MenageaDare (36 page)

At six o’clock that same evening, Jax and Remy sat in a
doctor’s waiting room with Taylor and Gabriel after Evelyn disappeared with a
medical technician soon after they arrived. He and Remy had wanted to go with
her but the tech and Evelyn insisted they wait until called.

“We did the right thing in coming here, Jax,” Remy said
quietly.

“I know. Wish they would’ve let us go back with Evelyn
though,” Jax admitted. “She’s been gone forever.”

“It hasn’t been that long. Relax, it’s best we let the
doctor do her job without the two of us hovering around.”

“Is there anything I can do, Jax?” Taylor offered.

“No, that’s okay. These things take time, I guess.”

“I’ve got to call Eve’s father,” Remy said. “Even though
he’s angry with the three of us, he needs to know what’s going on with his
daughter.”

“If the doctor or nurse comes out, I’ll come get you,” Jax
said, silently agreeing but not wanting to think about Bartholomew Stratham.

“Be right back.” Remy stood up, heading out of the waiting
room to make his phone call.

Taylor had been busy texting with someone since they arrived
at the doc’s office. Jax suspected it was Avery Grant. Time ticked by slowly,
the wait seeming to stretch and the simple clock above the receptionist’s
station became his sole focus.

Remy returned twenty minutes later, along with Avery. She
didn’t say much, but instead shared hugs with Taylor and Gabriel before taking
a seat between Jax and Remington.

“How’s Eve doing?” Avery asked quietly.

“She was nervous during the long flight from Carson City,
but by the time we touched down in New Hampshire, she was resolved to doing
whatever the doctor recommends.”

“Let’s hope that it’s nothing serious,” Avery said.

“Where’s Hazard?” Remington asked.

“He’s hanging out at Cassie Maddox’s diner with Phalen, my
brother and Ethan’s wife, Morgan,” she answered.

“Would it be best if Taylor and I vacate the waiting room?”
Gabriel questioned. “My rental car is in the parking lot. I’m sure I can find
my way to the diner and we can wait there.”

“It was nice of you to get Evelyn here as soon as possible,”
Jax answered. “But maybe it’d be best if we didn’t take over the doc’s space.”

Fortunately, there weren’t any patients waiting to be seen
by Dr. Martin. There was a tech, a nurse and a receptionist on staff, but that
was about it. The office itself was one of many in a facility that had
everything from a pharmacy to radiology and laboratory.

Avery quickly gave Gabriel an address for the diner and he
plugged it into his phone. Taylor stood up, looking as if she wanted to stay
but made a hasty exit when a gray-haired gentleman came into the room.

Based on the worried expression on his face and the fact
that he and Evelyn shared the same eye and hair color, Jax was certain the man
was Bartholomew Stratham. Remington went over immediately, extending his hand.

“Mr. Stratham, it’s good of you to come,” Remington said.

Evelyn’s father hesitated to reply, his anger palpable. Jax
found himself on his feet, ready to defend his man if it came to it. In the
end, Bartholomew mumbled his thank you for Remy’s call but stepped back,
refusing to accept Remy’s handshake.

Jax stayed where he was, waiting for some sort of
recognition. It came as a slight nod in his direction. Thinking it was best to
give Evelyn’s father some space, he hoped to prove he was worthy of Bartholomew
Stratham’s daughter.

At last, a woman wearing mint-green scrubs and a lab coat
came out to the waiting room, glancing around at all the visitors.

“Remington Sinclair and Jaxon Wynter,” she said, her gaze
falling on them as they stepped forward. “I’m Dr. Martin and I’ve heard so much
about the two of you from my patient. Could you follow me, per her wishes?”

“Can her father come too?” Jax asked.

Dr. Martin glanced over at Bartholomew Stratham, who no
longer looked angry, only concerned about his daughter.

“I’m not sure Evelyn knew you were here, Mr. Stratham. Let
me go speak with her first,” Dr. Martin said, heading back through the doors. A
couple minutes later, she returned. “Evelyn’s requested to see all three of
you.”

“Thank you,” Bartholomew replied, relief in his expression.

Jax and Remy gave way to Evelyn’s father, the three of them
following the doctor. Dr. Martin stopped at exam room four, opened the door and
ushered them inside.

Evelyn sat on an exam table, dressed in the skirt and blouse
she’d been wearing when she left Carson City. She had a smile on her face, the
shadow of fear that’d been in her eyes all day replaced by relief until she saw
her father.

