Love is Blind (12 page)

I laid my head on his shoulder. “I like it when
you’re nice like this,” I admitted.

He chuckled. “I kind of like having someone to
be nice to,” he replied.

My eyes were drawn back to the girls who were
about thirty feet away. They were still looking over here
occasionally, but they seemed disappointed now that I was here.
“Did you know you have some admirers?” I asked him.

He groaned. “How could I not know? They’ve been
standing there and giggling for the last ten minutes. They keep on
daring each other to come say hi to me.”

“Let me guess. You were scowling the whole
time, so they were all too afraid to actually do it.”

“Am I that predictable?”

“No, you’re just that cranky normally,” I
replied with a grin.

He shrugged. “Can’t argue with the truth, I
suppose.”

I shivered slightly as the breeze picked up. “I
think winter is about ready to make an actual appearance,” I
stated. The weather had been getting steadily colder over the past
week and a half.

Blake removed his arm and shrugged his jacket
off. He put it over my shoulders, then put his arm back around me.
“Better?”

I nodded, a little shocked. “Since when are you
a gentleman?”

“Since you’ve become one of the few people I
care about,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Aww, you care about me? That’s so cute!” I fake
gushed, while inside I was actually feeling all warm and fuzzy
because of his words.

I swear I could almost hear him roll his eyes.
“You sure know how to ruin these serious moments, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s a gift.”

We sat together and chatted for almost an
hour before he told me he’d walk me home. His admirers had left a
while ago, obviously losing any courage they might have had before
I showed up.

We walked back to my place in companionable
silence, Abby trotting along beside him. When we got to my place, I
invited him in for a bit so he could meet Jared, and he agreed. I
made us both some hot chocolate after texting Jared and we sat in
the kitchen waiting for him.

Liam surprised me by coming into the kitchen a
few minutes later. “Hey, I didn’t realize you were back from the
conference already.”

“I got back a few hours ago,” he replied, going
to the cupboard to grab a mug. He made himself a cup of hot
chocolate and then turned back to us. “I’m assuming that’s
Blake?”

“Yeah. Blake, this is my Uncle Liam, though he
hates it when I call him uncle.”

“Nice to meet you,” Blake said.

“You too. This is going to sound a little weird,
but I could actually use your help with something.”

Blake’s brows rose. “Help you?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if Hailey mentioned to you
that one of my companies actually creates technology to help people
with disabilities. I started it after the accident and I could use
your input on some of the things we’re in the process of
developing.”

“Wait, you’re Liam Michaels?”

It was Liam’s turn to raise his eyebrows.
“You’ve heard of me?”

“Yeah. I knew who you were before you started
the new company. My father is Robert Adams, though I don’t
necessarily like admitting that.”

Liam grimaced. “I’ve dealt with him a few
times when he was looking for support during elections. He is not a
very… pleasant individual.”

“He says the same about you, but that’s because
he’s pissed that you refused to support him. That automatically
made you one of my favourite people, though I’d never met you.”

“So does that mean you’ll help me?”

“Sure. I use one of your computer programs
already and I really like it.”

“Great, you can come by this weekend if you
want. I’ll run some stuff by you then.”

I shook my head in mild amazement. “Liam, you’ve
just gotten him to talk more to you in five minutes than he did in
the first two weeks I knew him.”

Liam grinned at me. “That’s because I’m a
wonderful person.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m surrounded by cocky
males,” I muttered.

Jared chose that moment to walk in. “Who’s
cocky?”

I introduced him to Blake and we spent the next
twenty minutes chatting before an alarm went off on Blake’s phone.
He got to his feet with a sigh. “I should get home. I’ll see you at
school tomorrow, Hales.”

“Do you want a ride home?”

Before he could answer, Jared interrupted. “I
can take him home. I know you’re probably dying to go play on the
piano.”

I smiled. “You know me so well,” I told him.

Blake frowned. “When do I get to hear you play?
You heard me.”

“Next time you come over, I’ll play for
you.”

