How He Really Feels (He Feels Trilogy) (31 page)

“Nick, he’s my best friend.”

“I know, baby. But things change. I’m sorry you’re upset, but—“

I cut him off.

“You’re sorry I’m upset? Things change?” I was practically yelling into my phone. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t get an ounce of sympathy out of Nick. I was hurt that Travis would just pick up and
move, and I called Nick for a shoulder to cry on, not to hear that “things change.”

“I have to go,” I said, cutting off the call. I didn’t need this from Nick.

I turned the key and started the engine of my car. I took another deep breath, angrier than hell at both Travis and Nick. I was angry at Travis for running away like a coward, and I was angry at Nick for not being sympathetic to the loss of my best friend. I craned my neck to be sure there weren’t any cars and I backed out of my space. I put the car into drive and drove to the exit of the parking lot.

As I was making a left turn out of the lot, something caught the corner of my eye. I turned to look, heard a screeching noise and then a crunching sound, and then everything went black.

Chapter 20

Something was beeping. I didn’t know what it was; it just kept beeping. Why wouldn’t it stop? It was driving me crazy. I opened my eyes to see what the hell that noise was.

“She’s awake,” I heard my mom’s voice.
Mom? What the hell is she doing here?

The whiteness of wherever I was seemed to be blinding. I blinked a few times before everything came into focus. Even in focus, everything was slightly out of focus, and my head was absolutely pounding.

“Where am I?” I asked, finally seeing my mom. My voice was a hoarse whisper, and I was totally confused.

“Sweetie, you’re in the hospital. Everything is going to be fine,” she soothed me.

In the hospital?

“What happened?” I asked.

“You were in an accident. You got a little banged up, but you’re going to be okay,” my dad came into view as he spoke. He looked relieved. “I’ll go get the nurse.”

The pounding in my head was getting worse. I brought my hand to my head to rub my temples, only to notice that there was gauze wrapped around my head and a cast on my left wrist.

“How long have I been here?” I asked.

“Just overnight.
The doctor said you had a pretty bad hit to the head, so they gave you some medication to help you sleep,” my mom answered.

“Does Nick know?”

“Honey, we didn’t know how to get a hold of him or Travis, so I assume neither of them know. We thought about calling your office to let them know, but we didn’t have the number there, either,” she told me. “I guess giving your parents your vital numbers doesn’t seem so dorky now, does it?”

“I’ll make you a list when I get out of here.”

Then it all came back. Travis leaving for San Diego, my call to Nick, who offered me zero sympathy, and feeling so upset that I wasn’t paying attention to the road as I was driving.

“What about my cell?” I asked. “All my numbers are in it.”

“It was wrecked in the crash. It flew out the window and broke,” she said.

“How did they find you?”

“An old insurance card in the glove compartment had dad’s name and phone number. The last name matched to your driver’s license, so they called us.”

“God, Nick must think I hate him.”

“Speaking of Nick, when are you going to introduce us to him?” she smiled at me. It was her patented distraction technique, but it worked.

“As soon as I get out of here,” I mumbled.

The nurse came in. “Let me take her vitals and we’ll get the doctor in here. If he gives the all clear, you might be able to go home tonight. But you’ll have to take it slow for awhile. You broke your wrist in the accident, and you hit your head pretty hard. We stitched up your arm, but you’ll heal. And you’ll have a cool scar,” she smiled as she took my blood pressure. Just what I wanted: a cool scar.

After the doctor came in and gave me the all clear and some instructions for taking care of myself, I was released. I felt shaky and dizzy, but I was ready to be home. More than that, I was ready to see Nick. The doctor told me to stay home from work for at least a week, and he even gave me a note. My parents wanted me to stay with them, but all I wanted was just to go home. They drove me to my apartment, informing me on the way that my car was totaled. I told them that Nick would stay with me and take care of me. That’s when my mom asked me again when they were going to meet him, and I decided that night would be the night.

I walked into my apartment. It looked the same as I had left it: in bad need of some vacuuming. My mom immediately started cleaning while my dad helped me settle into my couch. He brought the phone and some orange juice over to me. He also informed me that I had eight new messages. I decided to listen to them later just in case there was any risqué business on there from Nick.

I dialed Nick’s cell number. He answered on the first ring: “Julianne? Are you okay?”

“I was in an accident. I’m okay.”

“Oh my God, baby. It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Can you come over? And do you mind meeting my parents?” I rambled.

“I’ve been so worried. Julianne, I love you. I love you so, so much. I’m so sorry about what I said about Travis.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for you to apologize later,” I smiled into the phone. “And I love you too. Bring clothes and stuff because you’re in charge of me for a few days,” I instructed.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

My head was feeling better, but it was likely because of the painkillers that the doctor prescribed. They made me feel drunk. My parents ordered a pizza and waited on me hand and foot as we waited for Nick to arrive. They asked me a million questions about him and I fessed up that we were planning to live together. Their immediate reaction was to look at each other and then frown at me; but ultimately they knew that I was an adult, and they said that if he made me happy, they were happy for me. Soon enough, there was a knock at the door. My dad opened it and introduced himself to Nick, who made his way in with an overnight bag and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He set his bag down, shook hands with my dad and hugged my mom, then came to me. He set the flowers on my coffee table and kissed my forehead. Just seeing him immediately made me feel better, even more so when he was so close to me and overwhelming me with his presence and that wonderful scent.

