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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

HARLOW

T he fresh scent of new paint filled the room as I ran the beige paint roller against the wall.

I wanted this house to feel like a home again.

I’d been at it for hours. My arms ached, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

It was actually soothing, and a sense of pride came over me as I stepped back to survey my work.

This room was almost done. There were only a few spots to touch up, so it seemed like progress.

My phone rang from the windowsill behind me. I put the roller in the tray and dried my hands. The ringing stopped before I could answer.

I checked the screen and groaned when I saw my dad’s name. Then it started ringing again. I stared at it for a beat, debating on if I should ignore it or answer. I shook my head, knowing the calls wouldn’t stop until he got through to me.

I hit accept and tried to sound as polite as possible. “Hi, Dad.”

“Have you completely lost your mind?” he said, skipping over any type of greeting.

I leaned against the windowsill. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

I should have gone with my gut and let the call go to voicemail.

“Baz told me he drove almost five hours in the middle of a storm to talk to you, and you sent him away. You were supposed to come back here and do damage control.”

I closed my eyes; the paint fumes were starting to mix with the headache I felt coming on. “I already told you; I’m not coming back.”

There was a long pause, long enough for me to think maybe he would hang up. No such luck.

“Do I need to remind you who you are dealing with here?”

I pressed my fingers to my forehead. “I’ve made my decision. You and the Zimmermans need to accept it.”

He sighed again. “I don’t understand where this nonsense is coming from. I have opened doors and given you opportunities that most people would kill for.”

I jabbed a finger through my hair. “I never asked for any of it. You wanted those things, not me.”

“I warned you before what would happen. Don’t think for one second that I won’t follow through with it.”

My jaw clenched. “Stop threatening me.”

“If you don’t come back by the end of this week, your little vacation will be over.”

My hand trembled as I held the phone up to my ear. “Then I guess we have a problem, because I’m not coming back.”

“I am not going to stand by while you throw your life away and everything I’ve worked for. It’s time for you to do the right thing, like you did before.”

My hand was shaking so badly, I could barely hold the phone. “I need you to listen to me very carefully. I am staying put, and I’m going to marry Brooks, whether you like it or not.”

I could hear his heavy breathing on the other end. He was about to explode. “Think again. I will ruin that man’s reputation so fast, he won’t be able to get a job fixing the siding on a garden shed.”

A cold sweat broke out along the back of my neck. “You leave him alone.”

“You might want to reconsider because you won’t like how this ends.”

This was his way of intimidating me. He couldn’t bully me into coming home, so he was using the only tool he had left.

The same one he used before. The difference was that I wasn’t giving in this time.

I pressed my lips into a thin line, trying to hold it all together. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

“You should be.”

My heart raced so damn hard; I could feel my pulse in my ears. “If you so much as touch him or try to make good on any of those threats, you will regret it.”

And then, without waiting for another word, I ended the call.

I dropped the phone on the couch and exhaled a long, drawn-out breath through my nose.

It was time he realized I wasn’t the same girl who let him decide everything for me. I was done selling my soul to make him look good.

My phone buzzed again. I picked it up and was ready to chuck it across the room when I saw the caller ID. It was Brooks’ grandfather, Marty.

“Hello.”

“Harlow, I’m sorry to bother you.” Marty’s frail voice at the end of the line made my stomach clench.

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m not feeling so great. The boys are all on a fishing trip today, and I can’t get a hold of my daughter-in-law.”

I moved to the mudroom to find my shoes. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I’ve been throwing up since this morning and feel unsteady on my feet.”

My pulse quickened. “Where are you now?”

“In my room.” He sounded like he was having trouble breathing.

I grabbed my keys off the hook by the door. “Can you call for a nurse?”

“They will want to bring me to the hospital, and I don’t want to go.”

I shook my head. He was so stubborn.

“I’m on my way. Stay put.”

I ended the call and locked up the house before running out the door.

The ride into town passed by in a blur. My thoughts bounced between worry and regret. I’d been so busy, wrapped up in my own mess, that I hadn’t spent as much time thinking about him and his health.

Marty was sick, and there was nothing I could do other than be there for him.

When I pulled up to the assisted living facility, I rushed inside and headed straight for his room.

I found him sitting on the edge of the bed. His face was as pale as the white sheets beneath him.

“Hey.” I kneeled in front of him and put the back of my hand on his forehead. He was hot. Definitely had a fever. “Tell me what’s going on.”

He coughed, and I could see every ounce of strength draining from him. “The meds make me feel horrible. I don’t want people fussing over me, but I can’t keep anything down.”

My heart squeezed at how frail he looked. “We are going to the hospital right now.”

“No.”

I pinned him with a look. “Yes. It’s not up for discussion.”