He nodded. “Good.”

“I’ll be waiting in my truck out front when
you’re ready, Blake,” Jared told him, and then he walked back out
the front door.

I handed Blake the jacket that he had leant me
earlier. “Thanks for letting me borrow this.”

He took it from me. “No problem.” He whistled
for Abby, and a moment later, she appeared around the corner. He
put her harness on and then turned to me. “Have a good night.”

I stepped closer to him and wrapped my arms
around his waist. He seemed surprised at first, but then his arms
wound around me and he pulled me into a hug. I laid my head on his
chest for just a moment before pulling away. Butterflies were
fluttering around in my stomach and I silently cursed them. “I’ll
see you tomorrow.”

He gave me a breathtaking smile, and then went
out the door. I leaned against the wall after he left and blew out
a breath. Oh yeah, I was definitely falling for him.

Chapter fourteen

Over the next week, Blake came over twice
more and hung out with me as well as helped my uncle. I hung out
with Rachel and David over the weekend and had a lot of fun with
them. On Tuesday evening my phone beeped, signaling that I had a
text. I assumed it was from Blake, but when I checked the number, I
didn’t recognize it. I opened the message and when I read it, the
phone slipped out of my hands.

Baby, I need to talk to you. I miss you so much.
Love, Marcus

Jared glanced up from where he was sitting and
he jumped to his feet when he saw my face. He snatched my phone off
the floor and read the message. His face became a mask of fury when
he realized who it was from. “I’m going to go beat the hell out of
that little prick,” he snarled.

I moved to the couch and sat down with a thud. I
dropped my head into my hands and a moment later, I felt Jared sit
next to me. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him.
“Why does he think I would actually talk to him?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Hales. But I’ll deal with him, I
promise.”

I shut my eyes and leaned my head against him.
“No, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging
him. What I don’t understand is why he keeps changing his number so
he can get around having his number blocked.”

“I’ll talk to Liam in the morning. We may end up
having to change your number so that he can’t get in touch with you
anymore.”

I nodded. “I hate to do it, but you might be
right. I’m going to go to bed.” I got off the couch and walked to
the doorway. I went to my room and changed into my pajamas quickly.
Tonto watched me closely, obviously sensing that something was
wrong. I gave him a quick pat before climbing into my bed and
turning my lights off. Sleep found me quickly.

“
So Jake, have you met any new girls lately?”
I asked my brother.

He turned to grin at me. “Always, little
sister. No girl can resist my good looks.”

I rolled my eyes and looked him up and down.
His hair was the same color as mine, but he had gray eyes instead
of brown like me. He was tall and built, and he never lacked for
female companionship. “Whatever, I still think you were an idiot
for letting Amanda get away.”

His smile dimmed a little. “Yeah, maybe
you’re right,” he replied softly. “I actually went to a jewelry
store a few days ago to look at rings,” he admitted.

Before I could comment on that surprising
piece of news, my dad cursed from the driver’s seat. “WATCH OUT!”
my mom screamed.

My dad jerked on the steering wheel and then
the car was suddenly spinning wildly. I screamed when I saw the
tree we were heading for and a moment later, the car slammed into
it. The sounds of crunching metal and shattering glass filled my
ears, and then everything went deathly silent. “Mom, dad?” I called
out. No answer. “Jake?” I turned my head to look at him and saw
that he was unconscious.

My breath caught as I realized the severity
of what had just happened. My body started shaking and I was on the
verge of passing out when I heard the sounds of the sirens. I tried
to shift my position, but realized I couldn’t. It was only then
that I became aware of the excruciating pain in my back. A scream
ripped out of my throat as the paramedics approached the wreckage
that had been my dad’s car.

My eyes snapped open and I struggled desperately
to breathe. My throat was raw and I was covered in sweat. I tried
to wiggle out of the blankets, but I realized that I was unable to
move. Tears streamed down my face as I tried again to move my legs,
with no luck. My back felt like it was on fire and I whimpered.

