Torn (Lords of the City #1) (42 page)

“Ethan is awake,” he announced. “Miss Kinkaid, he’s asked to see you first.”

Relief rushed through my chest and I rose to my feet.

“Take your time, Emily,” Brock insisted. “Just tell Ethan I’m here if he needs anything.”

“I’ll wait right here,” Melissa added.

The doctor paused and studied her for a moment. “Don’t you work for one of the local news stations?”

She nodded. “Yes. I’m a field reporter for Channel 9 News.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I trust your visit tonight is strictly personal?”

“Absolutely,” she agreed, her voice solemn.

He was silent for a few more long seconds, then decided he believed her. “Very well. This way, Miss Kinkaid.”

I followed him down the hallway, anxiety growing in my chest. “Is Ethan going to be okay?”

“I’ll let him answer that for you.”

The doctor pushed open Ethan’s door and disappeared into the room. I took a deep breath and followed. Ethan was propped up in the hospital bed. His face was bruised and cut and tubes snaked into his body, but he looked happier than I’d ever seen him.

“Hey baby,” he greeted me with an ecstatic grin. “If I’d known a few bumps and bruises was all it would take to get you back, I’d have gotten blitzed a month ago.”

***

I knocked lightly on Ethan’s hospital door and gently swung it open. He was sitting upright in his bed, frowning at the screen of his laptop.

“Hey,” I greeted him tentatively. “Are you up for some company?”

Relief washed over his face as he looked up from his computer. “You’re here. I was starting to wonder if I dreamed that. Come in.” He pushed the tray table away from his bed and moved his legs to one side of the mattress. Half of me wanted to rush to him, the other half was afraid I’d hurt him. I perched on the arm of the recliner instead of settling down beside him.

“How do you feel?”

“Like a thousand pounds tackled me,” he replied with a cringe. “But my head is clear today. Doctor Murphy told me I was pretty out of it last night.”

I nodded. “It scared me,” I confessed. “When I first saw you, I thought you were fine. But then you started talking nonsense, and you kept laughing at the wall. The doctor explained it was just the effects of the painkillers they’d given you. But after the way you were knocked out, I was terrified something more serious was going on.”

“My head is the least of my problems. I just got word from the trainer. Thanks to this, I’m sitting out for at least three weeks.” He nodded toward his right arm, which hung from a sling in front of his chest.

I knew he was disappointed, but I felt incredibly relieved. I knew Ethan would play hurt if the coaches and trainers let him.

“Three weeks will fly by in no time,” I assured him, my voice hesitant. This was the first time we’d really talked since I threw him out of the school, and we were both ignoring the elephant in the room.

“If you want, I’ll keep you company while you heal.”

Ethan reached for me with his left arm and I finally joined him on the bed. “I want that very much,” he whispered.

I lowered my lips to his and kissed him gently, savoring his taste. He pulled away when my salty tears hit our lips. He brushed my cheek with his thumb and stared at me with concern.

“Emily, I’m going to be fine. I promise,” he assured me.

“I know,” I sobbed, my tears falling harder. “I was just so scared. I wasted weeks trying to convince myself I was better off without you. But I couldn’t let you go. Melissa and I were watching the game at the bar. When you hit the ground and didn’t get up… I thought… I thought—”

“Shh,” Ethan whispered, easing my head to his left shoulder. He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head.

“I’m so sorry I wasted so much time. I don’t want to waste any more time,” I sobbed.

“You didn’t waste anything. I did,” he insisted. “I was a bull-headed asshole. We can take things as slow as you want, Em. Just tell me that I haven’t lost my chance with you.”

“You haven’t lost anything,” I told him, lifting my head from his shoulder. I took him by the hand and looked into his soft, hopeful eyes. “I can’t fight the connection between us, not anymore. When I watched those linebackers take you down last night, I felt the impact course through my entire body. When they loaded you onto the stretcher, it was like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. All I could think about was getting to you. I still don’t understand this. But I’m ready to figure out what these feelings mean.”

