Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
~CALLUM~
G etting up early isn’t new to me. I’ve always been a morning person, so rising before the sun to help Aspen at her café isn’t an inconvenience. I just hate that she had to get up so early after being up late worrying after Gretchen.
We dropped Aspen off at Drips & Sips, and then David brought me back to the boathouse so we could shower and change before joining Aspen once more to work through the day.
If you asked me a few months ago if I ever thought I’d be serving coffee in a small town in Montana, I would have laughed.
And now, it seems there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Catching Paula with her hands in the safe yesterday filled me with rage. But Aspen handled it the way she handles everything, with professionalism and class.
God, I fucking love her.
I’m walking up the path toward headquarters to meet with David, but when he comes rushing out of the building, I can see by the look on his face that something is wrong.
Bloody hell, what now?
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t accompany you today. Alice is bleeding, and I need to take her to the hospital. Nick will go with you.”
“Of course,” I reply. “Go now, and keep me informed. She’s going to be okay, David.”
“I hope so, sir. She lost a baby earlier this summer, and I don’t want to go through that again.”
“Go get her looked over,” I say, clapping the other man on the shoulder. “And take a deep breath. She’s healthy and young. She’s going to be fine.”
“Sir.” He nods. “Thank you.”
Just as he hurries away, Nick walks out to join me. Nick is Nina’s detail, but they must have made other arrangements for today.
“I hope you enjoy clearing and wiping down tables,” I say.
“It’s one of my favorite ways to spend the day, Your Highness.”
I laugh as we climb the hill to the car. “I like you, Nick.”
It’s been another busy day at Drips & Sips. Watching Aspen work has fast become one of my favorite pastimes. The way she moves quickly around the café, smiling and checking in with her customers, so full of energy and joy, makes me smile.
She clearly loves what she does.
I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that we’re here in Cunningham Falls more often than not so she can continue working here. I can work from anywhere with video calls and WiFi. We will have to make appearances, but those will be scheduled in advance.
I’m convinced that we can make our schedules work, basing out of both Montana and London. It’ll just require some work and compromise, but doesn’t every marriage?
“It looks like the last customers just left, Aspen,” Nick says as he places a tray of dirty dishes on the counter.
“Excellent, go ahead and flip the lock,” Aspen replies.
Nick does as she asks, and Aspen sighs in relief.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I’m exhausted,” she says, rubbing her eyes. “It’s been a hell of a week. But I interviewed two candidates for the manager position today, and I think I found the right person for the job.”
“You didn’t offer it to Gretchen?”
Aspen bites her lip and shrugs a shoulder. “I mentioned it to her, but I suspect that she’ll stay when she goes back to Portland. And, frankly, I can’t blame her. It’ll be a fresh start for her.”
I walk behind the counter and pull Aspen to me, enjoying the way she fits against me. This woman was made for me.
“I’m so sorry that you came home to such a mess.”
“It could always be worse,” she says but rests her forehead against my chest. “But thank you. This helps. You help more than you realize. I’m grateful that I have you to lean on. I’m a strong person, but?—”
“But sometimes even strong people need someone to lean on,” I finish for her and tuck a stray piece of red hair behind her ear. “Indeed. With Gretchen taken care of, and things calming down, perhaps we need a quiet evening tonight at the boathouse. Just the two of us. We’ll sit out and watch the lake, and just be. ”
“That might be the best offer you’ve ever made me. Aside from the whole marriage thing.”
“Your sassiness is coming back, darling.”
“I must be feeling better. Speaking of, have you heard from David?”
“Yes. Alice is doing well. She hasn’t lost the baby, thank goodness.”
“That is good news.”
I nod in agreement, just as there’s a knock on the door.
“There’s a man at the door,” Nick says. “Do you want me to ask him what he wants?”
“Sure,” Aspen says, still cuddled up to me.
We both turn in surprise as someone barges in, yelling.
“Where the fuck is she? TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!” Miles is a maniac, waving a gun around, his eyes bulging in rage.
“Miles?” Aspen scowls at the man, just as Nick advances on him. Before he can reach him, Miles turns and fires the pistol, hitting Nick in the shoulder, then he swings back to us.
I shield Aspen with my body.
“Miles, calm down,” I say with a low voice, but I can see right away that there is no reasoning with this man.
And Nick is bleeding on the floor.
“Fuck you,” he sputters. “I told that cunt if she tried to leave me, I’d fucking kill her and everyone she loves, and this bitch is the first on my list. You’re the whore who kept telling her to leave me. That I’m a piece of shit.”
Aspen’s hands fist in my shirt, but her voice is steady.
“You’re sick,” she says. “Miles, you need help.”
“I don’t need shit!” He fires another shot, but thankfully he’s aiming for the ceiling. I can hear sirens, grateful that someone called the police. “Now, tell me where that bitch is. She has it coming, in spades, for what she did to me.”
“You beat her!” Aspen yells.
“She’s fucking mine !” he yells back. “I can do as I please with her. Now, tell me where she is or I’ll kill you both.”
“Miles—”
He shoots again. This time, he hits me, sending me back into Aspen. We crash to the floor just as the door bursts open, and there’s yelling and more gunfire.
Blood everywhere.
On me.
From Aspen’s head.
“Oh Jesus, no.” I take her face in my hands. “Baby, wake up. Aspen. Talk to me, Aspen.”
“Sir, we’ll take it from here.”
“He shot. I don’t know what he hit, there’s so much blood.”
“He hit you, sir.” I look down at the blood coming from my arm and then at the man standing over me. I recognize him. Why can’t I think of his name? “Let’s get this all cleaned up. Let me get to her so I can help her.”
I nod and sit back as more paramedics, police officers, and firefighters file in, getting to all three of us, assessing the scene.
I look through the glass case and see Miles lying dead on the floor, a pool of blood around him.
“She has a pulse.”
“Thank fuck.” Someone wraps my arm, but I don’t give a shit. I can’t take my eyes off of the woman I love. A man—Sam?—presses a white cloth to her head while someone else takes her blood pressure.
“How’s Nick?” I call out.
“I’m alive, sir,” he calls back. “The perp is dead.”
“Good.”
“We’re taking you all to the hospital. Now.” Sam’s face is grim as he looks down at me. “She’s not coming to. That wound on the head is bad, Callum. Let’s go.”
“If you don’t let me go to her now, I’ll have you fired,” I growl at the nurse.
“I’ve been threatened with far scarier things than you,” she says as she loads a syringe with something. “You need this shot, sir.”
“Then give it to me and let me go.”
“The doctor has to approve it.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter and push my uninjured hand through my hair. The bullet grazed my arm, leaving behind plenty of blood, but the wound will heal quickly. I got much worse when I was in the British Army years ago.
I’m mostly annoyed that they won’t let me see Aspen.
“Just tell me if she’s okay.”
“I’m with you,” she reminds me. “So, I’m not sure what’s going on with her. But as soon as I’m finished with you, and the doctor approves it, you can go see her. Now, calm down, and this will go more smoothly.”
“I almost lost her,” I mutter. “Jesus, I just found her, and I almost lost her.”
“I haven’t heard anyone call a code,” she says kindly. “Which tells me no one has died. Let them work on her, and me on you, and then we’ll get you all healed up.”
I nod, slightly appeased. Nothing is as important to me right now as making sure Aspen is safe and whole.