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“Hey, Merry Christmas.” She blinked, and her eyes widened, one hand flying to her mouth as she gasped.
Declan’s heart hammered in his chest. Something waswrong.
“No—I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She glanced around, her eyes darting everywhere as she turned in a full circle. “I don’t know, Greg, but I’ll figure it out.”
She ended the call and swallowed hard. Declan placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.
“What’s happened?” He worked to keep his voice calm, but he needed answers. Her distress made his heart pound hard in his chest.
“Addy’s hurt. She fell—cut her eye open—they’re on the way to hospital. Sheneedsme.” She spun toward the mudroom, forcing his hand away, blinked, and then spun back. “I don’t have my car. I’ll have to get an Uber.” She blew a frustrated breath out.
Declan didn’t want to examine his burning need to fix everything for her. Hell, at this moment, he’d trade his throwing arm to make sure Addy, a child he’d never met, was okay.
“Take my truck.”
Natalie’s expression was blank, her focus on something far away.
“I need my stuff.” She turned and headed for the stairs.
Would she be okay to drive?
“Addy cut her eye? Can she notseeanymore?” Chris’s distraught voice drew Declan’s attention. And although he wanted to run after Natalie, Chris needed his reassurance.
“I don’t know, bud, but I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Declan moved in and gave his son a quick squeeze.
“She’s probably scared.” Chris pulled back. “I would be scared if it was my eye. Are you going to make sure Natalie gets there?”
“Yeah, give me a minute. I’m going to check on her.”
He took the stairs two at a time and stood inside the doorway, watching her throw things haphazardly into her bag. Strange how the last time she’d done this, he had wanted her out of his hair. Now her leaving, even though sheneededto go, ripped a hole in his chest. Maybe they should all go together…
She paused and lifted her hands to her face. Her breathing hitched and Declan’s heart hurt.
“Come here.” Arms wide, he coaxed her closer, and she stepped into his embrace, collapsing against his chest. He rubbed his hands up and down her back before kissing the top of her head. “Are you okay to drive? I can throw Chris in the truck and take you.”
She took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. “No, please don’t ruin his day. Four hours in the car is the worst way to spend Christmas morning.” She shook her head against his chest. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I can call an Uber.”
“No, there is no reason to wait for one. Take my truck.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. Her big brown eyes glistened and she blinked hard. “What will you do without a car?”
“Baby, Chris and I will be fine. I pay people to deal with this crap. My agent will work his magic and have one here by the end of the day. Right now, your daughter needs you. That trumps everything else.”
She lifted up on her toes and gave him an all too quick brush of the lips. “You’re amazing.” Her words were a whisper against his mouth before she stepped out of his arms.
With her bag over her shoulder and his keys in her hand, she was gone. Declan stood at the side door, watching her drive away. Memories from a week ago engulfed him. He’d stood in the same spot, worried as she fled in a snowstorm. But that concern had nothing on the way his chest ached now.
No, it wasn’t the same at all. A week had changedeverything.
Chris came up beside him just as his red truck disappeared around the bend of the driveway. “Dad, can we call Natalie later?”
“Of course—”Shit.
No. No, they couldn’t. He didn’t have her number. He didn’t know herlast name. He ran his hand over his beard. And she had no way of reaching him if something else went wrong.
“Are we not going to make the cake now? I wanted to make cake…”
Natalie was dealing with a crisis; Declan couldn’t call her, and Chris was worried about baking. One thing at a time.