He coughed again. “You sound just like them.”

“Will you be okay in my car, or do I need to call an ambulance?’

“I’m not riding in a damn ambulance.”

“My car it is,” I said, helping him stand up. He grumbled the entire way to the hospital.

I found a spot near the ER and helped him out of the passenger seat. The paperwork took thirty minutes to complete.

I brought the clipboard to the receptionist and then joined Marty on one of the hard plastic chairs.

“I hate this place,” he muttered, eyeing all the sick people waiting to get called back.

“I think everyone feels the same way,” I said, checking my phone again.

I tried calling Brooks, but he hadn’t picked up yet.

After waiting for almost two hours for a room to open up, we finally got him settled into a hospital bed. His eyes were closed as a bag of fluids dripped into his IV. I sat beside him, gripping his hand.

A doctor came in and explained that he was dehydrated, a common side effect of his cancer treatments. They gave him some medicine to help relieve some of his symptoms. I could already see some of the color returning to his cheeks.

I reached for my phone, ready to call Brooks again, when the door burst open. He was the first one to step into the room. His face flooded with relief when he saw me. His dad and brothers were right behind him.

In two long strides, he was at my side. “Is he okay?”

I nodded as his dad, Tuck, and Hayes rounded the bed. “He was dehydrated. They are giving him something to help with his symptoms.”

He blew out a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

Marty cracked an eye open and groaned. “Look who finally decided to show up.”

Keith leaned over and rested his hand on the bedrail. “We were on the water. Our phones had no cell service.”

“Must be nice,” he grumbled.

“You scared the hell out of us,” Tuck said, stepping forward.

Marty sighed. “I just needed a bag of fluids. Don’t make a big deal about it.”

Hayes snorted and leaned over to pat his arm. “Sorry to leave you hanging, old man.”

I walked over to the window to give them all a few minutes alone. The doctor came in, went over everything, and reassured them that he could go home tomorrow as long as he continued to show signs of improvement.

After the doctor left, Marty sighed and adjusted his head on the pillow. “Now that I’m fine, you can all go home and stop hovering over me like a bunch of mother hens.”

“What if we want to stay a little longer?” Hayes asked with a grin.

Marty grunted and stared down at his hospital gown. “Too bad. I’m tired of looking at all of you. Why don’t you go get dinner or something? Maybe cook some of that fish you caught. You did catch a fish, right?”

“Of course we did,” Tuck answered, giving him a small pat on the shoulder.

Marty’s eyes looked heavy. I could see he was worn out. “Good. Now, go home and cook it, and let me rest.”

I kneeled over the bed and kissed his forehead. “Get some sleep.”

He glanced at me and patted my hand gently. “It’s been a long day. Thanks for coming to get me, sweetheart.”

“Always.” I gave him a small smile.

He turned to Brooks. “You got yourself a good one.”

Brooks looked down at me with affection in his eyes. “I do.”

“Don’t screw it up.” And then he pointed a shaky finger at me. “That goes for you, too. No more leaving town, you hear?”

I rolled my lips together. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Brooks grabbed my hand and led me out of the room. He shut the door and spun around. “I’m glad you were with him.”

I sagged into his chest. “Me too. I was so scared.”

He kissed the top of my head. “He called you for help.”

I nodded, feeling the emotions of the day catch up to me.“I’m just glad it wasn’t anything too serious.”

He stared down at me. “It could have been worse, but you got him here in time. I don’t think I could ever repay you for that.”

“I only did what anyone else would do.”

He shook his head and pressed his forehead to mine. “No. Not everyone would. You stayed with him. Made sure he was okay. You kept him calm.”

“It was good for both of us because I needed the distraction.”

His eyebrows pulled together. “From what?”

I looked down the hall and back at him, unsure if now was the right time to tell him about the call I had with my dad. He already had enough on his plate, and I didn’t want to pull his attention away from where it needed to be, but I knew he would be more upset if I kept it from him.

“My dad called right before Marty.”

He tensed. “What did he want?”

“He said if I don’t come back by the end of the week, he is going to ruin you.”

He blinked. “He said that to you?”

I rolled my lips together. “He actually said worse, but I’ll spare you all the details.”

He clenched his jaw. “You think I care what he says? I’m not afraid of your father.”

“I don’t want to be the reason why you lose everything.”

His face softened as he stared down at me. “Harlow, I know how your dad operates.”

I pressed my palms to his chest. “Don’t underestimate him or his reach.”

He cupped my cheek. “Listen to me. We are going to live our life the way we want to. Let him try his best.”

He might not have been worried, but my dad wasn’t the type to throw idle threats around. He was frustrated that I wasn’t falling in line. I wanted to believe that things were different this time around, but his reputation was on the line, and I needed to be prepared.