Two Minutes (Seven Series Book 6) (21 page)

No one wants to hear those words when they’re in the hospital.

I gasped. It didn’t even look like me. My forehead was swollen and discolored with a cut on the right side that had been stitched up. Dark circles beneath my eyes dulled their usual shine. My upper lip had a deep cut with a stitch or two, but that’s something I’d felt and been prepared for. At least I hadn’t lost any of my teeth, and that seemed like such a superficial thing to be grateful for.

“Nothing’s broken, thank God,” Naya said. “Everything else on you looks good, except you have some bruising from the seat belt.”

“Seat belt,” I murmured, dropping my hand and letting the mirror fall on my lap. “A car accident?”

They looked at each other again. They must have assumed I remembered everything. Naya worried her lip and set her silver bag on the chair. “Maybe I should get Lexi.”

Wheeler stepped into the room.

Denver walked toward the foot of the bed and anchored his fists on his waist. “Do you know what your woman has been up to?”

Wheeler smirked and took a small stick of jerky from his mouth. “I bet I can guess by the cat climbing up the drapes.”

Spartacus was utilizing every claw to get as close as he could to the ceiling.

“Should I bring the kids up?” Wheeler asked.

“No,” I quickly replied. “I don’t want them to see me. Not like this.” When I realized I was speaking quietly, I wondered if they could hear me.

“The babies are fine where they are. Ivy’s showing them a good time and letting them ride horses.” Naya kissed Wheeler on the mouth and snatched the beef jerky from his hand, tossing it into a plastic container.

“How’s she doing?” he murmured against her lips, his arms encircling her waist.

“See for yourself.”

After Wheeler managed to pry his lips from hers, he strolled to the right side of the bed. While he always had a short beard around his mouth, it looked as though he hadn’t shaved in a day or so. Whiskers were going rogue all over his face and jaw, but it suited him in a pleasant way. My eyes drifted to the tattoos on his arms and I admired the images.

I briefly smiled when he lifted my chin with the crook of his finger.

“That all the dimple you got for me?” He bent down close enough for me to hear his whisper. “Glad to have you back from the land of the lost.”

“That beef jerky is an addiction. I can smell it on your breath.”

He turned his mouth to the side and stood up. “I’m down to one bag a day,” he said jokingly before his expression turned grave. “Damn shame about Thomas.”

Naya grabbed his shirt and yanked him toward the door.

I eased up on my elbows. “What about Thomas?”

Wheeler cursed beneath his breath as Naya went out the door with him.

Denver handed me my water and I knocked it out of his hand.

“What happened? And don’t change the subject.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to upset you. It might make things worse.”

“Lying is worse.”

Austin came into the room, swearing under his breath. “Who brought the damn cat?” He looked at Spartacus briefly before easing up beside me. “Hey, princess. You look better.”

Denver folded his arms and lowered his head. “She wants to know what happened.”

Austin nodded and bent down, his thick arms folded over the railing, his eyes resolute. “You were in a car accident. Do you remember anything?”

“Tell me more.” Maybe hearing him talk about it would jostle a memory.

He watched me for a moment with blue eyes so pale they resembled tinted crystal. They stood out against his dark brown hair and brows, making them the most striking feature about him. “It happened on a long stretch of road near the lake.”

“The lake,” I parroted. “He was going to take me to look at the lake. He had lawn chairs.”

“Your car was in the ditch and hit some trees. Thomas… Thomas was ejected from the car.”

The horror. A cold emptiness embraced me as I realized the world had lost a wonderful person. I’d known him only briefly, but it was tragic. A tear escaped from the corner of my eye, and Austin quickly wiped it away.

“Old cars don’t have air bags,” he said. “But you were a smart girl to have your seat belt on. Some of Prince’s men were tailing you—it’s how you made it here as fast as you did.”

I rubbed my cheek with my left hand. “I remember a deer. I was on the phone and barely had time to see it. Why don’t they run? It just stood there looking at us, and then the car jerked to the right. An explosion of sound… and pain. Then silence. That’s all I can remember. I’m so sorry.”

