MenageaDare (34 page)

Oh how she wished she could retrace her steps and go back to
that clearing where she’d first seen them swinging and kissing in a hammock. If
she had stayed instead of freaking out, they could be making love right now.

Then again, Jaxon’s gaze landed on her, a question lingering
there and she couldn’t move much less speak. As Remy turned away to put the
pitcher of tea back into the fridge, Jax pointed to the sandwiches and the
pantry where she’d stowed the picnic basket.

He knew! He knew she’d hiked up to talk to them and ran
away. About to give an explanation, she was cut off when the kitchen phone
rang.

Jaxon frowned and answered the call. In an instant, Eve knew
something was wrong because his face turned pale, his shoulders slumped and his
voice became so strained she couldn’t hear him.

“Oh no,” she whispered, heading straight for him to lend her
support. Remy joined her, each laying their hands on Jaxon’s shoulders.

It seemed as if the call lasted forever. Finally, he hung
up, turning to face them.

“What happened, Jaxon? Is something wrong with your mom?”
Remy asked.

“That was the administrator of home my mother is in. She had
some sort of episode early this morning and shoved Gerald so hard that he fell
and hit his head, knocking himself out. When he came to, he discovered Mama had
left the apartment. I have to go to Carson City ASAP.”

“Of course you do,” Eve said. “Instead of calling Taylor,
why don’t I call Gabriel and see if he’ll fly you there. It would be much
faster than driving, wouldn’t it?”

“Will you and Remy come with me? I’ve no idea how long it’ll
take to find her or what’ll happen next, but I don’t want to be alone.”

“We love you, Jax. Of course we’ll go with you,” Remy
assured.

“In that case, why don’t you two start packing while I call
Gabriel?” Jax suggested. “There’s no telling how long this could take or if my
mother will require hospitalization so I don’t know when we’ll come back to
Dare, much less if I can travel right now.”

“Don’t worry about anything other than your mom, Jaxon.
We’ll get started,” Eve agreed, taking Remy’s hand and leading him to the back
stairway.

Half an hour later, Eve and Remy finished packing their bags
and Jaxon joined them, packing a small suitcase. Not wanting to burden him with
her situation, Eve vowed to call her doctor as soon as she had a minute alone.

Shortly, the men carried everything down and stowed the
suitcases in the truck bed. Eve followed, letting them assist her into the
truck and buckle the seatbelt for her.

On either side of her, Remy behind the wheel and Jaxon to
her right, she glanced back at the mountain house as they drove away, wondering
when she’d see it again. She was sad, a lot was in flux, but more than anything
she prayed for Saraphina Wynter.

Ten minutes later they arrived at Dare Municipal Airport. It
wasn’t very big, in fact, it had a small rectangle-shaped terminal and runway
as it catered namely to private jets and small aircraft.

An impressive passenger jet with Gabriel Krystiyan’s name
emblazoned across the sides sat idling off to the side of the runway. Gabriel and
two men were busy getting it ready for a flight.

“Whoa, that’s quite a plane,” Remy said.

“It’s great,” Jaxon said. “You’re not worried about the
flight, are you?”

“No, Jax, I just want to get to Carson City quickly.”

“We’ll get there in plenty of time. If all turns out well
with Mama, we’ll return to my house in a few days.”

“She’ll be fine. Have faith, Jaxon,” Eve said.

Jaxon took her into arms, crushing her some. It didn’t hurt,
but she’d shifted on instinct when he pressed against her left side. She needed
some Advil or something to relieve the swelling.

“Eve? Are you okay?” Jaxon asked when she drew back. “Every
time I’ve touched you in the last hour or so, you withdraw as if I hurt you.”

“I’m sorry. It’s been a weird day,” she said, saved as a
Camaro came roaring up to the airport, stopping in a spray of gravel and sand.
Taylor popped out of the driver’s seat, charging toward them.

“Taylor, what are you doing here?” Eve asked.

“Jax called and said I should join you on the flight to
Carson City. Is that okay?”

“You bet. Thank you for coming.”

Eve glanced back at Jaxon, bowing her head in thank you. He
nodded, something in his eyes warning her that he hadn’t forgotten about the
picnic basket and she wasn’t off the hook yet.

