Finding Forever (Living Again #4) (8 page)

“Lacey,” a voice came from behind her. She turned, seeing Chloe hurriedly walking, a smile on her face. She had gotten to be friends with Chloe since she started working there a few months ago. She was a few years younger than her, and married with a two year old little girl.

“Hey Chloe, what’s up,” Lacey answered, opening her desk drawer and putting her purse inside. “Sorry if I’m late. I lost track of time…”

“I bet you did,” Chloe interrupted. “I would too if I went to lunch with
the
Brant Tucker and he whispered sweet nothings in my ear.”

Lacey’s mouth dropped open. Oh God. She had seen her. She knew her face was probably a million shades of red at that moment. “W-what?”

Chloe grinned, obviously enjoying Lacey’s discomfort. “I was at the deli getting a sandwich when I saw him whispering in your ear. You were so involved you didn’t even see me. That was super hot, by the way.”

Lacey breathed a sigh of relief. Chloe was the only one that had seen them. What was she thinking? She couldn’t get involved with him. She was a doctor, a professional, not a teenager.

“Stop freaking out,” Chloe said. “I’m just giving you a hard time. He’s one of the most eligible bachelors of Nashville, and I’m just jealous as hell that he wants you.”

“He doesn’t want me. It was just lunch to thank me for helping Max.” And what was dinner? She pushed the thought away. “And eligible bachelors?” Lacey felt like the world was spinning.

Chloe gave her a ‘look’. “Yeah, you know every year they run that silly article in the newspaper about Nashville’s hottest men? He was number one this year.” Lacey had no idea what she was talking about; she had no time for articles or television.

“I think it’s great,” Chloe babbled, sensing her unease. “I’m just teasing you, Lace.”

“I know,” Lacey said, forcing a smile on her face. “It’s nothing, though, really. He’s a nice guy but I’m not interested.”

Chloe looked at her like she lost her mind. “Not
interested?
What’s wrong with you? Are you blind?”

She shrugged on her white coat and checked her schedule, avoiding Chloe’s penetrative gaze. “I have to run, Chloe.” She left the room, leaving an open-mouthed Chloe staring after her.

Lacey walked around the corner away from Chloe and pressed her back against the wall, closing her eyes. Tears threatened behind her eyes, and she fought to keep them at bay. She had to keep him at arm’s length. This couldn’t happen. She knew she had to find a way to not go to dinner at his house tonight. The more she put herself in his path, the more likely it would be that she got hurt.

Brant carried in the bags from the store, whistling to himself. He couldn’t say he’d been this excited about something in quite a while. He knew that when they were at the deli, something happened and Lacey shut part of herself off. He hated to think that it was because he was a model, because she didn’t seem like that type of girl. But he thought possibly he had broken down that wall she constructed during lunch. After all, she had given him her phone number and agreed to come over for dinner. But he could almost see the war going on inside her. He was up for the challenge, because he thought she just might be worth it.

Putting the ingredients for dinner in the refrigerator, he thought back to the look on her face after he had whispered in her ear. She almost looked like she wanted him to kiss her, and he had wanted to… badly. But he didn’t feel like it was the place, and that she wouldn’t respect him for doing that so soon. And he wanted her to respect him. Seeing her big blue eyes, staring back at him, her breath ragged and her body betraying her, it had just about done him in.

He didn’t know what in particular it was about her. Maybe it was the casual innocence she exuded, or the slight edge she had because she had lived through so much pain. Or possibly it was her determination, her drive. All he knew is that it was so much more than just being a pretty face. A gorgeous face. She put many of the models he worked with to shame.

He couldn’t wait to get Max back. He knew he wouldn’t be bounding in the kitchen for scraps, or chasing birds in the backyard. But, he was still alive. His phone shrilled from the counter, and he hoped it was Lacey. But it wasn’t.

“Mom,” Brant said into the phone. He hadn’t talked to either of his parents in quite a few weeks, and any time his dad wanted something from him, he had her call. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his mother. She was, and always had been, a loving mother. It was just that she refused to stand up to her husband where Brant was concerned. He detested the spineless part of her, and wished that someday she would tell his father what she really thought. He never wanted that in a partner, someone who thought they had to agree with him on everything.

“Brant!” The tone of her voice made Brant stop what he was doing and wait for her to continue. The other thing about his mother was that she hardly ever got rattled about anything. Her voice was always annoyingly passive and sweet. “I need your help!”

“Mom,” Brant said, worry settling in his gut. “What’s going on?”

“It’s your dad,” she strangled out, her voice tight. “They’re taking him by ambulance to the hospital. I’m going to ride with them. Can you call your sisters and then meet me there?”

“What happened?” Brant asked, already throwing everything else in the refrigerator and grabbing his keys. He and his dad might have their differences, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to stand by while he was suffering.

