Love is Only a Whisper (Whisper Series) (26 page)

“The question is will he
always
be faithful to you?”

“I won’t listen any more to you crucifying Ashton or my marriage.”

“Damn, Nicole, don’t you see how he has brainwashed you? You
don’t sound like yourself. Did he tell you about Victoria?”

“Who?” she asked, puzzled.

“Victoria Standish. She came from a good family in the Midwest but no money, but a smart girl who went to Harvard on full scholarship. After Ashton got what he wanted from her, he dumped her. His actions drove her to commit suicide.”

She gasped. “You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie about something so serious?”

“I don’t know but there must be more to the story. Ashton isn't a saint. He’s tough but he’s not cruel.”

“That’s your problem. You always want to see good when evil
is staring you directly in the face. Ashton has a reputation and everything
about it isn’t good.”

“We all have good and bad in our lives. Ashton is no
different. He makes mistakes.”

“But he’ll never admit to them.”

“I accept who he is.”

“You have on blinders. He has faults but the problem is they
are devastating to anyone who gets in his way.”

She moved to walk away. “I have heard enough.”

He stepped in her path but didn’t touch her. “Okay. I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Brent, you’re my friend. The first one I had when I came to Dallas. That is something I’ll always cherish. I made a mistake and thought what I felt for you was love but it’s not. For that, I apologize. You were my anchor and I didn’t want to lose that. It was gratitude and nothing more. What I feel for Ashton is hard to put into words but I know it’s powerful. It consumes my breathing, my thoughts, and my heart. He’s arrogant, bossy, and sometimes egotistical but he’s what I want. When it comes to him, I have no barriers. His bark doesn’t frighten me. I give it back to him knowing it’s not going to rip us apart. Although, we’ve only been married a short period of time, I can’t imagine my life without him.”

“It won’t last,” he said stubbornly.

She felt sad for him because his words held no weight in her
heart. She married Ashton with her eyes wide open. “I don’t know what the
future holds but I know what it is right now…this moment. We’re together and
I’m asking you to respect that.”

“You’ve made up your mind?”

“My heart did it for me four months ago.”

“You’ve grown from the girl I remembered. I wished I had
noticed before now. I still believe things would’ve been different.”

“Sooner or later we would’ve realized the mistake.” She
touched his face. “Can you handle just being my friend?”

“Because I love you so much and want you in my life, I don’t have a choice.” He took her hand, kissed the inside palm and released it. “I need another drink.”

“You’ve had enough. I’ll get you a glass of water.” She retrieved
a bottle of water from the bar, poured it into a glass and handed it to him. He
drained the contents quickly.

A tiny smile creased the corners of his mouth. “You’re still
bossy.” She poured more water into the glass; he drank again, and then set the
glass on the bar. “Happy now?”

The last of the water was drained into the glass.

She handed it to him. He shook his head and lifted a brow. “Are
you trying to drown my sorrows?”

Nicole set the glass on the counter. “Just the liquor you
consumed.” She squeezed his arm. “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

He looked into her eyes, unblinking. She felt uncomfortable
for what she saw but knew she couldn’t make it better. Her heart belonged to
Ashton and she wouldn’t pretend otherwise.

Slowly his head descended and he placed his lips on hers.
She let him because he needed closure to what he thought could have been but
would never be. His lips were warm and comforting but she felt none of the fire
and passion like when Ashton kissed her. This was her friend whom she’d hurt.
She hugged him tightly, trying to give him the reassurance that he needed to
move forward.

This was the end of one friendship but the dawn of a mature
one. The Nicole of yesteryear was gone. The transition was good.

She pulled back, smiled, and caressed his cheek.

“What the fuck is going on here?

Ashton stood in the door of the library with a fierce scowl.
Brody followed close behind. Ashton wasn’t smiling, and his face was harsh to
the point Nicole felt herself struggling to breathe.

“Ashton, don’t do it,” Brody warned.

“Yes, listen to Brody before you do something rash,” Brent
sneered.

Nicole tapped him on the arm. “Brent, stop it. You’re making
things worse.”

“You’re coming to his defense now?” Ashton snarled.

