A Daddy for Christmas: Holiday Romance (Holiday Romance Collection Book 2) (3 page)

“What was that?”

“Just a…oh, it’s not anything in particular, honey. She smiled down at him and took his hand. “You ready for some dinner?”

“Officer O’Reilly would make a great dad don’t you think?”

Megan nearly choked. “What!”

“Officer O’Reilly, the guy that was just here. He is so nice. I think I’d like him to be my dad.”

The way Jacob just said that was nearly her undoing. He was so innocent, thinking just because he wanted something, he’d get it. “Honey, he is very nice, but that isn’t the way things work.”

Jacob frowned. “Why?”

Megan normally had no problem answering Jacob’s one million questions, but tonight was just the icing on the cake to her crap day. “Well, honey, people that get married are in love.”

“So you didn’t love Daddy?”

Wrong answer. Shit. “Oh, honey, I loved your daddy very much, you know that.”

“Then why weren’t you married?”

Megan could feel the sweat start to form over her upper lip. Her hands felt clammy, too. She wasn’t ready to talk to her son about how he came to be, and wasn’t sure if she should now. “Well, we were going to get married.”

“You were?” Jacob’s face lit up, and Megan felt a bit better, even if she didn’t know if the statement were one hundred percent true.

“Yes, honey, of course. You were just the best thing that ever happened to us.”

“Would I have had a brother or sister?”

Megan didn’t know the answer to that. She had always wanted a brood of children, but since Jason died, she didn’t think much about anything other than raising Jacob. Taking care of a kid fulltime as well as working was a job in itself. She didn’t have time for daydreaming. “I like to think so.”

“Well, you can have one with Officer O’Reilly.”

Megan knew her face was red now. “Okay, honey, that’s really enough with…”

Jacob interrupted, “I asked daddy about it, he thinks it’s a fine idea.”

Megan didn’t know what to think. Jacob was saying something about his father when Brice was outside, too. “What are you talking about, Jake?”

“I talked to daddy,” Jacob said happily.

“When?”

“Last night, and then again today after school.”

“So…you heard his voice?”

“Yeah, I asked him if it would be okay for you to get married so I can have a daddy, and he said that would be real nice. He also told me that he loved me, and that I should play sports this year.”

Megan smiled at Jacob’s enthusiasm. “Oh, yeah?”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

Megan looked at her son’s face, and nodded. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, honey, it’s just that, your daddy is gone.”

“He’s in Heaven, and we talk sometimes.”

Megan didn’t want to say anything about what she thought about God to her son, he didn’t need to hear how cynical she was these days. It was hard enough to raise a kid to have good morals and values without putting in her own problems. “I’m glad you talk to him, honey. He loved you very much.”

“He’s a good daddy. He says Officer O’Reilly will be a good daddy, too.”

Megan could feel her heart flutter in her chest. She didn’t want to think about what it would be like to be held by Brice. She didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“He probably will be a good daddy to someone someday, Jake. It’s you and me, right? We have each other, you know that.”

“I know, Mommy,” Jake replied. Megan could tell he was getting sad from the conversation.

“What would you like for dinner tonight?”

“Hot dogs.”

Megan made a ridiculous face, which made Jacob giggle. “Oh, Lord, I am going to turn into a hotdog!”

Jacob laughed some more, “You would be a beautiful hotdog, though!”

Megan grinned, happy to have at least distracted her son from his matchmaking. “You little charmer you.”

“Thanks for going on the field trip with me today, Mommy.”

Megan thought the distraction would have lasted longer. She sighed, “You’re very welcome, baby.”

Chapter 3

M
egan walked into the hospital and rolled her shoulders back. Her whole body was stiff from a night of dreaming of Brice. Jacob wouldn’t leave her alone all night with the “Brice this, Brice that’s”. And of course she would have to work her shift rotation starting this evening. She had the next three days to think about him, and she was sure that Jacob wouldn’t stop until she eventually had to let him down in a way that she didn’t like very much. She hated to yell at her son, but the only way to get through to him at times was to just get in his face about whatever it was that she didn’t like. That would mean her telling her son that she didn’t want to get married, and that Officer O’Reilly didn’t either.

Why would he?

He had never been married, never had children…

She remembered his last words to her the night before
“We’ll see about that.”

When she walked into the emergency room, the place was in chaos. Megan looked to her right and saw that several people were up at the front check in desk complaining to Jan. Jan took the appointments and sent them back to the ER. She looked frazzled.

“Everything okay, Jan?”

“Oh, thank God, Megan, we are not doing so well tonight.”

“What happened?”

