48. June
CHAPTER 48
JUNE
W hen I wake up, I find my mother resting on the chair in the corner of the hospital room. My shoulder is tender, and when I try to move, it hurts like crazy. My head is a little fuzzy, but I remember exactly how I ended up here. Louis’s dad shot me. The police showed up moments later and arrested him, thank God. I’m not sure what happened to the security guard though. I hope he didn’t die.
I press the button to lift the back of my bed, and the whirring sound wakes my mother. “June?” She stands. “Oh honey, you’re awake.”
“Hi,” I croak.
She touches my face. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been shot.”
“You’re safe now, sweetie. We’ll take good care of you.”
I don’t need to ask to know she hasn’t changed her mind about dragging me back to Baron. My mother is too stubborn, and this incident probably solidified her resolve. But I don’t want to get into an argument while I’m lying in a hospital bed.
“I want to see the boys,” I say feebly. “Can you get them for me?”
She frowns. “Honey, you need to rest.”
“Mom... please.”
“What kind of spell did they put on you?”
I’m not sure how I can make her understand this isn’t a cry for help, or a girl-gone-wild moment.
“Do you remember when you met Dad?”
She seems taken aback. “Of course I do.”
“And how long did it take to know he was the one for you?”
She drops her gaze to my bedsheet. “You know the answer to that. I’ve told you the story a million times.”
“You married him after two months, even though everyone in Baron believed you were crazy or worse, that it was a shotgun wedding.”
She lifts her chin stubbornly. “I didn’t give a damn about the forked tongues of those meddling fools.”
“That’s how it is for me, Mom. The only difference is that I fell in love with three wonderful men instead of one. I know it’s hard to believe it’s possible. But what we have is special. Our bond is unbreakable. I don’t need anyone to understand how it works. What matter is that it does, and I’ve never been happier, despite all the crap life has thrown at us.”
A lonely tear rolls down her cheek, but she wipes it away quickly. “You think I’m horrible for not giving you my blessing, but how can I, June? I’m terrified this... relationship will leave you in pieces. How can you be sure those men aren’t going to toss you aside once the novelty passes?”
“Because I know them. Did you ever think Dad would do that to you?”
Her spine becomes tense. “Of course not.”
“How could you be so sure?”
She opens and shuts her mouth as if she doesn’t know how to answer that. Then finally, she says, “I just knew.”
“It’s the same for me.”
Shaking her head, she flattens her palm against her chest. “I... this is a lot to take. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get past your choices.”
Disappointment floods through me. I thought I was getting close to convincing her that what I have with my boys is the real deal.
“Could you at least try?”
She turns her back to me and wipes her cheeks. “I’ll tell your boyfriends you’re awake.”
Mom walks out of the room without a backward glance, and a cloak of sadness falls over me. A moment later, the men I love walk into the room, and everything becomes brighter. A bubble of laughter goes up my throat when I notice their attire.
“Did you know you’re still wearing your protective gear?” I smile.
Ryan gets to me first and kisses my forehead. “June, my love, we were worried.”
Jake stands on the other side of the bed, takes my hand, and says in a choked voice, “Don’t ever scare us like that again, do you hear me?”
Tears fill my eyes. “It wasn’t the plan.”
“Lass... I’m beginning to think I need to order goalie padding for you.”
I chuckle. “Why? Because I’m such a disaster magnet?”
“Yes.” He leans forward, resting his head against my stomach while hugging me. His body starts to shake, and it takes me a second to realize he’s crying.
“Lachy... I’m okay. I’m okay.” I run my fingers through his hair, then glance at Jake and Ryan. They’re crying too. “Come on. Stop this.” Fat tears roll down my cheeks. “See? Now I’m crying.”
Jake takes my face in his hands and kisses me fast before pressing his forehead against mine. “These are happy tears.”
“I know. By the way... I got fired,” I blurt out, and I don’t know why I decided this was the moment to part with the shitty news.
Jake draws back fast as if he was pulled by a rubber band that was stretched to the max. “What? That’s bullshit!”
“Katrina didn’t tell us,” Ryan adds.
“I don’t think she knows. I never got a chance to tell her. I was on my way to my car when I bumped into Louis and his mother. Then his father showed up...”
Ryan pinches the bridge of his nose. “Son of a bitch.”
“Screw them,” Lachy chimes in. “You don’t need that job.”
“I did actually need that job, and I’ll miss my students.”
He grimaces. “Sorry, lass. What I meant was that you don’t need to worry about finding a new job in a hurry. We’ll take care of you.”
I shake my head. “I’m not a mooch.”
Jake caresses my cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Yes, we know. You made that very clear from the beginning.”
“Knock, knock,” Melissa says from the door.
“Melissa! You’re alive,” I reply. She walks in, and I can’t help but notice her casual clothes. “I didn’t know you owned sweatpants and sneakers.”
“I’m still recovering from a cold. Didn’t feel like dressing up.”
“What’s up with the sunglasses?” Ryan asks. “And what happened to your lip?”
Melissa grimaces. “It’s nothing. I had a little accident.”
I watch her closely and notice a blemish on her cheek that she tried to conceal with makeup. Is she hiding a black eye under those sunglasses? I get queasy, considering the possibility that her absence during our crisis might be attributed to something other than a cold.
“But I couldn’t stay home when I heard about the shooting, June. How are you feeling?”
“Rough. I haven’t seen the doctor yet, but I can’t wait to go home.”
Melissa turns to the boys and smirks. “You might want to invest in a bigger bed.”
“Maybe it’s time for a bigger place,” Ryan replies.
My heart does a backflip in excitement, but immediately, my brain shuts down the giddiness. “Why? That apartment is perfect for you.”
“Was perfect, but we’re no longer bachelors.” Jake smiles. “We need a place that’s ours.”
Be still my heart.
“You definitely aren’t bachelors anymore,” Melissa pipes up. “And Doug’s diversion campaign is working like a charm. Half the tabloids are now exploring theories that would explain why the wife of an NHL player would stoop so low. Wendy doesn’t look good in any of them.”
“I still can’t believe she’d do such a thing,” I say.
“My theory is that she had a crush on one of the boys—my guess is you, Jake.”
His brows arch. “Me? I never exchanged more than a few words with her.”
Melissa shrugs. “Not my fault you’re oblivious.”
“That bitch,” I mumble. “Tough luck. Jake is all mine.”
“Girl, you’re currently the most envied woman on the planet. I wish I was that lucky.”
“Aren’t you engaged?” Lachy asks.
Melissa’s wistful smile vanishes. “Right. Well, I better go. I have a million things to do. Take care, hon.”
She couldn’t leave the room faster. “Did you notice the blemish on Melissa’s face?”
Lachy and Ryan say no, but Jake says yes.
“Do you think her fiancé did that to her?” Lachy asks.
I nod. “I don’t want to accuse anyone without proof, but... I don’t know. She said stuff to me about her relationship that raised some red flags.”
“That motherfucker,” Ryan says.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Jake chimes in. “Besides, if he did that to her, I’m the only one who can teach him a lesson.”
“Horseshite. Why?” Lachy glares at him.
“Because I’m the only one already on the trade guillotine.”