Cami’s Georgia Patriots Romance Collection Page 13

  Caleb was crying inconsolably now. Lily pulled him to her, and even though he was half a foot taller than she was, she cradled him like a small boy and kept saying over and over, “It’s not your fault. You’re such a great brother to him. It’s not your fault.”

  The nurse interrupted them. “Let me show you the way up to the intensive care unit’s waiting room.”

  “Thank you.” Lily held on to Caleb with one arm, and Mary clung to her other hand. They walked slowly down the hallway, waited for the elevator, then rose up to the third floor. The waiting area was a lot comfier and more homey-looking than the emergency room, with couches and recliners instead of hard chairs and landscape portraits on the walls.

  “Thank you,” Lily said to the nurse. “Do you know when we can see him?”

  “It’ll be a little while. They have to transfer him and make sure he’s stable before he can have any visitors.”

  Lily nodded. “Okay.” She settled everyone into the couches, and they sat, holding hands or with an arm around a sibling, but not saying much.

  Wynette found them, but Lily sent her home, promising her she’d call when she knew something. If she needed a car, she could take her parents’ old Nissan. She wondered how the entire family had gotten here without the van—they’d probably crammed into the rusted-out Nissan that Sariah took to work every day.

  Bowing her head, she started to pray. It was all she had right now.

  Chapter 17

  Hyde parked his sport utility and strode toward the gym door. Nobody had answered at Lily’s apartment, and he’d left quickly to avoid answering the reporter’s questions. Maybe it was dumb to try to talk to Lily again, but he didn’t like the way things were between them. Plus, his agent had been digging and gotten wind that Ike had been the main source and instigator of the media explosion. Bucky, the owner of the Patriots, was as surprised and ticked about the lies as he was. Maybe he and Lily did have a chance, if she wasn’t with Ike.

  The glass front door of the Fitness Academy popped open, and Ike strutted out. He took one look at Hyde, growled like an angry bear, tucked his head, and plowed into him.

  Hyde didn’t budge an inch. He grabbed the idiot by the shoulders and slammed him to the pavement. Ike groaned, but scrambled for Hyde’s legs. Hyde dodged him. Ike lumbered to his feet and swung. Hyde grinned as he ducked under the punch, then drove his fist into the loser’s nose. This was better therapy than a psychiatrist.

  Blood spurted from Ike’s nose. He moaned and pressed his palm over his nose. “It’s bad enough you stole Lily!” he yelled at Hyde.

  Lily. She couldn’t really have dated this idiot. “You never had any right to be with her,” Hyde shot back.

  “That’s right,” a female voice said from the side. Malee, the gym owner was marching over, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Get off my property, Ike, or I’ll call the cops.”

  Ike glared at her, then focused back on Hyde. “I’ll sue you for hitting me,” he claimed as he held on to his nose.

  Hyde laughed. “Try it. I’ve got the best lawyers in the state, and you’re a pathetic loser.”

  Ike opened his mouth, then closed it and simply slunk away.

  Hyde turned to Malee.

  “I’m sorry about all of that,” she said. “He bragged to one of the other trainers about orchestrating the entire media mess. I just fired him.”

  Hyde stared at her. Somewhere in his shock, he was grateful for the confirmation and her willingness to take action.

  “Lily never dated him,” Malee continued. “No matter what lies he told.”

  That news was better than bloodying Ike’s nose. Hyde longed to see Lily and try to make things right.

  “Did you hear about the accident?” Malee asked.

  The serious tone of Malee’s voice yanked any good feelings from fighting Ike and knowing Lily hadn’t dated the punk right out from under him. Hyde blinked to clear his vision. It couldn’t be Lily who’d gotten in an accident. Not now, when he knew she hadn’t been with Ike.

  “Lily’s little brothers,” Malee continued. “Josh was Life Flighted to University of Colorado Hospital. I just got a text from her roommate not to expect Lily at work for a while.”

  Hyde swayed on his feet. Not Josh. He sprinted for his car, not even hearing the rest of Malee’s words.

