Taken by Storm (Give & Take) - By Kelli Maine Page 0,77

promise of every night in his arms. But, she couldn’t do that and live with her dad at the same time. She was twenty-four, but she wouldn’t throw her private life in his face.

She and MJ would have their time, but it couldn’t be until he was ready for the level of commitment she was. She’d marry him tomorrow if she could, but he needed to focus on graduating and running Rocha Enterprises for now.

If he knew she was making decisions for him, he’d be pissed. He was a man and she didn’t need to watch out for him. Or so he said. But, she’d always watch out for him. She loved him. It had nothing to do with age.

A nurse finally came in. She said Maddie’s dad’s vital signs were all good and they expected him to wake up any time. The swelling in his head had gone down and as soon as he was awake, they would take the oxygen mask off. He had a few bruises and abrasions on his arms and legs, but nothing was broken.

“He hit his head pretty hard for only falling down the stairs, didn’t he?” Maddie said.

“We have orders to call the police when he wakes. The doctor alerted a social worker to the case and they want to send over an investigator to speak with him when he’s able.”

“Good,” Maddie said, resting her hand on her father’s arm. “Someone did this to him.”

The nurse jotted some numbers down on her dad’s chart and left the room. Maddie’s stomach growled, having not eaten all day. Since her dad was still unconscious, she decided to head down to the ground floor and see what she could find for dinner in the cafeteria. Hopefully, they had a decent cup of coffee. “Be right back,” she told him, and patted his hand.

The cafeteria was enormous, with hot food stations, a salad bar, a deli case and dessert counter. She was starving and wanted one of everything.

Maddie put a turkey sandwich and cup of broccoli cheese soup on a tray before filling a paper cup with steaming hot coffee. She paid and made her way back up to the second floor in the elevator.

The doors opened. She stepped out, turned the corner and froze seeing three policemen standing outside her father’s room. Rushing forward, she almost dumped her tray. “What happened?” she asked.

“Peach?” she heard from inside the room. “Is that you?”

“Dad.” She pushed her way inside.

He was awake. The nurse was checking his blood pressure, and a uniformed officer stood beside his bed with a tablet.

“You’re awake,” Maddie said, sitting her tray on his side table, and kissing him on the cheek. “What happened?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. “Enzo hit me in the back of the head with something. I didn’t see what. I fell down the stairs and that’s all I know.”

“Will you be pressing assault charges?” the officer asked.

“Yes,” she answered for her dad. “Absolutely.”

Her dad squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you’re here, safe with me Peach.”

Twenty-Nine

MJ sat with his dad, Beck, Rachael and Joan on the balcony of his dad’s downtown Atlanta studio apartment. The past few days had passed in a blur. He’d spent all of his time at the hospital with Maddie when he wasn’t asleep, or feeling guilty for keeping her awake. He couldn’t help it. He’d let too many days pass without feeling her naked underneath him. Without making her cry out his name.

Today Maddie asked him for some time alone with her dad at the hospital. He hated leaving her, hated that she needed space, but knew he had to give it to her. He was just glad he had Merrick and Rachael, hell even Beck to keep his mind occupied.

“I’m giving you one hour,” Rachael said, wrapping her arms around Merrick’s neck from behind his chair. “Then I’m taking you and you,” she pointed to Beck, “to the hospital to get checked out. So don’t get too comfortable.”

Merrick had resisted her urges for the past few days, but this morning when he flew Beck, Joan and Riley in to get some work done, Rachael declared she wouldn’t wait any longer and insisted Beck was getting his broken ribs looked at by a doctor, too.

“You’re not my woman,” Beck said, fiddling with his cello strings. “I don’t have to do what you say.”

“If you want me to let you play that thing for the anniversary party on the island you’ll do what