Sweet on You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 4) (27 page)

Emily had gone home with Cooper. Alex had stayed with Molly and his parents. After imagining the worst that could happen, Molly felt like her entire life hinged on what would come next. Until she knew how Jacob was, nothing else mattered.

Alex walked into the waiting room with four cups in his hands. He passed his parents their coffee and handed Molly a cup of tea. “How are you holding up?”

Molly sighed. “I’m worried silly about Jacob. He was lucky not to have killed himself.”

Alex sat beside her. “The Mustang that Jacob was driving had all of the latest safety gear installed. But all of the technology in the world doesn’t help when you’re going fast.”

“Does Jacob know what happened?”

Alex shook his head. “He remembers arriving at the event, but everything after that is a blank. The doctors don’t know whether he’ll ever remember the accident.”

Molly closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. “Why was he in the car in the first place?” She glanced at Alex. “He’s always so careful. It’s not like him to want to compete in a car race.”

Alex’s shoulders slumped forward. He put his coffee beside him and leaned his elbows on his knees. “It’s my fault. He came to the race with me. When one of my friends went home sick, I told Jacob that he should give it a go. He’d looked after my Mustang while my home was being remodeled and he enjoyed driving it. He wasn’t going to, but I made a stupid bet with him.”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Molly said softly. “Jacob’s got a good brain between his ears. He knew the risks of racing at such high speeds.”

Alex took a deep breath. “He cares about you, Molly. He was going to see you after the wedding today, tell you how he felt. I’m sorry that you didn’t get to hear the words from him.”

Molly put her hand on Alex’s arm. “Don’t be daft. Jacob had already told me he’d grown fond of me. I told him I wasn’t ready for such a commitment. And here I am, wondering if I’ve been crazy to ignore my feelings for him.”

“You’re not crazy, Molly. There’s nothing wrong with being cautious.”

“There is if it colors everything you do.” Molly had thought she wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone. But Jacob made her feel things that she hadn’t felt in years. He made her believe that there was room for love in her life, room for a businessman with a stubborn streak wider than hers.

Alex glanced at the clock on the wall. “Jacob should be back in his room soon.”

His dad stood up and headed toward the doors. “I’ll go and see the nurse. She might know if the latest test results have come back.”

Molly watched Mr. Green leave. He’d aged ten years in the short time they’d been here. Worry and stress had lined his face and left him with a heavy heart.

Jacob’s mom came and sat beside Molly. “It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were here with Emily. What is it with my family and hospitals?”

Alex sighed. “I don’t want to see the inside of another hospital in a long time.”

“I hope for Emily’s sake that you don’t. It could have easily been you in here, Alex. I worry that you’ve fallen into a habit of doing dangerous things.”

Alex swallowed. “I know, mom. When I saw how worried Emily was, I knew things have to change. I don’t want Cooper growing up without a dad. I’m not going to race again.”

“I’ll remind you of that when you tell me you’re doing some hare-brained activity that could get you killed.”

Alex stood up and kissed the side of his mom’s face. “You won’t need to, but thank you.”

Mr. Green opened the waiting room doors. “Test results are back and so is Jacob. Dr. Winthrop wants to have a meeting with us in ten minutes.”

“Can we go and see Jacob?” Mrs. Green asked.

“Only two people at a time.” Mr. Green looked at Molly. “Do you want to go with Kristina, Molly? Jacob asked if you were still here.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to see him?”

Mr. Green held the door open and smiled. “There’s plenty of time for that.”

“Come with me,” Mrs. Green said. “We can tell him off together.”

Molly took a deep breath and followed Mrs. Green. Her heart was racing so fast that it was a wonder it didn’t leap out of her chest.

One of the nurses they’d met earlier stood up from behind the nurse’s station. “Are you going to visit Jacob?”

Mrs. Green nodded and the nurse smiled. “We’ve moved him into another room. I’ll show you where he is.”

They walked behind the nurse into a separate area. Someone had elevated the head of Jacob’s bed so that he was almost sitting upright. “If you need anything, push the red button beside the bed.”

Molly felt Jacob’s gaze on her, felt the weight of so many words left unsaid between them.

Mrs. Green stood beside her son and held his hand. “How do you feel?”

“A bit sore. It doesn’t look as though I’ve broken any bones.”

“That’s good.”

Jacob glanced at Molly, then back at his mom.

Mrs. Green patted his hand. “I know. You’ve got less than ten minutes. Your doctor wants to see us for a meeting.” She let go of Jacob’s hand and kissed his forehead. “Someone was looking down on you. Don’t waste your second chance.”

She let go of Jacob’s hand and walked toward Molly. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “Go and sit with him. I’ll be outside if you need me.”

Molly eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Green kissed her cheek and left the room.

Molly glanced at Jacob, then looked around his room. He didn’t say a word and she didn’t know where to start. “You have a pretty view across the garden.”

“I have a pretty view in front of me, too.”

Molly crossed her arms in front of her chest. Fear, anger, and worry bubbled inside her. “You’ll not be making me feel better with charming words, Jacob Green. If you weren’t lying in a hospital bed, I’d be tempted to box your ears for driving that car.”

“I wasn’t supposed to crash.” He tried sitting higher in his bed and grunted with the pain.

Molly rushed over to him. “Don’t be moving. What can I do to help?”

“You could kiss me.”

Molly froze. “You’d not be flirting with me, would you?”

The serious expression on Jacob’s face softened. “I’ve never been more serious in my life. Kiss me, Molly.”

Molly glanced down at his lips, then back into his eyes. It was as if the last time they’d met hadn’t happened. She’d said goodbye, told him that she wanted nothing to do with his big city life. He’d told her he’d wait for her and she hadn’t known what she was going to do.

She knew now. “It’s a compassionate kiss you’d be getting.”