“When am I going to get to see a doctor!” a woman yelled; she pushed Megan with her left arm, and nearly knocked her to the ground. Jan’s eyes widened.

“Excuse me!” Megan stated. She looked at Jan, and Jan pushed a button under the desk. It didn’t happen all that often, but some people were out of control.

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to…”

“Get the hell out of my way, bitch,” the woman that pushed Megan said to Jan as she grabbed Megan’s arm. Her other arm came around so fast that Megan wasn’t prepared. She had a knife in one hand and twisted hard with the other, collapsing Megan to the floor like a ragdoll. “I need help now!”

Megan cried out, and the woman brought the knife down to her chin.

“Shut your mouth!”

“Oh my God! Ma’am, you don’t want to do this!” Jan cried. She tried to stand up but another person quickly took their place beside her and pushed her shoulder down so she would stay seated.

“Don’t move!”

Jan was crying now, and Megan was scared. She had been threatened once since she started working here seven years ago, but that was just someone yelling at her in the parking lot. This was entirely different. This wasn’t a bad case of road rage over a parking spot, this was a knife to the throat. She didn’t know if the woman was looking for drugs, or what she had in mind.

“I need the key to the cart,” a man said. He was the one that was standing next to Jan.

Jan’s voice trembled, “I… I don’t have one. I’m not a…”

“What are you then?” the woman with the knife asked harshly.

“I’m just a sec…secretary.”

“What the hell are you then, bitch?” the same woman asked Megan. Megan closed her eyes briefly, then opened them back up. “I’m a nurse. I have a key.” She wasn’t about to die for a few pills.

“Give it to me!”

“I can, but you won’t be able to get in without me. I have to swipe the card, and there are cameras everywhere. They will just lock up the cart and call security if they see you on their monitors.” Megan tried not to let her voice waver as she told the lie. She didn’t know if the woman would cut her throat after she took the keys or if she would keep her alive just to get the drugs, but she had to try something. Security should have been there by now.

“Fine. Get up,” the woman yelled. She pulled Megan’s hair as she let her stand. “Show me where the hell we are going.”

“It’s just this way,” Megan pointed, taking the long way around. She didn’t want to put others in danger, but if she didn’t go this way she’d be down a long hallway all by herself. Jacob didn’t need her dying, too. Megan stopped for a moment, and the woman sneered at her. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Shut up!”

“Please, my son’s father is already dead.”

“I said, shut up!” the woman yelled and put the knife to Megan’s back.

Megan could feel the sharp point of the knife near her spine. She moved forward just as security came through the double doors.

“Don’t move!” A guard from the hospital yelled. The woman momentarily stopped, then put the knife up to Megan’s throat. She pulled it across slowly, cutting her slightly. Megan’s lip trembled.

“You don’t want to threaten me.”

“Ma’am, put the knife down.”

Instead of dropping the weapon, the woman pulled Megan even tighter against her so that her arm was wrapped around Megan’s chest, and the knife was in the other, holding her firmly in place.

“Put the knife down, or you and your husband won’t have any chance in seeing your son,” another voice called out.

Megan knew that voice right away. She went to turn, but the knife went in a little more, eliciting a little cry from Megan.

“What do you mean?” the woman asked. Her voice was shaky as well.

“Your son is awake now, and there is no chance in hell that I am going to let you even see him to make sure he is okay if you harm one more hair on that woman’s body.”

Tears streamed down Megan’s face, and she felt the woman let go. The knife dropped, and then a few seconds later she heard the unmistakable sound of cuffs being put on the woman behind her. Megan’s hand went up to her throat and touched the little amount of blood that pebbled over the cut.

“Megan,” Brice whispered.

Megan heard him, but all of a sudden the adrenaline finally hit, and she collapsed to the floor.

It took a few minutes for Megan to come to, and when she did, she saw Brice first. She was lying in one of the beds in the ER.

“Hi,” she said, then winced. It felt like her head hit a brick wall.

“You have a pretty sizable bump on your head, Megs.”

Megan scrunched her nose at the nickname. “Megs?”

Brice smiled softly. “It suits you. You scared me.”

“I scared myself.”

“What the hell happened out there? Jan is hysterical, I couldn’t get much out of her.”

“Oh thank God Jan’s all right.”

“Yeah, we got to her just before getting you.”

“Why were you here?”

“I was here earlier for the car accident that the woman and man that accosted you were in. Drunk driver hit their car, killed their son.”

“But you said!”

“They had two sons. The one died instantly, the other was not so good, but the Doctor remains hopeful.”

