I know this all because of Gage’s past. He was abused by his mother, a lot worse than Emma was. He’s taking this harder than anyone, even harder than Emma. Two hours we rode in silence on the motorcycle. I didn’t even attempt to rest my head against him. He was stiff and so angry, I could almost see the waves of malice wafting off him in powerful surges. Once we arrived to Tasha’s it was lightning speed after that. Gage crying, apologizing to Emma who attempted to console her own father’s meltdown. I stood back, not wanting to interfere but offering my silent support. I was briefly introduced to Tasha on our own fruition. Emma hugged me for a moment and was whisked away to the hospital. I couldn’t fit into Tasha’s car along with her husband, Gage, Emma and Maxwell; his brother. So I rode with Lincoln in his SUV. We’ve been here ever since. I tried to make Gage eat something because he’s not eaten since breakfast and he yelled at me and nearly told me to fuck off. I’m trying not to take it to heart because the only person he isn’t being snappy to is Emma. The rest of us are having to walk on eggshells. I want to comfort him. I just don’t know how. I couldn’t handle being thrown to the wolves if he ruthlessly, out of anger, verbally unleashes on me. Plus, I think Lincoln would have his head if he did. We don’t need that stirring up even more trouble.
“Who am I to speak with, regarding Emma Masterson?” a meek male doctor asks, addressing the group of us. I give Lincoln the ‘you know what to do’ eye. He takes the cue and corrals Gage to the corner as I speak with the miniature doctor.
“I am.” I announce being the only person other than Tasha left standing. Maxwell left about midnight. Gage’s father, who I haven’t been introduced to yet, was here for about an hour with his wife who stared hateful daggers at me the entire time. Not sure why she doesn’t care for me, but I’m sure I’ll eventually find out.
“Are you Emma’s mother?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m her father’s girlfriend. He’s not taking this so well so I am speaking with all the doctors and nurses.”
“Very well,” he bobs his head, understandingly. “After going over all of Emma’s test results, the only thing other than the physical abrasions that need no medical attention is she’s dehydrated. We would like to keep her until morning to get another bag of IV fluid into her. Other than that, everything is perfect. CAT scan came back fine; all the blood tests are within normal ranges. Overall, she’s a healthy little girl. I will refer her to a physiologist that specializes in working with children. It would be beneficial in cases like this for her to speak with a professional.”
I thank the doctor, and give Lincoln the thumbs up. He sighs, breaking away from Gage who’s pacing and living in his own mopey world. I’m surprised he hasn’t burned a hole through the floor with how many hours he’s walked this hall.
Quietly I tip-toe into Emma’s room to speak to Tasha, she’s resting back; half awake, half asleep, reading on her tablet.
“Hey.” I whisper.
“Hey.” She hazily smiles looking up, offering me a gentle wave.
I tiptoe in a bit further, so I’m standing just at the end of my sleeping princess’s bed and I smile at her. She’s cozy, snuggled up with her stuffed My Little Pony tucked under her arm and rainbow slippers covering her tiny feet that I picked up from the convenience store on my way to the hospital.
“Doctors said she’s okay. Only dehydrated. They want to keep her till morning. Other than that, she’s good to go. You are free to leave whenever. I’m staying; you might as well get some sleep at home. Gage and I won’t leave her.” I flash my most sincere closed mouth smile.
“Okay, you sure you don’t want to go home?”
I shake my head, “No, I couldn’t leave if I wanted to. I wouldn’t sleep and I’d be at home worried sick.”
“You’re good for him, you know. My brother can be a hothead. He’s very emotional. It’s good he has a woman like you to have a level head on her shoulders.”
I smile at her compliment. If she knew me well enough I don’t think she’d feel the same. I’m not that great. “Thank you. I think we both keep each other sane.”
I’m not sure where that came from, but it’s the truth. Gage makes me feel like I can branch out and be the person I knew I had somewhere deep inside. The person I’ve been afraid to let out of the closet. And, apparently, I give him what he wants — me. For what good it’s worth. If he’ll want me after this will be the real kicker. Considering Emma was punished because of Gage and I’s budding relationship. It sounds so much like my mother being punished because I wasn’t the boy my father wanted me to be; too much familiarity in this case. The thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.
