Just Stay With Me Read online

  “I went outside for a bit,” he quietly told her, avoiding her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” She lowered her head.

  Surprised, he focused his gaze on her. “What are you apologizing for?”

  “For being so dramatic,” she admitted ruefully. “You see, she’s all I’ve got left. I don’t have anyone else in the world that I can call family.”

  His heart constricted as he felt her pain. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, Aunt Karen. I might not completely understand how you feel, but I have an idea. I love Sandy with every fiber of my being. If anything happens to her, I don’t know what I would do to myself.”

  She sniffed, nodding in understanding of their shared love for her niece.

  “What happened?”

  “What?” He hoped it wasn’t the question he had been dreading her asking him.

  “I mean, how was she involved in an accident? You called hours ago to tell me that she wouldn’t be coming to the diner today and for the entire weekend. I was joyous, thinking that things were finally going to work out between you two. And the next thing I knew, you were calling to tell me that she had an accident.”

  Consternation coursed through Seth’s body. Alas, it was the question he had feared her asking. He should have known she would want to hear the details of what caused her niece’s accident. It was her right to know and he couldn’t keep the truth from her, mainly because Sandy would wake up and tell her everything.

  Pushing himself from the door, he strode to the bed and gazed lovingly at his woman lying there. She was still as pale as ever and he wondered with trepidation if she would ever recover.

  Belatedly realizing that he hadn’t replied to her aunt, he turned to the woman who was observing him with worried eyes.

  “I’m so sorry, Aunt Karen.” He moved his gaze from her face to a spot above her head. “Sandy and I had a misunderstanding.” For want of a better word, he had to call it that. Sandy had misunderstood the situation. He surmised that she must have thought that since Haley was presumably carrying his baby, he would want to be with the mother of his child instead of her. Nothing could be further from the truth. “She ran into the road before I could stop her and then got hit by a car.”

  “Dear God.” The distressed woman’s hand clamped across her mouth. She stared at her niece and clasped her hand tighter.

  “I’m so sorry, Aunt Karen. I never meant for her to get hurt. If I had known that she would leave like that, I would have acted differently.”

  Tears spilled from the woman’s eyes. “I understand. I know how much you love her and that you would never hurt her.”

  Seth let out a ragged breath. He wished that Sandy would have had that much faith in him. Perhaps they wouldn’t be here now. Maybe they would be back at her place trying to sort things out.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “I wish I could have done something to stop her.”

  Aunt Karen rose and walked over to him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  “Please don’t blame yourself, Seth.” Then she sighed and dropped her hand. “Sandy has always had the habit of running away from her troubles. So it has come as no surprise to me that she ran away in the face of a misunderstanding rather than staying back to talk about it.” Tears welled up in her eyes again. “I can’t say that I blame her. You see, she had a rough childhood. It’s not my place to tell you about it. But I’d like you to be very patient with her. She went through a lot of trauma when she was growing up.”

  Seth debated within himself whether to tell her that Sandy divulged the unpleasant details of her sad childhood to him. He decided to tell her. Maybe they would both find comfort talking about her.

  “She told me everything,” he quietly informed her.

  Aunt Karen jerked her head up. Her eyes enlarged as she regarded him with surprise.

  “Everything?”

  He nodded. “We ran into her stepfather. She got so distressed, she had to spill it all. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to take her to the ranch for the weekend.”

  The woman’s eyes nearly popped out from their sockets. “James is out of prison?”

  “Regretfully so.”

  She shook her head emphatically. “Oh, no. That’s not good.”

  “I know,” he quietly concurred.

  She walked away from him and paced the room. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked her to come back. I didn’t know that he would be released the same time she would come back.”

  “Please don’t blame yourself. I might have done a poor job of shielding her from getting hit by a car but I promise you right here and now, that I will protect her with every breath in my body,” he passionately declared.

  “I know you will, Seth. And thank you for standing by her. Not everyone would want to have anything to do with a woman who had a troubled childhood. She isn’t aware of the extent of my knowledge about the whole thing. I wish to keep it so. Sandy feels she has to be strong, has to always put on a tough exterior and doesn’t need to be protected, as she had had to do that all by herself when she was younger. I’m thankful that she let you into her heart and life.”

  More guilt hit Seth like a sharp pang. He wished he could tell the older woman what happened so she would tell him what to do, knowing Sandy as well as she did. Perhaps she would be able to tell him how to go about getting her niece to listen to him.

  Seth inwardly shook his head. Aunt Karen’s loyalty to her niece was palpable for all and sundry to see. She would jump to her defense first and might not think that he wasn’t responsible for Haley’s pregnancy.

  He didn’t think he could take such chances. “It’s the least I can do, given how much I love her.”

  “Please keep James away from her. He’s bad news,” she pleaded desperately.

  Anger surged through Seth when he recalled the way the man had frightened Sandy. He also remembered the man’s ominous threats.

  “I’ll get you.”

  If the man dared come near Sandy, he would have him arrested and the keys thrown away. Even though he didn’t deserve her love and even if she didn’t want him in her life any longer, he would always be there to protect her.

