Chapter 14
Nina had clutched Boone’s hand and stroked the hair back from his face, all the way to the hospital. The paramedics had tried to leave her behind, to insist that she follow in her own car, but she refused. Boone had been unconscious and bleeding badly. It looked so awful. She’d been so afraid if she let go, he wouldn’t come back to her.
She’d sobbed when they separated her, rushing him back into emergency surgery.
Staff had directed her to a waiting room and never in her life had she felt so alone, even after Jess and Nash showed up. The police took her statement as well as evidence from under her fingernails.
Everyone wanted her to get checked out, to clean up her scrapes and bruises, but she was fine. Physically, at least. Her heart was caught in a vise, hammering against the fear that Boone was gone.
Her parents had shown up with clean clothes. Her mother fussed and pestered until Nina gave in, taking a break from the waiting room to clean up and have a cup of soup.
Molly and Lila joined the vigil and they were all together when the surgeon finally came out. He had warm eyes and dark skin and a calm presence that gave her confidence. He explained the nature of Boone’s injuries, warning her those injuries were severe but no longer life threatening. Boone would need a few days of bed rest in the hospital, but he would recover with time.
Nina thanked him, then turned and sobbed on Lila’s shoulder as the relief set in.
Now, she sat by his bedside in a private room, her head turned to watch another sunrise. He’d stirred a couple of times yesterday, but he hadn’t really come around. The nurses assured her it was normal and would improve as his system got over the shock of his wounds.
It didn’t matter how long it took, she’d be here when he woke up.
Her family and friends had dropped in regularly to check on them. Henry and other volunteers had filled the room with flowers and balloons with get-well-soon wishes. She found it strange that as sick as she’d been in recent mornings, her stomach seemed unperturbed here at the hospital. Maybe it was simply the gravity of the distraction.
“Knock, knock.”
She turned to see her brother at the door. “Come in,” she said, keeping her voice low.
“I brought you croissants from Lila.” He held out the box. “Jess is on her way up.”
“Thanks.”
“And a coffee.”
“Oh, good.” Taking off the lid, she nearly gagged at the aroma she normally craved. She wanted the tea Boone had found for her.
Nash eyed her over the rim of his to-go cup. “You okay?”
She shrugged. “Wired enough with the stress, I guess.”
“Hm.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I drove Boone’s car over here, remember?”
She shook her head. “Not really. ”
“Huh.” He opened the box stamped with the Bread Basket logo and pulled out a croissant. “Well, the keys are in your purse.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Welcome. And what looked like a dozen pregnancy tests are still in the bag.” His eyebrows lifted. “You thinking of offering a new gift-with-purchase deal at Bloomers?”
Her stomach lurched, but she refused to run away and hide in the bathroom. No one would fault her, but who wanted to have this talk with their brother?
Boone’s sister, for one. Tears welled and she blinked them away. “Oh my God.”
“What?” Nash’s teasing turned to worry. “What’s wrong?”
“Boone’s sister! She should know what happened.” She scrambled for her phone and then froze. “I-I don’t have her number.” And why should she? Just because Boone talked about his sister all the time didn’t mean he wanted Nina in his personal world. Hell, he hadn’t even shared her name with Nina.
Because they weren’t a couple. Her heart stuttered in her chest, denying the claim. Well, sure she cared about him. And though she might be carrying his baby, at the root of it, they were just two people caught up in a situation. She’d slept with him and never thought to see him again.
What a mistake that would’ve been.
“Hey, sis.” Nash caught her shoulders, gave her a gentle squeeze. “You’re scaring me.”
“His sister should know,” Nina insisted, clinging to that point. Everything else was secondary to that. Boone had lost a lot of blood. He’d want his family close while he recovered. Not a client or even a new love interest .
“We’ll ask Jess about it,” Nash said. “Just take a breath. Eat something.”
“Okay.” She forced herself to settle down, taking the plain croissant he pushed into her hands. Walking away to the window, she stared out at the sunrise over the harbor. Nibbling small bites in deference to her unpredictable stomach.
A few minutes later, Jess was standing beside her, silently watching the view. Nina hadn’t heard her come in.
“I’ve called Boone’s sister and brought her up to speed.”
“Good.” Nina closed her eyes. “She’s coming here?”
“Yes,” Jess replied. “The Guardian Agency is handling the travel arrangements.”
