Chapter 3
ELIJAH
My mouth drops, and I stare at Sam in horror.
Her sobs tear free, gut-wrenching and raw. Her body is trembling as the sounds of her grief fill the air. I lift the console between us, and without thinking about it, I slide over to her, lifting her into my lap.
She tenses but almost immediately, she melts into me. “I’m… so… sorry…”
I hold her tighter, trying to soothe her. I slide my hands up and down her back. Her face is pressed into my neck, and she’s crying harder and harder.
“Honey, please don’t cry. It kills me to see you like this. I promise you from today forward, life is going to be good.”
She leans back and looks at me. Her eyes are red and bloodshot. She shakes her head and sniffs. “You can’t promise that.”
I use the pads of my thumbs to wipe under her eyes. “I can promise that. Hell, honey, I’d sell Wolfe Construction to the highest bidder and give you the money if it meant that you wouldn’t be sad again.”
She searches my eyes, and I know she sees the truth in them. She shakes her head. “I wish it was that easy.”
I brush the loose blond strands of her hair away from her face. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
She adjusts herself in my lap. “Uh, first do you want me to get off your lap? I know I weigh a ton and—”
I put my hands at her hips and hold on to her. “Nope. None of that. You’re perfect. And I’m right where I need to be. If you start crying again, I’ll have you close.”
She sighs and leans into me, resting her cheek against my chest. I wrap my arms around her and hold on to her because I don’t know how long she’s going to let me do it.
She burrows into me. “We should probably get back. You’ve wasted your whole day dealing with me.”
I shush her. “I didn’t waste a second. Now talk to me, Sassy.”
It’s like I can feel her roll her eyes at me. “I can’t believe you still call me that. I’m a grownup; you know that, right?”
I run my hand down her back. “I know you are. Trust me. I know. But the nickname was never about you being a kid or younger than me.”
She breathes in. “What is it, then?”
“I started calling you that because you always challenged me.”
She rears back. “I don’t challenge you.”
I smirk at her. “I don’t mean it in a bad way. I don’t know how to explain it. I always enjoy the way you push back. You’re fierce, confident, and quick-witted… I mean it as a compliment.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “I’m none of those things.”
My heart starts to race. “Oh baby, what happened to you?”
She tries to make a joke of it and laughs.
“Oh I dunno, I fell for a man that promised me everything and then cheated on me and told me he didn’t want our baby.
” She sucks in a breath and looks as if she’s on the verge of tears again.
“I’m twenty-five years old, no home, no job, my car broke down, and—”
I stop her because I can’t take any more. “Stop. Stop. Listen to me. You will have a car by tomorrow. You know that you can stay with me.”
She barks out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure your girlfriend would love that.”
I almost blurt out that I haven’t had a girlfriend in five years, not since the kiss we shared, but I don’t. “Uh, there’s no girlfriend. And a job. You’re what? Shit, I don’t even know. How far along are you?”
She grimaces. “Six months.”
I grit my teeth. I’m about to kill my best friend. “You’re six months pregnant and no one told me.”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like my brother is going to go bragging to everyone that I’m pregnant, not married, and dating an asshole.”
I try to hide the hurt. “But it’s me. You guys can tell me anything and—”
She huffs a breath. “I asked him not to tell you.”
It’s my turn to be surprised. I point a thumb in my chest. “You didn’t want me to know?”
She shrugs. “I’m not ashamed or anything. I just know you.”
I tense. “What does that mean?”
“You would have thought you had to fix me or something.” She snaps her fingers. “Just like today. As soon as you knew I needed something, you took over. You came and got me. You had my car towed.”
I shrug. “I don’t think caring about you is a bad thing.”
She sighs, searching my eyes. “It’s not, but Elijah, I’m not your responsibility. I’m not yours to fix.”
You could be mine.
I almost say it, but I bite my tongue and hold it back.
For five years now, I’ve wondered what we could have been if I hadn’t lied to her and told her that kiss meant nothing.
Without thinking, I put my hand to her belly and can’t stop the thought.
This could be my baby she’s having instead of some asshole’s.
“You and Kane are my family, Sassy. I would do anything for you.”
She reaches up and cups my cheek. “I know you’re a good man, Eli, but you don’t want to get mixed up with this.”
Her hand drops, and all I feel is cold detachment from her. “If you can just get me to Kane’s apartment, I can start getting my life back together.”
