Pursued by Him (Wanted Series #4) Read online

  I nodded.

  He threw his arms around me.

  I swallowed.

  “I knew she’d pull through,” he said, taking a step back.

  “Thanks for staying.”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Jones,” the nurse said. “I just want to clarify something now that Sophie’s out of earshot.”

  “What? Clarify what?”

  “There’s no reason to get excited. I just wanted to clarify that when I said they needed to run some tests, I meant that she’ll likely need to stay here for several days so we can make sure she doesn’t have brain damage or any other complications as a result of her being comatose.”

  “Run all the tests you need to,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “None of them will cause her any pain, will they?”

  The nurse shook her head. “The worst should be over.”

  Austin crossed his arms in front of him. It was the only way he ever stood that made him look taller than me. “How soon can we take her home?”

  “A week,” she said.

  I put my hands on my head. “A week!”

  The nurse shrugged. “It may be less, but I don’t want to get your hopes up.”

  I clenched my jaw and exhaled through my nose, letting my arms drop.

  “Your little girl has just survived something very serious. Be grateful you’re going to go home together at all.”

  Her words pissed me off, but I knew she was right. “How soon can I go back to her?”

  “She needs her rest,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “And so do you.”

  “I’ll be fine once I get a drink thanks,” I said. “You know where to find me.”

  She nodded and headed back towards the double doors.

  “Maybe you should go home and freshen up,” Austin said. “You look like shit. I can stay here and call you if anything comes up.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t just leave.”

  “Why not? You need gas or something? Take my car.”

  I sat down in the same chair I’d been sitting in since I arrived. If it were memory foam, it would’ve known the shape of my ass by then. I put my head in my hands, worried I might burst into tears from the relief of hearing Sophie’s voice again. “I’m just so glad she woke up.”

  “I know big guy,” he said, patting me on the back. “Me too.”

  “I suppose you should call Karen.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Five minutes ago probably. She’s been texting me like crazy.”

  I lifted my head. “Would you mind calling Mom and Dad, too?”

  “Not at all.”

  “I can’t believe I was asleep when she woke up,” I said, staring at the worn carpet tiles.

  “What?” Austin asked, lowering his phone.

  “I woke up to her pulling on my ear.”

  He shook his head and dragged his thumb across his phone. “You going to call the camp?”

  “What?”

  “And what about Addison?” Austin lifted the phone to his ear.

  Addison.

  I opened my mouth to speak-

  “Hey hun. Sophie’s awake... Yeah... No, they’re going to keep her here for a few days... That would be great if you don’t mind. Thanks.” Austin nodded. “Sure thing. Kisses.” He hung up and slid the phone back in his pocket. “She’s going to call Mom and Dad.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Kisses?”

  “Don’t judge me.”

  “You think I should call Addison?”

  “I don’t think anything. I just figured that since she was with you when you came in that-”

  “That what?”

  “That she might want to know.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I don’t know. Cause I figured you guys were more than friends when Karen picked pine needles out of her hair.”

  I smiled.

  “You’re a dog by the way.”

  “Whatever. Just cause Karen doesn’t like it rough-”

  He raised a finger. “Don’t fucking talk about my wife-”

  “Language,” I said, looking around the waiting room. Unfortunately, most people looked too distracted by their own shit to take notice.

  “To be honest, Addison didn’t strike me as the kind of girl that would like it that way either-”

  “She likes it any way I give it to her,” I said, a feeling of warmth rushing through me.

  “Jesus.”

  “Of the ways I’ve tried anyway.”

  “Maybe she’s a keeper.”

  “Tell you what,” I said. “I at least would’ve kept her phone number if I had it.”

  “Shit.”

  “I know. I’m a complete ass.”

  “Maybe she’s already tried to call here. Maybe she’s even left a message.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Is that a thing?”

  Austin was at the desk in two large steps. “Excuse me. Has anyone named Addison called recently?”

  A nurse I didn’t recognize looked up into my brother’s face. “Pardon?”

  “Do you have any messages for Mr. Wyatt Jones?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry. Does this look like the post office to you?”

  Austin cocked his head. “What?”

  “We’re not in the business of sending messages, sir. We’re in the business of saving children’s lives. Now if you’ll excuse me, my attention is needed elsewhere.”

  Austin looked kind of shocked when he came back. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” I said. “I’m just trying to imagine how Karen would’ve handled that nurse differently.”

  He shook his head. “Karen probably would’ve covered her in pig’s blood.”

  I laughed. “Sounds about right.”

  “But thanks for pointing out that I put my dick between my legs and skulked off.”

  “Anytime,” I said. “So there were no messages anyway?”

  “No,” he said. “And that’s me out of bright ideas.”

  Chapter 4: Addison

  I couldn’t sleep all night, and I was completely packed an hour before the driver even showed up.

  I spent most of the extra time double checking every drawer and wastebasket in the house. But when I lost track of how many times I’d stared into the empty fridge, I stopped myself and went outside.