“Ashton’s it’s not what you think—”

“The hell it isn’t. I walk in and find
my
wife and
my
brother wrapped in each other’s arms…kissing.”

“I can explain it. If you would just—”

“I don’t need you to explain a damn thing. You want him so
bad that you had to do it in my house.” He ran his angry gaze over her as he
spat out the words. “What would have been the next move…our bedroom?”

Pain pierced her. “How dare you? You know me better than
that. I’m your wife not one of your drive-bys.”

“Really? I don’t think that one of my drive-bys, as you so elegantly put it, would be caught in another man’s arms. Only women who do can be classified as —”

“Ashton!” Brody grabbed his arm.

She gasped, not believing the way he was talking to her

“Ashton, don’t let your anger carry you to place where there
is no return,” Brody said.

Brent jumped in Ashton’s face. “ You were always a bastard, Ashton. I guess that will never change.” He pointed his finger. “Don’t you ever talk to Nicole like that again!”

Ashton glared at his brother. “Get the fuck out of my
house.”

Nicole screamed. “Ashton!” Her mouth gaped as she fought to
understand what was unfolding in front of her. She’d never seen Ashton so
enraged.

“Now.”

Brent placed his hand at the small of Nicole’s back. “Go and grab an overnight case. We’re leaving.”

She reached to remove his hand and Ashton punched Brent in the face, hurling him into the bookcase. Nicole was propelled backwards hitting the wall hard and falling to her knees. Ashton went to hit Brent again.

Brody grabbed him before his fist connected. “Ashton, that’s enough.”

Brent struggled to stand, wiping at the blood on his mouth.
“So the great Ashton Campbell has finally resorted to violence.”

“Screw you.”

“Ash…ton!”

He swung around, his furious eyes landing on Nicole. She was
on her knees, both hands clasping her stomach. He ran and knelt on the floor,
taking her into his arms.

She was hurting all over. She swallowed and tried to quench
the fear. “I hurt…cramps…my baby.”

“Brody call an ambulance…now!”

At the hospital, the medical team maneuvered around Ashton
so they could attend to Nicole.

One of the attendants faced him. “Mr. Sinclair, you must
step back.”

“That’s my wife,” he shouted, watching the gurney being
wheeled away. “I need to be with her.”

Brody moved beside him. “Ashton. Let them do their job.”

Ashton glared at another man who stood in front of him, blocking his movement. “Who the hell are you?” The doctor extended his hand. “I’m Dr. Greene. Your wife’s doctor, Dr. Menia and I are partners. I was performing an emergency caesarian when you and your wife came for your initial visit and didn’t get the chance to meet you.”

He briefly shook the hand outstretched to him. The doctor was of medium height with dark blond hair and gray eyes. He was too young for Ashton’s liking. His wife needed a more experienced doctor. If Nicole could hear his thoughts, she would surely ream him out. His little wife didn’t take kindly to his ultra-conservative views.

“Where is Dr. Menia anyway? She needs to be here.”

“She’s on vacation—”

“Vacation? What the hell? Call and get her back here!”

“Ashton, calm down. I’m sure that Dr. Greene is adequate—”

“Adequate? I want the best…not adequate.”

The male doctor pulled himself up to his full 5’8 height. “I’m
one of the best at what I do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a patient who
needs me.”

Ashton watched the doctor walked away. “Who the hell does he
think he is?”

“He’s the one who is going to take care of Nicole.”

“If she loses the baby…”

“Chill. Nicole is going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

“Brody, don’t start that shit. I know you have this sixth
sense…vision about things but I can’t deal with it today.”

Brody shook his head. “Come on, take a seat.”

“I can’t.” He started to pace back and forth.

After a while, Ashton found himself staring out of the
window into the darkness.

How in the hell did it come to this? Many times he’d lost his temper in the past but always remained in control. The fury he felt when he saw Nicole in Brent’s arms caused indescribable pain.

If Nicole lost the baby she would never forgive him, nor could he ever forgive himself. The harsh words he threw at her couldn’t be erased. They were out there floating between them. How could he have let his jealousy of Nicole and Brent’s relationship make him lose all rationale? In his gut, he felt that she would never cheat on him. But knowing she loved Brent drove him to madness. Pain caught his chest. It cut him deep to acknowledge what she felt for his brother. Ashton loved her and that was enough. It had to be because he wouldn’t let her go.

