Page 90 of Austin

Edward covers his mouth and takes a deep breath.

“He’s coming out of surgery now. He’ll be in recovery, and then we’ll move him to a private suite. He’s going to be out of it for a while, so we need to keep things calm around him and not get him too excited. I’ll come get you when he’s ready.”

“Thank you,” Edward says.

“It’s my pleasure,” the doctor replies before turning and leaving us alone again.

When the door closes, Edward continues to stand there for a few beats more. His eyes are like glass as he stares at the door the doctor just left through.

“Let’s go,” he says, not turning to face any of us.

Missy rises, clutching her long trench coat and glaring at me in the process.

I look up at them, confused. “Where are you going?”

“We’re leaving,” he states.

I rise. “What about all that talk about being concerned whether your son is dead or alive? He’s gonna make it. Aren’t you happy?”

Edward stops, angles his head, and looks down at me. He blinks a few times before speaking, “Austin never brought a woman to dinner before. I was surprised until you made your little speech, and it all made sense. You remind me of his mother. I mean that as a compliment.”

I glance at him. I’m sure I look awful, red-faced, with makeup everywhere and tears staining my face. Still, I know my face of worry is better than the face he is making right now. The face of indignation.

“That’s why I’m telling you this only once. This is Austin’s last chance. One more screwup, and I won’t hesitate to take every share away from him and do what I feel like doing with that company. He’d better not do as little as jaywalk, or I will make his life a living hell.” He points a finger toward my face. “You got that?”

Gregg pops up behind me. “She heard you.”

I hold a hand up to Gregg. “It’s okay, Gregg. I got this.” Gregg backs off a little as I step closer to Edward and speak quietly, “I’ll tell him, Mr. Sexton. I’ll let Austin know you were here. I’ll also let him know his father was sick with worry. You’re so busy with trying to take from him that you almost forgot how much he has to give. Maybe, the next time you think about screwing over your son, you should remember how scared you were of losing him.”

Missy places her hands on Edward’s shoulders and guides him forward. “Let’s go home, darling. Our night has been disrupted enough. And you,” she speaks toward me, “fraternizing with your boss is against company policy.”

I smile. “Technically, he’s my boss’s brother.”

Her nostrils flare, and she walks out of the waiting room with Edward in tow.

When they’re gone, I fall back to my seat and feel the relief of having them gone and knowing that Austin is out of surgery. I lay my head on Eva’s lap, close my eyes, and fall asleep.

22

AUSTIN

There’s an interesting thing that happens when you wake up from just having crashed your girlfriend’s brother’s car while driving one hundred miles per hour.

Your head hurts like a motherfucker.

“Ugh,” I groan as I try to lift my head, which feels like it weighs a million pounds. When it hits the pillow, my eyes immediately close. The effort to move my head just wiped me of every ounce of energy in my body.

When I open my eyes again, it’s to the last thing I ever thought I’d open my eyes to—Beckett Smith sitting at my bedside.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask with a parched mouth.

He gives a wary smile. “Jalynn’s sleeping in the waiting room, and no one has the heart to wake her. I thought I’d sneak in here and say thank you.”

I know the nurse in recovery gave me some strong painkillers, but I’m thinking they might have been hallucinogens. “For what?”

“Being a man my sister finds worthy of saving.”

I smile, and it hurts my face a little. “Maybe that explains why I’m here in a hospital and not in county lockup. I vaguely remember Jalynn trying to pull me out.”