Riptide (Limitless Book 1) (8 page)

“Dad, knock it off! He’s not going anywhere until he’s goddamn good and ready. You and I both know you aren’t going to cancel his contract.” Phoenix knew the pictures were bad. What father wanted to see their daughter in such positions with any man? Still, this was her life. Her relationship with Hunter didn’t concern him.

“The hell I won’t. I’ve already contacted my attorney. He will be waiting for us at the office as soon as we get back.” He pointed to the man who’d captured her heart and made her feel so much more than she ever dreamed possible. “You are finished.”

“I’m not in breach of my contract.”

“Not yet, but you’ve been walking a thin line for months now. Pack your shit and get out. Aaron’s waiting to drive you to the airport.”

Hunter’s hand slid from her back, brushing the curve of her ass, and leaving nothing but cold emptiness in the absence of his touch. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“Hunter, I will drive you.” She glared at her father. “I have nothing more to say to you. When Hunter leaves, so do I. You can promote Lila to run the stateside offices. I’m done with you running my life.”

“Phoenix Olivia Nash, you remember who you’re speaking to. I’m still your father!”

“Yes you are, but I’m an adult and you can’t control who I fall in love with and who I don’t. If you go through with this, I’m gone.”

Phoenix took a step back and grabbed Hunter’s hand. This was it, the line in the sand.

“You can’t do this.” Her father stared at her, a look of panic and hurt on his face.

“I’m going to pack my things. Leave you to talk.” Hunter kissed her cheek, and whispered against her ear, “Thanks for standing up for me. Guess you really do love me after all. See you in a little bit.”

She nodded and when he left the room, she turned on her father. “What in the hell has gotten into you? Yes, you’re my dad and I love you more than you could possibly know, but this is unbelievable! I’m twenty-two years old. I’m not a baby anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. I was forced to grow up a long time ago. The sooner you realize that, the better we all will be.”

“Phoenix, sweetheart, I need you to stay here with me.”

“Why?” Tears streamed down her face. She was so mad at her father she couldn’t bear looking at him, but she forced herself to wipe away the tears, raise her head, and meet his gaze dead on. A look of fear and utter helplessness set in her father’s eyes. She hadn’t seen that look since she was nine and had hoped to never see it again, but this was her life and nothing he could say would keep her from Hunter.

“As you’ve noticed, I haven’t been feeling well. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure, but you aren’t leaving me much choice and to be honest, keeping this from you is not working out well for either of us. They found a mass. They’ve done a biopsy and are testing it for cancer.”

She was wrong. There was something that could keep her at his side and he knew it. His trump card. Right now, she hated him. “Dad, you’re an asshole.”

“I know and selfish to boot. But I wanted to have a definitive diagnosis before saying anything and I wanted to ensure that the company could survive without me at the helm, if for some reason, they found something and it was in advance stages.”

Phoenix took a deep breath, then walked over to him and gave him a hug. When she released him, she held onto his hand and looked up into his eyes. “I’m sorry that you’re not feeling well and that you didn’t feel comfortable enough to share that news with me, so I could be there for you from the start. In the last twenty minutes, you’ve destroyed everything I’ve ever cared about: my relationship with Hunter, my love for your company and what it represents, and the trust once shared between a father and daughter. Honestly, Dad, right now I don’t want to even be in the same room with you.”

***

H
unter heard the front door close. He had very little to pack and he’d grabbed his things and left them by the front door of the main house. All he needed to do was find Phoenix, and talk to her about what she’d told her father. There was nothing he wanted more than to have her at his side, but he knew the relationship with her father would be permanently damaged. He didn’t know if she realized that in the heat of the moment and he needed her to think it through. No matter what, he would stand by her decision. He sought Phoenix out, but when he’d heard her father’s voice, he didn’t want to make the situation worse and opted to take one last walk down to the beach. He picked up a small piece of driftwood.

“Hunter...” Her voice soft. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He dropped the piece of wood and turned to her. “None of this is your fault and our relationship would’ve come out eventually.”

