Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
“ W alk with me.”
Crew’s words sent a flutter through Estelle’s stomach, and she looked up at him skeptically. “Now?”
Crew smiled and began walking backward. “Now.”
“But I need to stick around for Brielle’s party.”
Crew slowly shook his head, glanced over his shoulder, then continued pulling her forward. “They’ve already cut the cake. I stuffed myself so I won’t sleep for three days. Your brother has gained everyone’s attention. It’s time for us to slip out.” He winked. “Remember those dark corners I talked about? That lipstick has been on long enough.”
Estelle shook her head, but there was no hiding her smile. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Only with you, sweetheart. Only with you.” Turning around, Crew kept her hand and walked them straight out of the church. Glancing right and left, he pretended to sneak them out into the foyer, then slipped into the night .
Estelle was laughing breathlessly by the time they got outside. “Where exactly are you taking me?”
“My evil lair,” he quipped without missing a beat.
Without warning, Crew ducked around a corner and pulled Estelle with him, then pinned her up against the church. Slowly, he caged her in, the dim evening light making it hard to decipher the look on his face, but Estelle knew what she’d see. Bright, mischievous green eyes and a smug quirk of his mouth. She was far too willing to be in his arms, and he knew it.
“Finally,” he breathed, his head coming toward her.
Much to Estelle’s consternation, however, he didn’t kiss her right away. Instead, his mouth found her jawline and began to trail tiny kisses from one side to the other. Heat immediately ran up her chest and neck, settling in her cheeks until she was sure she had to be glowing like Rudolph’s nose. Her breathing was growing shallow and fast, and she could barely think straight as Crew continued to tease her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his lips caressing her cheek as he spoke.
A shuddering breath broke through her throat, and she reached out to grasp the lapels on his suit coat when he kissed just under her ear. Who knew such an innocuous spot could be so sensitive? “You’re not so bad yourself,” she managed to whisper, though her voice was lower than normal.
Crew chuckled, and the sound echoed through her ribcage, sending delightful zips of electricity through her body. “Do you have any idea how much you have me in the palm of your hand, beautiful Estelle?”
He pulled back to look at her, but she couldn’t speak. How in the world could she answer something like that? And how in the world could she really have that much control over him? He had control over her. She needed him like she needed air to breathe, and she didn’t know how to tell him.
Crew was so good at just putting it out there. He’d been the first to speak of feelings and attraction and wanting to keep their relationship past the time when he went home.
And now here he was, admitting to yet another level of vulnerability that Estelle didn’t know how to replicate. She’d worked so hard to be so strong for so long that admitting out loud how she felt made her feel weak.
And yet Crew doesn’t make you feel weak. With him, you feel stronger.
Her fingers clenched and unclenched against his jacket. What could she say? A thousand words passed through her brain, but she couldn't bring herself to admit any of them…not yet. Someday, maybe, but she just wasn’t ready.
“Kiss me,” she whispered hoarsely. “Please.”
If Crew was upset that she hadn’t continued the intimate conversation, he gave no indication. In fact, his willingness to accommodate her request was met with a ferocity Estelle had never experienced before.
His hands dove into her hair as he stole the very air from her lungs.
Estelle’s hands went from wrinkling his suit, to clinging to his neck just to keep herself upright. It had taken less than a second for her legs to turn to jelly, but she didn’t want to let anything get between her and kissing this man.
Moments like this were all she had during the long, dark nights with her father. Crew had no idea how much he helped fill her bucket so that she could then give to everyone else all day long.
When she was sure that she wouldn’t fall over, Estelle let her fingers begin to wander. They made their way into his hair, and she tugged lightly on the strands, enjoying how they slipped through her fingers.
His kiss became more urgent. The more she teased and touched, the less she could keep up with the onslaught. If this was her last day on Earth, Estelle was positive this was how she wanted to spend it .
A jolt went through her as her brain went from fuzzy to absolutely, crystal clear.
She wasn’t falling for this man.
She loved him.
Loved. Him.
She broke the kiss, breathing heavily as she tried to adjust to the revelation. One hand slowly slid down his chest, feeling the panting of his own breathing and the rapid beat of his heart. It was clear that he was just as affected as she was, and a sweet trickle of satisfaction and power worked its way up Estelle’s spine.