Ethan squeezed my hand, then lifted it to his lips. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. And I meant what I said. We can take this as slow as you want. I’m happy just to be in your presence. And I’ll understand if you still want to keep this quiet. I don’t blame you for not wanting to be hounded by reporters.”

“There’s no way we’ll be able to keep it quiet. Until you’re healed, I have no intention of leaving your side for anything other than work. You’re going to be sick of me by the time the doctor clears you for practice.”

“You really want to take care of me?”

“I really do,” I told him with a genuine grin. “But if this is going to work, there are a few things you’ll need to understand.”

“I’m all ears,” he insisted.

“I know you’re used to getting your way. But I don’t do well with ultimatums. You don’t get to decide how you want things and demand I fall in line.”

“I’m sorry,” he offered with a regretful groan. “I never should have told you we had to be all or nothing. Especially since you were fresh out of a long relationship. Of course you needed time to get your head on straight. I should have understood that. The way I spoke to you that morning… that was all insecurity.”

That surprised me. “What in the world do you have to be insecure about?”

Ethan shrugged. “You were with Ben for a long time. You’d told me over and over again how much you loved him, how you planned to settle down with him. I thought you didn’t want to make things official with me because you were still hung up on him.”

That never crossed my mind.

I held his face in my hand and stared at him, my eyes firm and determined. “I don’t want you to ever entertain a thought like that again. I thought I loved Ben. But I can see now that what I really loved was the idea of the kind of life I could have with him.”

“Is that still the kind of life you want, Emily? An uneventful, settled life?” he pressed. I heard the anxiety in his voice and felt bad for not being able to give him the answer he was hoping for.

“Deep down? Yes. If I had my way, you’d have a boring nine-to-five job, you’d play golf every Saturday, and we’d have pancakes every Sunday morning. That type of existence seems exciting to me because I’ve never had it before. But I know that’s pretty much the exact opposite of what you want. And I’d never ask you to give up the life you love.”

“So where does that leave us?”

I shrugged. “We’ll both have to learn to compromise. I guess we’ll figure it out as we go.”

I moved to kiss him again, but the door flew open and a petite, middle-aged redhead bustled into the room.

“Good aft — oh I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t realize you had company. Hello dear, I’m Martha Montez. And you are?” Ethan’s mother extended her hand and looked me up and down with a critical eye.

“Mom, this is Emily Kinkaid. I’ve told you about her. Emily, this is my mother.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Montez,” I offered, politely shaking her hand.

“Kinkaid… you’re the kindergarten teacher? You teach at that underprivileged school.”

“The Day School isn’t in the best of neighborhoods,” I patiently agreed. “But we have students from a variety of backgrounds.”

“That’s wonderful, dear,” she replied with a dismissive wave. She wedged herself between us and started fussing with his pillow.

“How are you feeling, darling? Are they taking good care of you here?”

“I’m great, Mom. I’d be better if you hadn’t pulled strings with the trainers. I know you influenced them to bench me instead of putting me on the injured reserve list.”

She fluffed a pillow with a vengeance. “I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

Martha’s tone told me she knew exactly what he was talking about. But I didn’t want Ethan back on the field any more than she did, so I kept my mouth shut.

“Come on, Mom. Half of the team’s played with broken ribs at some point or another. And even with a busted collarbone, my aim is better than Bronski’s. If Coach had his way, I’d be on the field Thursday night.”

“Honey, you can think what you want. But your broken ribs are in dangerous places. If you’re hit again before they’re healed, you could puncture a lung. Your life is more important than a few games.”

“I think we all agree on that,” I piped in, a little too eager to get on Martha’s good side.

She turned her nose up and looked from Ethan to me. “I trust you understand it’s important my son doesn’t exert himself in
any
way?”

My face flushed hot at the implication in her words. Ethan, on the other hand, seemed amused by her warning. “Don’t worry, Mom. Emily isn’t going to screw me to death.”

“
Ethan David!”
Martha gasped.

My face burned hotter, but Ethan pressed on. “I’m sorry, Mother. But if you insist on being inappropriate, so will I.”

