Don’t have the authority…? “Jesus Christ.”
“And when he noticed Celia…”
Liesl handed me the cordless. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Alayna, are you listening to me?”
“Yes. I’m working here too, you know.” I punched the talk button on the cordless and handed the other phone to Liesl. “Go on.” Then, I bee-lined for the front of the club. If Hudson was there, I wanted to see him, wanted to see the look in his eyes and in his face. See if I could read the emotion that I needed to see from him.
“When he saw Celia entering The Sky Launch, he contacted me, as he’s supposed to do, and asked me if he should go in as well since you didn’t want him on the premises. I told him yes. So Reynold will be there whether you want him to be or not.”
“Fine.” I didn’t really care anymore. “Send him on in.”
“I already did.”
“Of course you did.” I was almost at the bottom of the ramp now. The club was picking up for the night, and I was fighting against traffic. “But why are you here? You could have arranged all that over the phone.” Had he wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see him?
He paused. “I wanted to be sure you were okay.” His tone was softer. It tugged at my chest.
“I’m okay.” Well, since Hudson was still sleeping in another apartment, maybe that wasn’t the right word. “I’m safe, anyway.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat. “Then I’ll talk to you later.”
“Hudson, wait!” I was at the front door now, the night air cool compared to the warmth of the club. Not wanting to be seen, I stayed tucked behind the doorman.
“What is it, Alayna?”
I scanned the circle drive in front of the club. There he was standing next to his Mercedes, the emergency lights flashing as he paced the sidewalk next to the car. He was in another three-piece suit. It was late, why was he still dressed for work? And had he really driven all the way out to the club just to leave without seeing me face-to-face?
My next words bubbled with the hurt I’d carried all day. “Is that all you have to say to me?”
“Right now, yes.” He shoved his hand through his hair. “You’re protected. That’s what’s important right now.”
He’d been concerned—that much was obvious. His hair was tussled as if he’d ran his hand through it more than just the one time, and his agitation was present in his stride.
It wasn’t enough. If he really cared, I’d be in his arms. He’d have come in and found me instead of the other way around. “Have you considered that if you just told Celia that you’d left me that she’d probably drop this whole thing?”
He shook his head, even though he had no idea I could see him. “I didn’t leave you.”
“It sure feels like you did.”
He leaned his hand on the top of his car and looked toward the club entrance. “Is that what you want?”
“No!” Never. “No. I just want the truth. That’s all.” The doorman shifted, and my cover was blown. Hudson’s eyes met mine.
We stared at each other, locked in our gaze, for several long moments. Even across the hundred feet of sidewalk, there was a current between us. An electric spark that ignited from so much more than chemistry or lust. It was an emotional charge that surged right from the heart of me. We were connected, so completely, that for the first time since he’d walked out of the penthouse the night before, I felt a flash of hope.
He broke the gaze first. He looked to the passenger window of the car, as if someone were inside, talking to him through the glass.
I stepped forward, squinting to see. “Oh my god, are you…?” My stomach fell. “Hudson, are you with Norma?”
Hudson threw his hands in the air. “Not now, Alayna.”
I started toward him. “Are you fucking kidding me? One day gone and you’re out with her?”
He circled around to the driver’s side of the car. “It’s for business!” The door slammed.
I picked up my pace, even knowing he’d be gone by the time I reached the curb. “At this time of night?” In a suit, by themselves. How fucking stupid did he think I was?
“It’s…I can’t get into this right now.” He pulled out onto the road. “Why can’t you ever just trust me?”
“Because you can never tell me the truth!” I watched the taillights of the car as they mixed in with the rest of the traffic. It was comical, really, to ask for his trust when I’d just witnessed him on what could be described no other way but as a date.
“I have to go. I can’t talk to you while I’m driving.”
I could hear Norma’s voice in the background. I wanted his attention on me, not her. “Wait, don’t—”
“Goodbye, Alayna.”
“—hang up.” The dial tone replaced his voice. “Dammit!” I screamed and threw the phone down on the sidewalk. Hard. It shattered into pieces. Seemed fitting, considering that’s how I felt inside.
“Laynie, are you okay?” David’s voice was neither surprising nor comforting. Of course he’d come after me. It was a nice gesture—I just wished he were somebody else.
“Yeah.” Total lie. My entire body felt weak. Like I could just fall over there on the sidewalk, unable to walk or even crawl back to the club.
But I was strong. I could ignore the fact that I had died inside until I was alone at home. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said again. “I broke the phone.” I bent down to collect the pieces off the sidewalk.
David squatted next to me to help. “It’s technically Pierce’s phone.”
“Well, that makes me feel better.” Marginally. “Funny, this is the second phone I’ve destroyed on account of that man.”
“Maybe that means something.”
“Maybe.” I knew what David wanted it to mean. I didn’t want to think about what it could mean for me.
When we’d gathered all the parts, David stood and held his hand out to help me stand. Reluctantly, I took it. He didn’t let go right away, though. Worse, I didn’t pull away.
David studied me with soft eyes. “I’m not going to ask because I know what you’ll say. I’m just going to do.”