Crew groaned and rested his forehead against hers, allowing them to share their air, the heat of them pulsing in the warm evening.
Estelle was brought back to reality with the sound of her stupid ringtone, but she chose to ignore it, mentally cursing the fact that she hadn’t turned it to silent.
Crew’s hands began to play with her hair again, and Estelle closed her eyes to focus more on the sensitivity of her scalp. She’d never realized how much she would enjoy someone’s hands on her head until now.
Her phone went off again, and Estelle blew out a breath. “Sorry,” she breathed.
Crew chuckled and kissed her forehead. “It’s probably a good reminder not to get carried away.” He grinned. “I shouldn’t keep you out here. You’re too tempting.”
Her phone rang once more, and Estelle grit her teeth. “Hold that thought,” she said. “I’ll turn it off.” Reaching into the tiny purse hanging across her body, she went to shut off the phone but froze when she noticed both calls had been from her mother.
“Estelle?” Crew asked.
His voice sounded like it was coming at her through a tunnel. Her mind couldn’t stop conjuring horrible scenarios, and her stomach began to churn with guilt. Slowly, she pressed the button to call her mother back. “Mom?”
Crew had gone silent, but he hadn’t moved back and Estelle dropped her hand from his chest, feeling as if she was doing something wrong by holding onto him when talking to her mother.
“Estelle,” her mother gasped. “Your father. The ambulance is coming?—”
“I’m on my way.” Estelle hung up the phone, and her mind went blank. There were too many variables. Did she go get her siblings? Did she run? Did she demand Crew’s keys?
A hand grabbed her, and Estelle jumped at the sudden contact. “I’m here,” Crew said softly. “Let’s go.”
Estelle was too numb to appreciate his heat and confidence, but she nodded. The only thing that mattered right now was getting home. She’d figure it all out after that.
Crew kept glancing at Estelle as he drove. She looked like a statue. Instead of the tears he’d expected, there was nothing. Her face was pale, her lips were thin, her back was straight…nothing in her screamed that she was worried or that she was in any sort of pain at all.
This look worried Crew much more than when she broke down.
This was the type of look people got before they made rash decisions. When their minds were filled with thoughts and they grasped one, usually the one that sounded logical in the moment but was really completely irrational, but whatever the trauma was, it made that choice sound right.
“Stelle?” he ventured, reaching across to grasp her cold hand. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll get through this together, alright?”
She nodded again, but didn’t acknowledge him otherwise. What he wouldn’t give for the opportunity to read her mind. Something was coming. Something beyond just her father going to the hospital. Crew was as sure of it as he was that Estelle was meant to be his.
The next few days weren’t going to be easy and they’d have to see what happened with Mr. Harrison, but Crew was more worried about Estelle and how she’d come out of this.
With as bad as Mr. Harrison had been in the last week, it was entirely possible this was the end. Only the doctors would know for sure, but Crew clenched his jaw and focused on driving again.
One night. Had it been too much to ask for one night with her? He sighed and shook his head. No, that was selfish. Her family was more important, and Crew needed to stay in his place. The supportive boyfriend who would be there when she was ready.
The thought made him feel weak and useless, but it was what Estelle needed. At least it was what he thought she needed. Hopefully, she would talk to him, and he could gather more when she was finally willing to share.
They pulled up next to the curb, since the ambulance was in the driveway, and Estelle was out the door before Crew had managed to put it into park. He dove out of the car, rushing behind her.
“What happened?” Estelle shouted as she ran inside, Crew hot on her heels.
Mrs. Harrison was standing beside a gurney, grasping her husband’s hand as the medics strapped him down. Her entire body was trembling like a leaf, and she didn’t even look up when Estelle burst onto the scene.
“Mom,” Estelle sobbed. “What’s going on?”
Slowly, Mrs. Harrison looked up, her eyes confused. “Estelle?”
Estelle closed the distance and wrapped her mother in a hug. “I’m here now. I’m going to take care of everything.” She turned her head. “What’s going on? What happened?”
“And who are you?” The lead medic asked.