Before I can stop myself, I wrap my arms around her in a hug. She melts into me, and we stay like this for a few minutes. I know I need to let her go, but having her in my arms is a good feeling, and I don’t want to release her.
Darkness is starting to fall, and I reluctantly I let her go. “Come on. I bet you’re tired.”
She slides from my lap into the passenger seat, and I move back to the driver’s side. I leave the console up, not wanting it between us.
I start driving toward Whiskey Run, and Sam leans her head back on the headrest. We go a few miles, and when she’s still awake, I decide it’s time to talk.
“So what are your plans?”
She looks out the passenger side window. “Get a job.”
I clear my throat. It’s a bad idea. I know it is, but I’m going to do it anyway. I need to have her close and keep an eye on her. “I could use some help at the office.”
Her head immediately swivels toward me, and she points between the two of us. “You want me to come work for you?”
I nod, keeping my eyes on the road in front of us.
“I thought you had some great assistant at your beck and call.”
I glance her way. That almost sounded like jealousy, but her face is void of emotion. I shake my head. “I do have an assistant. Carrie does a lot around the office, but I need more help with some special jobs.”
She blurts out a laugh. “Right. It sounds like a handout to me. No thanks.”
I grip the steering wheel. For some reason, it’s super important to me that this happens. “It’s not a handout. You would be doing me a favor. Kane’s overseeing the new hospital—”
She interrupts me. “In Whiskey Run?”
I nod. “Yeah, it’s going to be good. People won’t have to drive into Jasper anymore. They can get their care right in town.” I glance over at her. “Anyway, Wolfe Construction is busier than ever, and I feel like I’m letting things slide all the time. I could really use the help.”
I keep driving, giving her time to think. I may have not been around Sam in years, but there’s no way she’s changed that much. She is always the first person to jump in when someone needs help.
She turns in her seat, and I hear the excitement in her voice. “And you think—?”
Her voice trails off. I turn onto the highway that leads to Whiskey Run. “Do I think what?”
She leans toward me. “You sure you want a pregnant lady around the office?”
“Yes,” I insist without hesitation.
Before she can ask me if I’m sure, which I know is coming, my phone rings through the speakers of my truck.
Kane’s name shows up on the caller ID. I push the answer button. “Sam is fine. We’re on the way home now.”
“What the hell took so long? Is she okay?”
I nod my head even though I’m thinking about her crying just moments ago. “She’s fine. She was asleep when I got here, so I let her sleep.”
“O…kay,” he drags out. “What was wrong with her car?”
I want to laugh. Telling him what’s right with her car would be faster and easier. “I’m having it towed into town. We’ll be there in an hour. I’m going to have food delivered to the apartment.”
He cuts me off. “I can grab something.”
I roll my eyes. Yeah, I’m sure he was going to eat pizza and beer for dinner. “It’s fine. Let me do this. How was the groundbreaking?”
“It was good. Went off without a hitch.”
I chuckle. “I knew it would. Thanks for taking care of it, brother.”
He pauses slightly. “Thanks for taking care of my sister. She really okay? She’s been crying a lot and—”
I cut him off. “She’s fine.”
“I’m fine, bub,” Sam echoes.
“Shit. I’m on speaker phone.” He huffs a breath. “Okay, I’ll see you guys soon.”
He hangs up, and I tell Siri to call The Peddler.
I order three steak meals, two chicken meals, extra salads, and an arrangement of desserts. I tell them to put it on my tab and where to deliver it. As soon as I hang up, I can feel Sam’s gaze on me.
“What?” I ask her.
She looks at me. “Does Kane have some roommates I don’t know about or something?”
I think about her question. He better fuckin’ not. If there are any assholes living with Kane, then Sam is coming to my apartment. “I don’t think he has any roommates,” I grunt.
She waves her hand around. “Okay, so why so much food?”
I calm, realizing her thinking. “Right, Well, I’m thinking there’s not a lot of food at Kane’s so you could have a few meals to eat until you’re able to get to the grocery store.”
She leans her head back in her seat and softly whispers, “I don’t see how you’re still single, Elijah Wolfe. The women of Whiskey Run must be crazy.”
My hand tightens on the steering wheel. The truth is, a few women have shown interest in me, but I’ve shut them all down.
There’s only one woman that I’m attracted to, and she’s sitting right next to me. And she’s completely off limits.