Adam growled. “This is Adam Moreau. You might recognize the name from the new addition to the burn unit.” His declaration was met with silence. “Wewillland in less than three minutes.”
“Adam Moreau, be advised that if that helicopter so much as touches our landing pad, we’ll have you arrested.” Apparently, they weren’t impressed with the multimillion-dollar addition to the hospital plaza. It was under construction, but still …
Adam rolled his eyes. “For what?”
“Violating AC 150/5390-2B—blocking a helipad with an unauthorized vehicle.”
“Fine. We won’tland.” Adam hit the button to close the circuit on their conversation. “Jade, can you hover about a foot off the ground?” he asked the pilot.
“Yes, sir.” Jade grinned like this was his best day on the job. He circled the hospital to make his approach.
Adam turned to Bella. “When I tell you to, jump to the pad and sprint to the doors.” He pointed out the window. “They’ll take you down to where you can get an elevator and get to your father.”
Bella squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Adam waited for her to insist he come along. To tell him that she couldn’t do this without him. To say that she loved him. Anything that would indicate that he was as important to her as she was to him.
Her eyes opened, and she focused on the door, not sparing him a glance.
Adam cupped the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her hair. “They shouldn’t bother you, but if they do, call me and I’ll come tear them apart.”
Her eyes widened, and for a moment he thought she’d say she needed him there—or at the very least wanted him there.
“I don’t have my phone.”
Of course—logistics. He snagged Jade’s phone out of his shirt pocket. Jade didn’t even flinch. Adam did, though. Bella was always capable of taking care of things. He shouldn’t think that she would suddenly need him to take care of her. “Take this one.”
“Ready the door!” yelled Jade.
Adam maneuvered so his shoulder was against the door and his hand on the handle. Bella’s entire frame shook. “Thank you, Adam. I wish we’d gotten to finish our dance.”
Adam felt the night slip out of his control. He’d planned to tell Bella he loved her, to ask her to be his. He’d wanted so much to make that happen, but it seemed life had other plans. Despite the knowledge that this was a bump in the road, he couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding.
“One!” called Jade. They were getting close. There were three men on the roof, waving red wands of light to warn them off.
Jade cursed. “Lifeflight is two minutes out. We have to do this now.” He dropped the helicopter down, sending Adam’s stomach up his esophagus.
“Now!” Jade screamed.
Adam threw open the door and handed Bella out. She stumbled and rolled, sitting up and waving. “Goodbye!” she yelled.
Adam shut the door and laid back against the seat … the cold, empty seat. Goodbye. She’d said goodbye. His heart trembled.
Jade pulled up, and they moved into the night sky. Bella got to her feet and gathered her skirts, sprinting to the door, just as he’d told her. The three men stayed on the roof, shaking their heads at the spectacle.
“You might be in some trouble,” warned Jade.
Adam shrugged. Whatever trouble came his way was nothing compared to the gratitude on Bella’s face. He would give his whole world to make her happy—if he ever got the chance.
He shook himself. She’d said goodbye. They didn’t say goodbye. The word was like a slammed door and an electric shock all rolled into one.
The chopper landed on the back lawn, and Ben opened the door for him. He stared at the door for a moment. He’d opened it for Bella not ten minutes before and was certainly capable of doing it again. Yet he’d waited for Ben out of habit more than anything.
He’d been letting others do things for him that he was perfectly capable of doing for quite some time. Like The Cove. He could have done the legwork, filed the permits, and met the residents. And yet he’d let Martin and then Bella do it for him because his time was tooprecious. The sarcasm in his thoughts was thick as a New York strip steak.
He glanced through the other window at the house, wondering why it already felt different. Bella had left before, but not for long and not for her own purposes, and she’d never said goodbye. She’d always been on business. This was different. This was personal. The look in her brown eyes was one of panic and yet resolve. She was not going to leave her father’s side until he was well.
Which meant she chose Martin. She would always choose running to her father instead of staying with Adam. Not that he expected her to leave her dad and never speak to him again. And not that a night of dancing was more important that a man’s life. It was just … there was something in her look that was desperate.
Maybe he should have said the words. He should have told her he loved her. Maybe she would have asked him to jump out of the helicopter with her. But she hadn’t. She’d released his hand and jumped. And his heart had fallen out the door with her.
