Be with Me (Return to Haven 2)

As they all settled in Jax’s SUV, Cash reached up from the back seat and placed a hand on Tanner’s shoulder. “She’s going to be fine.”

“I can’t lose her.”

Damn it, his voice cracked and he was barely hanging on here. Losing one family had been pure hell, but to lose another . . .

Tanner honestly didn’t think he’d recover again.

Jax started down the road and shut off the radio. “Jade only said that Mel had been in an accident in Atlanta. That’s all we know. Do you know anything else?”

Tanner filled them in on the little bit of information he had.

“What the hell was she doing there with her ex?” Cash asked.

“I have no idea,” Tanner muttered. “I can’t even think about that right now. I just . . . I can’t. I need to know she and the baby are okay. That’s all that matters.”

“She’ll be okay,” Cash repeated. “You know she wouldn’t have been meeting with him if she weren’t blackmailed or threatened. Once we find out the situation, we’ll handle it.”

“Damn right,” Jax added.

Knowing his best friends had his back was absolutely everything. They’d been there before when his world had crumbled. Each of them had faced their own hell. Jax when his wife left him with a new baby, Cash when his wife cheated on him and left with every dime in their bank accounts. But they’d all persevered.

Tanner just hoped like hell this day wouldn’t turn out to be another frozen moment in time, locked in his mind, when his world had shattered again.

Only ten minutes had passed according to the dashboard clock, and already this was the longest drive of his life. The closer they got to Atlanta, the more his anxiety increased. He swiped his damp palms over his jeans and stared out the window. The guys remained silent, knowing he needed the peace and quiet.

Finally, the hospital came into view. Jax didn’t even ask, he just pulled up to the front to drop Tanner off. The SUV had barely rolled to a stop when Tanner clicked off his seat belt and was out of the car.

The woman at the information desk informed Tanner that Melanie was in room 311. Another layer of dread seeped through him. If she was in a room, then this wasn’t something as simple as getting looked over and sent home. They were keeping her.

His hands shook as he reached for the elevator button. When it didn’t immediately open, he spun around and found a door with the sign for the stairs. He raced up to the third floor and marched past the nurses’ station, staring at each room number and ticking them down until he stood in front of Melanie’s.

The door was closed. There was no noise coming from the other side and Tanner wanted to bust through, but at the same time fear gripped him and he wasn’t so sure he was ready to face his fate on the other side.

Pulling in a deep breath, Tanner gripped the handle and gave it a tug. The curtain was pulled, and he closed the door with a soft click behind him. He reached out for the striped curtain and eased it back.

Melanie lay on the bed. Her face pale, a bandage on her head, her arm in a sling. Her heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm. Another monitor beeped and he studied the screens. Two heartbeats. Wires ran beneath the stark white blanket toward Melanie’s midsection.

Tanner collapsed onto the chair at her bedside. The baby was okay, Melanie was okay. Well, except for the obvious injuries, but he had to believe everything was going to be fine.

He reached out and took her hand, dropping his forehead to where they joined.

“Tanner.”

Her groggy voice had him jerking his head up, still clutching her hand. He needed to touch her, needed to feel that she was indeed alright.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she shifted in the bed, then winced.

“Don’t move.” He came to his feet and placed his hands on her shoulders. “What can I get you? Water? The nurse? Are you in pain?”

Melanie shook her head. “I don’t need the nurse. I just want to go home, but they said I had to stay.”

“The baby . . .”

“Is fine. I fractured my collarbone and have a few stitches in my head. I have a concussion, so they’re monitoring me.”

Her eyes welled up with tears and she looked down at their hands. “You know why I was in Atlanta,” she whispered.

Tanner swallowed, hating how her voice sounded so shameful, so full of gu