Megan instantly felt sick. She couldn’t imagine anything like that happening to Jacob. More tears came down her face, and she felt as if she would crumble. Her head hurt, and she was still shaken from what had happened, but to think that those two people that were just in that room would lose one son, and may even lose another was something altogether horrifying.

Brice felt awful. “I’m just glad I was here tonight. You have no idea what that did to me seeing you like that, seeing that knife up to your throat.”

Megan didn’t want to think about it, or what he meant by what he was saying. She closed her eyes, and felt Brice’s arms go around her. She felt the warmth of his embrace, and the fast beating of his heart. “It’s okay, Brice, I don’t need a hug.”

Brice moved to look at her. “I needed the hug, Megs. How do you think it feels to see something like that?” Brice leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “I had a hell of a day so far, let me tell you.”

“What happened?”

“Well, the accident for one, seeing the knife to your throat was the other, and now I have to leave to finish up my shift, and I can’t be here to protect you…”

Megan tried to move to get a better view. Protect her? “What are you talking about, Brice?”

“You have to work all day. Why don’t you just go home?”

“I have to work, Brice. I have a son to raise.” Megan couldn’t believe he was seriously asking her to go home. It’s not as if she didn’t already think that, but for a man that had just met her the day before to already be telling her what was what was upsetting, and confusing.

“I’ll give you some money.”

Megan’s eyes widened and she moved to stand. All of a sudden, her vision blurred. She must have hit her head harder than she had thought. “Listen, and listen well, Brice. I can take care of myself, and I don’t need you or any other person to tell me what to do.”

Brice looked taken aback. “Hey, I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“I don’t need you to look out for me. I am a grown woman!” The nerve of this guy!

Brice looked down and shook his head. “You need looked after, and I’m going to do it.”

“I do not, and you will get out of here. You aren’t family!” Megan shouted, then reached down to press the nurse call button.

“Don’t you dare,” Brice warned.

Megan grinned, then pushed the button.

A few minutes later, Brice was escorted out of the room, while Megan steamed over what had just happened.

***

If Megan had thought she had gotten rid of Brice, she had another think coming. He had just finished his patrol, when he noticed her car in her drive. It had been a long day, and because of his job, and the official police report that he had to fill out regarding today’s events, he had to talk to Megan. He also knew when she had left the hospital, and that she had a concussion, and was to be watched for the rest of the night.

Brice smiled as he walked up her driveway, thinking about how she pressed that call button, and the expression on her face.

He knocked on the door.

“What are you doing here?” Megan sneered. She had her hand up to her head, holding an icepack.

“I came to check on you.”

“I’m fine,” she said, then went to close the door.

“I’m not going away that easily. Let me help you.”

“I wasn’t aware the police made house calls.”

“Don’t be a smartass, Megs, you need me tonight. You have a concussion.”

Megan’s eyes widened, then she turned to go inside. “I should report whoever told you.”

Brice laughed softly. “You wouldn’t do that, and you know it. Besides, how do you expect Jacob to remember to wake you?”

“You are not staying the night!”

“Don’t get all crazy on me. Jacob is here.”

“Yeah, and so am I, and I am telling you that you aren’t staying the night. I don’t even know you.”

“We’re adults, for crying out loud. You’re hurt, and I am going to help. Besides, you need me.”

“I don’t need you.”

“Yes you do, and so does Jacob. Has he had dinner?”

Megan rolled her eyes. “Of course he has, have you even looked at the time?”

Brice knew it was after seven, but when he was growing up dinner was a family affair, and his dad didn’t get off work until 6:30, so they always had dinner after seven. “Yeah, I’ve seen the time. Have you had dinner?”

Megan walked over to the couch and sat down on the middle cushion, bringing her feet underneath her body. For the first time since showing up, Brice had noticed the red toenail polish peeking out from her toes.

“Mommy, who was at the…Officer O’Reilly!”

Megan closed her eyes tightly. Jacob would never stop talking about the man now! She groaned.

“Megs, are you okay?”

“It’s Megan, and yes, I’m fine.”

Brice smiled, and redirected his attention to Jake. “How are you buddy?”

“I’m doing good.”

“You’re doing well, Jacob,” Megan corrected. Brice laughed.

“I’m doing well,” Jacob repeated Megan’s lesson. “I had a good day at school today. We talked about the police station, and everyone said how much fun they had. I thought the best part was when you fingerprinted Mommy.”

“I thought that was pretty funny, too.”

Megan didn’t want to smile, but she did, until Brice sat down right beside her, crowding her on the couch. Megan went to move all the way over to the other side when Jacob sat down next to her. His little grin widened. “Look, we look like a family!”