Love Resisted (The Real Love Series) (25 page)

“Hey, that’s what friends do,” she said as she kissed his cheek. When the door to his room opened, they both turned to look and found Paige and Brett coming in. Mike could see his own blood on both of them and immediately felt terrible for what they must be feeling. He felt pretty crappy in a physical way, but he knew his brother-in-law had to be upset with what happened. Gillian said her goodbyes and left him with Paige and Brett, but his thoughts and hopes were on Allie who still hadn’t come up to see him.

After a short period of time, his sister left since they needed to pick up Hannah. Mike was thankful that even though his efforts landed him in a hospital bed with a head injury, he knew that if Hannah had taken the blow, it would’ve been worse. He was worried about his niece having seen what she did, and he hoped that she wasn’t too affected by it. Another nurse came in and checked his vitals again and offered him something for the pain, but he declined. He wanted to be completely lucid when Allie came to see him. The thought of sleeping through that was suffocating.

When he once again heard his door creak open slowly, he glanced over, convinced it was going to be more medical personnel. He was pleasantly surprised to finally see her. She stood just inside the doorframe, hand still on the knob, hesitantly looking at him. Mike had no idea how bad he looked, assuming that the bandages on his head at
least covered the bulk of things. He silently waited for her to approach—wanting her to come to him, to make the first move. But even in his slightly dazed state, he realized that she had already made the first by coming to see him at the hospital. The thought allowed him to consciously make the next move.

Lifting his hand, palm up, he extended it in her direction. Silently beckoning her. Relief exploded through his system when she quickly came to him. The moment the palm of her hand slid across his, he let out a deep cleansing breath. She was there. He could touch her. Closing his hand around hers, he gripped it tightly as she stepped closer to his bed.

It shouldn’t have surprised him when she proceeded to climb up on the bed and straddle his lap, but for a few seconds it did. The slight angle of the bed allowed for him to lie there as she positioned herself over his body, hugging his sides with her legs as her hands gently cradled his face. His hands found her waist, not wanting to do anything but touch her. She was still silent as she brought her face within inches of his and delicately placed her lips against his.

When she pulled back, she was smiling even as tears ran down her face. “I thought I lost you before I even got a chance to tell you.”

He reached up and swept her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Tell me what, sweetheart?”

She quietly stared at him, as he watched the emotions play out across her face. When a slow smile reached her lips, she said the sweetest words he had ever hoped to hear, “That I love you, Mike.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

ALLIE figured the hospital staff probably wouldn’t appreciate her straddling a patient in his bed. One with a head injury, no less. But she’d love for one of them to try and remove her.
Bring it on
, she thought as she leaned in and kissed him again, gently. When she pulled back, she asked, “Am I hurting you? I just had to get as close to you as possible.”

He gave her one of his electric smiles, one that didn’t go along with the setting, head bandage included. “I’m not feeling any pain, Allie. Not anymore.”

“Aww, even with a head injury you say the best stuff,” she retorted.

Knowing she needed to apologize to him, she straightened up on his lap and dropped her hands to his chest. She watched her hands rub his chest in a way that she hoped soothed him as much as it was soothing her. “Mike, I am so sorry for the way I behaved. I treated you terribly and I would totally understand if you called security and had
them haul my ass out of here.” She smirked and added, “Because truthfully, that is probably what it would take to get me off of you.”

“Allie?” Mike said, dragging her attention from her hands back to his face. “Can you do me a favor?”

She nodded. “Of course, anything.”

“Say it again,” he said.

Confused for a second, she then realized what he was asking. Leaning forward again, she cautiously cradled his face in both hands. Gently placing a kiss to his lips, she whispered, “I love you.”

His hands tightened on her waist, holding her against him. “I love you too, baby … so much.”

“Do you forgive me?” she asked before rushing to add, “I know what I want, Mike, and even though I’m a total pain in your ass, I want another chance. Please …”

“You want to do what to my ass?” he asked, barely hiding his smile.

She snorted a laugh. “You know, if I hadn’t seen the evidence of your injury all over your brother-in-law’s clothes, I would definitely be questioning this ‘supposed’ concussion. ‘Cause you seem fine to me.”

His smug grin made an appearance. “That’s the power of your love, baby. I’m cured.”

She rolled her eyes and pretended to retch. “Gag, I think I just threw up a little.”

He smiled, and she giggled as she stared down at her man, feeling the tightness that had set up residence in her chest over the past few days loosen.

The two of them were still enjoying each other when the door to his room opened and in strolled his nurse. When the nurse caught sight of Allie on Mike’s lap, she just shook her head, saying, “Hello, Ms. Allie. I’ll pretend that I didn’t see you there on my patient’s lap like that.”

