Chapter 21
Addison woke to the sun streaming through the window.
She squinted, blinked a few times, and took in the room.
Nothing about it was the same as hers, except for the cat curled up by her side, her one constant.
She reached out and stroked his soft fur as it came back to her.
The accident. Nash’s house. Davey’s room.
She stretched. Her focus bounced from trophies to signed baseballs. The room held all the things, the memories that a boy would collect.
She touched her head gently. The pounding had subsided. Her arm ached as blood returned to the extremity she found she had slept on.
Nash had come in several times with medicine or to check on her, but surprisingly, she slept well.
Throwing the covers off, she stretched and took stock of her injuries.
She wouldn’t be getting her usual five-mile run in today before work.
Work? A hint of guilt at missing work made her flinch.
She was so new to the job. The last thing she wanted to do was take days off, but Cade had told her yesterday?
The day before? Crap, how long had she slept?
Anyway, she wasn’t to come in to work the rest of the week, and then they would see how she felt.
Her eyes misted at the realization that this job was more like a family to her in the short time she’d been there than her other one had been after nine years.
Then there was Nash. No way he would have let her stay alone. It was either she came to his house, or he would have stayed at hers.
“Davey would be fine for a night.” The words hadn’t matched his expression. He didn’t like the idea of leaving his son and dog alone.
So, she threw stuff in a bag at rapid speed and grabbed Lu.
Now, she pushed off the bed, grabbed a hair tie from the side table, and searched the bag for clothes. There had to be a bra in here somewhere?
“Ah ha!” She snatched the bra from the bottom of the bag and held it up like a prized catch.
Once dressed in shorts and a tank top. She opened the door and stepped across the hall.
She raised her hand, ready to knock on his bedroom door, when she heard voices coming from downstairs.
It was barely sunrise. Did the man ever sleep?
Must be his military training, because Addison was worthless if she didn’t get a full sleep cycle.
“I can help. I’m not a little kid.” Davey dropped his voice.
A warm feeling rushed through Addison’s chest. The boy cared and wanted to help her.
“I know you’re not a child anymore, but I would feel better if you were at your mother’s this week.”
“But, Dad.”
“No buts. I’ve called your mother, and she’s on her way down to pick you up.”
Addison peeked around the corner. The expression on Davey’s face showed the youth that was missing from his conviction a moment ago. With a break in the conversation, she entered the kitchen.
Davey saw her first and ran to her. “Miss Addison. How are you today?”
Addison smiled and ran a hand over his hair.
The boy was as tall as her. She didn’t doubt he would have a growth spurt in the next year or two.
“I’m good. Just a little beat up, but I’ll be okay.
” Her gaze met Nash’s across the room. The hike of his eyebrow mentally screamed “liar.” He wasn’t totally wrong.
The pain in her arm was throbbing, but her head was a little better today.
With intense eyes, he crossed to her. Had it been anyone else, it would’ve been intimidating, but from Nash, it warmed her insides. He gently cupped the side of her face as he assessed her with those icy blue eyes. “Are you hungry? I can make you some eggs.”
Wordlessly, she nodded. She couldn’t say if she was truly hungry, but she hadn’t eaten since the night before, and if she opened her mouth, she was afraid the words that would come out were ones she wasn’t ready to utter.
Instead, she moved to where Davey was working on something at the table. “What’s this?”
“Knots. I’m working on a merit badge. Wanna see?” He held up a piece of rope.
She sat next to him and crossed her arms on the table. “Teach me, Obi-Wan.”
Davey chuckled. He twisted the rope into a basic knot. “This is a slipknot. You want to try?”
“Sure.” For the next ten minutes, he showed her several knots and their uses. Some she’d never heard of.
Nash set a plate in front of her and Davey. “Davey, eat, then go up and pack your bag. Your mom will be here in about twenty minutes.”
She forked up some eggs. They were fluffy and delicious. Who knew the man could cook?
When breakfast was over, Davey carried his dishes to the sink and, with no enthusiasm, left the room.
Addison glanced back to make sure he had cleared the space before she turned and whispered, “Do you really think it’s that dangerous?”
He put the juice back into the fridge before uttering the words that dried her throat, “Yes, I do.”
Part of her really thought he was just being overprotective, but another part, the part that throbbed remembering the person standing at the top of the embankment, shuddered and believed he was right.