“Good,” Nina repeated. “He’ll be glad to see her.” And once the sister arrived, Nina would graciously bow out. She wanted to ask the sister’s name and decided that wasn’t her place. Boone would tell her when he could. Or she’d meet the woman on her way out of the hospital room.
Jess draped an arm over Nina’s shoulders. “What do you need?”
Nina bit her lip, refusing to shed more tears. “Just need him to wake up.”
“He will,” Jess promised.
Nina sniffled, nodding in agreement. Boone would be fine. Had to be. “What about Spratt?” She caught Jess’s hand. “Please tell me he dropped dead last night.” Harsh, but she didn’t want to keep looking over her shoulder and she didn’t want another bodyguard hanging around.
Boone had been more than a protector, obviously, and still the adjustment was an uphill battle.
“You’re safe again.” Jess sipped her coffee. “His original sentence, along with the escape, car-jacking, stalking, and assault with a deadly weapon will keep him locked up for life. I can’t guarantee he won’t come up for parole at some point, but he’ll never bother you again.”
A hard shiver rattled down her spine. “When I saw him in the club, I just…” She blinked away the image of his cruel expression. “He had help,” she said.
“He convinced the bouncers Boone was the bad guy. They were conned,” Jess explained. “They both want to apologize to you.”
“They should’ve come out and helped us.”
“The club owner feels terrible and the Guardian Agency has recommended some additional training for their staff.”
Hooray. Nina tried and failed to muster up any enthusiasm. Everything was coming up roses for everyone. And here she was, caught in this weird place where anger and relief bumped around making it hard to think. She was overtired and stressed. Probably pregnant too. She had so much to be thankful for. Between Boone and Jess and countless others she didn’t know personally, she was finally out of danger. She tried to focus on that, to concentrate on the silver lining.
“How did he even find us there?”
Jess swallowed the last bite of her chocolate croissant and licked her fingers. “Cell phone. Social media. He tracked you down to the shop and from there…”
Nina let her head fall back. Social media. Ugh. “I brought this on myself.” But she hadn’t posted anything since the car-jacking incident.
Jess stepped in front of Nina. “No. Spratt is the problem. He’s a calculating, conniving bastard. He tracked you down to the shop and then stalked your social media accounts. You love that band and he made a calculated guess that you’d show up. That’s all. Don’t let this change how you live your life, Nina.”
Why not? So many other things in her life were likely to change soon. She’d need to adjust the schedule and talk with Molly about hiring more help. Assuming the numbers worked. And if Boone’s hunch was right, her Charleston weekends with girlfriends would be less frequent, if not completely over.
She glanced over her shoulder, but Boone was still sleeping and Nash had settled into the bedside chair, carrying on a quiet one-sided conversation.
Through the window, sunlight sparkled on the harbor and boats rocked gently in their slips. The pelicans were on the move and seagulls were ramping up. Without Spratt’s interference, she and Boone would be at her place, likely discussing the test results. As much as she wanted to know, she’d thought the whole pregnancy question would be something private between her and Boone. She hadn’t planned on hearing any outside opinions until she had the facts straight and time to process her own thoughts and feelings.
“Did, um, Nash mention anything?”
A grin flashed across Jess’s face. “About the surplus of pregnancy tests in the car?” she whispered. “Yes, he told me.”
“And you couldn’t tell him I was buying them for you?”
Jess reared back as if Nina had slapped her. “No.”
Nina didn’t have the energy to follow up on that reaction. She thought her brother expected to have kids someday. But that was between them. It would be hypocritical of her to go nosing around in their relationship when she wanted her family to steer clear of her business with Boone.
Maybe that was the real difference. Jess and Nash had a relationship and she had a business arrangement. One that was over now that Spratt was back in custody.
“I can’t lie to Nash,” Jess murmured.
Nina waved it off. “It’s fine. And that’s good. ”
“I want to know that you’re good, Nina.” Jess leaned back against the window sill, making it impossible for Nina to ignore her. “I brought the bag with me if you want to find out.”
She’d refused to take the test at the drugstore or in the club, because eww. Was a hospital any better? “Great. Thanks.”
“Nash and I can wait. If you want.”
Nina shook her head. “That feels wrong.” She moved to sit next to Jess. “The father should be the first to know.”
“Boone?” Jess’s eyebrows shot up.
“Our first meeting was actually weeks ago. He’d just finished an assignment.” She shrugged and sighed. “It was a good night.” That was all she wanted to say about it. “I never expected to see him again.”
“Whatever happens, you’ve got us,” Jess said. “You’re not alone.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll get Nash out of here.” Jess stood and smiled. “Keep us posted. About Boone,” she clarified quickly. “No rush on anything else.”
No, maybe there wasn’t any need to rush, but she owed Boone a definitive answer when he woke up.
With Jess and Nash gone, Nina carried the drugstore bag into the bathroom. Choosing one at random, she followed the directions. Waiting for the results, she focused on her support system. She wasn’t alone in this. Her family and her friends would help her find her way as a single mom if Boone didn’t want to be involved in the day-to-day family stuff.
The timer on her phone went off and Nina shook the tension out of her hands before she looked at the result. According to the guidelines on the test, she was pregnant.
The plus sign was sharp and clear.
Pregnant .
She paused, waiting to feel something. Happiness or fear or excitement.
But none of those reactions occurred. There was just the persistent queasiness in her stomach and the ache pinching at her heart.
***
A few hours later, Boone woke again. This time he was more coherent and though he clearly was dealing with some pain, he was much closer to his normal self.
Nina explained his injuries and expected recovery time, more relieved than ever when he declared he’d be up and moving in half the time.
He fumbled with the buttons on the hospital bed. “I want to sit up.” His voice was rough from the surgeries and extended rest.
“Slowly,” she warned, helping him make the adjustments. She poured water into a cup with a straw and let him take several sips.
“And I’m hungry.”
She smiled at the grumpiness in his voice. “Good. But that will probably go slowly too.” She had to stifle a laugh at his mulish expression. “I’ll let the nurses know you want something to eat.”
“Wait,” he reached out and caught her hand. “Where is Spratt?”
“At the infirmary at the county lock-up,” Nina said. “Police were confident the docs could treat him there.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t about to stay under the same roof as that bastard. ”
The improving strength in his voice gave her hope. “They were probably more worried that I’d do something awful to him,” she admitted. “When you…” She squeezed his hand. “Well. That’s done now.” She brushed her knuckles lightly over the whiskers shading his jaw. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”
“Me too.” He turned his face into her touch, kissing her hand. “Come closer and give me a real kiss, Nina.”
She did as he asked, her lips brushing across his. Light and sweet, it sent a jagged awareness through her system. She’d nearly lost him. He might still walk out of her life, but at least he would be making the choice for himself, not because some criminal got in a lucky strike.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
Easing back, she studied his face, smoothing the furrows creasing his forehead. “For what?”
“Passing out.” His jaw clenched and it took him a second before he met her gaze. “Leaving you to fend for yourself.”
She kissed him again. “That’s not what happened.” His gaze slid away. “Boone. Look at me.” She waited, aching over the self-recrimination in his gaze. “You didn’t leave me. You didn’t relent until backup arrived. I didn’t even know you were hurt until…” Until it was almost too late. “It’s a miracle you held up for so long.” He’d lost so much blood. “Let’s be clear.” She clutched his hand between hers and brought those bruised knuckles to her lips. “You’re my hero.”
“Nina.” It was a sigh, a plea, and she thought there might even be a flicker of hope in the mix.
“Don’t you dare try to downplay it, Boone. Without you, I’d be—”
“No,” he cut her off. “I wouldn’t have let him hurt you.”
“That’s exactly my point.” Her smile felt as fragile as the rest of her. “You’re my hero,” she repeated. Her miracle. And the father of the miracle growing inside her .
“Am I interrupting?”
Nina and Boone both looked to the door and she knew immediately that this was his sister. The siblings shared the same coloring as well as the same smile.
“The nurse said I could come on in.”
Boone sputtered. “Who called you?”
Nina waved her closer. “Please, come in.” She reached for her purse, tugging it over her shoulder. “Have a seat. I’ll let you two get caught up.”
“Nina?” Boone coughed. “Nina, hang on. This is my sister, Becky.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Nina said, meaning it.
With tears in her eyes, Becky pulled her into a hard hug. “Thank you for being here for him.”
“Of course.” She stepped out of the embrace. “Whatever y’all need, Jess said to give her a call. She, um , can coordinate everything.”
Boone scowled at her, the expression intensified by the bruising on his face. His gaze shifted to his sister. “Jess called you?” Becky nodded. Though Boone was weak, the command in his voice was coming back. “I’m fine, sis. Just a bad day at the office.”
Nina held those words close as she slipped out of the room to give the siblings privacy.