The door to my bedroom burst open and I shifted
my eyes to it to see Liam standing there in only a pair of boxers.
He looked around the room wildly, although I’m not sure what he was
looking for. When he realized there was no danger, he turned his
eyes to me. As soon as he saw the state I was in, he rushed over to
me. “Hailey? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t move my legs,” I gasped.

Liam’s eyes widened and he immediately ran out
of the room, presumably to get Jared from the guest house. A minute
later they both came running back in. Jared crouched beside the
bed. “What happened?”

“Nightmare. Now my legs won’t move.”

Jared immediately pulled the blankets off of me
and ran his hands over my back, causing me to cry out in pain. I
heard Jared curse violently and he turned to my uncle. “Go get me
some of her compresses out of the freezer. Her whole back is
inflamed and it must be rubbing on some nerves, which is why she
can’t move her legs.”

I saw Liam nod and then he bolted out of the
room. I closed my eyes and concentrated on getting my breathing
under control.

Liam returned a minute later and handed the cold
packs to Jared. Jared then placed them on my back and I flinched
slightly at the temperature, my eyes opening. Once they were in
place, Jared pulled back a little so he could look at me. “It’s
going to be a really bad day for you, Hailey. I’m sorry.”

I nodded. “I know. Just please do something
about the pain,” I begged.

“Liam, can you get her some painkillers? There
should be some in her bathroom.”

After I had taken the pills, both guys sat on
the ground beside my bed. Tonto sat between them, his eyes never
leaving me. I knew he sensed that I was going to need him all day.
“What time is it?” I asked them.

“Just after five,” Liam answered.

“Why’d you come into my room?”

“I heard you screaming,” he said agitatedly.

“Sorry,” I murmured.

“It’s hardly your fault, Hales. What were you
dreaming about?” Jared asked.

“The crash. It was so clear, like it had
happened yesterday.”

Liam reached out and grabbed my hand. “What do
you think brought on the nightmare?”

I closed my eyes briefly. “Marcus sent me a text
last night. That must have brought it all back.”

Liam swore vividly and my eyes popped open. My
uncle almost never swore. “Is that dickhead still bothering you?”
he asked.

“Not really, but he apparently changed his
number or something so he could text me again. Jared said I might
have to change my number, so I’ll think about it.”

“Let me know what you decide,” Liam said.

My eyes started to drift shut again as the
painkillers slowly took effect. I heard Liam and Jared both stand
up and then each of them pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Send Tonto
when you wake up again. I’ll help you into your chair,” Liam
said.

I nodded and then allowed the darkness to
consume me.

When I woke up a few hours later, my back was
still on fire, but I was able to move my legs again, much to my
relief. I couldn’t move them much, but the fact that I could move
them at all was a good sign. I sent Tonto to get Liam and a couple
of minutes later, Liam and Jared came in with my wheelchair. I
glared at the thing hatefully, but I knew that I had no choice
today.

Jared helped me get up and into the chair and
then he backed away a few steps. “Do you want some breakfast?”

I shook my head. I was in no mood to eat. “I
just want to be left alone.”

Jared sighed. “Hailey, don’t do this,” he said
in a pleading tone.

I just turned my head away from him. I couldn’t
help that I felt this way every time I had to use the chair. “Just
go.” I waited until I was sure they were both gone before I let the
tears fall.

I was sitting in my room a few hours later,
since I refused to go to school when I was in a wheelchair. I was
staring out my window when I heard my door open. I assumed it was
Jared or Liam checking up on me, so I didn’t turn around.
“Hailey?”

I jerked up in my chair and quickly spun it
around so I could stare at Blake. “Blake? What are you doing here?
Shouldn’t you be at school?”

He took a few hesitant steps towards me. “Jared
called me.”

I swore under my breath. “I’m going to kick that
idiot in the ass one of these days.” I rolled my chair forward
until I was in front of him. “Why did you come?”

“You came to me when I was having a bad day. I
figured the least I could do is return the favor.”