Jacob smiled as she leaned closer. “I don’t care.”

Molly’s kiss was as light as a butterfly’s wing and as sweet as the first time they’d kissed. “Do you feel better now?” she whispered.

“Almost.” Jacob lifted his arm and pulled her closer. “One more…”

As soon as their lips touched, a fire ignited inside of Molly. Jacob deepened the kiss, sent her heart rate soaring and her body into overdrive. He teased the seam of her mouth, suckled her top lip, then sank deep and hard inside her mouth. Need raced through her, left her breathless and panting and wanting him with everything inside of her.

The man of her dreams was kissing her, and sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - Jacob Green knew how to kiss.

She pulled back, searched his face, and sighed. She wanted to kiss him again, wanted a whole lot of things that could never be.

“Hold onto the thought that was in your head before the last one.” Jacob’s voice was deep and sexy, and Molly’s knees went weak.

“I need to sit down.” She looked for a chair.

Jacob picked up her hand and pulled her close. “There’s room here. I can move…” He started to shuffle sideways on his bed, then stopped. “Maybe not,” he grunted.

Molly kissed the side of his face and pulled a chair close. “Why did you do it?”

Jacob’s cheeks turned red. “I can’t help myself. Whenever you’re around, I want to be close to you. I’ve missed you.”

It was Molly’s turn to blush. “Not the kissing part. The race. Why did you do it?”

Jacob sighed. “It was a stupid bet.”

“You could have been killed.”

“Some things are worth the risk.”

Molly knew he wasn’t talking about the race. She looked down at her hands and thought about the words that needed to be said. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I wanted to believe you were less than you are, and that wasn’t fair.”

“Are you talking about trusting me?”

Molly looked into his eyes. “I’m talking about more than trust. It was easier to live in the past than look forward to tomorrow. I have dreams, Jacob, things I want to do with my life. But none of that matters if I can’t share my life with someone special.”

Jacob closed his eyes. When he opened them, Molly held her breath, waiting to see what he’d say.

“Are you talking about us?”

Molly frowned. “Who do you think I’d be referring to?”

Jacob smiled. “I thought you might have found your someone special in Los Angeles.”

“At the exhibition?”

Jacob nodded.

“Don’t be daft. It’s not my heart that you need to worry about.” A soft tap sounded on the door and Molly looked across the room.

“Mind if we come in?” Mrs. Green asked. “The doctor’s here.”

Molly stood up. “I’ll leave you to your discussions.”

“No. Stay.” Jacob’s hand reached out to stop her. The fear on his face was enough to keep her beside him.

“Are you sure?”

Jacob nodded and held her hand. “I’m sure.”

His mom and dad came into the room. Alex followed the doctor.

Once Dr. Winthrop had introduced himself, he looked closely at Jacob. “You had a lucky escape. You’ll be feeling sore for the next few days, but some painkillers will take care of that. No broken bones and no neurological damage that we can find. Your body, Mr. Green, has survived your crash with remarkable ease.”

Dr. Winthrop watched Jacob over the top of his glasses. “I suggest you keep away from fast cars. Next time you might not be so lucky.”

Jacob’s fingers tightened around Molly’s hand. “When can I go home?”

“We’re going to transfer you to another ward for tonight. If everything is still looking good tomorrow morning, you can go home after I’ve seen you.”

Molly felt Jacob’s hand relax, watched the lines of worry lift from his parents’ faces.

Jacob’s dad shook Dr. Winthrop’s hand. “Thank you for taking care of Jacob.”

“You’re welcome. How’s the Mustang?”

Alex moved further into the room. “It’s not looking good.”

Dr. Winthrop nodded. “It did its job, then. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got other patients I need to see. Have a good day.”

After the doctor left, Jacob’s mom sat in a chair. “I’ve never been so thankful in my life. I thought our days of emergency room visits were over when Alex retired from bull riding.”

Molly listened to Jacob’s family as they talked about some of the other hospital visits they’d had to make. They were a family united by a bond as strong and sure as anything Molly had seen.

She thought about her gran and how much she would have enjoyed this family of cowboys and businessmen. And she thought about Jacob and how they might fit into each other’s world.

Jacob’s hand tightened on hers. He watched her with a worried frown on his face. It was a look that told her he knew where her thoughts were heading.

Molly knew they had a lot to work out. And some of those things could change their lives.

***

“Don’t be so stubborn.” Molly glared at Jacob. He’d been home for five days. In that time, he’d managed to annoy his entire family and make her hopping mad. “You can’t go chopping down a tree just because you’re bored.”

“I need wood for my fire. Where else am I going to get some?”

Molly crossed her arms in front of her chest. She didn’t move from in front of the door. “Did that accident of yours kill a few brain cells? You can’t use wood you’ve just chopped down on your fire. It takes months to dry out. And if it’s wood you need for next winter, you won’t be here. You’ll be tucked up in your smog infested concrete jungle, enjoying air-conditioned heat.”

“There’s nothing wrong with air-conditioned heat, and I’m being neighborly. At least the new owners will appreciate what I’ve done.”

Molly stood her ground. “You’ll not be going outside in this weather. It’s bitterly cold and close to snowing. There are plenty of companies that will deliver firewood to the new owners. All they have to do is pick up the phone and call them.”

“They shouldn’t have to pay for wood when they’ve got a forest surrounding them.”

“So let them sort it out.” Molly narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d sold this parcel of land, yet?”

Jacob walked slowly toward her. “I haven’t. I’m forward planning.”

Molly planted her feet. Jacob had a way of disrupting her thoughts, twisting her in knots, then getting his own way. He wouldn’t be so lucky this time. “I know your sore spots, Jacob Green. If you so much as try to open this door, I’ll jab you in the ribs.”