Broken Series (33 page)

13

Gabby

I searched for Baker at the beach, not finding him, which didn’t really surprise me. He was probably long gone. On a whim, I checked one of the inns along the coast, one of the few that stayed open through Christmas. I walked in to the receptionist’s desk, removing my knit hat and gloves, smiling at the clerk.

“Checking in?” she asked.

“No, actually I’m looking for someone,” I explained. “Is Chris Baker staying here?”

“Umm, let me check. I’ve been on vacation for the last week,” she explained, typing a few words into the computer. “Yes, here he is. Room four-twelve. Do you want me to call up to him and have him meet you?”

“No, I’ll just go up. We need to discuss things privately,” I said, already turning toward the grand staircase. I made my way up to the fourth floor and found his room.

I took a deep breath before I knocked, almost afraid of what I would find. Just as my hand fell to the wood door, it swung open. I stood there in stunned silence for a full minute.

Baker was in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, a bottle of Jack in his hand, a wild look in his eyes. He eyed me, narrowing his eyes.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” I said after a moment. I stepped forward to go into his room and he blocked me.

“Get out.”

I glared up at him, knowing he was drunk and this was probably a bad idea, but not caring. We needed to hash things out and he was damn well going to listen. I pushed at his chest, surprised when he stepped back into the room and didn’t fight. He turned away, went to the chair in the far corner of the room and sat. He tipped the bottle up.

I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. I walked over to him and snatched the bottle away from him.

“What the fuck?”

I held the bottle out of his reach. “Exactly. What the fuck is the matter with you?”

He stared at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yeah, right.
“Don’t fuck around. What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m drowning my fucking sorrows. Or at least I was until you showed up.” He looked pissed, and not at all apologetic.

I needed to step it up if I was going to really get his attention. I set the bottle on the nightstand and sat on the bed. I looked at him for a full thirty seconds and then shook my head. “What would Rainey say if she could see you like this?”

It didn’t have the desired effect. “Well, she’s not here to see me, is she? So how about we stop talking about the dead and you give me back my Jack?”

I gulped, knowing I was going to have to insult my deceased best friend in order to bring Baker to reality.
Rainey, forgive me
. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s a good thing she’s dead so she doesn’t have to see you. Good thing she went through all the trouble of dealing with leukemia and then falling in love with a guy who changed because of her and then went right back to his douchebag ways when she died. Good thing she’s dead.”

My words finally got to him. He leapt out of the chair and came at me. I might end up with a black eye, but if I could get the old Baker back, it would be worth it. I put my hands up and he grabbed my wrists, pushing me back on the bed. He straddled me, his eyes alight with anger.

“How
dare
you talk about her like that!” he growled. His grip tightened and I hoped he wouldn’t break anything.

He released my left hand and pulled back his fist, ready to hit me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the blow. It never came.

I opened my eyes slowly. Baker was staring at his hand, still balled into a fist. I watched as his eyes fell to where his other hand was holding me down. He let go, pulling back his hand as if I’d burned him. He backed off me and fell to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees and then staring up at me.

I sat up, rubbed my wrists for a second, and then joined him on the floor. I put an arm around his shoulder and hugged him.

“I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, resting his head on my shoulder.

“I know. I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean any of what I said about Rainey. I loved her,” I confessed. “I love you, too.”

He didn’t speak; he just cried on my shoulder. I held him close, certain that whatever happened next, he wouldn’t make such poor choices again. He had to deal with Rainey’s death, not run from it.

After a while, he lifted his head. “You’re a good friend. Rainey was lucky to have you and I count myself even luckier to still have you. Not many people would have had the guts to poke the bear.” He chuckled a little.

I laughed. “No, probably not. I figured I would walk out of here with a black eye.”

“I can’t believe I almost hit you. I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Don’t be. I purposely got you mad, thinking it might snap you out of your sorrows,” I admitted.

“It worked. I’ve never been that angry in my life. And I’m still sorry for what almost happened.”

“Stop apologizing. Nothing happened and all is forgiven. We’re friends, and we do what we have to in order to make each other come back to reality.” I pulled away from him and stood up. “Now let’s get out of here and let Mallory and Luke know you’re okay.” I smiled and held out my hand to him. He took it and I helped him stand.

He stumbled a bit, still technically drunk. “Ooops,” he mumbled.

“Let’s get you home,” I suggested.

