“Here, have some coffee,” said Jane. “It might help.”
He took it gratefully and sipped the strong dark brew. It didn’t do much to warm his cold inside, but it was nice to hold onto something so he wouldn’t tear out his hair. “She’s pregnant, you know,” he said.
“Did they say anything about the baby?” Ceinlys said, her voice thin. Her face was pinched and pale, and her lipstick had worn off, leaving her lips bare and grayish pink.
“No.” Justin forced his hands to relax around the coffee cup. He’d give anything to keep her and their baby safe. But his mind whispered money wouldn’t be able to solve this problem. It hadn’t been a lack of money that had killed his father. Just a careless teenage driver who was too busy fooling with his new GPS to pay attention to what he was doing. The kid had survived, but Justin’s father hadn’t.
Justin rose, unable to sit still anymore while morbid possibilities swirled in his mind. This wasn’t like him. He never obsessed about all the what ifs. That was one of the biggest reasons why Barron had decided to groom him as his heir.
“Lemme know if you hear anything,” Justin said. “I need to—”
Iain stood. “I’ll go with you.”
Justin nodded, and they walked along the linoleum-covered hall together, their shoes clicking. Another group of harried looking staff rushed past them, and Justin paused and stared at their disappearing backs. Were they going that way because Vanessa was getting worse?
“She should be okay,” Iain said. “She’s a fighter.”
“She was bloody. Soaked in it.” Justin realized his hands were shaking, and he clenched them.
“I’m telling you, that can be anything. Maybe she cut herself during the accident. She needs you to be strong.”
“We were arguing when she got hit.”
They resumed walking.
“Do you love her?” Iain asked quietly, then raised a hand. “No, don’t tell me. But if the answer isn’t a hundred percent yes, let her go. Don’t end up like my parents. They have a fucked-up marriage, no other way to say it. Big waste of a couple of lives. They could’ve been happier if they hadn’t stayed together for the kids.” He blew out a breath. “Joint custody, right? What I’m saying is, you don’t have to lose the child just because you aren’t married to Vanessa.”
“Your parents really did a number on you guys, didn’t they?”
“They probably did what they thought was best. But it wasn’t always comfortable. And yeah, I’m sure it had something to do with the way we are. Everyone’s shaped by their parents.”
Justin said nothing. He knew all about Iain’s issues with his parents. All of the Pryce siblings had gone to extreme lengths to be a certain way. Mark had been a notorious playboy until he got engaged, Iain had been far too controlled, Shane had committed himself to a girl too soon only to drag his feet about the wedding and disappear, and Dane was an insensitive asshole. And Vanessa…she had married her career—like it was going to fill the void in her heart—and distanced herself from everything.
Just because she’d been raised in moneyed luxury didn’t mean she had the same advantages he did. She hadn’t had his stable family life and upbringing. He should have been more understanding. She was his wife.
And he loved her.
The awful things he’d said to her haunted him. His meeting Peggy like that had undoubtedly looked suspicious to Vanessa. He shook his head, angry at himself. I should’ve told her about Pattington’s report first, discussed what I was planning to do. Gotten her input, instead of being high-handed and expecting her to accept my decisions. He’d thought their marriage was doomed because she wouldn’t carry her weight, but it was his autocratic nature that was killing it.
* * *
Vanessa opened her eyes. The walls in her room were white…with scuff marks…and the air smelled of disinfectant underneath the heady scent of fresh flowers. Machines beeped and pinged, and the metal frame bed was…narrow.
She didn’t hurt all over anymore. What kind of medicine had they used? What about her baby?
A nurse came in and smiled at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Not in pain.” Vanessa licked her dry lips. She wanted to ask about Justin—had he come by? But instead she asked, “Is my baby okay?”
“Yes. Your baby’s fine. You sprained your wrist, and there were quite a few minor cuts—nothing serious—plus a blow to the head that gave you a heck of a nose-bleed. Basically, you’re banged up and you’re going to have raccoon eyes for a week or so, but you’re fine. We checked everything thoroughly.”