Chapter 12
I was worried for nothing because when mom showed up she was there more to see the architect of our company’s daughter than the child of the woman I was in love with.
It was obvious that the two women liked each other now, but would that change once my true feelings came to light? I had enough on my plate with Gia I didn’t need the added pressure of my mother’s disapproval as well.
For the next two days I moved back and forth between the hospital and home and then the office. We’d changed rooms to a private room and they’d already started on Amber’s treatment.
I could already see an improvement, but the doctor said it was early days yet. He wanted her at least ninety percent improved before releasing her and her mother refused to budge from her side.
“You need to go outside and get some fresh air, you’re starting to look ill.”
“What if she wakes up when I’m not here?”
“She just went to sleep and we know she sleeps for at least an hour or two, let’s go.” I pulled her stubborn ass up from the chair and out the door with her looking back every step of the way.
I had to damn near wrestle her onto the elevator and she only gave in because of the others who were already on there. She didn’t want to make a scene. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.
Once outside she tried pulling her hand out of mine but I held on. “Behave.” I kept her outside for twenty minutes before taking her back upstairs since it seemed that was all she could take.
I noticed that she’d gone quiet and a bit skittish. I was surprised by her new shyness and the way she refused to look at me. What game is she playing now? “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing, I’m just thinking how different life’s going to be now that Amber’s going to be better.” She got a wan little smile on her face.
“I’ve always had to restrain her in the past you know. She never really had much of a childhood. She was never able to run and play like other kids, now she can.”
She had tears in her eyes and I pulled her into my arms once the elevator doors closed behind us. I don’t think there’s anything worst than watching your woman cry.
I didn’t say anything, just let her cry it out while she ripped the heart from my chest. She got herself together before we reached the floor where her daughter was resting and I couldn’t help but admire her strength.
The doctor gave the all clear two days later to take Amber home. He was convinced enough with her progress to let her recover at home. We just had to take her back to see him in six months barring any emergencies.
“I haven’t been home in almost a week, there’s no milk in the fridge no fruit, I have to go to the store.” She grew flustered and out of sorts.
“Don’t panic. She’s not being discharged for another couple hours, how about this. I’ll call Gavin to come stay with her while we go get what you need. Then we’ll come back here and get her.”
I didn’t wait for her to argue for the next hour but made the call right away. He showed up fifteen minutes later acting aggrieved that not only was he running the business on his own since the two of us were slacking off, but now we wanted him to play nursemaid.
I slapped him behind the head and dragged her out of the room. She balked when my driver opened the door for her. “Has he been here the whole time?”
“Where else would he be?”
“Are you telling me he sits down here all day while you’re here?”
“What of it?”
I gave him instructions to take us to the nearest grocery store, which she opposed since it was in a high end neighborhood and the goods would be more expensive.
I ignored her of course and took her inside, choosing the things she’d said she needed. “I’ve never been in one of these places in my life.”
“I knew it.” She gave me a look when I took the bag of apples from her hand that she’d been studying for the last five minutes.
“Knew what?”
“That you were a spoilt brat. Put those apples back that’s highway robbery. I can get the same thing for half the price.”
“I’m paying and we don’t have time. Is there anything else?” She folded her arms and got that mutinous look on her face.
I started dropping random things into the cart, which seemed to piss her off no end, and she got her act together and chose the things she needed, putting back half of what I’d added.
At the register she reached for her purse and I moved up behind her and wrapped my arms around her with my lips to her ear.
“I can just see tomorrow’s headline. Chandler Industries’ new architect spanked in grocery store by boss. Behave.”
I nipped her ear and passed my card to the cashier who was smiling sweetly at us. She probably thought we were a cute couple or something equally trite.
Little does she know the hell this one had just put me through to buy a gallon of milk. I paid and gathered up the bags in one hand and her hand in the other and lead her outside.
I looked around as she gave the driver directions to her place and the closer we got the less I liked what I saw.
“You live here?” Probably not the wisest thing to say to her as soon as we got out of the car and from her reaction I knew I’d hit a soft spot.
“We can’t all live in a mansion in the hills.”
“Who lives in a mansion in the hills?”
“Isn’t that where your kind usually lives? If this is too below your standards you can get back in your fancy car and head back. I’ll take it from here.”
“Shut up Gia. I’m not going to apologize for wanting better for you.”
“Did you ever stop to think that this is the best I can do?”
“I know how much I pay you so I know you can most definitely afford better than this.”
“Do you also know that Amber’s medication cost hundreds of dollars a month. And that until we moved here a couple months ago I hadn’t worked full time in almost two years?”
“Point taken, forget I said anything.” She could argue till her face turns blue I’m getting the both of them out of here first chance I get. There was litter on the sidewalk for fuck sake.
The building wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t anywhere near the best either. I followed her up the stairs because the elevator was broken and barely restrained myself from yelling at her.
“How do you plan on getting Amber up the stairs?”
“By carrying her of course.” I closed my mouth and followed her inside.
I stopped short in the little hallway by the door. “Is that him?” The wall was covered with pictures of a younger her and a man.
There were also a ton of photos of the little angel I’d met in the hospital, from birth to maybe a few months ago.
“Yes! She walked away and headed into the kitchen with the bags. I contemplated waiting for her to return before following her. She was standing at the sink drinking a glass of water.
She looked totally worn and tired from her hectic week. I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and tell her everything was going to be okay.
The specialist had done a good job of convincing us that everything was going to be okay.
Since he was known to be the best in the field if anyone knew how to cure her child of this illness I had no doubt that he could, so that was one less worry.
But right now I wasn’t thinking about that. I’d finally come face to face with her past and I couldn’t wait another second until I knew what I wanted to know.
I followed her out of the kitchen and down the hall to what I guess was a bedroom, stopping her outside the door.
“Tell me about him.”
“Who, Richard? What’s there to tell? We fell in love young, got married young, and then he died in an accident two weeks before the baby was born.”
She opened the door and walked in and I headed into the living room to wait. Hearing her say she’d been in love with him made me irrationally upset.
I didn’t want to hear that shit, but the proof was all over the place. Apart from the photos there were medals and awards with his name for his photography. The damn place was like a shrine.
I wanted to tear them apart and throw them out the window. I wanted to obliterate him and the more I studied his pretty boy looks in the pictures, or the ones where he had his hands on her, the more livid I became.
Stop being an ass Evan; the man is dead. Yes, but he’d had her. She’d smiled at him, shared a bed with him; had his child…
A dark haze clouded my eyes and I stumbled back away from the wall where I’d been studying his face.
I have to get the fuck out of here; I’m about to lose it. I knocked on the door and pushed it open. “Let’s go, I can’t breathe in here.”
I turned and walked away choosing to wait for her downstairs in the car. If she found my behavior strange she’d just have to deal with it, I couldn’t stand another second in there with him.