  Aunt Karen regarded him keenly for a minute. “You should go home. I’ll stay with her. You look exhausted.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll stay till she wakes up.” He had to let Sandy know that even though Haley was carrying his child, he didn’t want them to break up. He could only hope that she would hear him out and not ask him to leave, never to return.

  He would be too devastated for words.

  Chapter 3

  A grimace covered Seth’s face as he took a gulp of the watered-down coffee.

  Dammit! What he wouldn’t give for a fresh cup of coffee right now. He figured he would have to go to the diner to get him and Aunt Karen coffee and some snacks. But he didn’t want to leave Sandy. Although he had spent the night on one of the chairs in the reception, he had continually gone to check up on her. If he left the hospital, he wouldn’t be able to do that.

  Aunt Karen had spent the night on the chair beside Sandy’s bed. He had tried to persuade her to go home but she had refused. She, too, had wanted to stay in case Sandy woke up sometime in the night.

  To their disappointment, she hadn’t stirred. Guilt hit him continually throughout the night because he believed that Sandy didn’t want to wake up so she would have to face the ugly incident that took place before her accident.

  Every time he thought of what he would say to her when she finally woke up, he found himself in a fresh wave of hysteria because he didn’t know what he would tell her.

  Haley had kept calling but he had also kept rejecting her calls. Her text messages had been left unread. Malcolm had called and wanted to come over when Seth told him about the accident, but Seth had told him not to bother about it.

  The staff of Rosie’s diner had come over the previous evening after the close of work to see how Sandy was far
ing. He didn’t think it fair to call one of them to bring him and Sandy’s aunt some coffee. With her and Sandy there in the hospital, they were already short-staffed.

  Seth’s cellphone rang just then and a scowl covered his face. What did he have to do to get Haley off his back? Didn’t she know that he wouldn’t be able to pick up her calls, given the situation? Haley wasn’t usually so selfish and self-centered. He guessed that she was worried about where she stood with him.

  Nowhere!

  Why didn’t you pick up her calls? If you had done that days ago, she wouldn’t be in Plyrock now.

  That was true. If she had told him over the phone, he would have flown to New York to see her and they would have talked things out.

  Determined not to make the same mistake again, he answered the call and snapped, “What is it, Haley? Jeez, I didn’t peg you to be such an insensitive woman. Why would you keep calling me, knowing that—”

  “Hey. Slow down.”

  Heat suffused Seth’s face when he heard his brother’s voice. He should have looked at the caller ID before answering the call. As she had been the only one calling him, he had naturally assumed she was the one calling.

  “I’m sorry, Mal. I thought you were Haley,” he apologized a few seconds later.

  “I gathered as much. Has she been plaguing your phone with calls?”

  He let out a tired sigh. “You know it.”

  “I’m sorry about that. What does she want anyway?”

  Seth frowned. He hadn’t told his brother the cause of Sandy’s accident the previous day. He had been too distraught to talk about it. Besides, he had been inside Sandy’s hospital room with her aunt when Malcolm called.

  “She’s in Plyrock.”

  “Say what, now?”

  Seth would have laughed had the situation been any different. He sighed again.

  “She claims she’s pregnant.”

  Malcolm whistled over the phone. “Yours?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s what she asserts.”

  “Damn!”

  “You can say that again.”

  “How is that even possible? You guys broke up like what, three months ago.”

  “My point exactly.”

  “Wait a minute. Don’t tell me Haley’s news is in some way related to Sandy’s accident,” he questioned with incredulity in his voice.

  Seth explained all that happened the previous day and Malcolm whistled again.

  “Damn it, Seth. Sandy didn’t deserve to get hurt.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that?” Seth snapped, his guilt putting him on edge. “I don’t even know what to tell her when she wakes up. That’s if she would want to see me. I should be her least favorite person in the world right now.”

  “What a mess,” Malcolm sighed with frustration.

  Seth could only guess how he felt. His brother liked Sandy immensely. Malcolm had merely tolerated Haley even though they had gotten along just fine.

  “It’s more than a mess but I’ll handle it,” he quietly told his brother. “I just need Sandy to be fine.”

  “She will be. I’ll come over later. Hang in there.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Mal.”

  Seth was about to walk away from the reception to go and check up on Sandy again when a blonde-haired woman entered the place. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

  Haley?

  Why would she come here for crying out loud?

  She saw him and relief entered her eyes. Then a smile crossed her face as she walked over to him.

  “I was wondering where I would find you since you weren’t picking up my calls,” she said when she reached him.

  He ignored the flowers in her hand and asked, “What are you doing here, Haley?”

  She eyed him with disgruntlement. “Isn’t it obvious? If you had answered my calls, I wouldn’t be here now. When will you learn that you have to pick up my calls so that we can communicate?”

  “Did it cross your mind that I might not have wanted to respond because of where I am?” he questioned her curtly.

  Haley slammed the bouquet against his chest. “And did it also occur to you that I might have just wanted to find out how she’s doing?”

