Meant for You

by Samantha Chase

  “Your folks are going to want him home with them, but I can guarantee you that he’ll want to go back to Portland. He’ll need someone to stay with him, though. Since Ryder has a wife and new baby at home, and James and Selena are expecting, neither of them are going to volunteer.”

  “I’m here,” Summer reminded.

  “I know. But do you think your six-foot-plus brother is going to be easy to handle? Especially if he’s still casted up? He’s going to need another guy to help him out, and perhaps a live-in nurse type of person.”

  “Ethan can stay with him,” Summer suggested.

  Gabriella made a dismissing sound. “Not gonna happen.”

  “What? Why?”

  Rolling onto her side and leaning on her elbow, she faced Summer. “Okay, I’ve worked for your brother for a long time, Summer, and I think I’ve gotten to know him, Ethan, and your family pretty well during that time. This is how it’s all going to play out. Until Zach is cleared for travel, there will be a turnstile at the door because one or more Montgomerys will take turns coming and going here in Alaska. In the meantime, Ethan will go back to Portland and run the company. Your father will go and check in, stick his nose where it doesn’t belong, eventually tick Ethan off, and then leave. Then your uncle will show up and be a lot kinder, a lot less intrusive, but in the end he’ll also annoy Ethan and then leave.”

  “You’ve really given this some thought.”

  A hand went up to halt any further comments. “By that time, Zach will come back home to Portland, but he won’t be able to come to the office. Then he’ll essentially tell everyone to get the hell out of his life—and he will use a far more colorful vocabulary—and everyone will temporarily obey his wishes. Some poor home-health worker will show up and quit. And then another. And then another.”

  “Oh, Lord…”

  “Ethan will try to reason with him but will also fall victim to your brother’s foul mood and just return to the office and continue to run things—with limited interference from your father—until Zach can return to work.”

  Summer let the whole scenario sink in for a moment. “That’s all very interesting.”

  “And accurate. Mark my words.”

  “There’s only one small flaw in the plan.”

  One perfectly sculpted brow arched in response. “Oh really? And what is that?”

  “Where are you during all of this?”

  Rather than answering it, Gabriella turned the tables on Summer. “Or maybe you should be asking where you’ll be in all of this. After all, with Zach out of commission, you’ll be free to find your place in the company without him scowling at you and thwarting your every attempt to find your niche. Have you found a department that you think you want to stay in?”

  “Not yet but I haven’t had a chance to try them all,” she said and then sighed. “I’d really like to say I’d stay here…or rather, Portland, but it’s going to depend on what happens with Ethan.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, if he’s not willing to do more than sneak away with me, then there’s no way I can stay. I have too much self-respect for that.”

  “Good for you!”

  “It will kill me,” she said seriously, turning her head to look at Gabriella. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to see him again if he says this is all we’re ever going to have.”

  Gabriella sat up and flung her legs over the side of the bed until her feet touched the floor. “I can’t see him saying that, Summer. I think the timing just really sucks. You have to give him a little time.”

  “I know, I know…but did you hear him today in the waiting room? When he was talking to my father? He made it all sound so believable. So convincing. Like I really don’t matter to him.”

  “He had to,” Gabriella reminded her. “It’s just temporary.”

  Summer shook her head. “Is it? Or is it the way he really feels?”

  “Ethan’s not like that.”

  “All men are like that,” Summer said miserably. “I was involved with someone back in New York. I thought we had something amazing, and it was leading to a future together, but he was already married with kids! I never suspected a thing. He never said anything to even hint that he was married.” She felt shame at admitting it out loud. “I feel so horrible for doing something so dirty.”

  Gabriella stood and walked over to Summer’s bed and sat down beside her. “He did that. Not you. You had no idea.”

  “But that’s what I’m saying!” she cried. “For all I know, Ethan is just having a good time right now with no intention of this going anywhere.” Gabriella was about to comment but Summer cut her off. “Think about it—I basically seduced him. And there I was, a sure thing, and in a situation where we didn’t have to tell anyone about it. He always had an out, Gabs. He’ll always have an out. We can sleep together for the rest of our lives and not tell anyone, but as soon as I push for more, he’ll use my family as an excuse.”

  “You don’t know that for sure, but I really don’t think he would, Summer. And you should know. You’ve known him since you were kids for crying out loud! How could you think he’d reject you?”

  Because he had walked away before. At the tepee. Twice.

  “I think I need to see some sort of effort on his part, something to prove to me I’m more than that to him. To prove I mean more to him than just sex.”

  “I’m beginning to feel like a broken record here, but I’ll say it again—you have to talk to him!”

  “When?” Summer asked incredulously. “The sheets hadn’t even cooled at the lodge when we got the call about Zach and once we got here, there wasn’t an appropriate time to bring it up.” She leaned forward and rested her head on her hands. “What am I going to do, Gabs? What in the world am I supposed to do?”