“I was so worried about you,” he said, kneeling on the floor in front of me. I glanced at the flowers; they were gorgeous. His hazel eyes looked into my baby blues and searched mine to make sure that I was really okay. When he found that I was, he kissed me again, this time on the mouth, and then he held me close for a moment. Eventually he looked up at my parents.

“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, but it is great to finally meet you,” he said warmly.

“Julianne tells us that she is moving in with you,” my dad blurted out.

“Yes, sir. We want to be apart as little as possible. I live half an hour way from here, so it just seemed to make sense for us.”

“That happened awfully fast,” my mom chimed in. I was mortified.

“Well, Mrs. Becker, you have a beautiful, talented, and intelligent daughter. How could I not fall for her?” he smiled. Damn, he was smooth. And sexy.

“Call me Pam, please. And you can call the Mr.
over there Ron.”

“Thank you, Pam,” he said. Just then there was another knock at the door: the pizza.

Nick got up and headed to the door. “Please, allow me,” he said, pulling out his wallet to treat.

My mom flashed me a smile of approval; so did my dad. It was going well and I could tell that they already loved him. Who wouldn’t? He was sexy and smart, and apparently he was treating for dinner.

My parents and Nick got plates and napkins and fumbled around my small kitchen to get dinner together. Nick brought me a plate of all of the best crusty pieces.

As we were eating, Nick brought up Travis. “Julianne, Travis should know that you were in an accident. I can call him for you if you don’t feel up to it.”

After our last conversation about Travis, I felt a swell of love for Nick over offering to call Travis for me. “Thanks, Nick. That’s really sweet. But I need to call him myself.”

My parents glanced at each other, amused. They knew that Travis and I had an on-again, off-again
type of relationship, and they knew the depth of our friendship. They had to think highly of Nick for offering to call Travis for me given our past.

“Hey, what happened at work today? I had a message that Tom wanted to meet with me this morning,” I remembered.

“Davidson wanted to talk to you about the Anderson account. I took care of it because you weren’t in. I don’t want to get into this now, but Julianne, please consider coming to work for me. He’s a jerk. You deserve better.”

My parents glanced at one another again. “Nick, are you leaving the company?” my dad asked.

“Yes, sir. Tom Davidson is my boss, and he found out that your daughter and I were dating. He said it was Julianne or my job, so in the end, I chose Julianne. She is more important to me than some job,” he explained.

My dad remained silent, pride beaming across his face.
My mom already knew since I had told her when we were waiting for Jamie to deliver Hadley.

I could tell that t
hey loved him, and knowing that he chose me over his career sealed the deal.

“And I got a job offer on Saturday for a competing company. I accepted the offer, and we’re currently putting a team together. I want Julianne on my team.”

“That sounds like a good idea, especially if this Tom guy is a jerk,” my dad said.

“Can I join the conversation?” I asked. “I’m worried about working with Nick because if it was such
a big deal with Tom, why won’t it be at this new place?”

“Good news, babe. I talked to Brennan today, and he is fine with it. He knows couples who work together who are more creative because of their compatibility. Plenty of couples work together and make their relationships work,” Nick countered. “Plus there will be a huge raise for you. And it’s closer to your new home,” he smiled.

“I’ll think about it,” was all I could say.

“Well you better think fast. I’ve got to get the team together this week, and I’ve only got two spots left,” he contended. “Plus you’ve got to get your two weeks in if you’re going to leave.”

“It sounds like a great offer,” my dad said. My mom nodded. They were all very convincing.

“Alright, already.
I accept,” I smiled as Nick got up to hug me tightly.

“Baby, it’s gonna be great. I just know it,” he said, kissing me as my parents looked on. He sat back down to his pizza and then said to my parents, “Do you want to stay at my place while
Julianne heals? I’ve got more room than her apartment here, and I know that you two don’t live too far away, but you’re welcome to stay with us for awhile so you can be close to her.”

“That’s really sweet,” my mom smiled. She stood up and walked over to Nick, and she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You are a wonderful young man. Julianne is a very lucky girl to have found you,” she beamed at me, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

My dad chimed in. “We appreciate the offer, but we don’t want to impose on you. But we would like to come by and visit with Julianne while she gets better.”

“Of course.
Whatever is easiest for the two of you. But please know that it wouldn’t be an imposition at all,” Nick said.

God, I loved him.

Once we were finished eating, Nick scooped me up in his arms, carried me to my bedroom, and gently placed me on the bed while my parents straightened up the kitchen and family room.

“Where are your overnight bags?” he began. I pointed him in the right direction. He packed clothes, underwear (wiggling his eyebrows as he fumbled around my panties), and my toiletries for me as I lay on the bed. He brought my pillow, my favorite stuffed animal, and my bags to his car. I glanced over on my nightstand and saw my favorite picture of Nick and me – the one I had placed face down in a drawer after he had broken my heart. It was back out, and our smiles were priceless. I grabbed it to bring it with me, and he came back up a minute later to carry me down to the car.

“Nick, I can walk. I’m fine,” I whined, knowing full well that he was going to carry me no matter what I said (and that I would prefer being in his arms anyway).

“I’m going to take care of you forever, Julianne. I love you,” he said, placing a tender kiss on my forehead.

“I love you, too,” I said, still in awe that I had this beautiful man was all mine.

He carried me down to the car, my parents in tow, and then we said goodbye. They had to go visit Jamie, and Nick gave them directions to his place so that they could visit me the next day.

On the way over to Nick’s house, I finally felt ready to call Travis. For one, I needed to know how he was doing, and for two, I wanted to tell him about the accident. “Can I borrow your cell since mine was smashed beyond repair in the accident?”