Allie smiled at Gillian’s friend. “Hi, Marsha. I would so appreciate it if you did just that.”

The older woman huffed a laugh and approached Mike’s bed as Allie slowly moved herself out of the way. Once off the bed, Allie stood to Mike’s side, holding his hand while Marsha checked him out. Mike answered her questions and squinted in pain when she shined the light in his eyes, although he said it was better than the last time. She checked his blood pressure and charted all of the information before heading toward the door. Looking over her shoulder she said, “I’ll be your nurse all night Mr. Lawson, so if you need an extra pillow or two for that crowded bed of yours, you let me know.”

Marsha winked, Allie laughed, and Mike said, “I think I have all I need right here, ma’am.”

When she left the room, Allie slipped back onto his bed. But instead of climbing on top of him, she cuddled into his side, resting her head on his chest. Once he comfortably had his arms wrapped around her, she said, “I hope you know that I plan to stay here ‘til they release you.”

She felt his chest rumble against her ear as he said, “I was expecting it, baby.”

The two of them rested there in comfortable silence as Allie slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

MIKE was dying to get out of there. Hanging out in hospitals was not his idea of a good time, and after thirty-six hours there, he was over it. He just really needed to go home. His need to be with Allie, in his own space—in their
space—was riding him hard. It was almost like in his head, since they weren’t in familiar surroundings, her being
there
wasn’t real yet. So getting her back to the spaces he normally associated with her was a necessity. Once he got her home, in his bed, on his couch, in his space, it would feel real for him.

Standing at the window of his room, he was staring at the busy street below when a knock sounded at his door. He looked to the direction of the already opening door and laughed as he said, “Come in, I guess.”

When Nurse Marsha strolled in with a wheelchair, she said, “Ain’t nothing in here I haven’t seen before, sweetie. Besides, I know you’re itching to leave so there would be no reason you didn’t dress promptly after signing those papers.”

Amused, he nodded. “Good point. Are you my chauffeur for the afternoon?” He gestured to the wheelchair.

“Well, aren’t you a charmer. But with the group of friends you’ve had in here, I doubt you need my services, young man,” she said, picking up his bag of personal belongings and hanging them on the back of the chair. “Besides, we both know that Ms. Allie will be here to collect you any minute. In fact, I’m surprised she even left at all.”

Mike laughed as he thought of the pouty face she made when he told her to go home, freshen up, and get a change of clothes. She didn’t want to leave, and that made him feel better about it. The days they were apart may have been less than a week, but they were rough days. He
closed his eyes, recalling her dismissing him the other night, and it brought that tightness in his chest back.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and smiled as he answered her, “I was surprised, too.”

Moving toward the wheelchair, he gave it a look of disgust. “I’ve heard all the lines, honey. Just do us both a favor, sit in the chair and enjoy the ride.”

He raised his hands in surrender and sat. When he was settled
in the chair, his door opened once again, and he was graced with the sound of bickering from Allie and Jason.

“You could’ve waited downstairs, you know,” Allie hissed at Jason as they entered the room.

“Now why would I do something like that? There could be a hot nurse up here or something,” Jason replied with a laugh. Mike watched Allie reach up and flick him in the forehead, halting his laughter.

“Hey! Did you really just flick me?” he asked as he rubbed his forehead.

“You’re lucky I didn’t pinch you,” she huffed at him before turning in Mike’s direction. Realization that their antics had an audience, she blushed. “Oh, hi Marsha. How’s our patient?”

Walking toward them, she leaned in and gave Mike a kiss. “Hi there.”

Marsha answered, “He’s your patient now that the discharge papers are all signed. You should wheel him out of here before he tries to make a run for it.”

Mike looked up at the nurse standing behind him as Allie slipped her hand into his. “I’m not that bad, besides, only you medical personnel don’t mind being here. You’re used to it.”

He thought he heard a huff as she grumbled something about wimpy men when she pushed him into the hallway, but he didn’t care, he was ready to go. Jason moved to push the wheelchair, but from the sound of it, Allie flicked him again. “I don’t think so gigantor, now push the call button for the elevator.”

“Jesus, half-pint, knock it off. You’re gonna leave bruises,” Jason complained as he walked past them to hit the button. Laughing still hurt his head a little so
he tried to refrain from doing it, but the two of them were like bickering siblings. Once inside the elevator, Jason stood on the opposite side from Allie, giving her a dirty look.

“Jason, not that I don’t appreciate you coming to help spring me, but what are you doing here?” Mike asked.

