NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

“No, thank you,” he said, sitting up and moving away from me. He cleared his throat. “I’ll be fine. Besides, you have your big meeting in California.”

He didn’t mean it. Did he?

“Meetings can be rescheduled,” I said, feeling a little less steady than I’d anticipated. I was beginning to realize perhaps I wanted to go with him because of my own feelings rather than his. I wanted to take care of him, protect him, make sure he had everything he needed.

As soon as Cal met my eyes, I knew it was over. “I’d prefer to go alone. But thank you… for everything.”

I stared at him in shock. Was this really the end of our time together? Of course it was. We’d known each other five days. He was only twenty-three, nowhere near ready for the kind of permanent relationship I would want if I were foolish enough to enter into a relationship again. Which I wasn’t. This was simply intense emotion brought on by circumstances, that was all.

“Of course,” I murmured, looking away from him to find my phone. I had travel arrangements to make. Even if I couldn’t comfort him back in Hobie, I could make sure he got home as quickly and safely as possible to the people who could.

19

Cal

The trip home was a whirlwind. My eyes leaked the whole damned way, and I wasn’t sure how much of it was due to the news about Annie and how much was due to walking away from Worth.

I’d wanted so badly to lean against him and let him take away all of my worries—let him accompany me back home and hold me up while I went through the impossible task of saying goodbye to Annie—but if there was one thing I knew, it was just how much harder it would be to watch Worth walk away after he’d been to the ranch and met my family.

My family was everything to me, and keeping him separate from it seemed like my only chance at protecting myself from a full breakdown. I knew if I had Worth with me in Hobie, showed him all of my special spots and places that meant something to me, I’d never be able to erase him from my hometown or from my heart.

I also knew how important his meeting in California was to him, and I didn’t want my pity party to distract from the good work he was bound to do there.

As Worth’s private jet touched down on the small private runway outside of Hobie, I marveled at how strange it was not to fly into Dallas. I was used to having the long drive up to Hobie to prepare for seeing my family, but today, Doc and Grandpa stood just outside of the small terminal building’s double doors to wait for me.

“Precious baby,” Grandpa said when I got close enough to hear him. His eyes were already red with empathetic tears as he held his arms open for me. I walked right into them and let my eyes leak some more as I clutched at the back of his shirt. He smelled like the same Old Spice he’d been wearing for decades mixed with our laundry detergent. It was one of the smells of home, and I melted into it immediately.

Doc came around behind me to rub my back. “It’s so good to see you, but I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.”

“Any update on her condition?” I asked, pulling out of Grandpa’s hug to give Doc a hug too.

Doc’s voice was calm and steady. “We went by there this morning for a visit, and they’re saying there’s no brain activity. I believe they’re waiting for a few more tests to be sure, but it looks like they’ll be making a decision to take her off life support soon. Maybe tomorrow. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

I sniffed and pulled the handkerchief out of my pocket to wipe my tears for the millionth time. Worth had offered it to me before I’d left, and I’d made fun of the old-fashioned thing. Now I looked down at the deep blue initials JAW embroidered on it and said a silent apology. It had come in very handy, plus now I had a memento of my time with him.

“Can we head to the hospital now?”

“Of course. Let’s go.”

On the way there, Doc tried to warn me about Brian and Sharon. “They had a problem with your grandfather and me,” he began. “Didn’t want us anywhere near Annie’s room.”

My stomach dropped. I’d been afraid of that. Brian was a local politician where he lived and had made his religious and bigoted opinions known during some of the meetings. Annie had told me how disappointed she was to hear about it from someone else who lived there. I’d always gotten the feeling that Annie thought he’d eventually “come around” and maybe grow out of his ignorance, but apparently it hadn’t happened yet, and the man was at least thirty-five.