  The ringing of the phone brought an abrupt halt to their conversation. “Saved by the bell,” Summer mumbled as she reached for the phone and answered it without even looking to see who it was. She put it on speaker so Gabriella would be able to hear everything along with her. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Summer, it’s James.” His tone was solemn, and she had a feeling they hadn’t received good news from the doctor. “We just met with the surgeons and they’re letting Dad go up to recovery and see Zach. It’s only through an observation window, but at least he’ll get to see him.”

  “What did they say?” For a full five minutes, James told her about the surgery and the full extent of the injuries Zach had suffered. Some she knew about, others were new to her. James carefully explained everything in the same layman’s terms the doctor had used with all of them.

  “One of the doctors stayed behind while I called you just in case you had any questions I couldn’t explain. Would you like to talk to him?”

  Summer anxiously looked at Gabriella, who, in turn, shook her head. “No,” Summer said. “It was a lot of information but I think I get the general idea.” She felt sick to her stomach. “How long will they keep him in the coma?”

  “A couple of days. The swelling on the spine is the biggest concern right now. Until it goes down, they won’t know if it could cause paralysis.” Gabriella gasped and stood and fled to the bathroom. “Summer? Are you all right?” James asked, panic lacing his tone.

  “I…I’m fine,” she said, her voice trembling. “That was Gabriella.”

  “Oh…well, is she all right?”

  Summer looked toward the closed bathroom door and listened for a moment. “I’m not sure.” She paused and let the news sink in. “James, no one mentioned the possibility of paralysis before. How…how soon until we know?”

  “They’re not sure,” he said. “Right now, everything is uncertain. I think we’re all in a bit of shock. I mean, I know I was expecting broken bones and hypothermia…that sort of thing. But paralysis? My brain didn’t even go there.”

 
“But they can be wrong, can’t they?”

  “I’d like to say they could, but they’re the specialists, Summer. All we can do right now is hope for a miracle.”

  Tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Oh God…”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to the doctor yourself? He’s right here.”

  “Honestly, I don’t think I can process all of this and actually think of an intelligent question to ask. I’m…I’m shocked. This wasn’t something I was ever expecting to hear.” She turned and looked toward the door where Gabriella had gone. “I’d better go and check on Gabriella. Will you be heading to the hotel soon?”

  “As soon as Dad comes down, we’re leaving. We let the town car go earlier, so we called the service and they’re sending another to come and get us.” He paused and Summer heard him thanking the doctor for staying and then saying good-bye to him. Once back on the line, she could hear the weariness in his voice.

  “Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

  “No. I think we all just need a good night’s rest and some time to let all of this sink in.” He yawned loudly. “My head is spinning and my stomach is growling. I hope the food at the hotel is decent. We talked about stopping somewhere, but we’re all just so damn tired that we thought it best just to go right there and order room service.”

  She gave him the rundown on the menu. It seemed like a good distraction. “We ordered ours earlier and everything was very good. Although, if you’re feeling the way I was earlier, anything will taste good to you right now.”

  “You got that right,” he said with a slight chuckle. “Listen, kiddo, I’m going to go. If you want, one of us will call you when we get checked in. Ryder and I are sharing a room and Dad and Uncle William have one together, too. I have no idea how close they’ll be to yours.”

  “Call me when you get settled in, but then just focus on getting some rest. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, but once my head hit the pillow, I was out.”

  “I can almost feel it now,” he joked.

  “Have you spoken to Selena? Is she doing okay?”

  “Yeah. I hate being away from her and not knowing exactly when I’ll get back, but I know she’s doing okay. She’s with Mom and Aunt Monica and Casey, so she’s got plenty of people around her.”

  “Well, when you talk to her later, send her my love.”

  “You got it, Summer. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  They hung up and Summer hesitated before climbing from the bed. She stood and stretched. “I’d really like to get off this emotional roller coaster,” she mumbled as she walked across the room to knock on the bathroom door. “Gabs? You okay?” The door opened slowly and Summer could tell her friend had been crying. “Want to talk about it?”

  Gabriella shook her head. “What James said just took me by surprise. I’m sorry for being such a drama queen.” She hastily wiped her tears and walked back out into the room. “Are they heading back now?” Her tone was business as usual, but Summer knew it was a defense mechanism.

  “I told James to call when they’re settled, just so we know what rooms they’re in. They’re all going to order dinner in their rooms and call it a night.” Summer headed back over to her bed and flopped down on it and thought it wasn’t such a bad idea—just calling it a night. The clock told her that it was already after ten, but after her long nap, she wasn’t overly tired. Dammit. She was already dressed in a pair of flannel boxers and a T-shirt; it wasn’t like she could go anywhere.

  Not that she wanted to.

  Reaching for the TV remote, she figured the best way to kill time was to find something to watch. While she channel surfed, Gabriella called down to the front desk and alerted them to the Montgomerys’ impending arrival. She wanted their rooms freshened and some form of food to be waiting for them. Summer was thoroughly impressed. The woman was amazing—in tears one minute, quick and efficient the next.

