Convincing Lina: A Bachelor of Shell Cove Novel (The Bachelors of Shell Cove Romance Book 2) (30 page)

“I’ll make things right with Jacob.”

“Good. Welcome back into the family, brother.”
 

“It’s good to be back.” Ian pulled him into a quick embrace and he allowed it. The life he wanted was within his grasp, so why did he feel like it was all about to be swept away? He needed Lina.
 

Troy Lawson’s ink-black curls were shorter than when she knew him. He had been her everything. He’d been on staff in the athletic department where she attended nursing school. Six years her senior, it felt chic
for a soon-to-be college graduate to be living with a man who had a job and his own apartment. Looking at him standing in her hospital room was too much.
 

“You are lucky I’m under the influence of pain killers, or BETAS and I would be prepping you for a hospital bed of your own.”
 

“That’s my Candy, always ready to take on the world single-handedly.” He smiled then, but it didn’t hold her appeal.

“I’m not your Candy. Showing up in my hospital room talking about you’re back. Where the hell have you been? Let’s start there.”

“I’ve always been close by
.
” He said.
 

“That’s not reassuring, considering I haven’t seen you in five years.” She crossed her arms over her chest, wincing as her sore muscles protested the movement.
 

The memory slammed into her. Returning to their apartment, only to notice hours later that his personal items were gone along with the oversized rose gold heart pendant suspended on a sterling filigree chain he’d given her. It was the only piece of jewelry he’d ever given her. He’d said it was the largest heart he could find, because that’s what he’d found in her.
 

“Well, I’m back now and I’ll tell you as much as I can about why I left.” Three soft dings rang out from the announcement speaker, before an automated voice called a code blue in the emergency room. He gave a brief glance at the door before settling his gaze back to her.

“Tell me why you came back.” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his response. What reason could he possibly give her to justify his return?

“For you.” She leaned forward, looking deep into his eyes. His eyes burned with the truth of his words. The more she regarded him the more she couldn’t hide her confusion. She grimaced, befuddled by his presence and the truth of his words. Maybe he’d escaped from a psychiatric hospital. Only a lunatic would consider sneaking into a drugged, ex-girlfriend’s hospital room and professing his undying feelings for her, five years too late.
 

“You can’t be serious. You stole my heart, Troy.” The tremor in her voice was more upsetting to Lina, than the visible shake to her hands.

“Lina, you’ve had my heart from the moment you activated the emergency exit door alarm in the athletic department.”

“I’m talking about the heart necklace you gave to me.” He took a step away from the bed, before turning away from her. Would he walk out, now that she had reminded him of the lies between them? He’d left her, no warning, no goodbye, no contact, until today. Lina didn’t see Troy turn around, but she clearly saw the sculpted hills and plains of his abdomen because the pale blue collared shirt was unbuttoned. She squeezed her eyes closed.
 

Everything in the room froze in time.
Don’t open your eyes.
She’d caught a glimpse of shiny metal and everything in her rebelled against the pull it had on her.

“Open your eyes Candy. I told you we would always be together.” She opened her tear filled eyes and there was no mistaking the rose gold colored heart around his neck.

“Your heart is where it was meant to be–next to mine.” Oh God, where was that morphine pump button? She needed a hit of hard stuff because, because this wasn’t fair. He left. He couldn’t show up five years later, saying they had the double heart locking mechanism. It was hard to see the man that she had once wanted more than her next breathe.

“Troy?”

“I’m here.” The sincerity in his tone was more concerning.
 

“But you shouldn’t be.” She heard herself say.
 

“I’m not leaving you again.” He moved closer to the bed. She watched in silence as he extended his hand in her direction. Willing her with his eyes to reach for him. His fingers were broad, nails cut short and square, minute scars covered the back of his hand. And she found herself wondering how he received those cuts. He would touch her and all the memories of their time together would come raging back. Confusing her. Troy was her first love.
 

She could feel the heat of his hand as it approached her cheek.
 

A shadow moved across the narrow, rectangular shaped window cut in the room’s door. A millisecond later the door was pushed wide and there stood Gideon, all six feet five inches of him. The expression on his face was menacing, and ominous.
 

“Don’t touch her.” Gideon stormed into the room and crowded into Troy’s personal space. Troy straightened to his full height, which was still three inches shorter than Gideon. Both men stood chest to chest.
 

“What the flagnoid?” She directed at both men. “No fighting over the patient,” Lina said, her voice a high squealed sound. Gosh, these two had her behaving like a ditzy girl, instead of a diva.
 

“I wondered what I would do when I met you man to man,” Troy said.
 

“I guess we both are about to find out,” came Gideon’s graveled response.
 

“No, you are not.” Lina reached for the remote and raised the head of her bed, her aching limbs opposing each movement.
 

“Troy, I appreciate you stopping by, but Gideon is here now, so you can go.”

