Burn(153)
“We all know it’s my fault,” Gabe said grimly. “If I’d taken care of the asshole the first time, we wouldn’t be standing here and Josie wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed.”
Ash wasn’t going to refute that. If it had been him and the situation with Mia had happened to Josie, Ash would have taken care of the issue then and there. But assigning blame did none of them any good. Gabe was kicking himself enough without Ash and Jace piling more on.
Jace sent Gabe a dark look that said he still hadn’t forgiven the other man for what had gone down in Paris and then afterward when Charles had tried to blackmail Mia. But Jace remained silent, his lips pressed together in a tight line.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s been taken care of,” Ash said. “There are other more important things right now.”
Jace shot a worried look in Ash’s direction but Ash ignored it. He wasn’t about to get into specifics in front of Mia and Bethany. They had enough to deal with as it was.
“I have a lot of making up to do with Josie,” Ash continued. “Apart from the fact that she’s lying in a hospital bed in horrific pain, there’s also the issue of the paintings I bought. I hurt her by doing that and keeping it from her. I need your help.”
“You know we’ll do anything,” Bethany said.
Ash squeezed her to him, his arm still wrapped around her. “Thanks, sweetheart. That means a lot.”
“What do you need us to do?” Gabe asked.
“I want to arrange an art show for her and I want to go all out. I need you to call in every favor owed you to make this huge. We can use the ballroom at the Bentley for the showing. Make sure everyone who is anyone is invited and that the show is hyped as the must-attend event of the year. Politicians, celebrities, the whole nine yards. I want Josie to have a venue where her art will shine and prove to her that she has incredible talent. She just needs the right exposure.”
“Okay, when?” Jace asked.
“It will have to be in a couple of months. I want to make sure that Josie is recovered enough to enjoy her big night. The last thing she’d want is to show up to her own event with bruises and a cast. But we need to start working on it now so everything goes off without a hitch.”
“You got it,” Gabe said.
“Thanks,” Ash murmured. “Means a lot you always having my back.”
Mia moved from Gabe’s hold and hugged Ash fiercely. “We love you, Ash. And we love Josie too. We’ll be happy to help. Just let us know if you need anything else.”
Ash’s lips curved into a half smile. “As a matter of fact there is.”
“Name it,” Bethany said.
“Need you to stay here in case Josie wakes up again. I have a ring to buy.”
Mia’s and Bethany’s delighted smiles warmed his heart. He squeezed both women to him and dropped kisses on their temples.
And then he went to Tiffany’s to buy Josie’s ring.
chapter thirty-five
Josie managed to sit up in bed propped on several pillows, no small feat considering the pain in her ribs. But after several days and a move from ICU to a step-down unit and finally to the floor, she was able to sit up and actually move some. More importantly, she was able to eat!
Not that they’d busted out the real food or even something remotely palatable, but she’d been so hungry she had fallen on the jello and pudding like it was manna from heaven.
Ash had gone out to meet Gabe, Jace, Mia, Bethany and even Brittany and he was bringing them all in to visit with her. She was extremely self-conscious about the fact she looked terrible. But she was so anxious to have company she didn’t care. All the makeup in the world wouldn’t hide her face, but hopefully the bruising would heal quickly.