  * * *

  Lily pulled Hyde’s name up on the screen almost without realizing what she was doing. Should she call him and tell him about the accident? Would she be doing it just to make him feel guilty or to try to get him to come to her? She ached just to see him. Maybe Josh had been right and Hyde was a good guy.

  No. Josh had been blinded by his worship of Hyde. Yet she could picture the two of them as Hyde picked him up and fake-tackled him in his backyard. Josh’s smile couldn’t have been bigger. Shaking her head and brushing an errant tear off her cheek, she shoved the phone into her pocket.

  Movement in the doorway of the waiting room caught her eye, and she glanced up to see Hyde’s large form. Gasping, she blinked at him. He looked solid and strong and able to right her every wrong. Her spine stiffened. Not anymore. He and his mother had said horrible things to her and her brothers. Because of them and Ike’s deception, Josh was in a coma.

  He crossed the room with sure strides and stood in front of her. “I just heard. Oh, Lily.” He jammed a hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

  Lily stood and faced him, slapping him soundly across the face. “Don’t you ever come near me or my family again!”

  “Lily,” Sariah admonished her in a low tone. “Hyde’s as innocent as a nun at a convent.”

  “You don’t even know, Sariah.” Lily didn’t smile at one of Sariah’s silly analogies or let her eyes stray from Hyde’s. She forced herself not to care that his eyes were filled with pain and there was a red handprint across his face. Yes, she was definitely picking up violent tendencies today. “You have no right to come here!” she yelled at him. “Do you know why they were even in Golden? Why they got in the accident?”

  Hyde shook his head and rubbed at his jaw.

  “Josh believed in you. He only wanted to make things right, and then …” Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked quickly.

  “Oh, Josh.” His eyes looked wet, but Lily refused to feel any sympathy for him.

  “Your mom turned them away. Said you never wanted to see them again.”

  “No.” Hyde’s eyes closed as if he couldn’t take the pain anymore.

  Lily almost softened then, but the anger was too strong. “Caleb wanted to take Josh for a shake because he was so heartbroken, and they got in an accident. This is all your fault.”

  Hyde took a step toward her. “Lily. I’m so sorry. You know I would never want Josh or Caleb to be hurt.”

  “I don’t know anything anymore.” She sniffled and shook her head. He reached out to her, but she leaned away. “Please leave. You have no right to share in our sorrow, and I never want to see you again.”

  Hyde stared at her for a few seconds, searching her face. Time hung suspended, and she wished he would just go away. She could see he shared their sorrow whether she gave him permission to or not. She knew it wasn’t rational to place the blame for Josh’s life-threatening situation on his and his mom’s shoulders, but she did, and if he wanted to stay around, she might be tempted to hit him again. She wasn’t giving in, no matter how desperately he looked at her.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  Lily didn’t answer or look away.

  Hyde took a step back and broke her gaze, glancing around at her family. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Caleb. I’m sorry.”

  Caleb pushed off the couch and around Lily, flinging himself against Hyde. “It’s okay. Josh loves you so much,” Caleb croaked out. His sobs overtook his ability to speak.

  Hyde held the boy, and though Lily fought the tears, they leaked over her lashes and splashed down her face. The rest of her family pushed around her and went to Hyde.

&
nbsp; Lily couldn’t take it anymore. Her family could forgive him and take his comforting hugs. He threw those around almost better than his money. But she couldn’t be part of the Hyde fan club anymore. She spun and ran down the hallway.

  Chapter 18

  Hyde wanted so badly to see Josh, but the little guy was still being admitted into intensive care and only his parents had seen him. He realized he should probably leave before it got awkward, meaning before Lily came back to cuss him again. He wanted to stay with them, with her, but it was obvious she wasn’t about to forgive him. It about killed him to think about leaving, not knowing if Josh was going to be okay or not. The little man was in a coma, but his vital signs were at least stable.

  Lily didn’t have to blame Hyde; he already blamed himself. Why had he ever fought with her? Who cared about some stupid articles—online, in print, it didn’t matter like Lily and Josh did. If Hyde hadn’t gotten upset and jealous, thinking Lily would date Ike, Josh wouldn’t have thought he needed to come say sorry, and his mom wouldn’t have turned Caleb and Josh away.