  It was funny how after a few days in nature, my perception of the sounds had changed. After my night in the bearskin rug, waking up to the woodpeckers, and skinny dipping in the lake, the environment seemed much friendlier than it did when I first arrived.

  And while I enjoyed the tranquility of the setting for the last half hour of my stay, I couldn’t help but imagine a better send off.

  Like maybe instead of Deborah’s driver, Wyatt would pull up in his truck and hop out, his jeans dirty and his shirt wet with sweat, and he’d press his mouth against mine and pull me against him before I could even say anything.

  Fuck.

  Would it be better if I’d never had it so good?

  I mean, it was one thing when I didn’t know a man with his special set of skills was out there. But now that I did, now that I had experienced them for myself, how could I not become one of those people that thought about sex all day?

  I felt like some kind of monster. Like I was already backed up after just twenty four hours away from him.

  I hoped someone had brought him another Snickers.

  And Sophie. Would she be the angelic little blond who never woke up or the little fighter that the tears in Wyatt’s eyes so clearly believed she could be? I had no way of knowing, and thinking about it was making me feel like I was going to lose my oatmeal.

  Oatmeal.

  Maybe Deborah did hate me. Maybe her whole women looking out for each other thing was just a ruse to get me to let my guard down so she could lure Chris’s thumb sucking ass into the cozy corner office down the hall. She was kind of a cougar. I could totally see it.

  But what could I do about it?

  Marti
ne made it pretty clear that the meeting was scheduled, that I was about to get picked up so I could prep for it all day, and that my mini break in the Poconos was over as I knew it.

  My first picnic, my first swim, my first shag on a bearskin rug… my first al fresco romp, my first boat ride, my first vacation that didn’t require me to go to seminars and wear a name tag.

  Shit. I’d lived more in the last few days than I had in my whole life. Or at least, I’d lived more happily.

  But it was probably just a fluke.

  After all, happiness was only a mirage. Once you thought you were about to catch it, it would disappear like sizzling heat into the sky. Then again, maybe there were different kinds. Maybe some kinds of happiness were real and lasting, like the happiness I got from the cronuts at that place on 43rd street.

  Unfortunately, though, I had no evidence to support the idea that the happiness I had with Wyatt was the kind that wouldn’t fade away. I mean, I was no stranger to what a pain in the ass I was. And don’t even get me started on how completely intolerable he could be.

  Plus, there was a kid on the line, too.

  A little kid that didn’t need to share her daddy’s love right now.

  And not only did I not want to be the kind of person that would compete with someone’s child for their attention, but it was likely that I wouldn’t stand a chance of winning it anyway.

  And that was a hit I didn’t need to take.

  Yet when we pulled out of the driveway at nine o’clock sharp, I heard myself ask the driver if we could swing by the hospital.

  He whistled through his teeth as he spoke into the rearview mirror. “Is everything alright, miss?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Everything’s fine. I just have a friend there I’d like to check on if you wouldn’t mind going that way.”

  “Which hospital?” he asked, waking his sat nav with a tap.

  “St. Francis,” I said. “If it’s too much trouble-”

  “Not at all.”

  I was about to open my mouth and try to justify the detour further, but I realized he wasn’t exactly being difficult about it.

  Shit.

  What was I doing? Did this count as misusing company property? Or was it Deborah’s property? Did she actually own this man and his car? No, of course not. Still, if it was her property, was that better or worse than it being the company’s? Maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe it was just an expense.

  She was probably all too happy to cough up the funds for this sick joke anyway.

  Nevertheless, it was cool of the driver to take me there.

  Unfortunately, Wyatt wasn’t in the waiting room when I arrived. And neither was anyone in his family that I recognized or anyone that appeared to recognize me as I stood there like an idiot, squinting into the room while my eyes adjusted to having my sunglasses off.

  “Excuse me?” I said, smiling my sweetest smile at the unfamiliar receptionist.

  She raised her eyebrows in my direction and her eyes followed a second later. “Yes?”

  “Can I inquire about a patient you have here?”

  “I don’t know, can you?”

  I smiled. This bitch was going to get slapped if she didn’t watch it. “Her name is Sophie Jones. She was in a diabetic coma…”

  The woman squinted at the screen in front of her and clicked her mouse a few times. “Relation?”

  “She’s a friend,” I said.

  She pulled her wrists back towards her. “I’m sorry. I can only give that sort of information out to family.”

  I clasped my hands on the counter in front of me. “I just need to know if she woke up.”

  She shook her head. “It’s against the rules.”

  I cocked my head. “Against the rules?! You know what should be against the rules? Not telling people if their loved ones are okay for no good reason!”

  She raised her hand ever so slightly and lowered it. “Please keep your voice down, Miss. There are sick children in the room.”

  I sighed. “Please,” I said, my throat closing up. “I was on a date with her father when she was brought in. I just want to know if she’s okay. I’m not trying to make any trouble. I just want to be able to sleep tonight.”

