Accidental Love for Three (2 page)

"Trace," Gavin's familiar deep voice crooned, "hi, honey. Don't try to move just yet, okay?"

A tear trickled over her swollen lids as she heard his voice, emotion zooming through her body at a million miles an hour, her entire being grateful to be alive. She definitely knew she was alive.

No way would death be this painful. A panic-stricken half laugh turned into a sob as her sore and swollen throat protested the movement.

"Shhh... Honey, you're okay. You're going to be okay. The doctor will be here in a minute. Just try to relax."

Cool fingers wiped across her brow as he pushed her hair away from her face. The movement felt strange, the hair seeming to stick against her skin and she grimaced against the uncomfortable feeling.

Gavin quickly pulled his hand back.

"Trace," a familiar feminine voice said, "you're in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Tracey closed her eyes again, no longer able to hold them open against the intense pain and the glaring overhead light. Did she remember? She had vague flashes of something scary, but she couldn't quite explain how she got here.

" 'o. Why 'm 'ere?" she asked unsteadily, unable to get her lips moving properly. Her tongue seemed far too big for her mouth, and Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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12

Rachel Clark

she tried to swallow the gritty taste without success.

"Th....thhhh....rsty," she forced out.

"I know, baby," Lee said softly, "but you're about to go into surgery so you can't have anything just yet." Lee touched her shoulder, rubbed her hand against the soft flesh and said quietly,

"Gavin and I will be right here when you come out. Just relax and let the doctors do their job."

Tracey imagined that she smiled at her friend's bossy attitude but considering how sore her face felt she was pretty sure the expression didn't show.

" 'ot 'ong?" she mumbled, grateful when Gavin understood her and explained why she needed surgery.

"Honey, you were in car accident. The doctors need to repair the damage done by the steering wheel."

She moaned quietly as understanding dawned. "Teeef?"

"Sorry, baby," Lee said squeezing her shoulder tighter, "most of them are broken, but we'll get them fixed. Soon you'll be as good as new." She said it brightly, but Tracey knew her well enough to notice her voice waver around the lie.

"Okay, Mrs. Jackson," an overly cheerful voice said as a woman entered the room. Tracey couldn't see her, but considering the bright tone, she imagined the woman practically dancing on the spot with enthusiasm. Tracey instantly disliked her. "We're ready to take you into surgery."

"We'll be here when you wake up," Gavin's deep voice assured her as Lee's hand squeezed tighter.

" 've 'u," Tracey groaned around the swelling of her face.

"We love you too baby," Lee answered. "See you when you get back."

* * * *

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Accidental Love for Three

13

Lee watched Gavin collapse into the nearest chair, his legs no longer able to hold him upright. He dropped his head into his hands as his shoulders shook, a small sound of anguish escaping him. Lee took a deep breath, unsure what to do or how to comfort him.

Tracey had been lucky, she hadn't cracked her skull and there was no sign of swelling on her brain. The worst of her injuries were cosmetic. A lot of broken teeth, deep cuts and some horrible bruising, but the doctor had assured them that despite her appearance she had no internal injuries. As accidents go, Tracey was one very lucky lady, especially considering the fact that her old car didn't have an air bag.

If the drunk driver had hit her car at any other angle… Lee shivered.

She knew that Tracey loved that stupid, old car, but she couldn't help being relieved that it was now just a pile of twisted metal.

Lee sat down on the lounge beside her best friend's husband. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently, rhythmically, as he took a moment to pull himself together.

"It's been a long night," she said as he took a deep breath. He nodded mutely and rubbed a tired hand down his face.

"How long have you been in love with my wife?" He spoke quietly, calmly, but she felt the muscles in his back tighten as he waited for an answer.

Her breath caught in her throat, her chest squeezing in panic. How could he know? Lee pulled away from him. She thought of denying it, telling him he was mistaken, but somehow couldn't force herself to voice the lie. She watched him nervously, her eyes unblinking as she tried to find the courage to answer him.

"Since college," she admitted. He looked at her then, really looked at her before he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Not knowing what to say, or how to explain her jumbled emotions, Lee laid her head on his shoulder and let the tears fall.

* * * *

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14

Rachel Clark

Gavin held Lee as she cried. He wasn't sure what had alerted him to her emotions, wasn't even sure if it was something he'd noticed before today, but in a single moment of clarity he'd seen her love for Tracey shine through everything else.

"Does she know?" he asked softly, still trying to understand the situation.

"Hell no," she said, hiccupping softly. "I knew as soon as she met you that telling her would only hurt her. She loves you. She's never thought of me in that way."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he said as he remembered Tracey's first word as she woke. He shushed Lee when she tried to say something else, pulling her closer against him. He'd been willing to promise anything to anyone a few hours ago, anything at all to make sure that Tracey would survive such a terrible accident. His only thought had been that if she pulled through he would spend the rest of his life making her happy, but now his heart squeezed painfully as he wondered if he was the one meant to do it. The woman in his arms stirred restlessly, wiping her face as she straightened to sit beside him.

"I need coffee," she said shakily as she pushed to her feet. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'll come with you." He lifted himself out of the lounge awkwardly. He was a big man, well over six foot, and the sofa was just too damn close to the floor. Lee grabbed his hand as he righted himself and he tried to shake the lethargic feeling flooding his body.

The adrenaline had long since worn off, and he was holding himself together by sheer will. Caffeine would definitely help wake him up, but he wasn't sure if it would make things any clearer.

They sat in the cafeteria sipping coffee neither of them seemed to actually want.

"When did you first meet Tracey?" he asked Lee, uncertain if he'd ever heard the story before.