“Laney and Marti are going to come hang out with you today,” he said as he turned off the stove.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t need to be babysat like a two-year-old.”
He shook his head. “I’m not worried about something you will do. I’m worried about what someone else will do.”
She rolled her eyes and stopped. The pain throbbed through her forehead. “Seriously, I’m at your house. No one knows I’m here. What makes you think something would happen?”
He crossed to her, kissed her forehead, and looked her squarely in the eyes. “Babe, this is a small town. The whole town knew you were here the moment I pulled into the driveway. Besides, if I really thought you were in danger, I would be staying with you instead of the girls.”
She scoffed at the sexist comment, like they couldn’t take care of themselves, but the comment fled the moment she noticed the gun in the holster at his hip. “What is that for? You don’t think…?”
“I don’t know what I think. But what I know is you have had your car sabotaged, you have had your house vandalized, you have had someone assault you on your own property, and now someone ran you off the road and left you for dead.
If you think for one minute I won’t protect what’s mine, you don’t know me very well. ”
Addison didn’t know what to say. Her heart throbbed in her chest. She drew in a shaky breath. Could that mean—did he really have feelings for me?
Internally, she rolled her eyes. He had feelings. She knew that, but did he have the big feeling? The L-word feeling? Did she?
The doorbell rang.
“I got it.” Davey thundered down the stairs and opened the door.
“Hey, Beth.” Nash stood behind Addison, his hand on her shoulder.
Beth gave Davey a quick hug, then crossed to Addison. She bent down in front of her, assessing her with her eyes… her hands.
Addison pulled back. What the fuck?
“Are you okay? Nash told me what happened. Car accidents and concussions can be really nasty.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re a nurse. I was this close to landing one on your perfect nose.”
“I’d like to see you try.” Beth smirked, then held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry, I forget about personal space when I go into work mode.”
Yup, it didn’t matter that she was Nash’s ex. They could definitely be friends.
“Thanks for swapping weeks with me, Beth,” Nash said.
“No problem. I was supposed to have a girls’ weekend, but Jillian wrecked her car, so we rescheduled.”
Nash’s jaw ticked. Addison’s attention jumped from him to Beth. “Is she okay?”
Beth shrugged. “I think so. She didn’t tell me a lot about it. All I know is she was driving her old van, and she needed to take some time and wanted to reschedule.”
“Did you talk to her about Addison?” Nash asked.
Beth’s expression looked surprised as she shook her head. “Not really. She asked about her after the game, but after that, she hasn’t really said anything.”
“Did you know Addison was in pageants when she was younger?”
Beth shook her head. “No.”
“What are you getting at? I don’t remember mentioning I was in pageants as a kid.”
“You didn’t, but Davey made a comment that Jillian knew.”
“Okay, well, it’s common knowledge, so it could be that she just looked me up out of curiosity.” Addison would bet her lucky shoes that Nash was thinking Jillian was involved in the incident the other night.
“Yeah, could be,” he said.
Beth’s forehead crinkled. She must not be tracking with Nash’s line of thought as Addison was.
Davey gave Nash a hug, then Addison. “Hope you feel better soon, Miss Addison.”
“Thanks. See you next time.” She hoped that wasn’t a lie. Sure, Nash was being all caregiver, but they hadn’t taken the time to really talk about their relationship yet. Too much happened to derail that conversation.
Nash walked them to the door. He was back a moment later with a determined look in his eyes.
“What are you thinking? You can’t suspect Jillian. She doesn’t even drive those roads.” No way the woman was so obsessed with Nash that she’d run Addison off the road after just one meeting. Then again, she had searched Addison online.
Addison shrugged. Hell, she’d searched people before. Who hadn’t? “Suburban mom? She doesn’t come across as the type.”
“Maybe not, but I’m definitely gonna look into it. Mighty coincidental that she got into an accident the same day as you.”
“But it doesn’t make sense. She brought her car down to be worked on.”
Nash stared out the window. “Yes, she was in the area.”
“Hours before. What? You think she’s a mastermind criminal? I don’t get that feeling from her. I mean, I know you’re hot, but seriously, do you think she would take me out over it? Over you?”
“Gee, thanks for the ego boost.” He didn’t look the least bit affected by her comment.
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, but I have a hard time believing in coincidences.” He crossed to her again, and kissed her on the lips. A kiss she wanted to take further, but the doorbell rang again.