“What?” Next thing I knew, I’d been pulled into his embrace. “Oh.”
“It seemed like you could use a hug.”
I hesitated for only a second. Then I gave in. For me, it was comfort from a friend, comfort that I needed. He may have taken it as more, but in that moment, my need outweighed his.
Except then he pulled me in tighter. And his arms felt strange and his scent was wrong. As gently as I could, I began to push away. “I think I better…”
David released me, his eyes pinned on the club door behind us. “Hey, look. She’s leaving.”
I turned to look. Celia was indeed leaving. She’d seen our hug, I was sure. It didn’t matter. Even if she told Hudson, he’d been out with Norma Anders. I was certain his trumped mine in terms of disappointing a lover.
David’s smile grew tight. “Man, I don’t know anything about her, but that smile was wicked. What a bitch.”
The pain and hurt of the past twenty-four hours subsided then, leaving in its wake a tidal wave of rage. I was angry, so angry. While a lot of my wrath was meant for Hudson, the greatest portion belonged to Celia. Without her, Hudson and I might be able to work through our differences. But how could we when she was always around, reminding us of our pasts, stirring up our distrust?
My hands balled into fists. “You know what? This is ridiculous. I’m confronting her.”
“Laynie, I’m not so sure you should.” But that was the extent to which David tried to stop me.
I’d covered more than half the distance between me and Celia when a figure stepped from out of the club and blocked my progression.
“Ms. Withers.” Reynold put a gentle but firm hand up to stop me from proceeding. “Not a good idea.”
He was right. As worked up as I was, I probably would have punched her. And though it would have felt good, it
would be me with the restraining order then, not Celia.
Still, I had to wonder what my bodyguard’s orders had been. Did Hudson mean to keep me from trouble, or was he worried if I talked to his ex that I’d learn things he didn’t want me to know? “One question, Reynold. Are you protecting me from her? Or protecting her from me?”
“I don’t catch your drift.”
And even if he did, he likely wouldn’t answer honestly. “Never mind.”
By then, Celia had made it to the curb and was hailing a cab. Determined to not let her get away without some victory chalked in my square, I approached our doorman. “You see that woman? She’s not to be let back in here. Permanently banned.”
The doorman nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll hang her picture in the back room.” I’d print something off the Internet. Maybe it wasn’t a good move to let her know that she’d gotten to me, but honestly, I didn’t care about her game. I simply wanted my life back. Kicking her out of my club was a good first step.
***
It was just past three when I crawled into bed. Though it still felt too big and lonely, I was pretty sure I was exhausted enough to sleep. It was worth a try anyway.
Even with my determination, I was still tossing and turning when four a.m. rolled around. My insomnia turned out to be a blessing. Otherwise, I may have missed his call.
“Alayna. I need you.” The ache in Hudson’s voice was new to me.
I sat up with a bolt. “What is it?”
“Mira. At the hospital.” He couldn’t even speak in full sentences. “The baby…”
I was throwing on my yoga pants and a t-shirt before he finished. “I’ll be right there.”
“Jordan’s already on his way to get you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Hudson was waiting for me outside the emergency room when Jordan dropped me off at the hospital. He’d obviously dressed in a hurry as well. He was wearing jeans and a wrinkled polo I didn’t recognize.
Though he didn’t smile, his eyes seemed to light up at the sight of me. “She’s not in the ER anymore, but this is the only entrance open at this time of the morning.” He was already heading toward the elevator.
I trotted to catch up. “Have you seen her? What’s going on exactly?”
“All I know is that she’s having contractions. Adam called as they were checking in and he texted me when they were moved to the OB ward.” He pushed the up button on the call panel. “I didn’t want to see her without you.”
I reached out and grabbed his hand. He took it without hesitation.
He let go though, when the elevator arrived, gesturing for me to go in first. He followed and hit the floor button, then stuffed both hands in his pockets. He glanced at me sideways, and I felt his ache to touch me. It echoed my own yearning. Still, he didn’t reach for me again.
The elevator began moving. “Alayna, about Norma…”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to do this now.” Didn’t he know that I didn’t care at the moment? In the past few weeks, I’d grown to love Mira too. If anything happened to her or her baby…
But Hudson went on. “I need you to know—this business deal.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s very important and I’ve had to be sneaky about the whole thing. Tonight was about that. Norma was able to arrange what looked like a chance meeting with the sellers at a charity gala. When Reynold called and said that you sent him away and that Celia was at the club...” He trailed off and I knew he was imagining the worst. “I didn’t even think to arrange a ride home for Norma. I simply grabbed her and we left.”
A pang of guilt burrowed through my gut. “Is the deal ruined?”
“No. And it wouldn’t matter if it was.” He turned to me and brushed his thumb across my cheek. “You’re safe, precious. That’s all I care about.”
I closed my eyes, savoring his caress.
Then the door opened, and his hand fell to his side.
We followed the signs pointing to OB, eventually reaching a set of doors that required us to buzz to get in. “Will they let us in at this time of night?” I asked while we waited for a response.
“It’s my impression that babies are born twenty-four hours a day,” he said. “And we’re on her list.”
Mira was only six months along, though. Hopefully her baby wasn’t coming any time soon.
