The Price of Love (A Price Novel Book 1)

by Craft, Maggi

  I had forgotten I was starving until the food got there. The delicious aroma of sweet buttery pancakes and crispy bacon filled the room, and we talked as we ate. It felt like the last few weeks had never even happened.

  “I was starving,” I said.

  “What, your date didn’t feed you last night?” He burst out laughing.

  “Asshole.” I shot him a dirty look.

  “Asshole, huh? Geez, what a little potty mouth you have. You have been out of my influence for six weeks, and I find you drinking like a fish and swearing like a sailor. I guess if it had taken me any longer to find you, I would’ve had to have bailed you out of jail.”

  “Either that or a mental institution,” I laughed.

  “So, what have you been doing since you’ve been home? I mean, besides dating that Eric guy. You can leave that part out. It makes me a little sick to my stomach.”

  “A little jealous, huh?”

  “Me? Never!” He shook his head and then smiled. “OK, maybe a little. But I don’t think he’s any real threat. Or is he?” His smile disappeared as he waited for me to answer him.

  “I wasn’t dating anybody, and as far as I know, it wasn’t a date. We went to a concert with his brother. Really romantic, huh?”

  “Well, he said he was your date, so I assumed you knew you were dating him. He sure wanted me to know, anyway.”

  “Eric and I have been in school together for the last three years. I know he has a crush on me, but I don’t feel like that about him. I usually keep myself out of situations like last night, but I was having a bad day and needed to get out of that dorm room. I guess I was using him to make myself feel better,” I admitted.

  “Well, good thing I got there when I did. From now on, I would prefer if, when you felt bad, you called me to make you feel better. I know what happens to you when you have too much to drink,” he said with a little laugh.

  When we had finished our breakfast, my cell phone started ringing, and I saw that it was Eric. I pushed the ignore button and set the phone back on the nightstand. We got back into bed and snuggled up, and as soon as we got completely comfortable, Eric called again. I had never seen him act like this. What bad timing. I turned the phone off. Whatever he wanted would have to wait.

  We slept most of the day, and when we woke up, I didn’t feel like going anywhere, but Slayde insisted on taking me somewhere nice for supper. I told him I would have to go back to the dorm for clothes before I could go anywhere, so we headed back to the school.

  When I got back to the room, Milly wasn’t there. The room was just as we’d left it that morning. It didn’t look like she’d even been back. That’s odd, I thought but reminded myself that Milly had a one-track mind. Who knows what she’d gotten into.

  While I was getting some clothes, the dorm phone rang, but I didn’t answer it. I figured if it was important, the caller would leave a message. I decided to write Milly a note to let her know that I was going to stay with Slayde and that I wanted her to call me tomorrow when she got up. Milly loved to sleep in on Saturdays, and I wasn’t going to deny her that.

  As soon as I finished the note, I pushed the button to see who had called. “Arden, this is Eric. You need to call me on my cell ASAP. It’s important.” He sounded serious.

  Slayde rolled his eyes and said, “He’s pretty relentless. Maybe you should call him back so we can have some peace for the rest of the weekend.” I could tell Eric really bothered him, and I thought it was cute. Slayde Price, jealous. That was a concept I’d never thought of.

  “OK, maybe you’re right.”

  I picked up the phone and dialed Eric’s cell. He answered on the first ring. “Where in the hell have you been? Off with your boyfriend, doing God knows what? I have been calling you all day,” he said in a strange tone that I had never heard him use. Not with me, at least.

  “Excuse me? I don’t think where I’ve been or what I have been doing is any of your damn business, Eric. Now what is so important that you’ve been calling me all day?” I asked, unprepared for what he said next.

  “Milly has been in an accident, and you need to come to the hospital now.” I went numb and dropped the phone. I was too shaken to say anything.

  Slayde must have been able to tell this wasn’t a phone call to be jealous of, because he picked up the phone. “Eric, what’s wrong? Where is Milly? OK, we’re on our way.” And he grabbed my hand and led me back to the car.