He turned from the window and looked at Brody slouched in a chair with his head resting on the back of the wall, eyes closed. He appeared to be asleep but Ashton knew he was watching him. The door opened and his parents walked in, followed by Brent. He cursed under this breath. This wasn’t something he needed right now.

His mother rushed toward him, giving him a hug. “How is
she?”

“I’m waiting for the doctor. He glared at his brother. “What
are you doing here Brent?”

“I’m here for Nicole.”

“Don’t you think you have done enough? Get the hell—”

“Ashton! Stop this nonsense. You and Brent are brothers. I
won’t have you acting differently. I’m sure Nicole wouldn’t either. Why didn’t
you tell us Nicole was pregnant?”

“We just learned of it ourselves.”

“Well, how far long is she?”

“Almost four months.”

“What? Four months?” His mother frowned. “But the two of you
just got married. I can’t believe—”

“Alexa,” Camp Sinclair admonished. “Son, how are you
holding up?”

“Not great.”

“He would do better if he would sit down and relax,” Brody said from the far corner. He stood up and stretched. He came toward them, giving Alexa a kiss on the cheek.

Camp grabbed Brody’s hand and shook. “I didn’t see you over there, Brody. It’s been a long time.”

“Hello, sir.”

“What happened?” Alexa looked at Ashton. He didn’t answer
and turned away.

“She fell,” Brent said.

Ashton threw him a fiery glare.

“Fell? What was she doing? I don’t understand young people
today. They need to understand—”

Camp put his hand on her arm. “Alexa, it happened. What’s
most important is that she’s getting the best care.”

“She’s going to be fine,” Ashton said firmly. He hoped saying
the words out loud would calm some of his fear.

His mother nodded. “Of course, she’ll be. She comes from
strong stock.”

The door opened and the doctor walked in. Everyone turned
towards him, waiting with bated breath. Ashton moved closer and stood in front
of the man.

“Tell me.”

“She’s stable. I’ve given her a light sedative to help keep her calm.”

Ashton asked the question that was foremost in his mind. “Did she lose the baby?”

“No, Mr. Sinclair. But your wife is very agitated. That’s not good for the baby or her. Her blood pressure is elevated, which I don’t like. We’re monitoring it. The cramping has subsided but she needs her rest…and no stress. I can’t begin to tell you how important this is for the next forty-eight hours.”

“I need to see her.”

“I’m going with you,” Brent said.

Ashton glared at him. “You aren’t going anywhere near my
wife.” He slammed out of the waiting room.

When he entered Nicole’s room, he took a deep breath before approaching the bed. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleep. He let his gaze scan around the room taking in the sterile atmosphere. It was a private room, which helped it to look almost like a bedroom but not quite. There was a television, a dresser, a round table, and two chairs, a loveseat and a nondescript painting on the wall but none of the bright colors his wife loved. He wanted her out of this place as soon as possible.

He assessed her unmoving body covered with a starched white sheet, the tube in her arm and the baby monitor around her stomach. With a heavy heart, he took her hand and sat at her side. His heart beating fast, he thought about how this could have ended with her being hurt badly and the loss of their child.

Finally taking her other hand he gently rubbed her stomach. His child lay in its cocoon. He thanked God for the miracle. But she was still in danger. She needed to get through the next few hours. He released her hand and ran it down slowly down one smooth cheek. The awesomeness of her beauty, even in sleep, rendered him speechless.

“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured. “But God help me, I
can’t let you go.”

His heart was heavy with pain. It felt as though someone had
dealt his heart a deep blow, reached in and pulled the muscle from its socket.
The blood gushed, entrenching him within its grip.

“Nicole,” he breathed and waited. Her eyes remained closed,
her breathing deep but slow. The sedative the doctor had given her must’ve
taken effect. His movement faltered. “I messed up. You would probably say,
well what else is new.” He bit his lip to hold back overwhelming emotion. “I
promise. Things are going to be different. I know you don’t know this but I
never thought I would have a chance with you.”