oblivion.”
Henry Ellwood was the head physician employed by the Seattle Starlings. His expertise in sports medicine was part of the reason she chose to be a sports physical therapist. He’d been one of her instructors and guided her in her academic choices. She’d hating turning him down before. If not for him she’d nev
er have known how much she loved working in physical therapy. At the time it seemed like a dream. One so perfect too—she’d work behind the scenes caring for the players, and Colt would be their new star player. It had all come crumbling down when her relationship fell apart.
Ginnifer tapped the side of her cup and pursed her lips. It didn’t look good, but even if she said no, Emma wasn’t going to change her mind. She wanted to work as a physical therapist, and she wasn’t going to let go of it now that she had the opportunity again.
Ginnifer got up and dumped the contents of her cup in the sink and set it on the counter. She turned to look at Emma again and sighed. “Fine, I’ll take it over.”
Emma squealed and ran over to wrap her arms around her in a tight hug. “You won’t regret it. I promise. I’m very organized and if you have any questions about anything I will be here to answer them.” She took a step back and bit her lip. “Well as much as my new job will allow anyway.”
“Yeah, about that,” Dallas interjected. “What exactly is this new job?”
“I’m going to be the new fulltime physical therapist for the Starlings.” Emma glanced down at her coffee mug and picked it up. She took a sip and waited for Dallas to blow up. She knew he’d have a few choice words about her decision to work for the same team her ex-boyfriend played for. Maybe she’d get lucky and they’d trade him. No—it would be stupid of them to do it. They were grooming him to take over when their current number one quarterback retired or was no longer able to play.
She looked up and saw Dallas’s mouth hanging open in shock. He closed his mouth and opened it several times. His cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red, and he pursed his lips into a grim line. He got up and began to pace the kitchen. Ginnifer and Emma watched him, waiting for him to get a hold of his emotions. Dallas tried his best to rein in his temper now that he had a family to consider.
He stopped and held his finger up in the air. “Why would you do something so foolish as to take a job at the one place guaranteed to put you in direct contact with the man who broke your heart?”
“Because Henry called and begged me to take the job.” Emma set her coffee down and crossed her arms across her chest. She stared Dallas in the eyes. “I know you are not aware of this, but he offered me the job before I graduated. I turned him down once because of Colt. I’m not going to do it again. This is what I want to do and I’m not going to let some man get in the way of me achieving my goals.”