Chapter Thirty-One
Lee
Iwake up because my hand is hot for some reason.
Opening my eyes, I instantly note that it’s dark.
Looking around, I find the source of heat making my hand sweat.
Mac’s sitting in a chair beside my bed. His arms are crossed under his head, and my hand is trapped under his arms. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps.
All the hard lines and tension in his face disappears.
His too long lashes look more defined than normal, and his perfect lips are slightly parted.
Using my free hand, I gently run my fingers through his hair.
He begins to stir right before his lashes flutter open.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.” I beam at him.
“What are you doing up? You should be resting.” His groggy voice is so sexy. I can feel the ache in my core starting.
Down, girl, we’re in a hospital bed.
“Come lay with me?”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He sits up and rubs his still sleepy eyes.
“You won’t. Please?” I give him my saddest expression so he’ll do it.
“Fine, just stop looking at me like that. It’s like a shot to the heart.” He moves into the bed, settling in on his back so my head can lay on his chest. Gently, so very gently, he moves my arm so it’s laying across his lower stomach.
“You trying to make a move, Quill?” I laugh knowing his answer before he gives it.
“I’m always trying to make a move.” He chuckles, “But, no. I’m just making sure your arm doesn’t get bumped while we sleep.” He yawns.
Once we’re both comfortable, he drops a kiss on the top of my head. “Go to sleep. I’ll be right here.”
* * *
The next time I wake up, I can already tell Mac’s still asleep by his breathing. Hushed whispers woke me up, but I don’t want anyone to burst our bubble yet. So I lie here and listen to the conversation happening while they think they have privacy.
“Come on. You’re so pissed at me, but have yet to realize I was also played. She was fucking with both of us.”
That’s Jake. He must be talking to Declan.
I can tell they want to be best friends again so badly.
Friends like them only come around once in a lifetime, and they threw it away over a girl.
A girl that, if we’re being completely honest, I don’t think either of them really loved. They’re just prideful.
“If you think this is just about her, you’re more dense than I originally thought.” Declan scoffs.
“Did you tell me, Dec? Because if my memory serves me, you didn’t.
I didn’t tell you either. So what? We were supposed to just spontaneously combust with this information?
” My big brother acts like such a hard ass most of the time, but when it comes to people he loves, he’s a marshmallow.
I don’t know Dec well, but from what I do know, he’s much of the same.
Declan’s the ‘underboss’ of Mac’s family organization.
If anything happens to Rowan or he decides to step down, it all falls on Dec.
He dresses impeccably most of the time. I would bet if I opened my eyes right now, he’d be in a designer suit, his hair styled perfectly, and his shoes as shiny as the day he bought them.
Guaranteed he has multiple meetings today, but he came here before them.
Not to check on me, not really, but to check on his baby brother.
It’s also why I would bet my life that Jake hasn’t been home from work yet.
No doubt he got off at three this morning and came straight up here. They’re both nurturers by design.
“No, okay. No, I didn’t talk to you. But you also didn’t talk to me. You didn’t trust me, and now look at where we are.”
“Trust? You didn’t trust me either. Be fucking serious. You’re infuriating.” Jake tries his hardest to keep his voice down.
“Fuck you, Fischer.” Declan spits out.
“Yeah, fuck you too, asshole. You see your brother, he’s fine. Now get the fuck out of here.”
Okay, this is not productive. I open my eyes to see them in each other’s faces, glaring.
“Kiss or give each other space to breathe.”
I try to hide my laugh. I didn’t realize he was doing the same thing I was. Tilting my head up, I see Mac’s wicked smirk as each of our brothers turn their glare on him. He just shrugs at them. “Don’t wake us up with your bullshit next time.”
He kisses my forehead before gently moving out from under me and making sure I’m comfortable before turning to Declan and scrubbing his hands over his face. I forgot he was in nothing but gym shorts and a tight t-shirt, but my lord does it look good on him.
“What time is it?” He asks Dec.
“It’s time to go. We have business.” He answers cryptically.
“Okay, give me my laptop and I’ll work on it today.”
He tosses a duffle bag at Mac’s face. Thankfully, he catches it right before it hits him. “Go get dressed, MacQuillian.” Where normally I see Mac buck up at anyone who tries to get him to leave my side when I’m not feeling great, this time he nods and walks into the attached bathroom.
My heart drops. If he isn’t saying anything, that must mean whatever they need him for is serious.
No one says anything while he’s changing and less than five minutes he comes out of the hospital bathroom looking every bit of the mafioso that he is.
He looks like a younger version of his oldest brother.
The light in his eyes that’s usually bright when I’m around is now almost completely vacant.
He walks over and gives me a chaste kiss.
“I’ll be back soon. Jake will stay here until I get back. Call me if you need me, okay?”
I don’t answer, I just nod in acknowledgment.
“I’ll be back before your dialysis for the day starts, I promise.”
“Truth?” I raise a skeptical brow because for some reason he’s acting like he’ll be gone for a while.
“Truth, Always.” He kisses me again before turning and leaving with Declan.
My eyes water automatically as I look to Jakob for answers. “What was that?”
“That was the head of the BOCG’s sons walking out of the room to go handle business.
” He offers me a sad smile. “Most of the time you can forget. They’re just your best friend, or I guess in your case your boyfriend.
But then right when you get comfortable in that, business calls and they turn into that. ”
“How did you deal with it all those years?” I ask.
“Simple, Kostbarkeit. Dec was my best friend. Mac’s the man you’ll end up marrying. Those feelings can’t even begin to be compared. I wouldn’t know that feeling if it knocked me on my ass.”
It will, I know it will, and when it does I’ll be there cheering him on.