“What the hell for? It was an accident. We’re up here because we don’t leave our pack behind. I’d rather pull you out of here and call a Relic, but the doctors seem to have a grasp on what they’re doing. I’m still calling a Relic.”

“How’s my mom?”

“Tough as nails. This dug up old memories—bad ones. I was there when they told her about Wes and it was… Well, no woman should have to lose a child. I guess you were out of it when she was in here. Lexi went to find her now that you’re more awake; she’ll be here in a minute.”

“I want to walk.”

Denver belted out a laugh. “There’s no stopping this one.”

Austin brushed his rough hand over my cheek. “You know what? If you want to walk, then I think you can. You’re a Cole, so that means you can do any damn thing you set your mind to. I need to take care of some business tonight, but I’ll be back in the morning, and we’ll walk.”

Austin pressed a featherlight kiss between my eyes and went to the drapes, grabbing ahold of Spartacus. The poor thing clung to the curtain and meowed a complaint. Austin finally got him free and dropped him in Naya’s purse. Spartacus poked his head out just as Austin zipped the bag halfway up and pulled the silver strap over his shoulder.

I couldn’t help but laugh. No matter how bad things were, I had the resilience of my pack to draw from.

I was going to be okay.

Three weeks later, I’d made a full recovery.
The first few days in the hospital were the most concerning since coming out of a coma isn’t something a person does with a snap of the fingers. But after doctors got everything under control, my willpower did the rest. Or maybe it was the home cooking the pack brought to my room and Austin helping me to walk soon after I’d asked him. Denver read to me, only I put in a request for magazines and a newspaper. He lifted me into a chair by the window so we could play cards, and his mere presence boosted my spirits. When everyone else had gone home, back to work, or left the room to get some sleep, Denny was there.

After a week of recovery in the hospital, I was released. The stitches came out seven days later and left only a few scars. When I found out where they had buried Thomas, Naya drove me out to put flowers on his grave. I didn’t really know the guy, but Naya was having a difficult time coping with his unexpected death. She told me some great stories about him before we left, and it felt good to know we hadn’t been his only visitors. Someone had left a chess piece on his grave marker.

My mom took care of me, and for her that meant fussing over the temperature of the house and making me eat nutritious foods like turnips and spinach. Of course I didn’t starve completely. Naya had baked her famous chicken spaghetti, Denver barbecued, and Lexi baked croissants and bread until I thought I would pop.

I leaned on the porch railing and glanced down at my legs. “Do you think I’ve put on weight? My shorts seem a little tight.”

Denver’s cheeks flushed a little when he looked me over. “Do you see me complaining?”

He’d been acting different since the accident. Attentive, his old self, and yet… not. He acted as though he had a secret—a look in his eyes I caught now and again. As if I didn’t have butterflies to begin with around Denver, now I felt as if I were caught in a hurricane full of them every time he gave me that look. My blood would heat, my knees would weaken, and my heart would constrict.

I was certain it was nothing more than the ancient cavewoman in my DNA responding to a male who provided for and protected me. Someone who cared for me when I was at my most vulnerable. Maybe that explained the same feeling Prince triggered.

But no, it
wasn’t
the same.

I leaned against the porch rail and watched the sun dip behind a dark cloud. “Smells like rain.”

He leaned next to me and his elbow brushed against mine. “All I smell is you.”

“And what do I smell like?”

Denver slowly licked his lips. “Let’s take a walk.”

I followed behind him down the steps, and when I reached the bottom one, he put his hands beneath my arms and lifted me into the air. Denver turned to the side and slowly set me down—the friction between our bodies awakening something primal within me. Before he noticed my reaction, I headed toward the tree swing.

“I can’t believe you kept it up all this time,” I said, taking a seat.

Denver slowly pushed me, and the wind blew back my tousled hair.

“Melody was never into it, but the boys used to mess around on it a lot,” he said. “Especially when they figured out how to climb the rope to get into the branches.”

I leaned back, looking at him upside down. The swing didn’t move much, but it swayed enough to make me feel like a feather in the wind.

“Do you miss England?”