  His mom. That was one issue he was dealing with right now. Illness or not, she couldn’t say mean things about Lily or to her brothers.

  He said his goodbyes to Lily’s family. They were much too understanding and kind to him.

  “We’ll call you if there’s any change,” Lily’s mom, Gabby, told him. They’d come into the waiting room a few minutes ago and been as gracious as Caleb and the other siblings. Everyone except Lily. Not that he blamed Lily; he just wished he could beg her to forgive him and she would listen.

  He hugged her mom again and managed to say around the lump in his throat. “Thank you. I’ll be back in the morning, if that’s all right? I’d really like to see Josh.”

  “That sounds great,” her dad said.

  “Are you all staying all night?” Hyde wanted to stay with them. He wanted to hold Lily’s hand and help Caleb deal with blaming himself. None of this was Caleb’s fault. It was all on Hyde. How could he have ever believed that Lily would cheat on him with Ike? Now she might never forgive him. He blinked quickly.

  Every one of them nodded.

  “I’ll bring breakfast in the morning.” Hyde nodded.

  “Thanks,” Gabby whispered. She turned away, fresh tears on her face.

  Hyde walked slowly down the hallway, wishing Lily would return and he could try to make things right with her, but he knew they both needed time—or maybe they both needed a whole lot more than time. Could anything heal these wounds and the crater between them?

  He stopped by the front desk. The twenty-something blonde smiled flirtatiously at him, but then her jaw dropped. “You’re Hyde Metcalf!”

  He tried to smile, but it probably fell flat. “Hey. I need a favor. I can pay whatever, but there’s a family up in your neuro-intensive care unit waiting room. Their little guy is in a coma, and the entire family is staying all night.”

  “Oh, the poor thing,” she gushed.

  “Yeah. Hey, could you get them blankets, pillows, drinks, snacks, whatever you can do to make it more comfortable for them?” He pulled out a couple hundred-dollar bills and handed them over.

  “Of course. I can even find some rollaway cots, extra blankets and stuff, and make sure they’re set up in the waiting room.”

  “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”

  “It’s no trouble. But is there any way you could …” She glanced down and smiled shyly. “Take a selfie with me?”

  Hyde exhaled, but muttered, “Sure,” then leaned in. She snapped the shot. He hoped his smile didn’t look as plastic as it felt.

  The drive home took forever, but at the same time wasn’t long enough. What was he going to say to his mother? Was it even fair to confront her on this? Yet he had to do something. She’d unwittingly hurt Lily and her family, especially little Josh. Sure, she hadn’t caused the accident, but turning the boys away like that? It was unacceptable.

  Hyde barged through the garage door. “Mom?” he called.

  “In here.”

  Of course she was in the kitchen. It was nighttime, so she couldn’t be in her gardens. His heart softened when he saw her wiping down counters that were already sparkling clean. She smiled brightly at him. Her eyes looked clear today.

  Hyde bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then took her hand and led her to the padded barstools. “We need to talk,” he said.

  Her eyes grew wary. “Why?”

  “Mom, I know what you told the reporter about Lily, and I know that you told Caleb and Josh not to come see me anymore.” He shook his head. She sat still, hardly blinking. “Caleb and Josh got in an accident after they left here, Mom.” His throat clogged up, and he tried to clear it.

  “Oh no.” She covered her mouth with her hands. “Are they okay?”

  “No.” He swallowed and managed to say, “Caleb’s okay. Josh is … in a coma.”

  “The little guy? The one that idolizes you?”

  Hyde nodded, the pain ripping through him again. He shouldn’t have come home. He should be sitting by Josh’s bedside, waiting for his buddy to wake up.

  “I did tell them you didn’t want to see them again.” She sniffled.

  Hyde nodded. She remembered. That was something, at least. “Why, Mom? Why would you say that?”

  Her rounded shoulders rose and fell. “I … don’t know.”

  Hyde watched her for a few seconds. She looked scared, vulnerable. “I’m never going to desert you,” he said. Hyde didn’t know if it was the right direction to go, but why else would she run off every girlfriend he’d had?