Jason dropped his stare to Mike. “Oh, Allie had a flat so Logan was fixing it for her. He didn’t want her driving on the donut-sized spare so he took the rim to get a new tire put on. She was getting antsy to get here so I offered to drive.” He finished with a shrug. Even though Logan was her brother, and there was nothing wrong with her calling him for help, he was a little disappointed that he wasn’t there for her.

Her hand was on his shoulder as they rode down, and he placed his hand over
it and looked up. “Sorry I wasn’t there to help you with that.”

She gave him a smirk and said, “I’ll forgive you, babe. Just so long as you don’t go trying to play the whole
head injury card
too often. It’ll only work for so long.” She kissed him as the door chimed their arrival on the bottom floor.

The ride home was quick and easy. Allie made him sit in the back of Jason’s car, which was fine with him since she crawled in next to him. It seemed she needed to touch him as much as he did her, and he liked it. Once inside his place, Allie asked, “Did you want to be down here on the couch or up in your bed?”

He reached out to her and pulled her against him, prompting her to wrap her arms around him. Standing in his living room, he held her tightly as he buried his face in her hair. Breathing her in, he said, “I don’t care where I am, so long as you’re there, too.”

Her head rested on his chest and her hands rubbed up and down his back as she snorted. “Damn, I still can’t believe that not even a head injury impairs your ability to say the best shit. Very impressive, Lawson.”

Escorting her to the couch, he pulled her down with him so that she was sitting on his lap. It was his favorite place for her to sit. Draping her arm around his shoulders, she settled in against him. When he had her full attention he said, “It’s true. I want to be wherever you are. Is that going to be a problem for you? Because I have to tell you, Allie, this past week was not a good one for me. I didn’t like it at all.”

Mike watched as her eyes took on a sad look. “No, it’s not going to be a problem, Mike. I’m sorry for how I acted. If it helps, I was miserable too.”

Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t like the thought of you being miserable.” He swept her hair off the one side of her face. “I missed you so much, but I still don’t understand what happened. I told you I loved you, we had a fantastic night together, and then you spent all of it in my arms. What could have possibly happened before I woke up that had you reacting like that?”

Ducking her head into the crook of his neck and shoulder, she held him tighter. After a moment, she mumbled into the confined space, “I had a dream.”

A dream?
“What kind of dream, Allie?”

Allie sighed as she lifted her face from his neck and quickly moved her hair out of her
way. The look on her face was a mixture of embarrassment and determination. “I had this dream, and in it, I was sitting on a blanket, playing with a little girl … she was obviously my daughter.” She paused, but he didn’t say anything, only held her. “Well, while I’m sitting with her, she gets up and runs to a man, it was obvious that he was her father … and it was you, Mike.”

Without knowing why that scared her, he had to tamper down the pride surging through his system at the thought
of them having a child together. A daughter. His pride took a blow when he realized that maybe this freaked her out because she didn’t want him to be the father of her children. “Can I ask you why that would make you react the way you did? Do you think it would be bad to have a child with me?”

Turning into him, she quickly sought to comfort him, touching his face and shaking her head. “No, absolutely not. I don’t think it would be bad to have a child with you. It’s just … well, I’ve had that dream before. Everything about it was same as usual. Me, the little girl,
the blanket we sat on—all of it—except for you. It didn’t used to be you in that dream.”

“Oh, I see.” She didn’t have to say it for him to know that Marc used to have the starring role as the father in her dream. It made sense, but clearly that was not how things played out. Things happened, for both of them, plans changed to accommodate that, and he accepted that. It wasn’t a surprise to him that Allie had trouble coming to the same realization. He still wasn’t sure why she panicked over it. After all, it was a fictional child at this point; it wasn’t as if he was trying to be a father to a child who already existed. It was a child who had yet to be conceived, but if it were, it would be Mike’s, not Marc’s.

Allie interrupted his thoughts when she said, “I talked to Gillian about it.”

Happy to hear she had opened up to her friend, he asked, “Really, what did you tell her?”

“That I felt bad about the dream because it was like I just tossed Marc out and put you in his place. I felt terrible guilt, like it was okay to dispose of a dream that he deserved to be in, like that was all that he had left. But it wasn’t just about replacing
him
with
you
, it was about making both of you seem so interchangeable. I thought I didn’t deserve what I saw in that dream, my dream, because I could so randomly pick a new person. It was like my subconscious had moved on, assigning the new role … and my heart freaked out about it.” With another big sigh, she continued, “Gillian said she thinks that what I’d always seen in my dream was my future, the way I envisioned things for myself. Since Marc
was
my future, he was in it.”