The Wright Brother(81)

“I was just trying to tell her the truth. You’re the one who was a raving jackass,” Vanessa spat.

“The truth. Right,” I said sarcastically. “You were trying to break us up. Even though you were, I am sorry that I spoke to you the way that I did.” I had been harsh in the moment. Normally I never would have spoken to her that way, but after seeing Emery’s reaction, I’d lost it. “I didn’t come here to argue with you about last night. I wanted you to understand where I’m coming from.”

“Oh, I understand where you’re coming from,” she spat. “You’re thinking with your dick.”

“I can’t handle this Vanessa. I’m tired of arguing. I apologized for how I treated you, but you can’t dictate who Colton meets. Emery is in my life, and Colton is my life.”

I turned and opened the door to go back out to see my son. I knew that I needed to talk to Emery about again. I wanted to make things right and get us on the same page.

“I’ll tell Marc,” Vanessa spat.

I shook my head. I’d heard that one before. “Empty threats, Vanessa.”

“They’re not empty threats,” she spat. “I will tell him.

“I don’t believe you. If you think meeting Emery isn’t in his best interest, then I have no idea how you could think Marc would be either.”

Then I strode away from her. After kissing Colton good-bye and promising to come back later, I left the hotel and went to go see Emery. We had some catching up to do.





Thirty-Two



Emery


Kimber’s contractions went on forever with no end in sight. By the next morning, I was worn out and had barely slept. I couldn’t even imagine what Kimber was feeling.

Luckily, she had finally managed to get some sleep, which was my chance to find the Starbucks downstairs and drink the entire store dry. I let Noah go first though. He’d been there longer than me, and I knew he needed to eat something even if he claimed he wasn’t hungry. As a doctor, he was used to the weird hours, but he needed to be Kimber’s rock. I’d take care of him for her.

While Noah was gone, my phone pinged. Heidi and I had been texting on and off all night. I swiped my phone and checked the screen, expecting another text from Heidi about the guy she had hit on all last night. But, instead, it was a message from Jensen.

Coffee and doughnuts?

It was as if he had read my mind. I wanted those things so bad. My stomach grumbled. But did I want the added struggle of Jensen right now when I was sleep-deprived?

He texted me again.

It’s just coffee and doughnuts. We don’t have to talk if you don’t want, but I thought you could use some sustenance.

Noah walked back in the door at that time with his own cup of coffee. “Hey, I saw Jensen downstairs. I think he’s waiting for you. So, you can go ahead. I’ll take watch.”

I ground my teeth. Of course he had presumed to show up without checking with me first.

You’re already here?

Guilty.

Fine. I’ll be down. But I’m not a person right now.

I left Noah to watch over Kimber and then headed back down to the first floor. My stomach noisily growled again. I couldn’t remember what I’d last had to eat. A candy bar or something in the middle of the night. I’d been so shaken, and I hadn’t even realized it until I’d gone to find something to help me power through the wee hours of the night.

Jensen was waiting in the lobby, holding two coffees and a bag of doughnuts. He looked…beat. He probably hadn’t slept all night either. And this was the first time I’d ever seen him with stubble. Jensen and clean-shaven went hand in hand. But, fuck, it was definitely sexy on him. Like I wouldn’t mind finding out exactly how he could use that in the bedroom. I was sure it would leave a trail of wonderful marks up my inner thighs.

Damn sleep-deprived brain was yelling at me, Sex, sex, sex.

I shook my head and tried to put everything back in perspective. I was standing on quicksand. If I kept struggling, I’d be swallowed up even faster. But, if I stayed still, maybe, just maybe Jensen could pull me back out.

“Rough night?” I asked when I approached him.

He grimaced slightly at the comment. “You could say that.”

“Yeah. Me, too.”

Jensen passed me the coffee, and we moved to a table inside Starbucks, which was blissfully quiet at such an early hour.

“Noah said that you’re going to be here for a while longer.”

“Looks like it.”

I reached into the bag and smiled when I saw an apple fritter and a cinnamon twist inside. My two favorite doughnuts.

“Thanks for these.”

“I thought that you might be hungry.”