Lee smiled in remembrance and leaned back in her chair as she shared what were obviously cherished memories.

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Accidental Love for Three

15

"I'd been backpacking around Australia for about a year, and of course by the time I got home the last thing I wanted to do was to concentrate on college. When I finally made it to my dorm room, I found this brown-haired, caramel-eyed bookworm studying. I think I spent three weeks partying before I even bothered to ask her name."

Gavin watched Lee's face soften as she spoke about the woman they both loved. It was very clear to him now that Lee felt the same as he did, and his gut twisted a little in anguish. Did Tracey have any idea what this woman felt for her? Did she feel the same way herself but, like Lee, didn't say anything in an effort to protect the woman she loved? Gavin's mind swirled with questions, his lungs seizing painfully when he thought of all he could lose.

"Hey," Lee said when she saw his expression, "nothing is going to change. We'll both stand by her while she recovers and then things will go back to the way they were."

He reached over to grab her hand, humbled and confused by her strength and willingness to deny her own happiness for someone she loved.

"I'm not sure I can do that," he said quietly.

"Sure you can," she said with a confused look on her face. "She's got a long road ahead of her, but soon she'll be recovered and we can put this all behind us."

"That's not what I meant," he said his agitation leaking into his voice. "I meant...I'm not sure I can stand by while you love my wife as much as I do."

Dread flashed over Lee's expression, her eyes filling with tears.

"Please don't ask me to leave when she needs us both so much."

She dragged in a deep ragged breath. "I can't walk away from her like this. Please let me stay until she recovers. Just until she's back on her feet. Just..." Her voice broke as a sob tore through her chest.

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16

Rachel Clark

"Oh, God." Gavin stood and pulled her unresisting body into his arms. "That's the exact opposite of what I meant." He rocked her gently as she tried to stop the tears that fell down her cheeks. "Lee, I meant that it's obvious that you love her, and I think she loves you, too. How can I stand in the way of her happiness?” He smoothed a tear from her heated face. “I love her too much to ignore the love you can give her."

She held onto him as she tried to untangle the meaning behind his words. He wanted to stand aside? He would step back so that she and Tracey could be together?

Her stomach squeezed tight as her mind whirled with the possibilities of a future she'd believed no longer possible. She didn't understand her own feelings about Gavin standing aside and a part of her rebelled against doing anything that may hurt this man. She shook her head slowly as she marveled at the extraordinary price this man was willing to pay for his wife's happiness but deep down she knew without a shadow of doubt that it was Tracey's choice, not Gavin's and definitely not hers.

"Gavin," she said shakily, "we need to get her well again and let her decide her own future."

"Okay," he said with quiet determination, "but you have to tell her how you feel. Give her a chance to decide knowing how
you
feel."

She nodded against his chest, her eyes filling with tears and her heart breaking for him and the decisions he was making in the name of love.

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Accidental Love for Three

17

* * * *

Tracey woke with a pounding headache, her mouth so clogged and sticky it made it impossible to swallow. She groaned when she moved as a sudden and incredibly painful sensation twisted in her abdomen.

"Stay still," Lee's voice admonished as a soft hand fell to her upper arm. "Are you thirsty?"

Tracey tried to nod, but the movement made her stomach roll, so she held still and tried to convey her need without opening her eyes.

Lee understood.

"The nurse said you could have a few ice chips when you woke up, but you need to be careful."

Tracey wanted to ask why, but her tongue took up too much of her mouth and she couldn't seem to push words past the obstruction. Lee rubbed a small sliver of ice against her swollen lips, and Tracey felt her push the cold piece into her mouth. The soothing sensation lasted only a moment. Lee grabbed more ice, repeated the action and then moved back into Tracey's line of vision.

"The doctor said that the best thing you can do now is sleep."

Tracey's eyes focused on the familiar curves of her best friend's face. She looked tired, but she hid it behind her bravado, striving for a cheerful tone of voice.

"Sleep, baby," she said as she wiped a cool cloth against Tracey's overheated and swollen face.

"G'vn?" Tracey asked as her eyes closed again.

"I'm right here, honey. Go back to sleep. We'll be here when you wake up."

Tracey hugged the voices of the two people she loved more than anything tightly to her as she slid back into sleep.

* * * *

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18

Rachel Clark

A few days later, Gavin sat beside her bed watching her sleep.

The bruises had begun to fade and the swelling had reduced considerably. Both of her eyes had turned an interesting shade of purple, but at least she could open them more easily now. The doctor seemed happy with the way she was healing.

She'd spent most of the last two days sleeping, a fact for which Gavin was grateful. He still wasn't ready to let her go, he wasn't sure he ever would be, but somehow he would find the strength to do the right thing.

He'd watched Lee as she gently supported Tracey through some of the worst days of her life, her love and caring obvious in every expression, every movement.

"Hi," a soft voice said from the bed. He lifted his head to Tracey's eyes and tried to hide his fear and sadness behind a gentle smile.

"Hi, honey," he said softly. "Do you need a drink?"

"Yes," she said with difficulty. She ran her tongue over dry lips and swollen gums where most of her front teeth had been missing since the accident. The doctors had recommended that she replace the teeth with implants, and so the specialist was organizing for a date for surgery. Until then she would just need to find ways to cope without her beautiful smile.

"Lee?" she asked as he lifted a small cup of water to her injured mouth.

"She's at work honey, but she'll be back around six."

Tracey closed her eyes as a single tear leaked over her lashes and rolled down her cheek. She caught it with her hand before it could drip off her chin, but she couldn't hide it from him. Gavin lifted out of his chair and carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders.