Page 66 of SEAL's Angel
Chapter 16
Dawn didn’t give up. She refused to. Seeing Jake in so much pain, so angry, shredded her heart. Instead, she’d moved into his home with the kids without telling him. She even slept in his bed every night, hugging the pillow that still smelled like him. It was the only thing in his bedroom she hadn’t washed.
Settling into a schedule, Dawn helped Chase and Cindy with their schoolwork every morning, and after lunch, she dropped them at Meghan’s house. Then she’d drive to Walter Reed Hospital to see Jake.
As the weeks went by, Dawn met all of Jake’s nurses and doctors. They couldn’t discuss his condition with her since he hadn’t given his approval, but they didn’t stop her from visiting or at least trying to. Senator Stanhope’s clearance made sure of that.
Every visit, Dawn would get to the hospital and put on a yellow gown, a pair of gloves, and a mask to help keep Jake free from infection. Then she’d go in and sit down in the chair near his hospital bed.
At first Jake wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t answer any of her questions, wouldn’t even look at her. He also refused to let any of his team visit. She thought they should anyway, and she’d said so to Rafe many times. But he insisted that Jake was still their boss, and they followed his orders. It made sense on some level, but she still thought their presence would help him.
Eventually, as Jake’s skin healed, she stopped wearing the mask and gloves but kept the yellow gown. And she started bringing books about anything that might interest him, and she’d read. She wondered if he’d listened to her or just shut her out.
One day, he asked a question about what she’d just read. It was a book about glamping she’d picked up from the library. Dawn’s heart turned over in her chest. Christmas was two weeks away, but when she heard his voice, it was the best present ever.
“Why would anyone want to go—what did you call it? Glamping? When you can lie under the stars?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because they don’t realize how beautiful it is?”
“They’re idiots then,” Jake stated.
“Maybe, but it’s pretty popular now. There are even shows about it on TV.”
“Seriously?” He snorted. “That’s right up there with those home improvement shows. I’ve seen enough of those to last me a lifetime.”
“Not a lot of choices on TV, huh?” Dawn asked, her mind already working on a solution.
“No.”
When he said nothing else, she continued reading.
After that, they started talking more, and he started asking questions. A few days later, he looked directly at her for the first time.
“Where are the kids? You didn’t leave them in Colorado, did you?” Jake asked.
It took all her self-control to stay in the chair when all she wanted was to run over and kiss the stubborn SEAL.
“Nope, they’re here with me.”
“What about work and school?”
“We’ve got it covered.” Dawn wondered when he would jump to the obvious conclusion. She didn’t have to wait long.
“You’re staying in my house.” Jake said.
“Yup. You invited me, and I took you up on your offer.” Dawn forced herself to breathe. She’d prayed he’d talk to her for so long that she almost couldn’t believe it was happening.
He closed his eyes, and she wondered if he’d nodded off. He did that sometimes, especially if he’d had a rough time with PT before her visit.
“You are so stubborn,” Jake said softly.
“So I’ve been told.”
Jake chuckled.
Oh. My. God. Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away so he wouldn’t see them.
“Angel, why do you keep coming here every day when I make it so hard on you?”
