But the somber look on Tomb’s face, she knew that the locked box in her mind had sprung open and was leaking fear at a fast pace.
Her legs refused to work, and she gripped the side of the doorframe.
“Just tell me he’s okay, Tomb. Give me that,” she said, as strong as she could muster, keeping her bones upright, waiting for the news she never wanted to hear.
Tomb reached her in a stride, and though she was standing on the step, he was still a foot taller, and she tilted her neck to look him in the eye.
Time seemed to stand still, yet her heart was going five times as fast.
And then he said the words. “He got into an accident, but he’s okay. Nothing’s broken.”
He was okay.
The best words in the world.
“Where is he? Which hospital? I’ll go right now.” She was already turning to grab her purse when Tomb’s hand pulled on her wrist gently, halting her.
“We’ve got him at the clubhouse; he wouldn’t stay at the hospital. But...”
Lisa frowned, still holding onto those words like an anchor: “He’s okay.”Feeling her knees shudder, she locked them in place and asked, “But what? Why are you hesitating, Tomb? Is Ryan really okay?”
“Physically, yes.”
“Okay then. I’ll go to the MC.”
She already clutched her jacket from the newel post and her stuff from the hallway table and was ready to head out, but Tomb’s massive frame blocked her way.
“Lisa. He sustained a head injury and has something called retrograde amnesia. It means...”
“I know what that means.” She frowned, processing his words. “Will you get out of my way now? I need to get to Ryan.”
Tomb followed Lisa to her car. She fumbled, trying to open the door, her shaking fingers, and he stepped up and opened it for her.
“He doesn’t remember the past two years.” He announced it in a quiet, sympathetic tone a doctor would use when delivering bad news to a family member.
“He’s alive,” Lisa stated, keeping it together with all her might. “That’s what matters.”
Tomb’s bike followed the entire way. Lisa didn’t even remember driving, which was worrying, but she reached the clubhouse compound unscathed and left the car parked. Striding to the door, she waited for Tomb to tap in the code.
She didn’t have to ask where Ryan was; he was sitting at the bar.
Axel was on one side, and his uncle was on the other.
The relief Lisa felt at seeing her tall man was something she’d never forget, and she exhaled in a great gust. She didn’t even know she’d swayed until Tomb grabbed her arm. “Steady, darling.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, but her eyes were on Ryan.
“Wait,” Tomb said. “Lisa, he... we already told him about you guys being back together, but he...”
“He doesn’t remember? Got it,” she answered automatically, emotion in her throat making her reply sound strained. He was not dead. It was the only thing that mattered here, she thought. She could handle anything else.
But it was so much worse than she could have prepared for, because as she got closer to Ryan, his uncle Vince saw her first, and he half-smiled, the same way Tomb looked at her, with sympathy on his face.
“Ryan,” she said, behind him, reaching out to touch his back; he swerved his head, and she met his gray eyes. But there was no love there, like normal, and it kind of sucked the air from her lungs.
Ryan openly, enthusiastically adored her without filters or restrictions. If it was five minutes or five hours since he’d seen her last, he would smile the same, big and excited, and his arms would be open for her to walk into.
“Oh shit,” he said, turning around on the stool. He scrubbed a hand through his messy hair, and her eyes tracked all over his face, looking for trauma, and saw nothing visible. “It really is you. I thought these guys were fucking with me because shit has fallen out of my head.”
