Chapter 14
14
N athan shut the door behind the doctor. Angela Murray, one of the few people here he’d kept in touch with over the years. It was impossible to raise a child without knowing the GP. All the vaccinations, ear infections, RSV, croup, scarlet fever, chickenpox – Abby had had it all. And Doctor Murray had always been there for them. Trustworthy, with patient confidentiality and all that. Nice to sit down and have a cuppa with, too. He wasn’t looking forward to her retirement next year.
Gennie had flat-out refused to go to hospital. ‘There’s not much they can do about a cracked rib and a sprained ankle anyway,’ she’d insisted.
Nathan had argued, but she wouldn’t budge.
As bull-headed as they come. Bloody annoying – and admirable. This woman stood her ground. Nathan had never met anyone even remotely like her.
His thoughts whirled, fear and anger warred inside him. He could have lost his child today. How many times had he told Abby to stay away from root discs? He’d seen a tree snap back before once. Didn’t happen every day, but when it did… He should have been more vigilant. Abby could’ve been crushed under that tree.
If it hadn’t been for Gennie.
So aye, he felt grateful. Lucky. Absolutely terrified
And furious.
Nathan was mad at himself. At Gennie for getting hurt, for scaring him half to death. This strong woman injured on his watch. What if something serious had happened to her? The thought tore at his insides. He’d only known her for five minutes, and already he couldn’t bear her being in pain.
What’s wrong with you, MacMillan?
Nope. He didn’t want to go there. For so many reasons.
By way of exception, Abby was calming down in her room with the iPad. And Gennie was lying here on the couch, leg propped up, in pain, moping and brooding. Because a broken rib and a serious sprain meant no stunts. No work. Her spirit seemed as bruised as her body. Seeing her like that, all her light dimmed, hit him hard. She wasn’t just in pain; she seemed caged. He wanted to fix it, but all he could do was bring her tea and frozen peas. The helplessness ate at him, fuelled his anger.
He sat beside her, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner punctuated the silence. ‘You scared the hell out of me, you know that?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t let anything happen to Abby. Instinct kicked in.’
‘You did good.’ His hand covered hers. Her skin, cool and soft, sent a surprising warmth through him that seeped through the lingering fear. ‘I’ll never be able to thank you enough. But you’ve got to look out for yourself too.’
Her eyes were clouded with frustration and pain. ‘I’m gutted. I’m missing out on critical stunt sequences. This was my shot at making a name for myself. What if I’ve lost my chance?’ She fought back tears.
It ripped his heart apart. He wanted her to jump off as many helicopters as she needed to feel safe, seen, and successful. He wanted her to soar. And she would, that was inevitable. ‘You’ll get another one,’ he said. ‘You’re too good and too stubborn to let this stop you.’
‘Not the first time I’ve been injured. But really bad timing.’ She managed a weak smile and squeezed his hand. Her grip was strong. ‘I’m glad Abster is okay, though. Could have been a lot worse than a fucked-up ankle and a cracked rib.’
The memory of Abby’s close call rushed through his mind. ‘Aye.’
He stayed there, holding Gennie’s hand, feeling the weight of what nearly happened. The heavy silence between them brimmed with relief and a burgeoning connection that neither of them was able to deny.
Nathan glanced at her ankle, swollen and bruised. He should have kept a better eye on Abby. But this woman, fierce and fragile, had risked herself for his daughter. He could never repay her in a hundred lifetimes.
‘Do you need anything?’ he asked, blunter than intended. ‘Water? Painkillers?’
‘Some water would be great. And a distraction. Got any good stories about Abby?’
He stood up to get her some water from the sideboard. ‘Plenty. Like the time she decided to paint the entire living room wall with yoghurt. Very…artistic.’
Gennie laughed, soothing his frayed nerves.
Nathan handed her the glass. Their fingers brushed, and he flinched. For a heartbeat, he held his breath in the hope that she hadn’t noticed.
‘You’re really good with her, you know,’ she said quietly. ‘She’s so lucky to have you.’
Emotions knotted his throat. ‘I’m the lucky one. She’s my whole world.’
Gennie’s eyes mellowed. In that instant, it was just them. Two people bound together by their care for a little girl. Two people with hidden scars and untold stories.
Two people magnetically drawn to each other.
Nathan pivoted, shifting his weight with care as he dropped onto the sofa’s edge. ‘You’re staying here, by the way. Right here, until you’ve healed properly.’
He owed her that.
She raised an eyebrow. ‘That an order, Mister MacMillan?’
He fought a battle against the compulsion to pull her against him. ‘It is. You’re not going anywhere.’
‘Yes, Sir.’ She smiled, for real this time, and it felt like a victory. ‘You win this round, Captain Daddy.’
God help me.
His breath snagged like shards of glass in his lungs. This reckless, audacious, catastrophically tempting woman… She was the abyss he hurtled towards.
And the terrifying truth? He was beginning to welcome the fall.
After Nathan had put Abby to bed, he checked on Gennie. She still lay on the couch in the lounge and looked exhausted. He settled into the armchair, careful not to sit too close. ‘Wanna watch the telly?’ He tried to sound calm and casual.
She shifted and winced slightly. ‘Not really, no.’
‘Right.’ Powerlessness ate at him. He hated that feeling. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’
‘You’re doing enough, Nathan.’
‘Do you want me to take you to bed?’
Wow, that came out wrong.
Or way too right.