At last, Jaxon backed up, giving way for Taylor and Eve to
climb up the stairs to the jet. The inside was sleek and opulent with eight
leather passenger seats, a lounge area with a sofa, recliner, a mini-bar and a
small kitchen. A sign overhead pointed the way to a bedroom and a bathroom.

Taking seats next to each other, Eve and Taylor fastened
their seatbelts as the men came in. Gabriel inclined his head, said they’d be
in the air soon and disappeared into the cockpit. Remy and Jaxon sat side by
side, holding hands. They really did look good together.

Praying silently, Eve laid her head back as the jet taxied
down the runaway, gaining speed as they went airborne in a gradual incline.
There was much to do, so much to take care of in such a short time, she wasn’t
sure what to think other than Jaxon’s mother came first and she needed to call
her doctor.

About a half an hour later the jet banked and Gabriel
radioed to the cabin that they were set to land at a small municipal airport
outside of Carson City. A few minutes later, they touched down, slowing to a
halt at their designated gate.

With the airport ground crew’s assisting, they all
disembarked and piled into a limo that’d been parked next to their gate. As
soon as she, Remy, Jaxon, Taylor and Gabriel were set to go, the driver pulled
away, following exit signs.

When they arrived at Gerald and Saraphina’s apartment within
the senior living facility, they discovered the front door was open. Inside, a
team of medical personnel and security staff swamped the small family room.

Gerald, a six foot man with gray hair and a trim figure, sat
on a pretty sofa, his head wrapped in a bandage. In an armchair, a petite woman
with silvery-white hair and glazed eyes spoke with a nurse who was checking her
pulse.

Saraphina had been found and appeared unharmed. The relief
that stole through Eve right then was as powerful as watching Jaxon break away
from her and Remy to kneel at his mother’s small, slipper-clad feet.

“Mama, it’s me, Jaxon,” he said softly, perhaps to avoid
frightening her.

“Jaxon, what are you doing home from school?” she asked.

“I’m not in school anymore, Mama.”

“Impossible, you’re my son. If the kids are picking on you
again, I’ll call Principal Latimer.”

“It’s been years since anyone bullied me. No need to call
him.”

“Where’s your friend, the big one, Trevor? I like him very
much. He’s very talented on the football field.”

“Trevor’s fine, Mama, he’s getting married soon. I’ll be his
best man. He’ll come visit you the next time he’s in town and tell you all
about his wedding plans.”

“Goodness…I hope it’s for love. If he got a girl in trouble,
I shall have to speak to him about his responsibilities.”

“It’s for love, Mama. It is. You’ll like his fiancée when
you meet her.”

Jaxon melted right there, his tears very real as he lowered
his head to his mother’s blanketed lap, her frail hand stroking his long
pale-blond hair. Eve turned her face into Remy’s shoulder, letting him wrap her
up and shed her tears on his shoulder, his muscle and the soft fabric of his
shirt muffling the sound.

Right then she knew she couldn’t ask Jaxon to leave his
mother in a week’s time or burden him with whether he loved her or not. She had
to believe in the strength of his feelings for her or else she’d lose both of
her men.

Additionally, she needed to call her doctor and see if she
should go to an ER or a clinic in Dare or wait until she and Remy drove back to
Salem. Logically, she knew she couldn’t ignore any health concerns, even if it
turned out she was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Carefully extricating herself from Remy’s arms, she motioned
to Taylor who followed her down the hall to the bathroom. They entered, closed
and locked the door.

“What’s wrong, Eve? Jaxon indicated you were upset even
before this happened with his mom.”

“I’m scared and I don’t want Remy or Jaxon to worry until I
know if there’s reason to worry.”

“Are you sick?” Taylor asked gently.

Eve took Taylor’s hand and laid it over her left breast. She
didn’t want to give voice to her fears. She wanted to shove them to the back of
her mind and pretend everything was as wonderful as it’d been when she woke up
this morning in bed with the men she loved.

“A couple weeks ago I felt what I’d thought was a bruise in
my breast. I had PMS at the time so I took Midol until my period was over and
the pain eased,” she explained, unaware that her hand had gone slack as her
body folded downward, caught by Taylor’s quick reflexes.

“Go on,” Taylor coaxed. “Take your time.”

“I’d gotten wrapped up in the newness of my relationship
with Jaxon and Remy, with work, research, a whole lot of things, but earlier
today I was in the shower and examined myself again. The bruise I’d felt before
had grown.”