“Daddy, I’m so glad to see you,” she said, a little squeaky
and teary.

“Remington called. I wouldn’t be anywhere else, sweetheart.
You could have told me about this yesterday.”

“It kind of took me by surprise. I’m sorry we argued so much
yesterday, but Jaxon and Remy are important to me and…”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Bartholomew interrupted,
turning to face Dr. Martin. “Is my daughter going to be all right?”

“Evelyn do you want me to tell them or would you prefer to
do it yourself?” Dr. Martin inquired.

“You may, Dr. Martin, thank you.”

“Upon examination and use of a portable ultrasound, I am
fairly confident that Evelyn has a small hematoma.”

“A hematoma, how is that caused?” Remy asked, going over to
Eve and taking her hand.

“Some sort of minor trauma,” Dr. Martin said. “Treatment is
anti-inflammatories and ice packs on the area whenever she’s resting. I’m
prescribing a course of antibiotics as a precaution against it becoming abscessed
and have arranged for her to follow up with radiology tomorrow morning for a
mammogram.”

Jax swallowed hard, fighting the urge to ask if his or
Remington’s roughness with her in bed had caused the problem. He would when
they were alone, but he didn’t want to upset her father any further.

Pointing to himself, he whispered an apology. Evelyn winked
back, looking happy and confident again.

“There is one other thing Evelyn’s decided to do,” Dr.
Martin explained.

“What did you decide, love?” Jax asked, walking up to her
and taking her other hand. Even though he could feel Bartholomew’s glare on
him, he would not let Evelyn go another day without knowing for certain he
loved her.

“Even though the news today is good,” Eve began. “I’ve
decided to have BRCA screening done to see if I’m at risk of getting cancer.
It’s expensive and nothing is foolproof, but I feel strongly about it.”

“It doesn’t matter the cost. If it’s something you wish to
have done, it’ll be done,” Bartholomew stated. “Is the testing dangerous or
anything, Dr. Martin?”

“No,” Dr. Martin answered. “The only drawback is that it can
take several weeks for the results, so patience is required.”

“Evelyn, are you sure you want to do this?” Jaxon asked her.
“Before you answer, know this—I love you, Remy loves you. No matter your
choice, we stand with you.”

“What Jaxon said goes with me too,” Remy stated firmly.

“Yes, I do, and I appreciate the support,” she said to him
and Remy. “I want to be sure I’m healthy for years to come, especially for the
two of you.”

“Hold right there,” Bartholomew Stratham declared sharply.
“I can’t bear to hear you talk that way, sweetheart. Please understand my
concerns.”

“If you’ll excuse me, this is where I will leave you all to
talk privately.” Dr. Martin retreated to the door.

“Thank you, Dr. Martin,” Evelyn said. “I am so grateful for
your help.”

Dr. Martin smiled at her patient. “You’re very welcome.
Don’t hesitate to call me should you need anything. Don’t forget to pick up
your prescription at the pharmacy and stop at the nurse’s desk for a printout
of home care instructions and time to be at radiology in the morning.”

“I’ll be sure to,” Eve replied.

“Time for you to come home where you belong, Evelyn,”
Bartholomew declared as soon as the doctor left. “I’ll have Betty fix up your
old room.”

“Nonsense, I’m going to my apartment with Jax and Remy. Now
that I’m confident that I’ll be okay, I want to proceed with my doctorate.
While I was in Dare, I became interested in several colleges in the area. It’s
entirely possible that I’ll move there.”

“You can’t,” her father argued. “You’ve a job here. You
can’t abandon that.”

“I’ll give them notice.”

“You can’t abandon me,” Bartholomew stated, showing his real
fear.

Evelyn looked him in the eye. “I will never abandon you,
Dad. I love you. It’s my hope that you will come to accept Remy and Jaxon. They
are my now, my future, don’t you see? Someday we may be a family.”

“We already are, Eve,” Remy interjected.

“That’s right,” Jax added. “We love her, Mr. Stratham.”

“Then do the right thing and walk away now. She’s all I have
left.”

“You can have two sons and possibly grandchildren in the
future if you give Jaxon and Remy a chance,” Eve told him. “No matter what,
please don’t let Remy’s show suffer because of this. Ghost hunting is important
to him, therefore to me.”

“And to me,” Jax chimed in, glancing over her head at Remy
who caught his eye and nodded.