  “It’s pretty cool watching you crack the whip and seeing everyone scurrying around to do your bidding,” Summer joked when Gabriella hung up the phone.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The way you spoke to the people at the front desk? That was a thing of beauty. I’m sure there are people running around right now preparing fruit and cheese platters, dusting the rooms, and fluffing the pillows.” She sat up and smiled. “Had I been thinking clearly when we left the hospital, I would have had you wield that kind of power for us earlier.”

  “You would have been asleep before you even noticed or appreciated it.”

  Summer made a face at her. “And how do you know none of them will do the same?”

  “Oh, I already know they aren’t going to notice,” Gabriella said as she sat down and tried to tell what Summer was watching on the television. “But I’ll feel better knowing that it was done.”

  “Silent and deadly. I like it. You’re kind of like a ninja.”

  Gabriella rolled her eyes. “Um…no.” She stared at the screen and watched as people ran around a kitchen decorating massive cakes. She glanced over at Summer. “I never would have pegged you as a reality TV person.”

  Summer shrugged. “I wanted something mindless to watch. No real drama, nothing that was going to make me think. I want my mind to just go blank—or numb—so I’ll be able to sleep again.”

  “I am not going to have any trouble there. Another hour or two and I will be out for the night.”

  “I envy you. It normally takes me hours to relax enough to shut my brain down to go to sleep, and even then I need to take something like melatonin.”

  “Or Ethan Reed,” she teased.

  “Ha, ha, very funny.”

  “So are you telling me you didn’t sleep like a baby when you were with him? He didn’t exhaust you until you didn’t have the strength to move?” The blush on Summer’s face said it all.

  “Well, that’s neither here nor there,” Summer said. “All I know is that tonight is going to be a melatonin night.” Dammit.

  * * *

  By eleven thirty, all the Montgomery men had checked in with Summer. They were on the floor above hers and were all looking forward to a full night’s rest to prepare them for another long day at the hospital. When she hung up with Ryder and turned her phone off, she was seriously ready for bed.

  “I can see what you mean about these shows,” Gabriella said. “Just a couple of hours of this and I feel like I’ve lost several dozen points from my IQ…and my vocabulary.”

  “It’s not that bad,” Summer said and then yawned. “But you see…it did the trick. You’re feeling sleepy, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, but it had nothing to do with the show and everything to do with the fact that I haven’t had a decent night’s rest in almost a week. I miss my own bed.” She was pulling the blankets down on her bed and crawling in when there was a knock at the door.

  “Oh for crying out loud,” Summer muttered. She wasn’t in the bed yet, so it only made sense for her to see who was knocking. “I just talked to all of them. What could they want?” She pulled open the door and froze.

  Ethan.

  “Hey,” he said quietly, his hands braced on either side of the doorjamb. “How are you doing?”

  How was she doing? How was she doing?? She wanted to scream at him that she was miserable and upset and angry and scared and worried and… She silenced her inner tirade and simply looked at him. No, she didn’t just look; she drank in the sight of him. He was perfection to her. He always had been and he always would be. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t she have just gotten him out of her system? Why couldn’t one night of wild sex have been enough to make her move on? Or for that matter, why couldn’t a week’s worth of wild sex have been enough? Why was it that she wanted him now more than ever? Even after the way he had crushed her earlier? True, he didn’t really know she was there, but the fact remained.

/>   “Fine,” she finally forced herself to say. “I was just getting ready to go to sleep.”

  Ethan nodded. “You left so abruptly earlier. I was worried about you.”

  “Oh, were you?” she asked sarcastically. “I don’t see why. Summer and I don’t really talk. I was playing peacemaker between the two of them. I didn’t take her seriously,” she said mockingly. “Sound familiar?”

  He hung his head. “Dammit, Summer! That wasn’t what I meant. I was just trying to—”

  “Um, excuse me,” Gabriella called from inside the room. “While I am sure this riveting drama would entertain me a lot more than the last two hours of reality TV, I think the rest of the occupants of this floor would rather not have to listen to it. So either the two of you come in and hash this out—quickly—or go to Ethan’s room.”

  They both stood and stared at her for a long moment. Ethan stepped back and looked at Summer expectantly. “I believe we’re done,” she finally said and got a mild sense of satisfaction when Ethan paled.

  “Five minutes, Summer. Just give me five minutes to explain.”

  “Explain what, Ethan? That we had a quick fling? Believe me, I got it. Loud and clear.”

  “It’s not that!” he snapped. “This whole situation—”

  “Is being broadcast for the entire sixth floor!” Gabriella called out. “Seriously, Summer, just go down the hall to his room with him and be done with it.”

  Indecision warred within her. To go or not to go. She didn’t want to hear what Ethan had to say; none of it was going to make her feel any better. And unfortunately, she seemed to have a habit of throwing herself at him when they were alone, and even as pissed off as she was right now, she couldn’t help but notice the way that his hair was rumpled and his jawline was shadowed. She had no doubt it would be rough and scratchy against her skin.

  Dammit. Her nipples hardened at the mere thought of his jaw rubbing up against her, and now she had to cross her arms to try to disguise it. Ethan’s eyes followed her movements and she saw the heat flare in his dark eyes and knew that it was too late; he already knew the effect he had on her.