  We drove in silence for a while. Eventually, Slayde reached over and grabbed my hand. “She is going to be OK, Arden. Don’t panic.” I wanted to believe him, but until I heard it from Milly’s own mouth, I wasn’t going to.

  “It’s all my fault,” I whispered.

  “How do you figure?”

  “She wouldn’t have been out if it weren’t for me. She brought me to the hotel this morning. I can’t believe I turned my phone off. I am a horrible, selfish person,” I cried.

  “You are not selfish, and I’m not going to let you beat yourself up. You know good and well Milly wanted to be right up in the middle of getting you and me to work this out. She wouldn’t have let you come alone if you had wanted to.” I knew he was right. He’d only spent a few hours with her, but he had her pegged.

  Eric and Karen were in the hospital waiting area when I came in. Slayde and I were still holding hands, and Eric must have noticed, because he made a face. I guessed he thought this wasn’t the time to argue, though; he simply hugged me and nodded at Slayde.

  “Is she OK? Can I see her?” I asked them.

  “She’s in surgery. She’s been in there for two hours. They’re trying to relieve pressure on her brain. We don’t know anything yet,” Eric said.

  It was bad. I had to sit down. Slayde walked me to a chair. “Sit down and let me get you something to drink. Would either of you like something to drink?” he asked Eric and Karen.

  They both said no. When he was out of earshot, Karen turned to me and said, “Who is that? And does he have a brother?”

  Eric must have felt that was inappropriate, because he snarled, “Dammit, Karen, Milly is lying in there, in surgery, and you’re drooling over Arden’s hot-shot underwear-model boyfriend? You need to get a grip, both of you.”

  Karen shot me a wild look. “Boyfriend? Why hasn’t anyone informed me? And you know as well as I do that Milly would say the same thing if it were her out here and one of us in there. You’re just pissed because Arden’s finally dating somebody, and it’s not you.”

  Eric turned to say something but was interrupted by the doctor entering the room. He was in his early sixties. He smiled and nodded in our direction, which I found reassuring. We all walked over to him. “The surgery went well. It’s all a matter of time now. It was much better than we expected once we got in there. We just need to sit back and wait and see what happens,” the doctor said.

  “When can I see her?” I asked, tears in my eyes.

  “Well, we really don’t allow anyone in there but immediate family,” he said.

  “She’s my sister,” I lied. I didn’t want her to be alone.

  “OK, as soon as she’s back in a room, in an hour or so, the nurse will come get you and let you see her.” He patted my shoulder and walked away.

  I looked at Karen. “Shoot, has anyone called her parents?”

  “Yeah, the hospital did.”

  “Who called you?” I asked Karen.

  “Someone from the scene. They picked up her cell phone and called the last number dialed, and it was mine.”

  I couldn’t believe this had happened. I still felt like this was my fault. She would have slept until noon had I not created drama for her to attend to.

  When Slayde came back with my Diet Coke, we sat on the couch. Looking at Slayde and then at me, Eric shot me a hurt look. “I need some fresh air,” he said and walked outside.

  Milly didn’t look as bad as I had feared. They had needed to shave a small spot on the side of her head. I was sure she wasn’t going to be happy ab
out that, but I thought she could style her hair to cover it up. Though she was unconscious, I rubbed her hand and told her all about my day at the hotel with Slayde. I knew she would be waiting for the juicy details, so I went ahead and gave them to her.

  The nurse came in shortly and said that her parents were there and would like to see her. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Milly, you need to rest, but don’t take too long. I need my sister. I love you, and I’ll be back to see you as soon as I can.”

  I met her parents in the hall, and her mother gave me a huge hug. The Adamses were the sweetest people you would ever want to meet. I had visited them in Texas with Milly many times over the last few years. Milly’s dad was a dentist, and her mom worked with him in his practice. Milly was an only child. Her parents spoiled her rotten and spent as much time with her as they could. The total opposite of my childhood.

  “Arden, my beautiful, sweet girl. I knew it was you when they said her sister was in with her. What happened? No one has told us anything,” Milly’s mom asked.