A blush spread across her cheeks, but she grinned. She’d heard it, too.
‘I’d love for you to take me to bed. But not yet.’
Fucking double entendre. He poured himself a gin and tried to rein himself in.
‘Tell me about your music days.’ She groaned softly as she adjusted her position. ‘Why are you such a crabby wuss about it?’
Och, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t want to talk about it. But if it would distract her from hurting, he would. Anything to keep those sparkling eyes from dimming with pain.
‘Not much to say. A wild ride that didn’t end well.’
‘Elaborate, Nathan. I’m too weak to pull every word out of your mouth.’ She observed him, eyes sharp and unyielding, and left him no place to hide.
Fuck it.
‘I was stabbed in the back by the people closest to me. My management. My girlfriend. The consequences were devastating. For months, the press hunted down my friends, my family, even my teachers and old classmates. We had nowhere to hide. Absolutely horrible. They camped outside our house. I was nineteen and completely helpless. That’s when I decided to end it. To never… All because—’ His breathing grew heavy, his chest tight with the memory.
‘You don’t have to say any more if you don’t want to,’ she said. ‘I’m from Los Angeles, I work in the industry. When you hang around actors, you see one or two nasty things.’ She looked at him with a wry smile. ‘I can sign an NDA if you want.’
He let out a grunt. The tension in his chest eased at her attempt to lighten the mood.
‘Naw. I don’t think I need one with you. Well, now you know why I don’t like to talk about that shite.’
‘Yeah, that must have sucked. I can’t even imagine. So sorry it ended like that,’ she said. ‘But…tell me about the good parts. There must have been some perks to being a teen star. How did it all start?’
‘I’ve always loved music. I played the piano, my guitar.’ He watched her reaction closely and searched for any sign of judgement or pity. He found none. ‘I used to go up to Edinburgh, Princes Street, and sing. You know, for pocket money. New trainers and whatever kind of shite you think is cool when you’re sixteen.’
She nodded, encouraging him to go on.
‘A guy came up to me, was a few days before the Fringe. Said he was a manager and gave me his card. To cut a long story short, he got me a record deal and then it all happened in the blink of an eye. Next thing I knew, I was hanging out backstage with *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. Nice guys, by the way.’ He let out a hard, dry laugh. ‘Still don’t understand why and how it happened. But it did.’
He took a long swig of his gin. ‘My parents were supportive. They had a garage full of merchandise and took care of the money side of things, thank fuck, which is why I was able to afford this,’ he made a sweeping gesture, ‘when it was all over. But it was less money than you’d think. Rudi took a chunk of it and blew it on coke.’
‘Rudi?’
‘My twat of a manager.’
‘I see.’ Her eyes were curious, not judging.
‘That was the thing, though, my parents are good people. Too good. Na?ve, perhaps, because they left everything else to Rudi. A mistake. I was barely sixteen when it began. Too young.’ He looked down. ‘Touring was exhausting. The schedule was gruelling. School suffered. My friendships changed. Most didn’t last. By the time I was seventeen, it got to my head.’
Gennie didn’t push him. She listened, her golden eyes filled with genuine curiosity and empathy.
He exhaled sharply. ‘I’m not exactly proud, but I partied hard and fucked harder. Mostly older girls who were also in showbiz and didn’t seem to mind that I was younger. Until I got my first serious girlfriend. Immy was in a girl band. Cute. A bit wild. But so was I. We wanted to keep our relationship to ourselves. Or so I thought.’
Bitter old pain rose inside him. The nagging kind that makes a man question everything. Including himself. ‘Let’s just say she betrayed me, too.’
Gennie took a breath, words spilling out. ‘I know what it’s like to be let down by the people you should be able to trust.’
‘What can I say? People are arseholes.’ He put down his empty glass and stood up. ‘Right. Enough with the stories. Your eyes are glazing over. Bedtime for you.’
‘I want to hear the rest of it, Nathan. I’m not letting you off the hook.’
‘Maybe I’ll tell you one day. Now let’s go.’
She tried to get up from the couch but collapsed with a sharp groan. He stepped in and wrapped an arm around her waist. He felt the taut strength of her muscles, the warmth of her body seeping into his. He longed to run his fingertips over her skin, to kiss away her pain, to keep her body and heart safe in his arms.
Never gonna happen.
Together, they limped across Glenwood Lodge’s hall. As they reached the foot of the stairs, she pulled her arm from his shoulders, and he physically winced at the loss of touch.
‘I’m going up alone.’
‘You can’t, Gennie. Don’t be daft. Let me carry you.’
She shook her head. Strands of hair stuck to flushed cheeks. ‘You don’t have to—.‘ The words came out shaky, ‘—I hate being a burden.’
Mulish as she was, she tried. And failed.
She turned to him with a crimson face.
‘You’re not a burden, Gennie. You’re a fighter. And it’s okay to let someone else carry the weight for once. Now shut up and accept my help.’
Before she marshalled another retort, he scooped her up and made his way up the stairs. One arm hooked gently beneath her knees while the other braced around her arched back. As if they’d just got married or something. Heat flared up his neck. Her coconut-vanilla scent filled his lungs and nearly drove him out of his mind.
That wasn’t what got him, though.
It was the way she leaned against him. Let him support her. She rested her head on his shoulder and exhaled a small sigh. It cracked something open inside him and whatever that was, he knew in that moment he’d never be able to close it again.