Love In Secrets (Love Distilled #3) - Scarlett Cole Page 0,6

longer than she’d remembered, but still as thick and wavy. She always hated how she’d ended up with black hair that didn’t have the energy to form a proper curl but was argumentative enough to never lay completely flat.

But as he hugged her, she realized he’d changed. He’d filled out, his body more muscular, his frame more solid.

And in his arms, she felt less shaky. More secure. Jake, like all of the Dyers, felt like home. And it had been way too long since she’d seen him or his sisters.

“Jake,” she said, the words muffled against his chest. “Thanks for collecting me. I need to go and try to persuade them to let me see him.”

“I figured you would.” He placed his arms on her shoulders, his eyes filled with concern.

“Do you know how he is?” she asked.

Jake shook his head. “Not really, given we’re aren’t his next of kin and Marianne is being less than communicative, but Liv does know he’s not having his major surgery immediately. Everything is about stabilizing him right now. He’s heavily sedated.”

She slid her hand into Jake’s, needing something to ground her. He squeezed her fingers three times like he always did. Jake slid her large tote off her shoulder, and slung it over his own, then reached for the handle of her suitcase. “Let’s get out of here.”

For the first time in hours, she breathed a little easier.

“How’s the queen of New York construction doing?” Jake asked, once they were underway.

“Oh, good. Great,” she said, unwilling to share the conversation she’d had with her boss earlier. “I’m in the middle of two big projects. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

Jake looked over at her. “I don’t suppose there is ever a good time for these things to happen.”

“Oh, I know . . . I didn’t mean to sound . . . like this is a chore or something. Of course, here is where I need to be, it’s just complicated.”

Jake patted her leg, something he’d done a thousand times before, but somehow the sight of his hand on her knee made her feel a little bit gooey and sentimental inside. The whole time she’d been in New York, she’d not once missed home. With Orla and her other friends, she had a full life. Gym classes, book clubs, dinner parties. Sure, she’d visited home occasionally and missed the people—well, most of them. Heck, she missed everyone except Marianne. But being back under these circumstances had obviously heightened her emotional state.

“I know you weren’t. And I was commiserating. I know how it feels to have the rug ripped out from underneath you when you aren’t expecting it.”

Ouch. Another thing to feel guilty about. “I’m sorry, Jake. I guess this brings back memories of your dad.” She placed her hand on top of his.

Exhaustion. Maybe fear. There were multiple reasons why his hand looked so right with hers. She removed it quickly and ran her fingers through her hair. It was tiredness. The long hours on the construction site. The hours after work in her apartment. Yeah. She was running on empty before her father’s accident.

“We’re here now. Let’s see if we can get you some information.”

Once inside, they were ushered by a series of nurses to the ICU. The antiseptic smell of the hallway tingled her nose, and she tried to ignore the nurses hurrying around.

The nurse at the desk eyed them curiously then grinned. “Well, if it isn’t Jake Dyer.”

Jake grinned at the nurse, an easy confident smile. Cassie rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Becca. It’s been a while.”

“Too long. We should fix that. Why are you here this late?”

Cassie coughed and leaned forward on the desk. “My dad was admitted earlier, and I flew in from New York to see him. I wondered if I could speak to someone.”

Becca shifted her focus from Jake to her, the wide grin fading as she took Cassie in. “I’m sorry, but it’s too late. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

Suddenly, it all felt very real. On the flight, she’d hoped it was all some macabre misunderstanding. But now, seeing the nurses’ uniforms and the medical equipment lined up in hallways, and the infernal beeping that was already testing her tired resolve, she felt close to tears.

“Please. You don’t understand. I’ve been traveling for hours and out of contact. I know my father is in the ICU and I can’t just go see him. I can’t get hold of my stepmom for an update on how