Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Heading out of the bedroom, she walked downstairs. There was the sound of laughter and women’s voices coming from further down the passage.
But that wasn’t where she headed. She had to find Alec.
Moving down the hall, she peeked in different rooms. Where would he be? Then, a door opened, and he stepped out. He looked tired, but he paused as he saw her.
“Lilac? Are you all right? What are you doing out of bed? Where’s Tanner?”
She felt her cheeks growing warm. “I’m fine. I’m not ill, you know.”
“You just got out of the hospital yesterday.” He sent her a stern look.
“I just didn’t eat enough, and my blood sugar got low. No big deal.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Tanner that.”
“Um, we don’t need to do that,” she said hastily. She was already up to strike four. She didn’t need anymore.
You don’t think you’re going to be on strike five for ignoring the note he left you?
Yeah. The note had said to text him when she woke up and stay in bed.
“Let me guess,” he said. “Tanner doesn’t know you’re out of bed yet. Have you eaten breakfast?”
“I’ll get some soon. I just needed to talk to you.”
Alec sighed, shaking his head, and her stomach dropped. He wouldn’t talk to her?
“You better come in, then. But just know that when Tanner comes looking for you, I won’t stop him from whatever he feels he need to do.”
Ominous warning.
She stepped into a room that was obviously his office. Another man was in there. Tall and imposing, even with a baby pressed against his chest. He frowned down at her.
“This is West.”
“Right. I’ve heard about you.”
West just snorted. “I can tell it was all good.”
“Oh, it was,” she said hastily.
“No, it wasn’t. Sit.” The word was barked, and she immediately sat on a chair facing Alec’s desk.
Yikes. He was intimidating.
“West, go easy. She’s been in the hospital.”
West eyed her. “Tanner needs to take better care of her.”
“Tanner takes care of me just fine,” she protested, defending him.
Wait. That wasn’t what she’d intended to say.
“I mean, I can look after myself.”
“Clearly not,” West said.
“Wow. I can see Tanner wasn’t exaggerating about you.”
West just raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be in bed? If you were my woman you wouldn’t be allowed out of bed for a week. And then you wouldn’t be sitting for a week.”
Lord help whoever his woman was.
“If I was your woman, you’d probably have been suffocated with a pillow by now.”
To her shock, West grinned. “I like her.”
Great. She could die happy.
Alec took a seat behind the desk. Sitting back, he studied her. “What can I do for you, Lilac?”
“I need to talk to you about your plans. For Stefan.” She swallowed heavily against the nausea in her stomach.
“You didn’t discuss this with Tanner?” Alec asked.
“I, uh, fell asleep yesterday afternoon and didn’t wake up until about forty minutes ago.”
She was embarrassed by how much she’d slept when they were about to enter into a fight for their lives.
“There’s nothing wrong with resting, Lilac,” Alec said. “With letting someone else be strong for a while.”
She clenched her hands together.
“Surprised Tanner left you. Or at least didn’t leave some instructions,” West said.
“Instructions?” she asked. Even though that’s precisely what he’d done.
“If it was me and I had to leave Flick while she was sleeping and I wanted her to rest and recuperate, if I was worried about her health, then I’d probably have left her a note telling her to call me when she woke. Or I’d put a camera on her,” West added. “Yeah, probably that.”
“Flick is a brave woman,” she said without thinking.
“And patient,” Alec added, his lips twitching.
“Look, I need to know what you plan to do about Stefan. I know him best. I can help.”
“And by help, you mean you can sacrifice yourself,” Alec said.
Damn it.
“Look, you didn’t even want me here because you knew I was a risk to your family. Nothing’s changed.”
“Except for everything,” West said. “You protected our sister and nephew when we couldn’t.”
“And by our reckoning that means we owe you,” Alec said gently. “You aren’t going back to that asshole. I never should have said what I did and for that I apologize. I should have had more faith in Tanner and his feelings. But I practically raised Tanner, and sometimes I seem to forget he’s his own man. With his own mind.”
“Since you raised him, you should know he’s a good man,” West said. “Even if he’s an asshole sometimes.”
She was trying to keep up with them. But all she was getting was that no one was going to support her plan.
“He’ll come for me eventually. You have children. Women. I can’t risk them.”
“And we can’t risk you,” Alec said.
“I’m no one. I’m not important. Everyone else is.”
West whistled and Alec looked over her head. “I can see the issues you’re facing here.”