  Tears started to pour down my cheeks. “I don’t know, Mrs. Adams. I wasn’t with her. She had brought me to town and left me with a friend.”

  She smiled at me, and I felt a little less guilty. “Well, I know Milly is glad you’re here, and so am I. We’re going to go in and see her now. I’ll see you in the waiting room in a little while.” She squeezed my hand and walked away.

  I returned to the waiting room to see other people from our floor and some of Milly’s classes sitting there with Slayde, Karen, Eric, and Josh. They all seemed to be listening to Slayde. Everyone but Eric. He was playing with his phone.

  As soon as he saw me, Slayde got up and walked over and hugged me. He whispered in my ear, “Are you OK?” I nodded yes. I was so numb that that was all I could come up with.

  I sat back down, leaned against Slayde’s chest, and mentally checked out for a little while. I’m not sure for how long, but Slayde had to get my attention when Dr. and Mrs. Adams called my name. I got up and hurried to where they were standing. “Milly is awake, and she wants you,” Dr. Adams said.

  When I walked into her room, she was still lying there, but her eyes were open, and she tried to smile when she saw me. I began to cry. I was so happy she was awake. “How are you feeling? You look great.” She gave me a “bullshit” look, and I said, “OK, you don’t look great, but I was expecting worse. Can I get you anything?”

  “The scoop,” she whispered. I burst out laughing. Only Milly would wake up after brain surgery and be more concerned with the details of my love life than anything else.

  “I love you. You are so crazy,” I said as I tried to hug her. But I gave her the scoop again — all of it. She sat there and smiled the whole time, clearly very pleased with herself.

  Finally the doctor came in and said I would have to go. It would be tomorrow morning before I could visit again. Looking at Milly, I said, “I will be in the waiting room until then.”

  “No,” she whispered. “I am going to be OK. You go back to the hotel with Slayde, and come back tomorrow afternoon with more gossip for me.” And I knew she was serious, so I agreed.

  When we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted. Slayde ran me a bath and ordered us something to eat. I didn’t eat much of my Southwestern omelet or fruit. I crawled into bed beside him. I slept with my head on his chest all night; I didn’t move until my phone rang the next morning.

  It was my mother. “Hello,” I said.

  “Hey, honey. Are you home yet?”

  “Yes, Mother. I’ve been home for a few weeks now.”

  “Oh, how was your sister?”

  “Fine,” I groaned.

  “Well, I was just calling to tell you that the Price boy that Kenedy used to date came by here looking for you a few weeks ago. Why was he looking for you?” she asked.

  “Mom, I’m asleep. Can we talk about this later?”

  “OK. Have a good day and call me later,” she said.

  “Bye,” was all I could manage before I hung up.

  That was the first time I had spoken to her in months, and she hadn’t asked me one thing about my trip other than how Kenedy was doing. I had assumed she would have talked to Kenedy and already gotten her version of what had happened — but maybe not.

  I thought it was sad that she had four daughters she knew so little about. Kenedy was no doubt her favorite, but Kenedy still chose to go to Paris and stay there as long as she could. She hadn’t been home in over a year. Not even for Christmas. Gia was still living at home, but she probably never saw my mom anyway. And Isabelle, the baby, lived with her dad.

  He had married a really nice woman named Andie. As it turned out, Andie wasn’t able to have children of her own, and she raised Isabelle like she was her daughter. I was envious of their relationship, to be honest. Sadly, I hadn’t seen or talked to Isabelle since last semester, before my trip to Paris. I would have loved to see her again, but that would have to wait, because she was at an Ivy League school out East.

  I was snapped back to reality when Slayde sleepily said, “Please tell me that wasn’t Eric.” He smiled at me.

  I hugged him, and he pulled the covers over both our heads and kissed me. “Thank you so much for being so great yesterday,” I said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Just, everything. Taking over for me when I shut down. You know, taking care of me,” I said. I could feel myself blushing.