She scowled at him but changed the subject. “I called for an update earlier and your nurse said they’re planning to release you this afternoon. Mercedes is setting your old room up and I’ve hired a nurse to take care of you during the day while Victor and I are at work. When you’re up to it, text Mercedes a list of the food you want her to stock.”

“None of that will be necessary, Mother,” he insisted. “When I get out of here, all I want to do is go home.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, sweetheart. Who will take care of you?”

I cleared my throat. “I will.”

She shot me a look. “I don’t mean to be condescending, dear. But I’m not sure you’re capable of doing that.”

“I can take care of myself,” Ethan interjected, his voice harsh. He took a deep breath and continued on with a softer tone.

“Look, I appreciate that you want to take care of me. But I’m a grown man, Mom. I want to heal in my bed, with my things around me. And I already have everything I need for PT in my home gym.”

Martha studied him silently for a moment then let out a resigned sigh. “Fine. I know better than to try to talk sense into you when you get like this.”

She turned to me, her hands on her hips. “Do you plan on moving into Ethan’s place while he’s recovering?”

“I plan to be there as often as he needs me,” I replied. Ethan and I hadn’t discussed me moving in. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that big of a commitment, and I certainly didn’t want to discuss it for the first time in front of his mother.

She sniffed. “I assume you won’t be able to take time off work?”

“I wouldn’t ask Emily to do that,” Ethan chimed in again.

“Fine. I won’t force you to move home, on the condition that the nurse I hired takes care of you while Emily’s at school.”

“Deal,” Ethan agreed. “But tell her to bring a book or something. I’m far from helpless. She’s not going to have much to do.”

Martha looked at the gold Rolex on her wrist and planted a quick kiss on Ethan’s cheek.

“I need to get back to Victor. We have a charity event tonight for the Children’s Hospital. You’ll call me if you need anything?”

“Yes, Mother.”

She nodded at him and then stepped past me without making eye contact.

“Emily, can I please speak with you in the hallway?” she asked just before disappearing through the door. Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but she was already out of sight.

“You don’t have to go out there,” he told me.

“It’s fine,” I assured him, crossing my fingers. “I’m sure she just wants to give me a few pointers on how to take care of you.”

He scowled and his head fell back on his pillow. “Not likely.”

I took a deep breath and joined Martha in the hall. She led me wordlessly to the waiting room and pointed at a bench.

“Have a seat, Emily.”

I sat down and folded my hands in my lap. “Is there something I can help you with, Mrs. Montez?”

She stood in front of me, hands on hips. “Yes. You can tell me what your intentions are with my son.”

“I’m not sure how to answer that,” I admitted, meeting her eyes. “I care about Ethan. For the moment, I intend to take care of him, make sure he follows the doctor’s instructions, and keep him company while he gets well.”

“And after he’s well?” she pressed. “Will you be moving back to your place, or do you intend to use this as your way of becoming a fixture in his life?”

She thinks I’m a gold digger.

“I won’t have to move back to my place because I don’t intend to move out of it. With all due respect, Mrs. Montez, I understand you’re protective of Ethan. But I have no intentions of taking advantage of him. I own my condo outright, and I have my own money. I don’t need Ethan to take care of me.”

She studied me for a few long moments then spoke again. “My son is quite taken with you. And he was crushed when you turned him away. Ethan could have any woman he wants. I suggest you keep that in mind.”

With that, she spun on her thousand dollar high heels and stormed toward the elevator.

I resisted the urge to flip a middle finger to her back.

E
than was released from the hospital the next day around the time I was corralling my students into the cafeteria line. I checked in with him every time I had a free moment and stared at my clock, counting the seconds until we’d be together again. When the final bell rang for the day, I herded the kids out of the room, locking the classroom behind us. I’d almost made it to the parking lot when Ben’s voice echoed down the hall.

“Emily? Can I talk to you for a second?”

I took a deep breath before turning to face him. Students and teachers lingered in the hall, so I put a broad smile on my face and tried to sound casual.

“What can I help you with?”