* * *
My dialysis came and went hours ago. I haven’t heard from Mac since this morning, and now it’s creeping up on nine-thirty at night.
Annie’s laying in bed with me while we watch Austin run up the bleachers and kiss Sam right as the drought ends.
This has been my favorite movie since I first watched it with Mama and Annie not long after I was adopted.
I let the tears fall freely because I always cry watching this, so it looks like it’s just the movie, but really it’s that I don’t know where he is.
Is he okay? Hurt? Did he change his mind?
I told him I was a lot, and he’s now creeping up on almost five months sober.
He might have finally realized what I’ve known all along.
That he deserves so much better than what I’m capable of giving him.
I don’t realize that sobs are wracking my body until my little sister pulls me into her arms and holds me while I cry.
I don’t want to lose him. It’s so selfish of me, but I can’t go back to who we were a year ago.
“Shhh, it’s okay Lee. It’s okay.” Annie whispers as she strokes my hair gently.
“He said he’d be here before my dialysis, Annie.
That was at ten this morning. He’s damn near twelve hours late.
He’s left for good.” I choke out the last sentence on a sob.
I may be being dramatic, but I’ve had to let him go twice, and both times almost killed me. They say the third time’s the charm.
“He hasn’t left for good. There’s no way he willingly leaves you. The only time he’s ever done that was to get himself healthy for his and your future.”
The heavy hospital door opens and one of the Byrne twins walks in. He nods at Annie and she stiffens instantly. What the hell? I can’t tell them apart, but it’s clear she can, and whoever this is isn’t her favorite.”
“Flynn.” Annie says sitting up in the bed.
“Anneliese.” He nods in acknowledgment before turning his attention solely on me.
“Lee, can I talk to you for a minute?” He flicks his eyes over to my sister, then back to me. “Alone.”
She bristles beside me, but I agree, “Yeah, Annie was just going to call my parents. Weren’t you, Annie?”
She grumbles but gets off the bed. I don’t miss the way Flynn discreetly checks her out as she walks by him. Even in leggings and a cropped hoodie with no makeup, my sister is stunning. Once the door shuts behind her, he turns back to me.
“Okay, out with it. Where is he? Why hasn’t anyone reached out to me before now?” The anger in my voice is palpable.
“He’s out of town.” Flynn answers vaguely. “I’m here to hang out until he can get back.” He sits in the hospital recliner and props his feet up.
“Where? And that still doesn’t explain why he didn’t tell me this himself.” I’m getting irritated. I know it isn’t Flynn’s fault. I’m tired. I want to go home, and I want Mac to hold me through the night.
“He can’t, Lee. I swear he’s broken up about this, but he’s following his boss’s orders.
That’s why I’m here. He’d only agree to go if Sul and I swapped between here and the house where Clara and Nix are.
He’s arranged for you to come back to the big house when you’re discharged.
He’ll be back in a few days.” Flynn seems stressed, and I kind of feel bad for him, but not Mac.
Fuck him. I’m not doing what he tells me to.
“I’ll be going to my home when I’m discharged.” I say with my chin lifted.
“Come on, please don’t do this to me.” He practically pleads. “I don’t want him taking this to the gym when he gets home. He trains with Kieran, and my body takes enough of a beating on the ice already.” He pouts.
Pouts!
This six foot four hockey playing grown man has his bottom lip jutted out, and his blue/green eyes look so sad. He’s giving me a full puppy dog look. I want to laugh at the pure ridiculousness of this, but I’m too upset with Mac to do more than offer a small quirk of my lips.
“I’ll tell you what, Baby Byrne, get me on the phone with one of the oldest two and we have a deal.”
He grumbles about the nickname and how he’s going to catch an earful for this. However, he still fishes out his phone and presses some buttons before putting the device to his ear.
“Boss, she won’t do anything until she talks—” He’s clearly cut off as he listens to what I can only assume is Rowan.
“No, I know.” He listens for a few seconds before cutting back in. “No, she knows that. She doesn’t—” He stops for a second before getting aggravated, “Boss, she wants to talk to you!” He whisper-shouts. “Well, if you would have let me finish my—. Yeah, I got you. One second.”
He holds the phone out to me, and I take it. Flynn excuses himself and leaves the room so I have some privacy.
“Hello?” I ask cautiously.
“Lelonie. How can I help you?” Rowan’s voice is void of emotion. I know he’s a ruthless killer, but hearing the no nonsense mob boss tone coming down the line directed at me reminds me of who I’m talking to.
“Where is he? Is he okay? Is he coming back? Why hasn’t he called? He said he’d be back for my dialysis, then just never showed up.” My voice rises in panic as I fire off questions to him.
“Woah, hey, he’s fine. I have him and Dec on an errand that’ll take a few days, but he can’t have his phone or any electronics.” Rowan softens his voice. “I can get a message to him if you want.”
My panic makes way for white hot anger, “Yeah, tell him to stay a couple of days longer. He lied to me, so when he comes home, he can go to the big house. We promised the truth, and he lied to me.”
“Lee, no. He didn’t. He didn’t know where he was going this morning. Just that I needed his help. Don’t be mad at him because he’s following orders.”
“Tell him what I said, Rowan. I’m going home when I get out of here, and I need space.” I don’t wait for him to answer before I hang up on him. He immediately calls back, but I hit the ignore button and lay it down on the table beside me.
Turning to face the opposite side of the room, I hear the moment that Flynn walks back in, then the moment he calls Rowan back, because I can hear him shouting from the other end of the phone.
He tells Flynn to put me back on, but he can’t because I’m ‘sleeping’.
I can’t help but mentally high five myself for hanging up on the most feared mob boss in the country.
Fuck the Byrne men. I’m going to stay with Jake while I figure out what I’m going to do next.