“Sometimes,” I admitted. “Why do you keep looking at your watch?” I sat up straight and skidded to a stop. “And why are you even wearing a watch?”

“Maybe I’m trying to style it up.”

I smirked. “With a tank top?”

Which, by the way, looked scrumptious on him. I couldn’t understand why women always hit on the bad boys in our pack, which was almost everyone. Shifter women often had a specific taste in men that confounded me.

Denver walked around the swing and gripped the ropes, his biceps tightening. “How’s your head?”

“Empty.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Yours?” I asked.

“Thinking about laser tag and nachos tomorrow.”

“Sounds about right.”

A cloud floated overhead and crossed the property like a giant shadow on the run. I couldn’t see much through the tree branches, but the blue sky was beginning to vanish.

Denver held out his hand. “Come with me? I didn’t have the swing in mind.”

I furrowed my brow. “Why are you acting funny?”

“I’m always funny; it’s not an act.”

I took his hand and stood up. “
That
I know.”

He tugged me toward the high grass on the side of the house. When he kept looking back at me over his shoulder, that’s when a knot formed in my stomach.

“This grass is making my legs itch,” I complained.

“Do you want me to throw you over my shoulder and carry you?”

I kind of did. “No. I can walk.”

The grass became taller and denser. It led to a line of trees with a shallow creek farther left. My mom had always kept this area off-limits, fearing I’d get bit by a snake. She was probably just saying that. I began scanning the ground, looking twice at every twig.

“How am I going to pay Austin back?” I asked.

“For what?”

“The hospital bills. I’m not insured, and Mom gives most of her money to the pack.”

“Yeah, and that money is
for
the pack, which you’re a part of, if I remember correctly. It’s not just for bills. It’s a resource for emergencies. I think your knocking your melon around qualifies.”

The slope was steep and I slowed my pace, carefully making my way down until the house was out of sight. A giant maple tree stood out among all the other trees. In autumn, it was one of the few trees on the property that changed colors. Below it, a giant blue blanket was stretched across the ground with a cooler beside it.

I halted in my tracks. “What is all that?”

“What’s it look like, Peanut? We’re gonna have a picnic.”

“Who…”

He tapped his watch. “I had it delivered.”

Wasn’t he full of surprises? “This almost feels like a date,” I said, giving him a nudge. “And who is your sneaky delivery person?”

He moved his finger across his lips, imitating sealing a zipper shut.

I kicked off my shoes at the edge of the blanket and sat down, staring at the oversized cooler.

“Sorry, we’re all out of picnic baskets,” he said, taking off his flip-flops. “What do you feel like eating? We’ve got cold chicken, potato salad—minus the forks, remind me to kill him—chips… Let’s see…”

I brushed some stickers and weeds from my socks and then took them off.

“…watermelon, Lexi’s pudding. That better not be her last stash or Austin will have my head.”

“Watermelon. I’m in the mood for something sweet.”

He pulled out the two wedges and unwrapped the plastic. “I’ve never been about saving dessert for last. Whoever came up with that rule is a glutton for punishment. Here.”

When he handed me the juicy slice, I immediately bit into it. This was absolute perfection. The weather had been uncooperative the past week with temperatures shooting near one hundred degrees. The lack of wind made it feel like hell, but today we had a soft breeze. Still, that ice-cold watermelon hit the spot.

“Why don’t you ever buy the seedless ones?” I asked.

Juice ran down his chin and he licked it away. “They’re genetically modified. Humans need to leave shit alone. I get mine from a local farmer.”

“I don’t think a man who eats cheese out of a spray can should worry about mutant fruit.”

He studied me while enjoying several juicy bites, then asked, “Why are you so quiet today?”

“I have a lot on my mind.”

He spit out a black seed. “Care to share?”

“You first.” I took another bite and watched him closely.

A butterfly landed on his head and I smiled when he didn’t notice it. “Share what?”

“In the hospital, I asked why you hadn’t mated. You said another day. Today is another day.”

I’d never seen him lose color so fast. He set down his slice of melon and wiped his sticky fingers on his jeans. Denver bent his left leg at the knee and draped his arm over it, picking at an invisible spot on the blanket. “It’s not a happy story.”