“It’s too late. I cut ties with his program already. It’ll
be up to his remaining producers to keep it going.”

Eve’s smile turned into a frown. Jax’s heart broke. Letting
her hand go so he could wrap his arm around her, he offered his complete
support.

“Don’t frown, love, there’s a way to help Remy. We talked
about it yesterday.”

“Okay,” she said, relaxing. “Jax, Remy, if you don’t mind,
I’d like to talk to my dad alone for a few minutes.”

“We’ll wait for you, take your time, Eve,” Remy answered,
bending down to kiss the top of her head. Jax did the same before they left Eve
and her father alone.

Back in the waiting room, Jax watched Avery set aside a
People
magazine and stand up. “Is Eve okay?” she asked.

“We’ll let Evelyn explain everything, but, yes, it sounds as
if she’ll be fine.” Saying those words almost made Jax collapse with relief. He
hadn’t wanted to admit he was scared for Evelyn and promised himself to make
sure she never again doubted his feelings for her.

“Amen,” Avery issued. Jax couldn’t agree more.

Ten minutes went by before Evelyn and her father appeared
from the back. She stopped at the front desk to speak with the receptionist,
who handed her some paperwork. The nurse came out, explained how to use the
prescription Dr. Martin had written and confirmed the radiology appointment for
first thing in the morning.

It’d been a long day, a long flight, but in had been worth
it. The news was good and Jax was already looking forward to being alone with
Evelyn and Remington so they could talk privately.

Of course, as soon as Eve saw Avery, they two women shared a
tight hug. They spoke quietly then Eve strode forward. She walked with
confidence, the tension that’d plagued her during the day completely gone.

“Avery told me that we’ve all been invited to Cassie’s
diner,” Evelyn said. “If anyone else is as hungry as I am, I’d love to see
everyone.”

“Everyone?” Jax questioned.

“Cassie and Phalen, Morgan and Ethan, Alex and Ryan,” she
explained.

“I got a text from Sam just before you all came out,” Avery
commented. “She and Taran are on their way from Boston, including her mom,
who’s visiting for the week. Apparently, Gabriel’s been entertaining the crowd
with simple magic tricks and Taylor has taken a liking to the used bookstore.”

“I don’t know about you, Jax, but I’m hungry,” Remington
said.

“I’m in,” Jax assured, crossing the waiting room to take
Evelyn’s hand. “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends.”

“Good but from here on out, I hope you’ll consider them your
friends too. Daddy, would you come?”

“Yes, I’d enjoy it,” Bartholomew agreed. “I should warn you,
Jaxon, I’ve talked to Phalen Maddox about having you investigated. If he turns
up anything, anything that might hurt my daughter, I will end you.”

“We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, sir,” Jax said.
“But I aim to prove myself worthy of Evelyn and Remington.”

“We’ll have to see,” Bartholomew replied as he inclined his
head and turned his attention back to Evelyn. Rightly so, his primary concern
was for his daughter and Jax had to be patient.

Eve said thank you to the receptionist and they all left the
office, walking single-file down the hallway. Once outside, she asked her father
take her to a pharmacy to have her prescription filled, as the one in the
healthcare facility was closed for the evening.

Jax would’ve objected if it hadn’t been for Remington
stepping in and assuring him that it was Evelyn’s choice and they needed to let
her spend time with her dad. Avery didn’t mind. She pointed to her car and they
followed her to it.

* * * * *

Later that night in Eve’s quaint one-bedroom Victorian-era
apartment, Jax and Remy made certain she took her antibiotic and
prescription-strength Motrin, got her an ice pack and took her to bed while
Taylor and Gabriel argued in the family room about who slept where.

Gabriel was insisting they pull out the sofa bed because it
was queen-sized. Remy was pretty sure Taylor was going to choose the twin-sized
air mattress Eve had dug out of a closet along with two sets of sheets and
blankets.

Listening to the couple argue, Remy smiled as he rested
beside Eve, his arm around her middle. Jax had rested his head on her shoulder,
his blond and black-streaked hair spilling over her bare breasts.

“I’m sorry if we hurt you, baby girl,” Jax whispered. “It
wasn’t intentional.”

“Dr. Martin said there’s no way to know what caused the
hematoma. The morning I rushed out of the bathroom to see you and Remy together,
I’d crashed into the doorjamb, front first. It hurt! She did recommend that we
be a little more careful in the future.”