Chapter Eleven
She hadn’t realized at the beginning of her marriage how truly awful her husband was. She was just glad they had separated before he destroyed her.
She’d never forget the time she had a bad case of the flu.
Her temperature had been high, and she wasn’t able to keep anything down.
Her husband had come home from work and laid into her because dinner wasn’t ready.
Later that night, she’d driven herself to the hospital.
She’d had a slight case of pneumonia and was dehydrated.
After several hours of IV fluids and medication for pneumonia, she was sent home.
She was walking into the house as her husband was leaving.
He didn’t ask how she was or if she needed anything.
He just demanded she have dinner ready on time that night.
Looking back on the many times he showed what a selfish bastard he was, she was ashamed of herself for not leaving him sooner.
She always told herself it was better for her two daughters to have both parents together, but now she considered she might have just shown them it was okay to let a man treat you like their father treated her.
And it wasn’t. It shamed her to know she hadn’t had the strength to leave him.
He left her for a woman half her age who was more beautiful and exciting, as her husband liked to tell her often.
Emily had a college degree in business. That’s where she and Winston had met, and it seemed from the get-go he alienated her from her friends and started degrading her soon after the wedding.
During her marriage, she worked full-time in a library and took care of the house and the girls, so there was seldom time for anything else.
Looking back, she could see how much control he’d had over her, and she’d let him.
Emily knew most of it had come from his parents and his upbringing.
No matter what he did, it wasn’t wrong and most likely spectacular.
Winston was a totally selfish, conceited douche that she’d let make her life miserable for far too long.
Emily had gotten along with his mom, but most of the time, she shared his father's mentality.
“Emily? Emily?” Cole barked.
Emily tossed her head. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked groggily.
Cole swept his thumb back and forth on her cheek. “You zoned out on us.”
Emily looked down at her hands in her lap.
Daisy came back into the bedroom. “First off, have you been vomiting at all?”
Emily shook her head against Cole’s chest.
“Okay, good. That’s one less thing we have to worry about. Here you go. Take these and drink this juice. If you can drink it all, that’s good.” Daisy set down the carton of juice on the bedside table.
Emily swallowed the pills and drank down the glass of juice before resting back against Cole.
“Thank you,” she said tiredly.
Daisy filled the glass again and set it down for her. “I’m going, but I’ll be back in a few hours with more juice, Tylenol, and some food for you and Cole. Make sure she drinks something every time she wakes up. Call me if you need anything before then.”
Cole nodded. “Will do. Thank you.”
“No problem. I hope you feel better soon.”
“Thank you.”
A long moment of silence followed Daisy’s exit.
“Emily?” He smiled when she froze. “What are you thinking about?”
Emily tilted her head back and stared at his face.
“For starters, I-I’m wondering why you’re staying? Why you're even here? And why I’m on your lap?”
Cole snorted. “That’s a lot of wondering, but I can answer all of it. I want to be here and stay here, and I like you on my lap very much.”
A yawn pulled at Emily, and her eyes started to droop from exhaustion. “I don’t think you should do any of that.”
He thrust his fingers through her dull hair and pulled it away from her face.
“And I think I do, and I don’t think you have the energy to fight me at the moment, so go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Emily tucked her head under his chin again, coughed once and sighed.
“Thank you.”
Cole's hand cupped the side of her face and held it against his chest.
“Any time, honey.”
****
Cole held her until her breathing evened out and deepened.
He lifted her and laid her back on the pillows, making sure she was covered, before standing by the side of the bed to watch her.
Even pale with fever, splotched cheeks, and her hair tangled and matted, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He walked into the living room of the small cabin as he pulled his phone out.
“Hey, Neil. Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency. Emily is sick, so I’m going to stay with her.”
“No problem, boss. Daisy already told me about Emily. Poor lady. Call if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Neil.” Cole looked around the cabin.
It was neat as a pin except for the desk in the corner.
Her laptop lay in the middle amongst the stacks of books and papers.
He walked back into the bedroom and sat down beside her on the bed.
He brushed the hair from her face and laid the back of his hand against her forehead to find it hot and dry to the touch.
He knew he had to be patient. It would take at least half an hour for the medication Daisy gave her to help.
He stood and walked around to the other side of the bed. He took his shirt off, but kept his jeans on. He lay down beside her on top of the blanket and tucked her against his body with an arm banded around her stomach.
“Shh, I’m right here,” he murmured when she fussed.
A streak of heat and contentment ran through him when she quieted instantly and relaxed against him.
Cole closed his eyes, tired from the previous hellish night and emotional day.
“I could get used to holding you like this every night,” he murmured against her ear.
He placed a light kiss on her hair and relaxed, letting sleep drag him down.