  He smiled at me and pulled me closer to him. “I’ll always take care of you.” I liked the sound of that, and I hoped he was right.

  When I got to the hospital that afternoon, Milly was sitting up in her bed, ordering her mother around. She was definitely back to her old self. She smiled when she saw me and said, “I’ve been waiting for you all day. Where is Slayde?”

  “He decided to stay at the hotel and let us visit. He said to tell you that he hoped you were back to your old self soon, so we could all go on that trip the two of you talked about. What does that mean?”

  “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know? Well, sorry. I was sworn to secrecy.” She was laughing.

  “OK, Benedict Arnold,” I joked.

  She laughed. “So, what are the two of you doing tonight?”

  “I don’t know. He has to go back tomorrow night. I feel sick just thinking about it.”

  “Back to Paris? I thought he was finished.”

  “Yes, he has to go back and get all of his stuff. Then he flies to New York for a photo shoot. I’m not sure when I will see him again. I don’t know how this whole long-distance relationship is gonna work out. I really hoped he’d be here in LA, but now I don’t know for sure.”

  “Well, being without him sure wasn’t working for you. This has to be easier than that.”

  “I guess you have a point. When are they letting you out of here?”

  “Maybe at the end of next week. Mom is planning on me going back to Texas with them, but I just can’t do that. I can’t leave school now. I’ve already missed so much that it’s going to take you forever to help me get caught up. You have to help me convince her that I will be OK here,” she pleaded.

  I hadn’t even thought about that. We were trying to figure out our game plan when her parents arrived. I told Milly I would come back the next day.

  Slayde wasn’t at the hotel when I got back, so I decided I would take a nap. I must have been sleeping hard, because I had a horrible nightmare. I dreamed Slayde was living a double life, and that he was flying back to be with Kinley and take care of their baby. I woke up in a cold sweat and couldn’t breathe. I was still in that state between dreaming and consciousness when Slayde came over to the bed and took my face in his hands. “Baby, what’s the matter?” He asked.

  I blurted out, “Did you sleep with Kinley?”

  “What?” He looked guilty.

  That wasn’t the answer I was looking for, and I could tell by his facial expression he wasn’t excited the subject had come up. I felt sick, and I wanted
to leave. Climbing out of the bed on the side further from Slayde, I started trying to gather my stuff. He calmly walked around the bed to me and grabbed my arm. “Please stop packing and sit down for a minute.”

  By that time, I was crying, and I couldn’t look at him. “Arden, please look at me. That was a long time ago. Way before you ever got to Paris. It was right after I moved there. I’m sorry. I know this upsets you, but I can’t change my past. That has absolutely nothing to do with you and me.”

  “I wish you had just lied. I’d rather live with a lie than the truth in this case,” I cried.

  “No, you wouldn’t. The truth always comes out.”

  “I just feel so stupid. Kenedy was right. I can’t trust you, and you are just going to use me and break my heart,” I said in between sobs.

  “That’s a load of shit, and you know it. She just can’t stand that you and I are happy, and she’s a miserable bitch no one can stand to be around. Why in the world do you feel stupid?”

  “I don’t know. I just feel like an idiot that I didn’t see it.”

  “See what?”

  “The night I met Kinley at that party, I could tell by the way she was looking at you that there was something else going on there, but I tried to ignore it.” I paused for a minute, then looked at him. “I really just want to go home, but my car is at the dorm. Will you take me home?”

  “I will take you home if you really want to go home, but I wish you would please not make such hasty decisions. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you over a mistake I made way before you were ever a part of my life. I didn’t date her; I just had sex with her. I know that doesn’t make it OK, but that’s all it was. There were no feelings or anything like that. It was just sex.”

  Wait a minute — did he just say he loved me? Unfortunately, the moment was cheapened by the phrase, “I just had sex with her,” said in the same breath. But he had definitely just said he loved me, and I didn’t think he even realized it. I started to giggle.

  “Why are you laughing?” he asked. “I mean, I would rather you laughed than cried, but I just can’t ever figure you out. You make me crazy.”