The Last Hard Boy (The Hard Boys 3)

Every now and then, she kept checking the time.

Rome had never been late.

Tapping her fingers on the table, ten minutes went by.

Twenty.

Thirty.

At the hour point, she started to worry.

Her car was still in the shop.

Getting to her feet, she went to her noticeboard where Rome had left his numbers. She dialed only to get his voicemail.

Her hands shook, and she hated that she didn’t know Caleb or James’s numbers. Something had to be wrong.

Or he’s dumping your ass.

No. She didn’t believe that. Rome wouldn’t dump her by ignoring her. He had a lot more class than that.

She removed her heels, called a cab, and changed into a pair of boots.

Andy got to the door and paused when she saw James at her front door.

“Rome is in the hospital.”

“What?”

“He, er, he was driving here, and he hit some black ice. The car swerved, and he collided with a tree head-on.”

Fear raced through her. “Oh, no! Will you take me to the hospital?” she asked.

The cab arrived as she was leaving her home. She pulled out some money to pay the driver, and then joined James in his car. Within seconds, they were on the road, heading toward the hospital.

“I should have called,” James said.

“It’s fine. I started to worry when he didn’t turn up for dinner. I didn’t have your number.”

“None of us had your number either,” James said. “Mom was pissed that she didn’t think about it sooner. It’s something we’re all going to rectify.”

“Tell me how bad it is.”

Rome had lost a lot of blood by the time the emergency services got to his crash. He’d been unconscious, and his leg had been crushed during the process. They were fixing and setting his leg, as well as dealing with any internal injuries.

“They’re pretty much taking each problem as it comes.”

“I can’t believe … I’m so sorry,” she said.

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I offered to cook him dinner. This is all my fault. If I’d only broken up with him, none of this would have happened.”

She released a cry as James swerved the car to the left, suddenly pulling up to a stop.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Andy asked.

“First of all, my brother is in love with you, and before I continue any further and don’t just let your ass out here at the curb to walk home, I need to know how do you feel about my brother.”

“James, you’re wasting time. We need to get to the hospital.”

“You’ve just said you should have broken up with him. Why? Is that what the dinner was all about?”

“No, of course not. I … I don’t want to break up with your brother, James. The last thing I want to do is break up with him, but he was hurt coming to me. If we hadn’t been dating—”

“Enough.” James snapped at her, silencing her. “Like I said, my brother is in love with you. If he wasn’t coming to your place for dinner, he’d be coming to you no matter what. You don’t seem to understand, but when a Hard boy falls, he falls hard. Rome has wanted you for years. I don’t for a second believe it’s down to some pathetic schoolboy fantasy about boning his teacher. If it was, ten years down the line, he’d have enjoyed plenty of teachers, or the first time you two were together would have been enough for him. It wasn’t. Rome loves you more than anything. What about you?”

Tears filled Andy’s eyes. “I love him.” The words were the absolute truth.

James smiled. “Good. Now, let’s not talk about breaking up, or how it would be in the best interests of my brother or any shit like that. I don’t think it’s healthy, not in the slightest.”

She jerked her head in acknowledgment. It was strange to finally say how she felt out aloud. It made it even more real, scarier, and just so many different things all wrapped up into one that she couldn’t focus.

James pulled back into the main road, taking them all the way to the hospital.

They didn’t say a single word.

He parked the car, and Andy got out, already heading toward the main reception.

Theodore paced the main door. Jane sat in her chair, staring ahead.

Caleb, Lilly, and Eliza were all seated waiting. She figured they’d gotten a babysitter as there were no signs of their children.

The moment Jane saw her, she got to her feet. “Oh, Andy, I am so sorry. I was so worried about everything. Please, forgive me.” She was pulled into the woman’s arms, feeling the warmth of the hug.

“There’s nothing to forgive. Is there any update?” Andy asked.

“Not yet.” Jane glanced back, and Andy did the same, seeing Theodore stop, look at the door, and pace again.

“He will get through this,” Andy said.

Jane squeezed her hand and they sat together. Andy couldn’t help but keep looking behind her, hoping to see the doors open. Wishing and praying Rome would come through those doors and say it was all a joke.