His eyes scan the dining area, narrowing in the direction of the entryway. I shove my forkful into my mouth, chewing slowly as I watch him openly. He seems more. . . relaxed. More at ease.
I can get used to this. Waking up to him. Going to sleep to him. Being with him.
“Something I thought would be nice,” Baron speaks up suddenly, and I pause my chewing to listen. “I would like, once this hotel is comfortably making a profit, to buy an extension out in the country somewhere. It’s not easy to find greenery in the middle of London. Either that, or considering looking into a rooftop garden to hold events? But it’d require some remodification, and I’m not sure I want to go through that mess again.”
“Oh, that does sound like a promising idea, but we’re already building a reputation as an event space. I don’t know if a secondary location would be a good next step, but I like the idea of a rooftop garden.” I say with a nod, but it’s obvious that Baron’s only speaking just to speak. Stabbing a piece of pancake only to pause again, I tense when he sits up sharply. His face is pinched, and I immediately guess why. His mother must’ve entered the dining area.
I sneak a peek over my shoulder but chicken out at the last second. Suddenly, her gaze bores holes into my back, and I lick my lips nervously when Baron casts me a worried look. Setting down my fork, I take a breath and hold it, gripping the edge of the table.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you, Baron,” The sultry, aged voice is sharp with annoyance, and I finally look up. Baron’s mother pauses, seeing me, and her eyes narrow into slits. “Who’s this?”
“My girlfriend,” Baron declares gruffly, and his mother’s gaze snaps to him. “Delaney.”
“Delaney? Delaney Gallagher?” She asks, and I nod mutely. Her expression darkens, and my heart pounds against my ribs as anticipation races through my veins. “You’re that bitch spinning stories that got my son killed? I thought you’d dress like the slut you are.”
“Mother!” Baron’s shout booms like thunder around me, but I’m petrified. That bitch spinning stories? Me? A slut? What’s she talking about? A pit forms in my stomach, and my heart clogs my throat as Baron grabs his mother’s arm and drags her away. He continues yelling, but I can’t make out the words. All I can do is stare at the space she’d occupied.
Killed her son? She’s. . . Petra Frey? Petra Frey is. . . Baron’s mother?
All that crap last night. . . was because he knew? He knew about Seattle and didn’t tell me that he’s the brother of the man that raped me? He’d apologized over and over again. . . because he knew?
If I hadn’t canceled that meeting, I’d have been there.What Baron meant wasn’t what he said. He wouldn’t have been able to do something in Seattle. . . because nothing would’ve happened in the first place?
But Baron only just put the pieces together, and then I immediately told him I was pregnant. Of course, he’d find it hard to admit these things to me. I blink as the world grows dull and gray in my eyes. My lungs are on fire from lack of oxygen before I suddenly remember to breathe again. The air stings my nostrils, and I stand up to stumble away from the table.
“Delaney- Delaney, no, no, no- hey, hey,” Sputtering wildly, Baron lunges for me to stop me from falling as my head grows heavy. He’s not fast enough, the security of his touch absent as I fall over a heavy bench. The world spins, and a pain grows along my side and under my ribs before frantic hands grapple my shoulders. “Delaney!”
My eyes roll back dangerously as the heat and energy seeps from my body. My skin burns when Baron gathers me to his chest to hoist me up, but the rest of me throbs with the frenetic beat of his heart against my face. Hot, sharp breaths clog my throat, not even reaching my lungs.
“Someone call an ambulance!” Baron’s voice sounds far away, but I can feel the panic in his tone settle heavily on my face. “Delaney, no, no- stay awake. Stay awake.”
I groan weakly, clawing at my throat as I choke on my own tongue. Gagging and wheezing, I crane my neck in a futile effort to breathe.
“Delaney. . . no- no, it’s- I’m sorry. Please,” Whispering hoarsely, Baron pushes my cheeks together to force air into my lungs. The huge force unclogs my throat, and I roll onto my side to cough viciously. Gasping horrifically, my chest heaves wildly as I suck in much needed breaths. “Oh, fucking Christ!”
Shivering uncontrollably, goosebumps blanket my body, and my chest aches fiercely. Gripping my side with a trembling hand, I cry out at the sharp sting just under my ribs. It hurts- it throbs. I arch sharply as hot, sweaty palms gather me up into his lap.
“Just breathe- just breathe,” Baron whispers hoarsely, his tears dripping down my forehead. Wait- tears? I blink, my gaze focusing briefly as he rocks back and forth in a paralyzing panic. “I’m so sorry. Fuck- shit, Delaney, I’m sorry.”
“Oh- ugh!” I roll onto my side to throw up undigested pancake and stomach acid, and pain rips up my left side from the strain. Puking all over Baron, the acrid stench burns my nose and eyes, clinging to my tongue. He pulls my hair back with one unsteady hand and wipes away my vomit with the other, stopping me from drowning in it.
“It’ll be okay. The ambulance will be here any second, love.” Baron whispers, but the roaring in my ears drowns him out. The pain in my side flares, and it hurts. It hurts. . . so much. That short moment seeing Baron’s face brands his image against my eyelids as they become impossible to open.
CHAPTER15
BARON
Istomp into the lobby of my hotel, not caring about the dozen and a half pairs of eyes on me. Rage sears through my chest as the faint sirens of the ambulance fades into a terrible silence. Grabbing my mother’s arm tightly, my lip curls when she cries out and opens her mouth to protest.
“You keep. . . your fucking mouth shut, you bitter, old hag,” I hiss viciously, and my mother actually looks afraid. I yank her arm, hauling her after me and sending her tripping over her own feet. Looking around, I spot Tom by the receptionist’s desk and point at him with a trembling finger. He looks spooked, but I’m so far beyond caring about how things look anymore. “You get everyone back to work! Everyone get to work!”
Dragging my mother out of the lobby, I hoist her up by her bicep when she flails, trying to slow me down. The car she had sitting outside at a meter rumbles to life, and I rip open the door to toss her into the back seat. I slam the door shut, leaning down to talk to the driver through the front passenger window.
“Take her to another hotel,” I grumble as I pull out my wallet and toss a few large bills into the passenger seat. “Drive around in circles. I don’t give a shit what you do, but she can’t fucking stay here.”
“Baron! How dare you treat your mother this way!” My mom wails in the back seat, grabbing the driver’s headrest to shake it wildly. “Don’t you dare move this car! I won’t forget this! You’re no son of mine!”
“Sorry,” But the driver only shrugs at my apology and leans forward towards to wheel. Stepping back onto the sidewalk, I listen to my mom screeching before he pulls off the curb and into light, swiftly moving traffic. She won’t even try to get out of the car, simply yelling over and over again senseless demands. Rubbing my jaw and neck, I cup the back of my head with both hands to squeeze between my forearms. “Shit. . . shit!”