  “What?” she squeaked out.

  “I’m not Dad. I won’t ever desert you. Even if I fall in love and get married. I would never marry a woman who didn’t love you too. There would just be more people to love. Does that make sense?”

  She blinked quickly and leaned toward him. “I can’t lose you, Hyde.”

  “Mom, you won’t.” He took her hand and felt tears coming to his own eyes. Clearing his throat, he continued, “You will never lose me. I will always be here for you, and if I get married, my wife will be here for you.” He cracked a small smile. “If I married Lily, her parents and six siblings would be here for you too.”

  “Six?” she croaked out.

  “You understand, don’t you, Mom? You don’t have to sabotage Lily and me. You can let her into your heart.” If Lily ever forgave Hyde and gave them a chance to be together. “Lily would love you as much as I do, and neither of us would leave you like Dad did.”

  She swallowed and picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on her pants. “I miss him. I know things weren’t great between us, but … it’s miserable being alone.”

  “Oh, Mom.” Hyde enfolded her in his arms. They quietly shared their sorrow for a few minutes. “I miss him too,” he managed.

  She pulled back and sniffed. “I haven’t been completely truthful with you, Hyde.”

  “About what?”

  “You know the letter he left for you? Explaining why he left?”

  “Yes.”

  “He left me a letter too. It was mean.” Her voice dropped. “He’s never coming back, Hyde, but it’s my fault, not yours. He said I was too sarcastic and gave Allie more attention than I gave him. And some other … personal stuff.”

  Hyde stared at her. What a jerk his dad was. No wonder she’d gone downhill so fast, what with his dad deserting them and then her being diagnosed shortly after. He still couldn’t believe his dad would just ditch her instead of try to work it out. “I’m sorry, Mom, but don’t blame yourself. You’ve always been there for me.”

  She smiled at him, but it was tinged with something unreadable. “I’m sorry, love. I’m sorry that I never give your girlfriends a chance.”

  “Can we change that?”

  “With Lily?” She gave him a perceptive look, and she looked like his mom of last year, not the past three months.

  “Oh, I hope so.” Hyde smiled. “But she’s pretty tick
ed at me right now. She’s blaming me for everything.”

  “Well, that’s not right. It’s all my fault.”

  “It’s not all your fault.” He wanted her to know she couldn’t talk to Lily or her brothers like that, but she was sick. She couldn’t be blaming herself for everything.

  “Yes, it is.” She stared out the dark window and muttered, “I’ve been faking, Hyde.”

  “Excuse me?” Hyde rocked back, staring at her. “Faking what?”

  “That the Alzheimer’s was worse than it really is.”

  He was tired and she was tired. She wasn’t making any sense. “Mom. I know it’s hard to know you have a progressive disease, but like I said, I’ll be there for you. It’s okay.”

  “Hyde.” She gripped his hands tightly. “Listen to me. I know I’ve got early-onset Alzheimer’s. I forget things. I’m more irritable than I used to be. But I am not out of it like I’ve been pretending the past few months.”

  Hyde’s back slammed against the padded barstool. Was this for real? “Mom? Why? How could you?”

  She shook her head and released his hand. “I’d already lost your dad; I was terrified of losing you. Terrified of losing my mind. I flipped out. I could see how upset you were about my diagnosis, and I used that to keep you close until I figured things out.”

  “I’m so confused right now. You’ve been playing me?”

  His mom’s body shuddered, and tears leaked from her eyes. “I’m not proud of it, okay?”

  She shouldn’t be proud of it. She’d lied to him, to everyone. He jumped to his feet and paced the room. The implications of her deception were almost as huge as the shock. How could she fool him like this?

  He walked to the kitchen door.

  “Hyde?” she called to him.

  He put up a hand. “Give me a second.”

  The cool night air brushed over him. His mom had lied. Because she was scared and lonely and had been deserted by the man who had promised to love, honor, and cherish her. Part of him wanted to jump in his sport utility and get out of here for a while, but that was the last thing she needed. He wasn’t his dad, and he wouldn’t run from his responsibilities or his problems.