“Oh, Eve, try not to think the worst until you know what it
is,” Taylor advised.

“It’s may be absolutely nothing other than a cyst or a deep
bruise but given my mother had breast cancer, I can’t ignore it. What do I do?”

“The first thing you have to do is tell Jax and Remy.
They’ll want to help you, no matter the outcome. They love you.”

“Remy does. I’m not so sure of Jaxon.”

“Stop it,” Taylor corrected sharply. “He loves you too. I’ve
never seen him react to a woman the way he does with you.”

“Maybe you’re right and I’m feeling sorry for myself at the
wrong time. I overheard them today, Taylor. They admitted they loved each
other. It was beautiful and yet I haven’t heard those words from Jaxon. Am I
selfish for wanting that?”

“No, every woman wants to hear that. To be honest, Eve, I
think you’re using your doubts as a way to avoid dealing with what you found in
your breast.”

That made a whole lot of sense although Eve wished she could
have a redo of the whole afternoon, starting with when she packed a picnic
basket and going from there.

“Honey, I’ve dealt with skin cancer. It was minor and
treatable with surgery, but still scary.” Taylor helped her lean back against
the walk-in bathtub. “The one thing my doctor told me was to have even the
smallest thing checked right away. I can call mine for you.”

“What I really need is to go home, sleep in my bed, cry
under my covers and eat a gallon of vanilla fudge ice cream before seeing Dr.
Martin as soon as I can. She understands me, Taylor.”

“Maybe you should go home then,” Taylor suggested. “We can
talk to Gabriel. I’m sure he’d be willing to fly you to New England as soon as
tomorrow if necessary.”

“I can’t leave Jax and Remy yet.”

“You can’t ignore this either. As your friend, I won’t let
you. What if Remy stayed here with Jaxon while you see your doctor and get some
answers?”

Eve’s eyes popped open. She hadn’t realized she’d closed
them.

“Do you really think Gabriel would help me without a lot of
questions?”

“Yes, I do. I’ll come too, Eve. You shouldn’t go to your
doctor’s alone.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Remy and Jaxon. Hopefully, this is
nothing and I come back before the guys can miss me. Plus I’d worry myself sick
if Remy attempted to drive to Salem on his own.”

“They’ll miss you whether you’re gone a couple hours or
days,” Taylor murmured a few minutes later. “It’ll be all right. Try not to
think the worst.”

“I’ll try. I’m scared, Taylor. Right when I found Remy and
Jaxon, life throws me curveballs. Maybe my dad’s right. Maybe it is immoral to
be with them and this is the price I have to pay.”

“Do you really think it’s a sin to love them?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then its right. If I wasn’t trying so hard to not fall for
Gabriel, I’d be honored to have Jaxon and Remy as my lovers.”

“Ah ha, I knew it, you do like Gabriel.”

“That’s neither here nor there right now. Go ahead, cry and
let it all out. When you’re ready, call your doctor. Gabriel and I will get you
home.”

“Thanks, Taylor,” Eve said, crying once again and wondering
if anything would be right again.

It wasn’t until later that evening when she, Remy and Jaxon
bunked down at a Comfort Inn that she had the chance to speak to her men about
returning to Salem.

Fortunately, Saraphina Wynter was unharmed. She was a little
confused and her doctor changed her medications but didn’t think she’d need
hospitalization. Gerald was doing well too, though would need to be monitored
which was standard for any sort of head injury.

“Jaxon, Remy, can I speak to you about something?” she asked
as soon as they were alone in the hotel room.

“Of course, sugar,” Remy said, coming up and taking her by
the hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to go back to Salem,” she announced, trying not to
panic or think the worst. “I’ve spoken with Gabriel and he’s agreed to fly me
to Manchester Airport in New Hampshire tomorrow morning. From there, I’ll rent
a car.”

“Are you upset with me, Evelyn?” Jaxon asked, placing his
hand over hers and Remy’s.

“No, no,” she assured. “While you were been dealing with
your mother, I realized I needed to talk to my dad in person. Believe me, if
your Mama needed to be hospitalized or further tests, I wouldn’t leave your
side.”

“All those calls you’d made at Saraphina and Gerald’s were
to your father?” Remy inquired, bringing up the fact that she’d had to
disappear into a bedroom or hallway every time her father called throughout the
afternoon.