He didn’t have any clothes, so I helped him down the stairs to the main floor and then pulled my car around to the front door. By the time he was safely buckled in and I was back behind the wheel, a light snow was falling.

Great,
I thought. With a deep breath, I put the shifter into drive and got back on the road. Baker was fast asleep in less than thirty seconds. He’d obviously been drinking for a while. I knew he felt bad about almost hitting me, but I understood.

How many times in the last year did I want to hit someone who casually mention Wolfe? How many times did I drown my own sorrows behind closed doors? I might not fully empathize with Baker, since Rainey died, but the facts were still there: we both lost someone close to us and were unable to get them back. Period. It was infuriating and depressing in the same breath. So I felt for Baker, understood his thought process maybe a little more than any of our friends.

I kept the car steady as the snow continued to fall, building up on the road. It was only a two-lane road, barely wide enough for two cars, let alone having any extra room if I started to slide. My hands were on the wheel, at ten and two, like I’d learned long ago. I kept my eyes on the disappearing road, and then when I couldn’t see the yellow or white lines on the pavement, I stayed between the thick pine trees that surrounded the road.

When I hit the black ice, I tried my best to stay calm. The tail-end of the car swung out to the right, crossing over where I was sure the white line was on the pavement. It didn’t stop, either. I tapped the brakes, knowing that slamming on them could make things worse. I pressed lightly on the pedal to slow down, but it was like fuel to the fire as the car started spinning. I wasn’t actually sure we were spinning. At that point, I let go of the wheel and just let the momentum take us.

14

Wolfe

“What do you mean there was an accident?” I all but yelled at Luke.

He called me to let me know that Baker and Gabby were in a car accident, but I couldn’t quite comprehend. My mind was racing, my heart pounding. Every synapse in my brain screamed at me to jump on a plane and go to her, but I managed to keep myself in check.

“It happened last week,” Luke explained.

“Last week? Why the hell didn’t you call me?” I kept my voice lowered but ran a hand through my hair. I was terrified.

“We weren’t sure what to do, Wolfe. Your divorce was already final and it’s so close to Christmas. Not to mention we haven’t heard a word from you. Nothing since you skipped town. So when it happened, we figured you were done with all of us in Casper and didn’t want to know anything about our lives.”

He was right, to a point. I hadn’t said a word to any of them, especially Gabby. And now I regretted that decision to my core.

“So what happened?” I asked, desperate for more information.

“Baker disappeared the day of your divorce and Gabby suggested we look for him separately, so the next morning, she headed down to the coast. She found him at one of the inns and managed to get him to get in her car. It was snowy and icy, and the car spun out of control until it smashed into a tree. She’s been in a medically-induced coma while her body heals. They are going to try to wake her up at the end of this week.”

I closed my eyes against the pain that flooded my body. I needed her.

“Should I come back?”

“Probably not. Gabby was in a bad place before the accident. She was pissed off that you didn’t show and the whole ‘family emergency’ thing irritated her. She wanted to know what was going on and your lawyer wouldn’t tell her,” he said with a huff.

I should have told them, all of them. They deserved to know. But the truth was, I was afraid. Mallory and Luke would be understanding, comforting even, but Gabby … She was bound to fly off the handle, throw accusations, and eventually cry. It tore me up just thinking about it.

There were going to be serious repercussions from keeping my secrets, not to mention the hailstorm Gabby would start. But the fact was, Katie was my daughter, my flesh and blood, and she was such a damaged little girl. Losing her mother had been hard enough, but now she was faced with getting used to her father, and I was faced with the concept of actually being a father, which was strange and awkward, but exhilarating at the same time.

Katie was smart, considering she was only five. Dianne had been homeschooling her, which made it easier to plan a move to Maine, since she wouldn’t have to leave her friends. But I definitely wanted her to go to a school in Casper, since I would have to work and I wouldn’t have the means to homeschool her.

With her long, dark hair and silver eyes, she was the spitting image of me. There were no doubts she was mine, even before the test results came back. Once I saw her in person, I knew. She was a beautiful, frightened child. All I wanted to do was comfort her, but there was still so much court stuff to deal with, so many hoops to jump through to make sure that I gained custody and Dianne’s parents were out of the picture. They were fighting hard, throwing around terms like
abandonment
, which made me feel guilty. My lawyer assured me their accusations wouldn’t stick, though, promising that the proof was there for all to see: I never knew about Katie. They hid her from me, and apparently even threatened Dianne if she told me, claiming they would take Katie from her.