“Denny, you’re the one who makes everyone laugh, but there’s more to you than that. We all have a past, and yours is one I don’t know anything about. This,” I said, waving my hand between us, “is the kind of relationship I want to build between us. Something truthful. I won’t judge, I promise. Is it because there are no girls in this town like Nadia? Is she the kind of woman you want?”

God, please say no
. I’d die if Denver was secretly attracted to rich, gorgeous women with stunning hair, impeccable taste in clothes, an accent… I mentally sighed. I was screwed.

“Nobody wants to hear this. Look, I made this nice picnic and you’re going to ruin it by—”

“Talking?” My voice rose. “By getting to know a part of you I’ve never seen?” I angrily stood up, ready to leave. “My life is complicated, and I gather yours is too. But you never showed me that side of your life because I was just a child. I’m a woman now.”

“Think I don’t know that?” he said, equally upset. “And soon you’ll get older and die. Think that’s easy for me to sit around and watch? Think it’s easy for me to get closer to you, knowing that someday I’ll have to let you go?”

“Then I’ll just make it easy for you and go!” I turned, but not before he snared my wrist.

“Wait. Don’t take off.” His eyes wouldn’t connect with mine.

“You’re one of the most important people in my life, but this has to evolve or it can never be.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance and his grip loosened. “Sit down.”

As I sat, a gust of wind blew my hair in front of my face. Denver reached out and smoothed it back, scooting a little closer.

“Years ago, before I moved back home, I met Cora.”

The leaves rustled in the trees above, and the temperature seemed to drop a degree.

Denver twirled a fallen leaf between two fingers. “I was learning to bartend, and she walked in one night and sat at the bar. I think she was trying to meet someone, but she was too shy and spent the whole night talking to me. She had this really crazy laugh that caught my attention. She’d snort at the end; silliest damn thing I ever heard. We clicked right away and became friends.”

“Why just friends?”

He twirled the leaf by the stem and let it fall to the blanket. “I was too young to get mated, so we stayed friendly. Then I found out she had a little boy.” He huffed out a soft laugh, his eyes sparkling. “Nathan was three. He was real proud of that, told everyone he was three, except he pronounced it as
tree
. Cora told me about her ex—said he was a jerk. He didn’t want the kid and gave her an ultimatum.”

“What kind?”

“He wanted her to dump the kid and move with him to another pack. She had a few drinks one night and told me the whole story.”

“Did you love her?”

He sighed. “Yeah. Maybe I was just a young, stupid wolf, but I thought about taking her and Nathan in. I didn’t have a pack; I could barely support myself, so it was a dumb idea. She needed someone who could take care of her.”

“What happened?”

Denver was normally talkative, outgoing, and relaxed. But he became closed off—from the subdued way in which he spoke to his body language. He pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them, one hand holding the other wrist.

Something wet touched my cheek and I wiped it away.

“One night, I got a call. She was hysterical. Said her ex came back and was threatening to burn the house down. He was kicking on her door and wouldn’t go away. She was a rogue who’d moved to another state, so no one was there to protect her. I couldn’t get there fast enough,” he said, shaking his head.

My heart broke when I saw the pain glittering in his eyes. He covered them with his palms and grimaced.

I touched his knee. “Tell me the rest.”

“The house was on fire. I ran… Then someone knocked me down. I shoved him off to get inside, but the heat was too intense. I couldn’t get the door open. When I turned, I saw a man holding a bloody knife in his hand.”

I covered my mouth.

“He killed her and burned the house to hide the evidence. Goddammit, I wish I had a time machine,” he spat angrily. “He took a swipe at my head with the knife and cut me deep. Everyone thinks my wolf is loco, but they’ve never seen the real me.”

“What did you do?”

“I killed him with my bare hands. Finished him off with the same knife he’d used on Cora, and God help me if he used it on that little boy.”

Denver broke down and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I knew it wasn’t easy for Shifters to be vulnerable, and Denver wasn’t a guy who liked a pity party. This man was in pain, and someone needed to show him compassion.

“Why would he do something like that?”