Counting On You (Counting the Billions 2)

I shrugged. “Sometimes,” I allowed. I trailed my fingers down his bare sides, trying to remind him of what we’d been in the middle of.

But my phone started going off again.

I sighed and closed my eyes briefly, ready to practically sob with how badly I didn’t need that call right now. I was enjoying myself, right here with Daniel, and it felt like we’d been working toward this for a long time. I wanted to get in that shower with him, and then I wanted to go down to the spa with him a little while later for that massage. I just wanted one weekend where I didn’t have to worry about everything else.

Because as much as I was happy about this relationship, there was definitely a high level of stress that came along with it. And not just because of the media. Like he had said, it was clear that I had been overworking myself as well. I knew I had been. There had been plenty of mornings lately when it was hard to get out of bed. But I wanted Daniel to see what I could do, and I wanted to prove it to the rest of the guys we did business with as well.

If any of them had seen the tabloids, I didn’t want them to think that the only reason Daniel had hired me was to look good around the office. If they underestimated me, that was their loss, but I needed to show them exactly what I was made of.

In retrospect, maybe that wasn’t the healthiest way to approach the situation. But at least I was taking this one weekend to relax and rejuvenate. I could figure out a new strategy on Monday when we went back to work.

Except that now, someone seemed intent on ruining this nice weekend together.

I frowned and headed over to where I had left my phone, frowning down at the screen. “It’s Leanne,” I told Daniel slowly. I wondered what she was calling for. I had told her that I was going to be away for the weekend, and even though I knew that she still didn’t approve of my relationship with Daniel, I doubted she was calling just to screw up my plans or to give me some sort of lecture.

No, there had to be a bigger reason. I felt my blood run cold, even before I had answered the phone and heard Leanne’s frantic tone of voice.

“Abby, thank god I reached you,” Leanne said immediately. “I’m at the hospital. Lakeshore.”

“What’s going on?” I asked immediately, already rummaging for clothes and beginning to get dressed. I barely noticed Daniel’s questioning look. Immediately, I was kicking myself for not answering the phone on the first ring, and for wondering even for the briefest of seconds if Leanne was just calling because she knew that I was away with Daniel and didn’t approve of my being there.

No, of course there was something much more important than that going on. I swallowed hard, feeling instantly sick to my stomach. Leanne and Matt and the two kids were my family. If something happened to any of them, I didn’t know what I would do.

“Matt was in an accident on his way to work this morning,” Leanne finally managed to choke out.

“Were the kids in the car?” was the first thing I could think to ask. Sometimes Matt dropped them off at various activities on his way in to work. God, what if it was all three of them?

“The kids were already at soccer camp for the day,” Leanne told me, and I felt a weight lift off my chest at that. But my heart plummeted even deeper when Leanne continued. “But Matt’s in surgery.”

There were a million things I wanted to ask, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to hear them over the phone. Was he okay? Was it bad? What exactly had happened? Did anyone else get injured, bystanders or the people in the other vehicle? Was there another vehicle?

But I’d ask all those questions in person. I had to be there for Leanne. She was my best friend, and Matt was my brother, and whatever romantic plans I’d had for the weekend, they all seemed so trivial now.

“I’m on my way,” I promised Leanne. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Chapter 17

Daniel

I HAD NEVER FELT FEAR even remotely like the fear I felt when I saw Abby turn white as a sheet. Whatever news she had just received from Leanne, it wasn’t good. I wanted to ask her what was going on. I wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her. But I knew better than to try to do either of those things before she was off the phone with her friend.

Instead, I was left waiting as she finished up the call and simultaneously tried to pull on a pair of jeans. She finally hung up the phone, and I went hesitantly over to her. “What’s going on?” I asked gently.

Abby dashed tears away from her eyes, and I abruptly realized that I hated the universe for this. Not because our plans had been spoiled; I didn’t give a shit about that right now. But I hated that Abby was so upset. I hated that life had done this to her in the first place, whatever it was.

“My brother was in an accident on his way to work this morning,” Abby said, hiccupping on a sob. I wanted to pull her into my arms, but she was already flying around the suite, trying to find all of her things. “I have to pack—I have to get to the hospital. Leanne can’t go through this on her own.” She paused. “And the kids. Someone is going to need to pick up the kids after their soccer camp. I don’t know if they have any other activities today. Or should I call and get them out of camp early? I should have asked Leanne about that.”

“We’ll start by getting to the hospital. You can talk to her about that there,” I said soothingly. “Then you’ll be closer to the kids’ camp if you do need to pick them up anyway.”

“Right,” Abby said, nodding. She looked around at the mess she had made while she was on the phone and trying to wrestle out clean clothes one-handed. “Fuck, I need to get this packed back up. I need to go.”

I finally stepped closer to her, catching her hands. This frantic, frenzied Abby was starting to scare me. She was still thinking through things so logically that it almost hurt. But at the same time, it was so clear how scared she really was.

“Abby,” I said firmly, giving her hands a little shake. She froze, staring up at me. “Breathe.” Slowly, she took a shuddering breath, showing me that she was listening. I reached one of my hands up to lightly cup her cheek, trying to convey an absolute gentleness that I hoped would calm her down a little.

“We have the room booked for the whole weekend,” I reminded her. “So you don’t need to worry about your things. Just leave them here. Finish getting dressed, and I’ll get us to the hospital. Okay?”

Abby nodded, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment, her lashes brushing against my skin. “Okay,” she said quietly, and I could hear the tears in her voice.