The whole thing was a sad situation, and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I needed to get Katie away from the people who would try to control her. I also wanted her to get to know my amazing circle of friends, even though I was still unsure about seeing Gabby again.

The fact that Gabby was in an accident worried me, but I could only handle one problem at a time, and right now, all my focus was set on Katie. We had a court date scheduled after Christmas to determine custody, but I would be able to spend several hours with her on Christmas day.

“Luke, I have to tell you something, but I need you to keep it to yourself,” I said.

“Sure.”

“I have a five-year-old daughter that I never knew about,” I explained.

“Whoa. Did Gabby know?”

“No, I only found out about her just before I left Maine and then we had testing done to be sure, and she’s mine. She’s an amazing little girl,” I confessed.

“Sounds like you’re going to be in Florida for a while.” It wasn’t a question.

“That’s part of the problem. Once I get custody of her, and my attorney assures me I will, I want to move back to Maine. I know Katie will benefit from the small-town life Casper can offer her. I’m just worried about Gabby.”

“Everything will be fine, according to the doctors. She just needs to heal. And you know Gabby – she will overdo it if she’s awake. That girl doesn’t know when to stop.” Luke laughed.

“Is Baker okay, too?” I asked belatedly. My thoughts were filled of visions of Gabby and her well-being.

“Yeah. He hit his head, but he was drunk and passed out, so his body was much more relaxed than Gabby’s. He feels really guilty,” Luke mentioned.

Him and me both
. “That’s good. He shouldn’t feel guilty. Like you said, Gabby is who she is. She wouldn’t have just left him there, and she wouldn’t have stopped looking for him until she found him. She’s too damn stubborn for her own good.”

Luke laughed. “Right you are, my friend. So when can we expect you back?”

“It’s going to be at least two weeks, so after New Year’s, I think. And that’s only if they grant me custody,” I hedged, still worried about what the court would decide.

“Everything will be fine. I’ll keep you updated on Gabby, okay? Don’t let yourself worry too much,” Luke encouraged.

“Thanks, man. I’ll let you know what happens next week,” I promised and then clicked off. Luke was a good friend, someone I knew I could trust. Which meant he wouldn’t tell Gabby anything until my life was a bit more put together and I could tell her myself.

And I would. I wanted to tell Gabby all about Katie, the little girl who stole my heart and made me realize that my life was incomplete. Gabby made me feel those things, too, but the truth was, I needed both of them, the two girls in my life who made everything make sense. So, for now, I was fighting for Katie, and as soon as I was back in Maine, I would fight for Gabby. And I would never stop fighting for her.

I tossed my phone on the counter just as my sister came into the kitchen of her house. She gave me a disapproving look.

“You need to get more sleep,” she suggested.

I rubbed a hand over my face, my stubbly jaw. I hadn’t shaved in over a week, and I knew I must look like a caveman.

“I need a lot of things,” I retorted.

“Well, first things first. Go shower and shave. I just got off the phone with Dianne’s parents. They are letting me take Katie for a few hours today so she can spend some time with her cousins. Apparently they are idiots, because obviously, I’m going to let her see her daddy.” She winked at me.

I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her up off the ground. “You’re the best sister!”

She laughed when I set her down. “I know, I know. Now go make yourself look presentable for your daughter. No-Shave November is over,” she said, pushing me toward the bedroom I was sharing with my nephew. It sure beat staying with my parents.

After a week with them, I wanted to kill myself, so Mandi took me in, forcing me to share a room with Austin. He was a cool kid, actually, and if I was going to be any kind of parent to Katie, I knew I needed a little practice. Mandi’s kids were perfect to experiment on. I went into my nephew’s tornado of a room, grabbed my shower bag and a clean set of clothes, and turned to the shower.

As much as I was loathe to admit it, Mandi was right. My current scruffiness and too-long hair made me look frightening, especially to a little girl. I stripped down to my boxers and got my shaving kit ready. With every stroke of the razor, I felt more and more like myself.

When I finished, I even looked normal, so I started the water of the shower. I set it hotter than usual, needing the burn to help me try to forget about what Luke had called to tell me.

Gabby was lying in a hospital bed, completely unconscious, and here I was, a thousand miles away, trying to get my little girl, thoroughly helpless to do anything to help the one woman I loved. I took a deep breath as the scalding water pelted my skin. I ducked my head under the spray to wet my hair. I closed my eyes as the water spilled down over my back, remembering when Gabby and I had been in a shower together just over a year ago.

