Page 95 of Lost on Ice
She nods and turns to leave the room. As I’m lying there, waiting, the door opens again, and I perk up, expecting the nurse to be back. To my surprise, Carter walks inside. When he sees me, he smiles and releases a long breath, as if relieved.
“Oh, thank God!” He hurries toward me. “We were so worried about you, man. I’ve been waiting to come in and see for myself that you’re okay.”
“What happened?” I ask. “Where’s Abbie?”
“She’s okay,” he tries to assure me. “Sophie and Michael are with her. You guys were rescued from the barn and brought here. It’s only been a few hours.”
“Good. And Westbrook?”
Carter’s face darkens. “He’s here too, but in custody. Don’t worry. He won’t get anywhere near Abbie.”
There’s a part of me that wants to find that fucker and finish him off, but the nurse returns at that moment with my wheelchair and suddenly, Westbrook isn’t a priority.
Abbie is all that matters right now.
Carter and the nurse help me into the chair and wheel me out of the room. It’s so goddamn slow, but I force myself to stay in my seat. We make our way down the hall, past several doors, before the nurse finally pushes me into an open doorway. I spot Abbie lying in a hospital bed in the middle of the room, Michael and Sophie gathered around her.
Ignoring the nurse’s protests, I immediately stand up and move to Abbie’s side.
“Jake!” she gasps, her eyes going wide when she spots me. She tries to get out of bed, reaching out for me with her arms open, but I hurry to stop her. Wrapping my arms around her, I squeeze her and she clutches me, a soft sob breaking from her throat. “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried!”
“I’m fine,” I assure her, leaning back so I can look down at her. “How about you? Are you all right?”
She nods. “Some stitches in my leg, but that’s all.”
“We were so scared,” Sophie murmurs. Her eyes are red and puffy and she sniffles.
Michael reaches across the bed and grasps my good shoulder.
“Thank you,” he says, his voice choked with emotion. “Thank you for saving my girl. I owe you so much…”
“You don’t owe me anything.” I squeeze Abbie’s hand, looking from her dad back to her. “I’d go to hell and back for her.”
Abbie’s smile is soft and her eyes shimmer with unshed tears.
“Why don’t we give you two some privacy?” Carter suggests moving to Sophie’s side and wrapping his arm around her shoulders to help her to her feet.
Sophie and Michael both look reluctant to leave Abbie’s side, but Carter manages to shuffle them both out of the room.
The door shuts behind them. We stare at each other for a long, tender moment. I can’t believe we’re both alive. I desperately want to kiss her again. To hold her. To feel her heart beating in her chest and just be relieved at the fact that she is okay.
“Well hey.” Abbie gives me a crooked smile. “That injury looks bad, but at least you didn’t break a leg.”
I snort. “Lucky, I guess.
Her smile widens. “In fact, I’m the only one whose leg got hurt. What the hell is with that?”
At that, I burst out laughing. She does, as well. And as we come closer to each other, I get ready to kiss her — and then stop myself. A realization occurs to me. I pull back, stare at her, and all the words I’ve been holding back for so long start pouring out of my mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I begin, bringing her hand to my lips and kissing her knuckles. “I’m sorry I stopped calling you when we were first hooking up.”
She blinks, then frowns in clear confusion. “What? Why are you bringing that upnow?I appreciate it, but we’ve got enough going on that?—”
“I need to clear everything between us,” I explain. “I told you a small amount of what happened, but not the full truth. Not the full extent that made me pull away. Back then, somethinghappened to me. I was out partying one night and blacked out, which was weird; I never black out. The next morning, I woke up with a puck bunny in my bed and no memory of what happened between us.”
Irritation flashes through her gaze. “I don’t think I want to hear this…”
“No, let me continue. I was so mortified with myself. So disgusted. When you and I started hooking up, I didn’t sleep with anyone else and the thought that I’d fucked some random puck bunny made me sick and ashamed. I couldn’t face you…couldn’t even bring myself to call. A month later, she found me and told me she was pregnant and that it was mine. She tried to force me to marry her. Threatened to tell everyone that I took advantage of her if I didn’t. I couldn’t let that happen, but I agreed…and gave her an ironclad prenup that I insisted she sign, including a demand for a paternity test. It was enough to freak her out and admit everything was a sham.”