“I’m their daughter.” Estelle indicated her parents.
“And him?” The man indicated Crew.
“I’m the boyfriend,” Crew offered quickly.
The man frowned but nodded when no one contradicted anything. “He’s struggling to breathe, and his oxygen level is too low. We need to take him to the hospital. The staff there will decide if he needs to go on a ventilator.”
“He doesn’t want extreme life saving procedures.”
The room stilled. “Say again, ma’am?” the man asked.
Mrs. Harrison swallowed audibly, her eyes still focused on her husband. “I’m sure you can see that he’s not well. He has Parkinson’s.” Watery eyes went to the man in charge. “Tony asked for no extreme life saving measures.”
After a moment, the man nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be on his file. We still need to take him in.”
Mrs. Harrison nodded, and Estelle chewed her lip so hard that Crew was afraid she was going to gnaw it right off. The women followed the gurney outside, the bright red and blue lights garish in the dark of night as they create shadows that seem to match the emotions of everyone in the driveway.
“We can take one of you with us,” the emergency worker said as they hefted the gurney inside.
“Go,” Estelle insisted, pushing her mom. “I’ll follow.”
“Are you sure?” Mrs. Harrison looked far too frail, the shadows under her eyes a thousand times deeper than they were only a few hours earlier.
Estelle nodded. “Yep. Go. I’ll be there soon.”
Crew stood at Estelle’s side, not bothering to correct her. If she really thought he was going to let her go alone, she needed to think again. She might not realize it, but she wasn’t meant to do this alone. She had family and she had him, and Crew was going to be by her side no matter what.
With one loud whoop, the ambulance pulled into the street and drove faster than the speed limit as it left.
“Do you want to change?” Crew asked softly. “You might be more comfortable in other clothes.”
Estelle took in a slow breath, wringing her hands against her middle. “That’s a good idea.”
“I’ll call Aspen while you’re changing, alright?” Crew ran a hand up and down her back. “Head upstairs, and I’ll let your siblings know what’s happening.”
Estelle didn’t respond, simply turned and sprinted back inside. It was impressive how fast she could move in those heels. Someday Crew would ask her to wear them again, or at least something similar. A dressed up Estelle was a stunning Estelle, but right now it was time to focus on what lay ahead.
Punching a couple of buttons, Crew headed into the kitchen. “Mason? Are you still at the party?”
“Yeah? Aren’t you? I thought you and Estelle just went for a walk.”
“We had to run back to the house,” Crew explained. “I need you to keep things quiet, but tell the Harrison siblings to head to the hospital.”
“The emergency room or the hospital?” Mason clarified.
Crew took a deep breath. “The hospital.” He knew it was a bit of a drive. The closest large hospital was a little over an hour away and he wondered for a split second if he should have and have them all drive together, but threw away the thought.
“Is there anything I can give them? Any kind of reassurance?” Mason asked, his voice somber.
“Just that their dad is struggling to breathe,” Crew offered. “That’s all we know.”
“But?” Mason pushed.
“But I don’t think it looks good,” Crew said with a sigh as he began opening cupboards. “Mrs. Harrison has already said he doesn’t want any extreme measures taken, and they were already talking about a ventilator.”
Mason groaned through the line. “The whole town is going to struggle with this.”
Crew nodded. “I suspected.”
One last sigh, and Mason added, “Be safe and keep in touch. I’m assuming you’re going with Estelle?”
“Yeah. As soon as we grab some food and she finishes changing, we’ll head out.” Crew pinched his lips. “I’d wait for the others, but I think having several vehicles will be a good idea, plus I can’t fit Antony’s wheelchair in my car. They’ll need the van or the truck.”
“It’s fine. We’ll make sure they have what they need to drive over. Tell Estelle we love her and everyone’s raving over the cake.”
“Will do.”
“And little brother?”
“Yeah, Sasquatch?”
There was a pause before Mason whispered. “I love you.”
Crew’s lips twitched, but his eyes stung. “Yeah…I love you too.” And now Crew was going to go take care of someone else he loved, because it was exactly what a person did to show their dedication. No matter how long it took, he would be there. And one day, hopefully, Estelle would be able to see. That was enough.