“I’m not sure. He was out in the fields, then Jack was running up to the house, screaming about calling 9-1-1. He’s lost a lot of blood, I don’t even know where it all was coming from. I think his arm, maybe his chest…”

Shit. This didn’t sound good at all. His dad worked with heavy machinery and wild animals all day. It could be either of those or a combination. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. “Mom, take a deep breath. Is Jack still there?” When she didn’t answer, having already hung up, he ran for the truck, dialing his sisters as he went. They were a few hours away, but at least they could get there.

Brant paced the waiting room, waiting for any word on what had happened and if his father was going to be okay. His mom was huddled in the corner, where she had been for the last two hours. His sisters should be there any time. When he had arrived, his dad had already been in emergency surgery, and they hadn’t heard anything since.

When his phone vibrated, he thought it must be his sisters, announcing their arrival. But it was Lacey. In the whirlwind of the last two hours, he had forgotten to call her. He felt terrible, but there was no way he was getting Max or having dinner with her tonight. Shit.

“Lacey,” Brant said quietly, walking down the hallway. “I’m so sorry.”

“Brant? What happened?”

“There’s no way I’m going to be able to get Max tonight. Do you think it’s okay if he stays at the office one more night?”

“Of course. Are you okay?”

Brant filled her in on what happened. “I’m sorry I’m not going to be able to have dinner tonight. Rain check?”

“Don’t worry about me at all,” she responded. “Family first. Is he going to be okay?”

“We don’t know. He’s been in surgery since they brought him in. The waiting is killing me. I still don’t even know what exactly happened to him, only that he was injured on his property.”

“I’ll tell Max you’ll be there tomorrow,” she said, and he smiled. He loved animal people. Other people would look at you like you were crazy, but to him, Max was like a child.

“Thank you, Lacey. Tell Dr. Jenkins sorry I couldn’t get him. Max is doing okay?”

“He’s great,” she said. “He’s been sleeping a lot, which is to be expected with the medicine. I gave him a bit of soft food earlier and he’s tolerated that well. He’s going to be fine here.”

Brant turned and saw his sisters running down the hallway towards him. “I have to go,” he said to Lacey. “My sisters are here.” He disconnected the call just as Brooke and Heather reached him, both of them falling into his arms and dissolving into tears.

He couldn’t tell them that it was going to be okay, because he didn’t know that. So he just held them, using each of his hands to rub both of their backs, fighting the tears that threatened behind his eyes. He didn’t cry. Never had since the day his dad spanked him for crying over his dog dying when he was ten.
Real men don’t cry
, he had told him.
You’re a Tucker. Act like it
.

Finally, they pulled back, their identical green eyes, their mom’s eyes, red-rimmed. Both of them had their blonde hair pulled back into ponytails. An outsider would never tell them apart, but he knew that Heather had a little birthmark behind her ear, and Brooke had a certain gleam in her eye that set her apart from her sister. He had always been very close to them, especially over the last few years. While they still relied on their parents for college so they didn’t make waves with them, he knew that they supported and loved him.

“Let’s go in,” he said, indicating the waiting room. “I’m sure Mom will want to see you.”

When they walked into the room, it was the first time since they had arrived he had seen his mother move from the corner chair. She embraced her daughters, the three of them crying in each other’s arms. For a moment, he felt like an outsider, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it, because the doctor came into the room.

“Tucker family?” Brant scanned the doctor’s face, trying to predict what he was about to say. Was it good news?

“That’s us,” Brant answered, indicating the four of them. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Robert was lucky that he got here when he did. He had such a deep laceration to his arm that had he waited any longer, he would’ve bled out. He needed a couple bags of blood while we were in the operating room. We went in and cleaned it out and stitched it up. Unfortunately, while he was on the table, he had a heart attack and he flat lined for a few minutes.”

Brant’s mom gasped, and he reached out his hand to steady her. “Is he going to make it?”

The doctor looked back and forth between them. “We got him back, but we had to open his chest. He’s going to be in surgery for a few more hours. After that, the first day will tell us a lot. Since we have the threat of infection in his arm, plus the added complication of open heart surgery, there’s no way to really predict.”

Brant couldn’t believe it. His father had always been the epitome of health. Now here he was at the age of fifty-two, fighting for his life. “Thank you, doctor.”

The doctor looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry. It was better that the heart attack happened while he was here, honestly. Had he been at home, he might not have survived the trip to the hospital. We’ll keep you updated, but it will still be several more hours. I need to get back.” With that, he smiled wanly at them and walked back out of the room, leaving them all staring at each other in shocked silence.

Brant jerked awake, his body aching from falling asleep in a chair. What time was it? He blinked his eyes. Midnight. He looked over at his sisters, huddled on either side of his mom, all of them passed out from exhaustion. He couldn’t believe they still hadn’t heard anything about his dad.