“You invited him?” Gideon turned hard eyes on her.

“What?” His accusation cut her deep. Gideon didn’t trust her. Did Gideon trust anyone?
 

“You invited your ex-lover here to see you, the minute I turn my back.” Lina felt her brain rattle against her skull. She could hear the blood slow to a crawl in her veins. The pained expression on Gideon’s face hurt more than a physical blow. She had never seen him look so vulnerable, yet ice cold. Something was terribly wrong with Gideon. What happened when he left her hospital room?

“That’s not true and you know it.” She replied in a stern voice. Why would he say something so hurtful to her? “What was the call that took you to the emergency room?”

Gideon shook his head. “You don’t want to know. Not right now.”

“Tell me. I can handle it.” Lina persisted. Why did he insist on shielding her?

“Lina, now is not the time…”

“Just tell me,” her voice climbed two octaves.

“Staff Sergeant Hain was admitted to the intensive care unit for Galaxy ingestion. She may have been drugged.” The pain that had previously been well controlled, roared back to life, but she held herself still trying, but failing to ward off the sharp, jabs of pain to her side and back.
 

“Candy?” Troy looked at her, while Gideon looked at them both.

“What the hell did you call my fiancée?”

“No Candy, tell me you didn’t agree to marry him.” Tears swelled then, she refused to let them fall. Blinking in rapid succession, she held the tears behind a wall of emotion threatening to overwhelm her.
 

“She did. So, kindly get the hell away from what’s mine.” Lina saw how Troy’s eyes darkened and jaw stiffened before he turned back to face Gideon.
 

Oh no Troy, don’t do this
. Lina struggled to sit forward.
 

“Troy, no.”
 

He ignored her.
 

“You want to challenge me? Listen carefully, Dr. Rice and you’ll discover who Lina belongs to.”

“Troy, don’t say another word.” She pushed herself forward ignoring the pain.

“The condominium she lives in, I paid the down payment, because she loves the water.” That wasn’t what she expected him to say. Gideon’s eyes shot to hers. What was Troy talking about? Why would he say that?
 

“The designer closet. A birthday gift.” Troy continued on.
 

“Lina, what the hell is going on?” Gideon raged. She wished she knew. If what Troy said was true, her mother had lied to her.
 

“The custom painted purple Camaro she drives is a gift from me.” Gideon’s face reddened with fury.
 

“That’s not true, my mother gave me…” Troy turned to look at her with such conviction she knew he was telling the truth.
 

“And who do you think gave it to her?” She collapsed back on the bed. This couldn’t be happening. This was the worst day of her life, then the floor collapsed beneath her.

“The baby that grew in her belly was mine.” Troy’s eyes blazed, his muscles bunched with his last statement.

“Baby?” She felt Gideon’s pain, saw the bleakness in his eyes.

“That’s right, everything this woman has I gave it to her.” Gideon pointed at her and she felt a spear pierce her heart. His eyes full of questions and concern. Lina’s heart broke open. She felt the crack as tangible as a physical wound.

“Go away,” she whispered. Troy used her baby as a weapon. How could Troy have taken her sense of accomplishment away from her? He had no right. She’d worked hard to earn her way in the world. To heal. He never came back for her. For them.
 

“Sweetness, what is he talking about?” Gideon moved toward the bed.

“Both of you go away.” Gideon accused her of contacting Troy. Manipulated by two men she trusted.
 

“Get out, I don’t want to see either of you.”

“Candy, I’m sorry.”

“If you call my woman Candy again, I’ll shatter your jaw.” That was the last straw. She pressed the call bell. Within seconds a nurse, pushed open the door.
 

“Did you need something, Ms. James?”
 

“Yes.”
 

“Lina, don’t do this,” came Gideon’s plea. “Talk to me.”

“Please escort these two out of my room. Place a no visitors tag on my door.” Lina buried her face in the scratchy surface of the pillow and released a gut wrenching sob. She had her fiancé, the man she loved, removed from her bedside. She pushed back the tears. She never imagined her engagement would start with forcing the man she loved to leave her bedside.
 

Where was Lina’s baby? Had he proposed to a woman who had given her child up for adoption? These were the questions that replayed in his mind as he sat outside of Lina’s hospital room. Gideon slid a hand in the pocket of his suit jacket. He withdrew the hard object, cradling it in the palm of his hand.

Troy was gone, which was in the man’s best interest. Gideon had to fight his inner Marine to keep from putting that interloper in a chokehold until his existence ceased to be a thorn in his side.
 

“Dr. Rice, Ms. James has been discharged.” He had asked the nurse to give him an estimated time of discharge, there was no way in hell he’d allow Troy Lawson to take his woman home and she was his woman. Lina’s room door opened and she stood, though a little unsteady, balancing a plastic bag in one hand.

“You’re supposed to be in a wheelchair.” He stood, moving forward, but she held up a hand.