Falling for the Wingman (The Kelly Brothers, Book 3) (19 page)

He pushed off the pool table and disposed of the condom in the wastebasket. “We should probably head back to the party before people notice we’re missing.”

She hopped off the table and tugged down her dress. “Yeah, I suppose we could make a few more obligatory rounds before heading home and going back to bed.” Her voice hinted that she was eager to do more than just sleep once they got to her place.

And God help him, he hoped he had the stamina to satisfy her.

She unlocked the door and opened it, startling a kissing Kourtney and Ryan on the other side. Alex grinned and handed them the key. “It’s all yours.”

Caleb stifled his laughter, noting that he didn’t feel a shard of jealousy at seeing his ex in the arms of another man.

He took Alex’s hand and led her back to the party, leaving his past with Kourtney far behind him. From now on, his future revolved around the one woman who knew his heart better than he did.

Chapter Thirteen

Alex laid her head on Caleb’s shoulder and swayed to the soft Hawaiian music. The scent of the citronella tiki torches filled the air, and the drone of dozens of conversations surrounded her. Lightning bugs flickered across the backyard as twilight darkened the sky. She drew it all in and smiled. She and Caleb had hit a speed bump this afternoon, but now they were back to where they belonged—in each other’s arms.

“So what is with the luau theme?” he asked.

“Kourtney and Ryan are going to Hawaii for their honeymoon.”

“Ah, I see.” He squeezed his arms around her waist, pressing her body against his. “Are you ready for one of those frou-frou drinks with the umbrellas?”

“I’m happy right where I am.” But the growl that rippled through her stomach reminded her that she’d skipped lunch to finish fixing that fuel pump before the garage closed.

Caleb chuckled and took a step back. “I think that’s my cue to get you something to eat.”

“Fine. I’ll grab us some seats by the pool.” She placed a quick kiss on his cheek and watched him disappear into the house.

A few seconds later, her sister appeared from the same doorway and marched toward her, eyes dark with fury. “Alexandra Louise Leadbetter, I need to have a word with you right now.”

Uh-oh. It was always bad news whenever her mother or her sister used her full name.

Kourtney grabbed her upper arm and hauled her to the back corner of the pool where there were fewer people. “What on earth possessed you to defile the McClures’ gaming room like that?”

“It’s not like you and Ryan weren’t heading there for the exact same reason.”

Kourtney’s cheeks turned red, and she glanced around to see if anyone overheard her. “You could have at least covered up what you were doing,” she said in a sharp whisper, “not leaving the condom wrapper on the middle of the table.”

“Sorry, but we were kind of caught up in the moment.”

Kourtney’s nostrils flared, and her cheeks grew as red as her lipstick. She poked her finger into the center of Alex’s chest with enough force to make her stumble back. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re determined to ruin my wedding, and I won’t stand for it.”

“Will you quit with the crazy accusation?”

“It’s the truth.” Another jab of her finger forced Alex back even more. “It’s time you think about the repercussions of your actions and how they reflect on our family.”

“And it’s time you got your head out of your ass and realize that I’m never going to be like you and Mama.”

“No, you’re just my horrid little sister who’s done nothing but embarrass me all my life.”

Kourtney ended her tirade with her hardest jab yet, and Alex stumbled back once again, her ankle twisting. The heel of her shoe fell over the edge of the pool. She wobbled, her hands flying out to catch nothing but air. Kourtney’s face morphed from anger to wide-mouthed shock as Alex fell backward. A solid
thwack
against the back of her head was the last thing she remembered before the blackness surrounded her.

****

Caleb returned from the kitchen with a plateful of food and groaned at the thick wall of people staring at something on the other end of the pool. By the time he pushed his way to the front, he saw what had captured their attention.

Kourtney appeared to be ripping Alex to shreds with a tirade, pushing her younger sister closer to the edge of the pool with every other word. A shout of warning formed on his lips with the final push. Alex’s shoe hit the lip of the pool surround, and she fell back.