“But you were right; we should’ve told him sooner. Maybe we could’ve avoided all of this.” She crossed her arms over her stomach, a look of distress lining her features. He wished he could erase the last past forty minutes of the day by making love to her. Now nowhere seemed safe to explore their relationship. The pictures proved that.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Wondering where the pictures came from and how violated I feel.”

“Angel, I understand and feel the same way, but those photos...they represent an amazing connection between two people. Yes, those moments were private, and while it was a complete violation of our privacy, I love you and it will take a lot more than what happened in there to change that.” He drew her into his arms. “But your dad...he doesn’t see it the same way. I don’t want to be responsible for taking away the last person that keeps him sane.”

“I’m a grown woman and make my own decisions. Thought you would’ve figured that out by now.”

“I do, and trust me, I’m not going anywhere. Just want you to think about what being with me means for you and the relationship you have with your dad. Considering he’s as stubborn as you are, it could take some time for him to come around.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“He will, eventually.”  He had little doubt Colton Nash would do whatever he needed to in order to get his daughter back in his good graces, but until then the emotional damage Phoenix would suffer would be unmeasurable. “My real concern is, will you?”

“P
hoenix, you’ve had your fun and proven your point. But if you keep this up, Hunter will lose everything. I will pull his contact and Limitless will no longer represent him.” Her father leaned back from the camera.

“He doesn’t care. For once, why can’t you just be happy for me? Believe that love is sometimes more powerful than anything else?”

“If you truly believe that, then you need to say goodbye. Come home. Let him ride on Saturday and do what he’s always dreamed of.”

“You are seriously threatening his career?”

“No. You are by continuing this.” He grimaced as he shifted in his seat and she felt her chest tighten. Part of her desperately wanted to be cold, but Hunter was right, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she shut her dad out of her life. Especially while they waited for news from the doctor. She was pissed, but she couldn’t walk out on him like her mother had.

Her dad watched her through the camera. “Don’t look at me like that. There’s nothing wrong other than your sudden need to butt heads with me on this. For men like Hunter and I, regret is the one thing that can destroy us.”

“Do you have regrets, Dad?”

“More and more every day. Look, princess, if he doesn’t see his dream through, it will eat at him, and in the end, he will blame you.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because it’s the only way I can secure this company and your financial future.”

“I don’t give a shit about money.”

“You will when I’m gone and that time is coming sooner than either of us would like.” He sighed. “Look, just come home.”

“In a few days.” She knew she would have to go home to see her dad. To be there for him. He only had her. But right now, her head was a mess. She couldn’t think straight and she needed to know what in the hell she was doing with Hunter. Yes, they said they loved each other, but was this thing with them permanent? Her dad would never approve. She could only stand her ground for so long with him. Sooner or later, she would have to decide if she could willingly give up everything for a man who totally gets her and rocks her world. Could she walk out on her dad, the only family she had?

The only place she’d ever been able to find and make peace with her churning emotions was the ocean. It was where she needed to be to sort through the tangled emotions. She grabbed her board and hit the waves. Both Hunter’s and her father’s voices rang through her head, chastising her for surfing alone. Her dad told her that one day, something would happen and he would get notified that his daughter was lost to him. It was why he always had Aaron on standby when she was in Hawaii. This time, though, she was fairly certain it was just her and the ocean.

She dropped in on the face of the wave and found her rhythm quickly. Once she located the sweet spot, she dropped back into the tube. This was what it was all about. Being one with the ocean. She could see the shadows of figures swimming behind the wave. The pod of dolphins playfully jumped through the waves and she laughed. So focused on the playfulness of the animals in front of her, she failed to bail out of the wave on time and lost her footing on her board. She wiped out and her leash got caught up on the reef. She couldn’t keep her head above water long enough to catch air. The waves just pounded her back under. She struggled and felt herself losing the battle. One last push for air. Her energy faded. Faster than she’d ever felt exhaustion take hold of her before. Slowly, her strength leaving her, the fight in her almost gone, but she wasn’t going to go down like this. She pushed up toward the surface again, and was sucked back down by the churning water. Disoriented, she fought to find the way up and lost consciousness as her head connected with the reef.