  The flowers slid from his chest to the ground. He cocked his eyebrows at her. “Really?”

  Tears stung her eyes. “Why are you making me out to look like a heartless person, Seth? We used to love each other so much. What changed?”

  He gave her an incredulous look. “You dare to ask that? You?”

  “Yes, me. Why can’t you accept that I made a mistake and want to make reparation for it?”

  He laughed bitterly. “By lying about a nonexistent pregnancy?”

  She wrapped her hands around her stomach in a defensive gesture. “How dare you say that? Why would I lie about something as sensitive as having a child? In a month or two, I will be showing.”

  “Then it’s not my baby if indeed you’re pregnant, Haley.”

  His ex-girlfriend looked even more appalled than earlier. “I can’t believe you just said that. With the advent of DNA testing, do you think I would carry on with such a lie?”

  “Perhaps you’re hoping that we’ll get back together and then claim you had a miscarriage. But by then, since we’re already together, I will want to stay with you. Or maybe you would entice me into bed to get you pregnant for real.”

  “Who are you?” She stared at him with wide-eyed astonishment. “I don’t even know you anymore.”

  “That’s because I moved on after your betrayal.”

  She blanched. “Why won’t you get over it?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve gotten over it. Sandy taught me to love again. She showed me what true love meant.”

  When Haley turned away with quivering lips, remorse went through Seth. He was transferring his anger and frustration to Haley. It wasn’t his fault. He was the one who had handled things differently.

  “Haley, look I didn’t mean to talk to you like that. I’m under a lot of stress right now but that’s no excuse to yell at you. Could you please leave? I’ll fly over to New York for us to talk and sort things out as soon as Sandy is out of the hospital.”

  She whirled back to look at him. “I will do no such thing, Seth. The minute I leave this play, you will go back to ignoring me as if I don’t exist.”

  “No, I won’t. Now that I know what’s at stake. I repeat. I will fly out to New York as soon as possible,” he admitted heavily.

  “But you do believe that I’m carrying your baby, don’t you?”

  “Haley—”

  “Tell me you believe that I’m pregnant for you!”

  He shook his head. It would be kinder to tell her that he believed her but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t lie to her. She needed to know the truth.

  “No, I don’t believe that you’re pregnant. And even if you are, I don’t believe that I’m responsible. I’m sorry. Perhaps a DNA test will convince me, but before then, I refuse to accept it. We broke up about three months ago and that’s the last time we made love. Do you honestly want me to believe that after all these months, you haven’t been with anyone?”

  She bit her lip and looked away.

  “I thought so.” He was about to turn away but she grabbed his arm.

  “I had sex with someone last month. It didn’t mean anything. The girls took me out because I was so depressed over losing you. I got drunk and had sex with a random stranger, okay, Seth? But I’m three months pregnant, so it’s impossible for him to be responsible. You were the one I had sex with three months ago.”

  “That changes nothing,” he coldly told her.

  “Why? Why won’t you believe me?”

  He cocked his brows. “Do I need to refresh your memory why I think you’re a liar?”

  Color stained her cheeks.

  “Seth?”

  Seth whirled around at the mention of his name. Aunt Karen stood a few feet away. His heart thumped as he wondered how much she had beard
between him and Haley.

  When she smiled, his eyes became as large as saucers. What was she smiling about?

  “Sandy’s awake,” she said with joy.

  Relief poured out of Seth. His shoulders slumped and he leaned against the wall.

  “She wants to see you.”

  “What?”

  Exhilaration flowed within him. Sandy was awake and she wanted to see him. A second later, a thought crossed his mind. What if she wanted to see him so she could call him every name in the book? What if it was to tell him that she never wanted to see him again?

  “I’ll be right there, Aunt Karen.”

  He waited until she had gone before he turned to Haley who had moved away a little when Sandy’s aunt called his name.

  “Please leave. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can,” he quietly told her before walking away.

  “Seth?”

  He didn’t turn around. There was nothing more to be said. He would contact her when he could think of losing Sandy without hurting.

  Seth paused at the door for some seconds before letting out a deep breath and pushing the door open. He had expected Sandy to looking at him with disdain immediately upon entering the room, but when she smiled at him, he was stunned.

  “Seth,” she called in a hoarse voice.

  Even though she was still pale and bruised all over, he had never seen a more beautiful woman. Love for her burst forth inside him, propelling him toward the bed.

  Tears spilled down her face when he reached her. He didn’t understand what was going on but he knew that he liked it and didn’t want it to change.

  Later, they would have a talk, but for now, he was grateful that she was alive and that she appeared not to have suffered any other effects from the accident. He was thankful for that.

  But as he held her face and kissed her, he had to wonder at her sweet disposition.

  Had her near-death experience caused her to have a change of heart?

  Chapter 4

  “Selective memory?”

  “Yes,” the doctor said and leaned back against his chair. “The mind works in strange ways. Her brain has chosen not to remember the incident before the accident. Perhaps it’s too hurtful and she doesn’t want to go through the pain again.”