His phone rang and Cody answered, putting it on speaker. “Tell me he’s there.”
“Funny thing. Last time I spoke to the director, they confirmed he was there immediately. Today I was told Governor Harris has rescinded my authorization. They won’t give out patient information to me anymore.”
“Fuck.” Cody raked his fingers through his hair. “He could have done that after Brooke signed the NDA.”
“Or he did it to conceal the fact that Adam is out.”
“But we don’t know that for sure. That would mean that Brooke could go to the cops.”
“What good would that do if the governor gets Adam out of the country?”
“Fuck.” Cody slammed his hand on the table.
“After I called the facility, I tried the governor. He’s not answering. Maybe he’s busy. I don’t know. But if I were you, I’d keep a close eye on Brooke. Cancel the store opening.”
“No!” Brooke shook her head. “I’m not letting him ruin this for me. He took her. He’s not taking this, too.”
Cody’s arm tightened around her. “Brooke.”
She stared hard at him. “No. I’m opening my stores. There will be a ton of people here. People we know. He won’t get to me. We’ll talk about what happens after the opening if he’s not caught.” Because she had to believe that if Adam was out, the governor would get him back, or at least warn her.
Cody sighed. “I’ll agree to the opening, but after, you’ll have to let your employees take care of things until we know for sure what’s happened with Adam.”
“I’ll see you two at the grand opening tomorrow,” Doug said.
“The more eyes on her, the better. Thanks, Doug. As you can imagine, I’ll be working the rest of the day from home with Brooke.”
“Not a problem. I’ve got you covered. I’ve got some contacts at the PD. I’ll make some calls about the accident and see what they have to say.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
“Partners, remember. Take care.” Doug hung up.
Susanne arrived with Brooke’s hot chocolate and Cody’s coffee. “What does this mean? Is he after her again?”
“If he is, he’s not going to live long enough to regret it.” Cody looked Brooke dead in the eye. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe and happy.”
She turned fully in his lap, wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him close. “I love you.”
“I love you more than anything. I will do anything and everything to protect you.”
Susanne brushed her hand over Cody’s head and smiled at Brooke. “Seeing you two together makes me so happy. I wish Harland was here to see it, too.”
“He knows,” Brooke said. “Before he passed, he told me, ‘keep loving Cody hard.’ And I did. I always will.”
Cody’s eyes met hers. “He said that?”
She nodded. “I think maybe he knew I’d never let you go.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate, getting a milk mustache from it.
Cody hooked his hand at the back of her neck and drew her in for a kiss, where he licked off the sweet treat and melted her panties.
The man knew how to kiss.
Then he stood, effectively scootching her right off his lap. “Susanne, if you’ll excuse us, I’m taking my fiancée home and putting her in a hot bath after her ordeal today.”
Cody walked out of the bathroom and found Brooke finishing her call with Dr. Wick. She put the phone on speaker. “Can you please tell Cody that I am of sound mind and not having any self-harm thoughts?”
“Hey, Cody, Brooke told me of your concerns after what happened today and I’m glad you encouraged her to reach out to me. We’ve had a really good talk and I am satisfied that while Brooke still needs to process what happened and how shereacted to seeing Adam, whether he was real or imagined, that she’s not a danger to herself or others. In fact, she seems excited about opening her shops tomorrow despite her fears that Adam could be out there trying to get to her. I hope the police will have a solid answer soon. Until then, keep supporting each other through this and talking to each other.”