***

“A
ngel, open your eyes.”

No response. Hunter checked her pulse, could see the rise and fall of her chest. When he saw her go in and she didn’t come up right away, he didn’t hesitate to fight the waves to get to her. Now he hoped he’d been fast enough for her to be safe. He got her to shore and called an ambulance. Then he made the call he hoped he’d never have to make.

The phone rang once and Nash answered. “What do you want, Hunter? I have nothing more to say to you right now.”

“Phoenix is on her way to the hospital. You need to get back here as soon as possible.”

“What happened? If you hurt her, so help me god—”

“No disrespect, Mr. Nash, but shut the fuck up, and for once in your life, listen.” Hunter took a deep breath. “She wiped out on the reef. I pulled her out, but she is unconscious. The ambulance is here. See you at the hospital.”

Hunter hung up without waiting for a response. The emergency personnel began their onslaught of questions as they secured Phoenix into the ambulance.

The gash on her forehead wouldn’t stop bleeding and one of the EMTs put pressure on it while he tried to stabilize her in the back of the vehicle. “Let’s get her out of here.”

The vehicle started moving and Phoenix’s eyes fluttered open for a moment. “Don’t let me go, Hunter.”

“Never.” He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Okay.” Her eyes shut again.

The ride seemed to take too long as they raced around the corners. This was just a bump on the head. She would be fine. Then he would give his life to her.

He watched as they wheeled her back, then sank down into the seat in the emergency room waiting area. This was hell, but she was still with him. That was all that mattered. An hour passed and each tick off the clock agonizing. He paced back and forth, then sat, then went back to the nurses’ station to ask for an update. Rinse and repeat.

“Are you Mr. Sullivan? The gentleman that brought in Miss Nash?”

Hunter turned to face a man wearing scrubs. “I am.”

“And I’m her father.”

Hunter practically gave himself whiplash at the sound of the hostile voice behind him.

“Oh good. Mr. Sullivan said you were on your way. She’s stable but not awake yet. We’ve cleaned up the wound on her head, stitched it closed. Just need to keep her here for observation. She’s a little groggy, but she’s asked to see the both of you. Follow me.”

Colton, obviously hating the fact that his daughter wasn’t asking to see him alone, stepped in front of him and Hunter bit his tongue on the many things that popped into his head. This was not the time or place to have it out with her father.

They entered the room and Hunter waited as Colton moved toward the hospital bed and kissed Phoenix on the cheek. “Hey, there. It’s not supposed to go down like this, remember? Surfing alone is stupid. I’ve taught you that since you were a baby.”

“I remember, Dad. But if you don’t listen, why should I? Where’s Hunter?”

“I’m here, angel.” He stepped over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Have to agree with your dad. That whole surfing alone business—I’d highly advise against it in the future.”

“Yeah. Not the smartest thing I’ve done. But I will have this wicked scar on my head and an amazing story to tell our baby.”

“Our what?” Hunter wasn’t sure he heard her right.

“Yeah, would you mind repeating that?” Her father’s face flushed with anger.

“You both heard me. I’m pregnant.” Phoenix smiled, then winced slightly. “It’s still early. The doctor says everything looks good. They are guessing I’m about four weeks along. They have an obstetrician coming by shortly. Numbers will be a little firmer after that. But the heartbeat is strong.” She looked at him with fear in her eyes.

Phoenix was carrying his baby.

“A little baby surfer in the making.” He bent down and kissed her gently. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

The doctor smiled. “Well, I hate to break up the party, but my patient needs some rest.”

“Call me when you wake up.” He gave her another kiss. “I’ll be by tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“Definitely.” No sooner had Hunter stepped out of the room, Colton Nash sent his fist right into Hunter’s jaw. Hunter hit the ground, hard. People gathered and held Colton.