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“I can see two of you, J.” My eyes roll again.
This time when I come to, I’m in a room in the ER. Ryan walks up to me.
“Girl, I’m going to have to tell him.”
“No. Don’t. I can’t have him worrying more than he already is.”
“Well, you do have a visitor,” he says, and I assume he’s talking about Jas when the woman from the park steps into the room.
I take her in more. She’s about five-foot-seven in height and has hazel eyes. She smiles and I see dimples. I try hard not to be jealous of her, but she’s beautiful, muscular, and taller than me. Plus, she isn’t struggling with her weight like I am.
“I’m Ridley,” she says, and it hits me.
“What are you doing here? Did he send you?”
“I live here.” She tips her head to the side. “I had to meet you. He’s worried about you. If I tell him about this, he’ll be here in a flash.”
She is so confident about him, but I’m not. In four weeks, he hasn’t tried to contact me. He hasn’t divorced me yet either. If anything, he’s contesting my claim to let the divorce go through. I’ve heard from the tattoo competition in that time. They’ve assured me the win wasn’t based on Grayson at all.
“Gray is a good man. He has his issues. He’s a workaholic. He used to gamble a lot, but now it’s his casino that has taken over as his addiction. Until you.” She moves toward the bed more, looking at the monitors. “My brothers are devoted men. They don’t throw their hearts out there for nothing. Gray cares.”
“I doubt it. We only had a couple of days. How is Riggs?”
She laughs. “He’s good. I had to tether him so the paramedics could get to you. He’s as hung up on you as Gray is. He wasn’t eating very well, that’s why Gray sent him to me. He thought Murtaugh would cheer him up.”
“Riggs and Murtaugh. I joked with Grayson about that when I heard his name.”
“It was my favorite movie series growing up.” She smiles and I begin to like her. I’m not jealous, but I don’t trust her very much either.
“Why are you really here? Did he ask you to keep an eye on me?”
She pauses and takes a deep breath. “I told you I had to meet you. I might not show it, but I am protective of my brothers. I just can’t be where our father is or his men. He is upset that I won’t act like the perfect little bratvaprintsessa.” She almost spits out the last part. “He will not force me to marry for his betterment. I’m my own woman. I’ve worked hard and have overcome a lot.”
“Okay. Can you not tell him about this?” I wave my hand down my body to all the monitors and IVs.
“I can if you’ll have dinner with me.”
“If they let me out of here.”
“Where is she?” is yelled, and I sink into the bed further. I know my brother’s Dom voice very well. But what I don’t expect is Ridley dropping her head and the flush taking over her skin.
Leif bursts through the curtains. He takes one look at Ridley and then focuses on me.
“What the fuck, Rika? I don’t get a call from you; I get a call from Ryan?” He moves toward the bed and takes my hand. “I can’t lose you.” His soft comment causes my heart to clench. He’s overly protective to make sure he doesn’t lose me like he did our meemaw and our parents. He thinks of our parents as dead, not jet setting around the world like vagabonds.
“I’m okay. I have just been overdoing it. That’s why I have the doctor’s appointment tomorrow. But now maybe I don’t have to go; I can just see what Ryan says.” As if I conjured him up, Ryan appears.
“I’d like to talk to Erika alone, please,” he says, and I look between him and my brother, and then toward Ridley, who has moved to the edge of the room. She’s observing, watching everything play out.
“I’m not leaving.” Leif fights, but I know that look from Ryan.
“Leify, I’ll be okay. It’s the rules that he has to talk to me alone.”
“Unless your spouse is present,” Ridley offers, and my eyes fly to hers. Shit! Fuck! Damn! The curse words roll through my head. Leif turns to look at her as if he just saw her.
“She’s not married.”
Ridley nods and moves to the curtains and walks out.