Time stood still. He dropped the plate and rushed toward her, but he could’ve been swimming in sand for as fast as he seemed to be moving.

Her head connected with the diving board with a loud
bang
that snapped her neck forward. His pulse jumped into his throat.
Oh God, oh God, oh God…

Alex hit the water with a loud splash. A cloud of red marked where she’d fallen into the pool, but she never resurfaced.

Caleb dived in after her. The water was a fog of blood and bubbles when he opened his eyes to look for her. Another shadow swam toward the limp body sinking to the bottom. Caleb kicked toward her, reaching her the same time J.T. did.

Her best friend braced her neck and nodded to Caleb, pushing off the floor of the pool to bring Alex up. His lungs burned from holding his breath, but even after he gulped the air when they broke the surface, the ache remained.

Alex was unconscious, her lips blue and her face deathly pale.

A sob formed in the center of his chest.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.

“Keep her steady,” J.T. warned, bringing him back to reality. “She could have a spinal injury.”

Caleb nodded, supporting her back as J.T. led them to the shallow end of the pool. His pilot training had included instruction on water rescues, but he’d never dreamed he’d be using it on the woman he loved. “Someone get us a stiff board,” he shouted, his eyes never leaving her face.

Breathe, damn it! Breathe!

But Alex’s chest didn’t move.

Blood swirled around them from the wound on the back of her head. Someone collapsed one of the folding tables the guests had been eating on and lowered it into the water. It wasn’t a proper backboard, but it would work. J.T. continued to hold her neck perfectly still as they floated her onto it and pulled her out of the water.

The distant wail of a siren floated on the breeze, growing louder with each passing second, but it was still too far away to do any good. Alex still hadn’t taken a breath.

“She still has a weak pulse,” J.T. said from her head, his finger over the artery in her neck.

Caleb swallowed back his fear and let his instincts take over.
Not breathing, but still has a pulse. No chest compressions needed, but she still needs rescue breaths.
He thrust her jaw up and pinched her nose while taking a deep breath. Then he covered her mouth with his own and forced air into her water-logged lungs.

Nothing happened.

He repeated the same actions over and over again, his gut tightening with each breath.

Please don’t die on me, Alex. Please don’t die. I love you.

The force of his realization rocked him to the core and paralyzed him. He loved her. He loved her, and he’d been too chicken-shit to tell her when he had a chance.

“Caleb!”

J.T.’s sharp command jerked him back, and he gave Alex another breath.

This time, a deep cough rattled through her chest and jerked her limp body. Caleb lifted the edge of the table to help roll her to the side, making sure her spine was still kept in alignment. A gush of water poured from her mouth, followed by the most wonderful sound in the world—a sharp gasp.

Alex continued to cough, forcing more water out with each spasm that rocked her body before taking in another breath.

The medics arrived on the scene and pushed him away. By the time they’d transferred her to a backboard, she was taking shallow breaths on her own. Her lips were still blue under the oxygen mask they’d placed on her and blood continued to soak through the bandage they were hastily wrapping around her head, but she was alive.

The only thing that kept him from being fully relieved was that she never opened her eyes.

In a matter of minutes, the medics had her strapped to a stretcher. The sirens blared with an ear-bursting screech, and the ambulance took off with Alex in the back.

J.T. put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder and beckoned him toward the police car at the end of the driveway. “I know this borders on abusing my authority, especially when I’m off duty…”

“Just do it.”

J.T. turned on his car’s sirens and took off in pursuit of the ambulance. They arrived at the hospital just as the medics were unloading Alex.

Her eyes met his, and relief rushed through Caleb’s veins with enough force to make his knees buckle. He grabbed the edge of the police car and fought back the tears that threatened to spill out. Maybe she would pull though this. Maybe he would be given a second chance to make things right.