“May I help you?” a voice said through the intercom.
“We’re here to see Mirabelle Sitkin. Hudson Pierce and Alayna Withers.”
Instead of an answer, the door simply opened automatically.
I smiled lightly. “I guess we’ve been approved.”
Mira’s room was easy to spot because Adam, Jack, Sophia and Chandler were standing in the hall outside. Hudson went straight to Sophia. He put his arm around her and bent to kiss her cheek. “Mother.”
“Thanks for being here, Hudson.” Sophia’s hand was shaking as she hugged her son, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was emotional about Mira or simply in need of a drink. Either way, she was with it enough to throw a glare in my direction. “You brought her?” Her tone accentuated her disgust.
“Yes, and you’ll not say another word about it.” At least Hudson was still defending me to Sophia. That had to mean something.
Jack gave me a warm smile, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “It’s good to see you, Laynie.”
Neither Sophia’s insult nor Jack’s welcome registered very high on my interest level. I only cared about Mira—my friend.
I peeked around Jack past the open door and found Mira lying in the bed surrounded by two nurses. They looked calm enough. Hopefully that was a sign that things weren’t dreadful.
Hudson wasn’t the type to simply hope. “What’s her status?” he asked Adam.
“She’s fine. Now.” Adam’s expression looked tired and concerned, but his words were only slightly strained. “When we came in she was having contractions every three minutes. But they got her hooked up on an IV, got lots of fluids in her, and everything settled down. She hasn’t had any contractions now for almost forty minutes. Her blood pressure is still a little high, though, so they want to keep her here a bit. Fortunately, they don’t think it’s pre-eclampsia, but they’ll watch her at her visits.”
“We can go back in as soon as the nurses are done,” Jack said.
Chandler nudged Hudson with his elbow. “Mira said Mom and Dad were making her too tense. She sent us here for a timeout.”
The twinkle in Adam’s eye said he had found as much amusement in the statement as Chandler had. “She is a bit feisty at the moment.”
The nurses came out then. One stopped to talk to us, or Adam, rather. “She’s doing better, Dr. Sitkin. I’m sure she’ll be out of here in the next couple of hours. When you go back in, try to keep things light and relaxed.”
“Thanks.” Adam gestured toward the door. “After you, Laynie. I know she’ll be happy to see you here.”
I nodded, surprised and touched that he thought I meant that much to his wife. I made my way inside. Hudson followed close behind me, but not so near that we were touching.
“Mira.” I offered a warm smile.
“Hey! You came!” She tried to reach toward me, but the cuff on her arm kept her trapped.
“Of course we did. Don’t be silly.” I stepped aside for Hudson to slip in, eager for him to get a chance to connect with Mira as well. Hudson was family. I was only the girlfriend. And maybe I wasn’t even that.
“Hudson.” Mira smiled up at her brother. “Thank you for being here.”
He nodded and it struck me that he was too overcome with emotion to speak. I remembered then how hard it was for him to say how he felt—not just with me but with everyone. Mira had once told me Hudson never gave out I love yous. Even to her. But the look in his eyes said he felt it for her in spades.
Was that the way he looked at me? I wanted to say yes, but it was hard to be objective.
Hudson patted his sister’s hand
then stepped away, turning his back to her momentarily. He was getting himself together. More than anything I wanted to go to him, to reassure him. But his body language so far had shown he didn’t necessarily want it.
My eyes stung. Again and again he shut me out. Even with something as normal as sharing concern over his sister, he couldn’t let me in. Didn’t he know how much it killed me?
This wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Forcing my smile in place, I stepped near Jack and gave my attention to Mira.
“I have to tell you,” she said to no one in particular, “this whole incident has proven one thing—labor is going to be a bitch. Those contractions hurt like a mother and when they hooked me up to this thing—” She gestured to the monitor. “They barely registered.”
Sophia sat in the armchair next to Mira. “Has this finally changed your mind about taking Lamaze?” Her condescension suggested this had been an ongoing battle.
Mira rolled her eyes. “It’s changed my mind about wanting drugs. I’d like them as soon as I arrive, please.” She hooked eyes with Adam, who had slipped in on the other side of her. “Can you add that to the birthing plan, honey?”
“Add them? I’m demanding them.” He brushed her hair from her forehead. “Sorry, but you’re not a nice person when you’re in pain.”
Mira’s eyes flared. “You keep that up and I’ll exclude you from the birthing room.” Adam hadn’t been kidding when he’d said she was feisty.
Chandler laughed. “I don’t think she’s joking.”
“Do they know what caused this in the first place?” Hudson’s question drew the room’s attention back to him. Though he was engaging now in the conversation, he still wasn’t huddling close like the rest of us.
Mira’s gaze flicked from me to Hudson. “A combination of dehydration and stress. Stress. Do you all hear that?” She narrowed her eyes and scanned the room. “So you two right there—” She gestured to Sophia and Jack. “You need to get your shit together because you are hurting me and my baby.”
Sophia’s mouth tightened, but she refused to look at Jack who stared after her tenderly. Man, he really did love her.
The Fixed Trilogy Page 71