Things were rough between us. Between both our jobs taking up a lot of our time and me wanting to visit my family in Florida, Gabby was gradually pulling away from me. I had no idea how to stop it, how to get her to come back to me, either. She kept assuming that a Florida trip would make me want to move there permanently, which wasn’t the case. I just missed my family. My niece and nephew, specifically.

I was late coming home from work, and to my surprise, Gabby wasn’t home, either. Thinking I wanted to be fresh and clean for when she did get home, I immediately jumped in the shower. I wondered how we had gotten so far off-track. She was the only woman in my world, the only one for me, but I felt like I was losing her. I had to do something to get her back.

When I heard someone in the bedroom, my first thought was an intruder, but the soft humming of one of my favorite songs had me smiling. Gabby was home.

“Hey, babe,” I called.

Her voice came from somewhere in the bedroom. “Hey.”

“Can you come here for a sec? I need to show you something,” I said with a grin. I knew, at the very least, how to get her a little more interested in our relationship.

I heard her sigh, but she walked into the bathroom. “What is it?” Her voice was impatient, annoyed.

I pulled the curtain back, letting her see me fully naked. She didn’t even look down. “What?”

I made a snap decision, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into the shower. Her squeal was hard to assess. She either thought it was funny, or she was pissed. I didn’t want to find out, so I backed her against the shower tiles and lowered my head to hers.

“God, you’re beautiful,” I whispered.

Her chest heaved; she swallowed what must have been a lump in her throat, and I traced the delicate line of her jaw with my finger. She bit her luscious full bottom lip and my eyes were drawn to the movement. I wanted her more than I had in the longest time, and if her body language was any indication, she felt the same.

I hauled her up against me and spun around so she was in the shower spray. Her laughter warmed me as I slowly started peeling off her soaking clothes. When she was as naked as I, I lowered my head to hers, giving in to my desire to kiss her. The water cascaded on us, over us, all around us. I put my hands on her back to pull her closer, her breasts smashing against my chest. She moaned into my mouth when my tongue rubbed against hers provocatively.

It wasn’t enough, though. After three weeks without her, I wanted it all, right then. Things were too precarious to leave the moment up to her. I guided her back to the wall, using the shower spray to warm the tile for a second before I pressed her up against it. I stepped back, just enough to see all of her, her smokin’ body laid out before me like a feast. I lowered my head to her breast, taking one taut nipple into my mouth. Her arch of pleasure had me growling, suckling harder as I brought my hand up to play with her other nipple.

Gabby was a sensual woman, one who loved to be loved. And I was more than happy to love her, for the rest of my life. I pulled away from her to trail my fingers over her nearly flat stomach, down to where I wanted to taste her most. I slid my fingers against her slickness. She was ready already and a groan escaped my lips. She was so wet, and I knew from experience just how tight she would be.

When I started to kneel, Gabby pulled on my arms. “I don’t want to wait. I want you inside me right now.”

I could hardly refuse. I stood up to my full height and lifted her up to me. Her legs went around my waist easily and I held her thighs close to mine while she adjusted me. I lifted her up just a bit higher while she positioned us perfectly. When I slid into her sleek tightness, we both moaned, a sound of completion and fulfillment.

No matter how long it had been, we always fit together perfectly, our bodies working in unison to that perfect orgasm. I leaned her back on the wall, stretching my legs so my feet didn’t slip, and then thrusting full inside her. Her back arched, her head fell back, and I greedily suckled the tender skin at her neck, almost biting the flesh as I thrust, over and over again.

“Wolfe!” Gabby gasped as I hit the spot I knew would drive her wild. Her nails scored my back, raking over the muscle without a care to the pain.

I lifted my head to hers, knowing she was close. I wanted to watch her come undone in my arms. “Gabby.” Her closed eyes flew open and we stared at each other, both caught up in the sensations.

When her legs began to tremble, a telltale sign that she was almost there, I readjusted us just a bit so I could get more leverage. I increased my speed, watching as her mouth fell open. Her whole body began to shake; she couldn’t control the movement and I thrust harder, deeper, wanting her to come more than I had in a long time.

“Oh God!” she all but screamed and I covered her mouth with mine as she broke. Her whole body trembled, the orgasm washing over her until she went nearly limp.

I came almost instantly, holding her there against the shower wall as we both tried to recover from the best sex we’d had in at least three months.