A hug jolts me from my thoughts as Tasha wraps her arms around me. I join in and hug her back. “If you want me to, I can text you in the morning to tell you how she’s doing.” I offer, breaking from our embrace.
“I’d like that. Thank you.”
I retrieve my phone from my jeans pocket and she plugs her number in. Just before she leaves, she kisses Emma on the forehead, which awakens her for a moment.
“Auntie’s leaving, Princess. You get to go home in the morning.” Tasha whispers to her niece.
“K...” Emma drowsily whispers and turns her head to see me standing in her room and grins “Lex.” She tiredly says, and waves me over.
Coming to her bedside, opposite her aunt, I crouch down close to Emma so she doesn’t have to strain to hear or speak to me.
“What does my fairy princess need?” I smile, grab her little hand that has an IV in it and kiss the top.
“Are you allowed to cuddle with me? Like we did on the couch?”
I look to Tasha and she’s beaming as bright as the sun. Then she nods, giving me the go ahead.
“Are you sure you want big ol’ me in a tiny bed with you?”
Emma silently answers me with the bob of her head and a sweet smile. I unzip my boots, toss them onto the floor, and climb into the bed beside her. She instantly rests her little head on my chest, and I smile down at her, running my fingers through her hair. Tasha covers us both in a white blanket and I suddenly feel terribly sleepy. It’s been a very long emotional day. Kissing Emma’s head, I wish her a goodnight and slowly my eyes feel like they have bags of sand hanging from them as they begin to close.
Gage
“Gage. Gage.” Tasha is speaking to me. I know she is but I can’t stop pacing. Mustn’t stop. Can’t stop. If I stop, I will meltdown. I will cry, I will lose it and then Emma will think I’m a weak daddy who can’t protect her. And Lex will think I’m a baby that she’ll need to take care of. Mustn’t show weakness. Have to stay strong for my family.
“Gage!” Tasha smacks my arm and I stop and sneer at her. Curling up my lip in aggression.
“What?!”
“Do you even know what time it is? Do you know where you are?”
What kind of ridiculous question is that? Its midnight and my brother just left. I’m in the hospital awaiting Emma’s test results.
“Yes.” I bark, furrowing my brow at her.
Placing her hand on her hips, she sears me with her penetrating gaze. I hate when she does this.
“It’s four thirty in the morning, Gage.” Her attitude slaps me hard in the face.
“What?” It can’t be four in the morning. There’s no way.
“Yeah… While you were out here having your little,” she gestures up and down my body with her hand, “whatever this is. Your woman was talking to doctors, attempting to feed you, and she’s now sleeping in bed with your daughter. I’m going home, I’m tired and you should get some sleep too. And…” She jabs her finger into my chest. “You need to grovel at that woman’s feet. You snapped at her tonight. She took it. I wouldn’t have. She and Lincoln also preoccupied you to keep you from getting kicked out of this place. You yelled at a nurse and that was the last time you were allowed to speak to any medical professional. Get it together. I know this is hard, it brings up shit about mom. We didn’t have a good childhoo
d, you especially, but Lex didn’t either and she stuck through this for you and Emma. If you don’t end up finding a way to keep her. I will. I’ll kick you out of the family and let her move in. Capiche?”
Now I feel like the biggest asshole on the planet. Peering over at the clock on the wall, I see that she’s right. Lincoln is sitting in a chair against the wall, nearly asleep and my woman is in bed with my daughter. What’s wrong with me? I have to be stronger!
Kissing my sister on the cheek and apologizing, I see her down the hall to the front and say goodbye. Coming back, I nudge Linc.
“Hey bud, time to head home.” I rouse him.
“Yeah, but I can’t leave until Lex tells me it’s cool.”
Sitting down beside him, I pat him, man-to-man on the leg. “You do know that Lex is mine, right? She loves you Linc, but I can’t say if you tried to go there with her that I wouldn’t put up a fight. I see the way you look at her. It’s obvious and I respect the hell out of ya for being such a great friend. You’re a good man. I just need you to know that I’m not going to fuck this up with her. I’ve waited too long and tried too hard to mess it up now. It can’t be easy loving a woman you can’t have.” As much as this might make me sound like a jerk, I need him to know. I see it when he looks at her; he loves her. Laying it out there for him to understand is the only way I can see this going in the right direction.
Clasping a tired hand on my shoulder, he clears his throat. “I get it; you need it to be known. But… Lex isn’t a chew toy to fight over, Gage. She’s a pretty flower that needs to be handled with care. You’re right, I do love her, and yes, it’s hard for me to be in love with her and see her in pain. To see a man who claims to love her, snap at her, when she brings him a sandwich.” He raises a brow at me and I cower. Yep, I’m the world’s biggest jerk. I want to apologize; instead, I let him continue.
“Everybody knows my reputation, that I’m a Dom. If it wasn’t for my need, I would have sought her out long ago. Loving someone isn’t just about you; it’s about how it affects the other person. Could I have convinced her to try to be with me? Yes, probably. Would I? No, absolutely not. I’m not what she needs. I can’t be selfish with her. I see the way she looks at you. She’s falling. And if you fuck up, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces of her heart and ultimately your face that I’ll bash in. This isn’t a competition. I know you’re a man and we all have that need to protect and claim what’s ours. Lex, has been mine since the day I saved her from Brian. Just not in the same way she’s yours. It’s not one or the other. It’s both. I’m not leaving her life. Yes, you belong with her and I honestly think you can make her happy. If you get your head out of your ass long enough to realize she’s already yours. She’s claimed you, even if she hasn’t said it to you or admitted it fully. It’s true. Now don’t screw it up.” Giving my shoulder one final squeeze he stands, and walks across the hall to Emma’s room.
I follow behind him and stand in the doorway as he approaches my girls, who are both, fast asleep. Leaning over the side of the hospital bed, he kisses Lex’s forehead and a potent jealous sensation fills me with a deep thirst to kick his ass. What is my problem? The guy has told me twice now that he isn’t interested in pursuing her and I like Linc, I have for years. But when I feel threatened or worried that something or someone is able to come between the one thing I want and need, I can’t help but reiterate my devotion. Even if in the end it makes me sound like a jealous dick. I am a jealous dick. I can accept that flaw.
Between Tank this morning, my brother Maxwell and Linc, I’ve had my fair share of heart pangs of possessiveness today. Maxwell, as soon as he laid eyes on Lex, couldn’t stop staring quite literally. That’s why, when we rode to the hospital, I made him ride with us and her with Lincoln. I couldn’t let him be in close quarters with her. My brother never, and I mean never, takes interest in women. Now that he’s gawking openly at mine, it pisses me off. I’m used to women being that way with me, flirting with me, checking me out. What I’m not used to is being with a woman who evokes the same reaction from men. It shouldn’t surprise me Lex draws that kind of attention. I just never thought it would bother me as much as it does. Maybe it’s the high level of emotions that’s making me this way. I can’t be sure.
“Later.” Lincoln pats me on the shoulder and exits. I see Lex awake smiling at me from the hospital bed. Guess I didn’t notice he’d waken her.
“Hi sweetie,” I walk next to her and give her a kiss on the forehead, cheek, nose and a lingering one on the lips. Inhaling her delicious scent and savoring her taste.
Pulling my lips from hers, she says, “Hello, handsome. Are you okay? I was worried about you.”
God I love this woman!
Kissing her lips again, I smile down at her and run my hand across her cheek.
“Yes, Angel, I’m fine. Promise. Sorry I kind of lost it. Did Linc wake you?”
She hazily nods, batting her sleepy eyes to stay awake. “Yes, he wouldn’t leave until I said so. He’s a dork like that.”
Yeah it’s because he’s in love with you. That’s why, Lex. Lincoln would whisk you away and marry you and you’d let him if he wasn’t a Dom. Fuck, I hate that I feel this way. But it’s true. He came way before me, only because Melissa got pregnant with Emma. I wouldn’t ever change that, but I hate that I’ve waited so many years to finally stake my claim. Having to share the spotlight with a bigger man, who’s just as dominate and protective as I am, sucks. And it doesn’t help that standing next to Linc I feel like a puny child. I’m not skinny or fat. I’m medium built and I’m tone. But he’s a thick piece of meat and about three inches taller than I am. To say he’s massive is like saying a Great Dane is comparable to a cocker spaniel. Not that I’m the cocker.
“Why don’t you sleep on the couch in the waiting room? Or go home? I’ll stay here, I’ve got her.” Lex turns her head and kisses Emma’s hair and I suppress the need to cry, like a little emotional bitch. My woman loving my daughter, there isn’t anything more perfect or beautiful in all this world.
“No, sweetheart, I’ll sleep on the chair. You go back to bed. I’m sorry again for my behavior tonight. I promise to make it up to you.”
Locking her eyes with mine she says, “There is nothing to forgive, Gage. Part of this is my fault. If I’d…”
I interrupt her, knowing where she’s about to go and I won’t have her talking that way. “Stop it right now. This is not your fault. This is Melissa’s. You didn’t hurt Emma, she did. You’re just making up for lost time with her. She missed you. I’m sorry I didn’t bring her back into your life sooner.” I grab her hand and kiss her palm, and each pad of her finger I tentatively press supple kisses, paying special attention to them. Making sure, none of my Angel’s fingers feel left out. That would be a shame if they did.
Lex’s eyes become fogged with lust as each kiss is pressed to her fingers and she coo’s, drawling in a sharp breath.
“Now rest, Angel. I love you.”
Releasing her hand, I comb her pretty hair with my fingers, and she nearly purrs as I caress her head. Damn, I love touching her soft hair.
Once I finish, I leave her bedside, and I sit in the uncomfortable hospital chair. It’s time to catch a few hours of rest. I hope.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thursday
Lex
“Daniel can you please bring in the newest files from Saks?” I yell from my desk.
Daniel and I have been busy busting our butts this week, finalizing all of the work needed for the Saks fall line. After missing work on Monday to be with Emma and Gage, I’ve been working until nine every single night. I’ve hardly had a moment to breathe. They’ve sent over fifty billion requests, one of which is to add patchouli to the salt scrub for men, that we’re manufacturing. They also want an amber tinted lip balm. It’s been a mess trying to keep up with, and more requests keep filing in daily. Among the other accounts, we already have. I’m only one woman for cryin’ out loud. I can only handl
e so much.
On Monday, they released Emma at ten a.m. Gage didn’t have a vehicle so Linc came and drove us both home. Emma is taking off all week at school and Gage has already made her see a shrink, twice. We’ve kept in constant contact. He’s been working from home and taking care of Emma. I’ve been working. It’s been impossible to see one another. Although he’s still charmed my socks off, a time or two. Monday night Dolly’s Dairy Dream was delivered to my home. Tuesday, I had a ridiculously large bouquet of six dozen red roses personally delivered by my mother. The card attached said.
“We loved with a love that was more than love”.
You are my all - XoXo – Your Suit Master
The quote is from Edgar Allen Poe.
Then yesterday, he had chocolate macadamia nut biscotti with a caramel drizzle delivered, courtesy of Barbie, who hand delivered them herself. We sat and chatted for about ten minutes and drank a wonderful chai tea that she brought along.
Speak of the devil. My phone chimes and Daniel comes strolling into my office. “Here, boss.” He drops three blue folders on my desk.
“Are these all the documents?” My hand gestures toward the folders.
He nods. “Yes, first are the requests, second is a vast selection of concoctions that have been tested by our chemist for you to pick from, and the third are approved packaging choices.”
Gee whizz, it’s already one and I’ve yet to take a chunk out of this workload. When it comes to crunch time with a line your company formulates, it’s like you’re moving faster than a freight train and still you’re not moving fast enough. There is an extended process of lists and checklists that have to be categorically completed. I’m so thankful to have Daniel to assist me; he’s my savior.
Lex (Unconventional Hearts) Page 27