  She looked completely bored with me. “The little girl is fine.”

  “Sophie?”

  “Yes. She’s awake and stable.”

  I felt the tightness in my chest dissipate as I raised up on my toes. “Can she see visitors or?”

  The woman raised her eyebrows. “If they’re immediate family.”

  “Right.” I nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

  I turned away from the woman and took some tentative steps away from the counter, covering my chest with my hands. She was okay. Thank god.

  I looked around again for Wyatt.

  I felt like I could hear the car running outside over everything else and wondered how long it would be before the driver started revving the engine. I stared at the clock. The second hand was jerking around like it couldn’t quite keep up with the passing time, like the one in the gym at my first elementary school.

  Why wasn’t he here? He was supposed to be here, supposed to be happy to see me. I was even hoping he might pick me up and twirl me around, especially now that I’d heard the good news.

  But I didn’t recognize any of the tired faces in the waiting room and the water was glugging in the corner without provocation. And suddenly the hospital felt like an inhospitable environment, a place I obviously wasn’t wanted.

  Cause I wasn’t family.

  Not Wyatt’s.

  Not anyone’s.

  Chapter 5: Wyatt

  I couldn’t go see her yesterday. I thought about it, but it didn’t seem right. I knew she would be at the cabin for another week and Sophie had only just woken up. Things were still touch and go.

  Plus, I was gross. What was I going to do? Show up grimy on Addison’s doorstep like I had every day since I met her? I supposed I could’ve. But I needed to shower and put on fresh clothes for my little girl.

  I almost fell asleep twice in the shower. The first time I woke as soon as my head nodded. The second time I knocked the handle and woke to a blast of ice cold water on my face.

  But I felt better after I shaved.

  Unfortunately, I fell asleep in my towel face down on my own bed minutes later.

  When I woke up, there were lyrics in my head. I jotted them down because there wasn’t time to take a studio break. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing a good dad would do, even if Sophie was my biggest fan and would’ve completely understood that I was trying to pen a blockbuster.

  Still, I needed to get back. I couldn’t expect Austin to hang around the hospital forever, especially when his own wife and kid were at home, waiting for his return.

  Besides, it was probably for the best that I’d given Addison some time to herself. After all, who knew where the hell her head was at after I’d dragged her into my own personal crisis?

  For all I knew she didn’t even want to see me again. And if she was in any way on the fence, showing up ragged and strung out after two nights in the hospital was unlikely to seal the deal.

  Not that I knew what I wanted the deal to be.

  Normally I was so guarded with women that I could barely remember their faces after I left their sides. But Addison was right there with me. All I had to do to picture the freckles on her lips was close my eyes.

  At the same time, she knew too much. She knew my name, all about me, about my kid. What if I only wanted to see her again because I’d opened up to her so much? Was that a possibility?

  I doubted it. After all, I’d met lots of women in the past who gave great blowjobs and were fiending for kids, but I never had any interest in letting them even test drive an afternoon with Sophie.

  So there had to be more to it than that because, for once, it wasn’t only about Sophie.

  It was about me, me and the intense madness that crazy woman made me feel.


  And it had been a long time since I’d felt much of anything except affection for my daughter and the occasional release of some pent up sexual frustration.

  Of course, it also crossed my mind that I was only missing her because she’d been such a great help to me, talking to me so I didn’t drive off the road while I raced to the hospital, rubbing my back as we sat in those uncomfortable chairs so I would feel something besides blind panic, making me eat something.

  Then again, after Sophie woke up and the fuss around her situation began to fade, I hadn’t stopped wanting Addison around. And that was the part I found strangest of all.

  Regardless, I returned from my short trip home feeling refreshed and ready for another night in the hospital, which was good because after some time away, I finally had enough perspective to see that Austin didn’t look very well himself after a day of having the dry hospital air suck the moisture from his pores.

  So I sent him home for the night.

  But he was back by eight-thirty the next morning. And with McDonald’s breakfast, too, including my extra hash brown.

  “Thanks,” I said, pulling the first one out of the bag. “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “I couldn’t bear the thought of tucking into my McGriddle while you ate crusty oatmeal.”

  I shuddered.

  He raised his eyebrows. “So how is she?”

  I nodded. “She’s good. She’s chatty. Seems to me she’s good to go. Almost like nothing ever happened.”

  “Did she sleep through the night?”

  “She woke up twice that I know of, but I was right there.”

  “Good.”

  “They tried to get me to lie in another bed instead of sitting in the chair all night, but I was worried they would wheel me away.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I guess I never thought about how unsettling beds with wheels are, but I suppose you have a point.”

  “Thanks again for this,” I said, crumpling the paper from hash brown number one and sticking it in the bag. “Now that she’s awake I can’t eat her food anymore.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Any idea what they have planned for her today?”

  “More brain scans. Some blood test results.”

  “What about reflexes? Did they check her hand-eye coordination cause of her piano playing and everything?”