Alex disappeared into the ER, and he was left with knots of worry in his stomach. Kourtney and Ryan showed up, followed by Bubba and Lisa, and finally, Alex’s mother.

Mrs. Leadbetter didn’t bother to linger in the waiting room like the others. Instead, she barged right through the ER doors, her voice as loud as a drill sergeant’s. “Alexandra Louise Leadbetter, where are you?”

Caleb rushed after her. A nurse tried to intercept her, but the arrogant matriarch shoved her aside. “I’m not leaving until I see her.”

He held out hope that Alex’s mom was worried about her daughter’s health until she said, “As soon as she’s able to speak, she needs to apologize to me and her sister and the McClures for ruining the rehearsal dinner.”

Something inside him snapped. “How dare you think about only yourself at a time like this?” He stood in front of Mrs. Leadbetter, his fists clenched tightly at his sides to keep from striking her. “Alex almost died because Kourtney
pushed
her into the pool, and you have the gall to demand Alex apologize?”

Then, to his surprise, Kourtney appeared at his side. “He’s right, Mama. Alex did nothing wrong.”

Mrs. Leadbetter’s mouth hung open in shock.

Kourtney wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders and led her back to the waiting room, her calm words a stark contrast to his angry outburst. “Now, let’s leave Alex alone long enough to let the doctors take care of her.”

Disgust rolled through his stomach at he took a seat in the deserted island of chairs in the middle of the room. How could a mother be so heartless when it came to her daughter? It made him want to kidnap Alex and take her far away from her fucked-up, self-centered family. Why would she want to stay in the same town as a mother who obviously despised her?

And yet, when he looked around the room, he saw plenty of people who cared about Alex. They were fractured off into separate groups, all there for the same person.

It was Kourtney who finally broke the ice. She sat down in the chair next to him, staring straight ahead as she spoke. “I never should’ve let my temper get the better of me like that.”

“No shit.”

“Damn it, Caleb, I’m just as worried as you are, maybe more.”

“Why? Because you could be facing manslaughter charges if she dies? Talk about ruining your wedding.”

“I’m being serious here.”

“So am I.” He turned to her. “What do you have against Alex, anyway?”

Kourtney clasped her hands in her lap and focused her gaze on them. “Would you believe I’m jealous?”

“Jealous?”

She nodded. “Alex has always been so comfortable being herself. She’s smart, generous to a fault, and well-liked by everyone without having to win their affections. Everyone who meets her likes her, and well…” She squirmed in her seat. “I’ve always had to work to make people like me, and then, I sometimes worry it’s just because of how I look.”

He mulled over her words, finding truth in each statement. A sinking feeling weighed on his shoulders as he realized he’d been just as guilty as everyone else. He’d fallen for Kourtney’s looks and had never bothered to get to really know her before he deployed. He just wanted to possess her and make the rest of the guys in his unit jealous. It wasn’t until he got those emails that he came to value the woman within.

Only it wasn’t Kourtney he’d fallen in love with. It was the woman who’d nearly died this afternoon. The woman he’d never really noticed until this week. The woman who had no idea how much he loved her.

“What about him?” he asked, nodding toward Ryan.

A wan smile formed on her lips. “He gets me, and he makes me a better person.”

“Then I wish you every happiness with him.”

“I wish the same for you and Alex, even though I know it won’t be easy.”

Her statement carried the same warning J.T.’s had. Alex was too tied to the town. She’d never leave.

He curled his fingers into his palms. Maybe not, but he’d try his best to convince her to give this relationship at chance.

A doctor appeared from the ER, and everyone gathered around him. Caleb lingered toward the back, the obvious outsider. Everyone else had known Alex her entire life. But Lisa looped her arm through his and pulled him to the front as the doctor started to speak. The words blurred together. Concussion. Laceration. Needing oxygen. Keeping overnight. But at the very end, he heard the words he’d longed to hear from the moment he saw her fall.