Meant for You (15 page)

William discreetly cleared his throat. “I agree with you where my brother is concerned, Ethan, and I'm not going to lie to you: it bothered all of us. Of course, no one knew she was already feeling responsible, but either way, it doesn't excuse the things he said to her.”

Ethan didn't want to look away from Summer, but he returned his attention to her uncle. “I just hope Robert doesn't feel the need to attack her verbally again now that he's here.” There was a fierceness in his tone that Ethan almost didn't recognize in himself. He'd never felt so protective of anyone, and he most certainly would never have considered talking this way to any of the elder Montgomerys before. He was seriously losing it, and if he wasn't careful, William was bound to notice.

“I think my brother found someone else to vent at.” He motioned over his shoulder to where Robert was standing with Mike Rivera. “That poor man. As if he didn't have enough to deal with, now he has Robert.”

William didn't have much sympathy for Mike Rivera either. He believed Mike's company was at fault, and if William had anything to say about it, he'd be talking to a team of lawyers and laying blame where blame was due. How his brother could have thought even for one second to put any of the blame on Summer was still beyond him, and once this whole nightmare was over, he'd be sure to point that out.

“Anyway, I guess I should go over there and make sure things don't get out of hand.” William placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. “You're a good man, Ethan. We all know that. Thank you for being here for Zach and looking out for Summer. They're both lucky to have you.”

Ethan thanked William, watched him walk over to Mike and Robert, and let out a breath of relief. That had gone better than he had expected. He was certain everyone was going to come in here like gangbusters and make all kinds of noise. So far, other than Robert, the rest of the Montgomerys had been pretty well behaved.

Ethan spotted James and Ryder speaking with one of Mike's employees, and Gabriella was on the phone in a small side office. With Robert and William still engaged in conversation with Mike, he slowly made his way over to where Summer was sitting with her head back and eyes closed. Ethan gave one last nervous look over his shoulder before sitting down beside her. “How are you doing?” he asked quietly.

She looked up and blinked with surprise at finding Ethan so close. “Tired,” she said. “The waiting is killing me. It feels like we're so close and yet time is dragging.”

He nodded. “I know. It actually hasn't been that long, but I know how you feel.”

“I just won't be able to relax until we know Zach is all right.” She reached for his hand as her eyes met his. “I don't know what I'll do if something's happened to him, Ethan. The last time we talked, he was so mad at me. I can't bear to think of that being our last…” Tears began to fall, and Ethan wrapped her in his embrace. He missed having her in his arms, and for a moment he just savored the feeling.

“Shh,” he whispered against her soft hair. He loved the feel of it, he loved the smell of it, and the thought of possibly never being able to hold her like this again was almost more than he could handle—especially on top of everything else going on around him. “They're going to find Zach, and he's going to be okay, and the two of you are going to look back on everything that happened since you came to Portland and laugh about it.” He pulled back and tucked a finger under her chin. “He promised me before he left that he was going to try to make things right between the two of you, and you know your brother is a man of his word.”

“He did?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

Ethan nodded and reached up to wipe away her tears. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to promise her everything was going to be all right. He was just about to speak when James was standing over them.

“What's going on?” James demanded of Ethan. “Why is she crying?”

For a minute, Ethan was at a loss for words.

“All of the waiting around is taking its toll,” Ethan finally said as he disengaged from Summer and stood up. “She's worried because the last time she and Zach spoke, they argued. Now she's afraid—”

James held up a hand to stop him. “Say no more.” Stepping around Ethan, he sat down beside his sister. “Hey,” James said carefully, and put his arm around her. “I know this has been rough for you, but you know Zach; he argues with everyone lately. When he gets back, I guarantee you he's still going to be ready to argue with someone.”

“But what if…?”

He placed a finger over her lips and shook his head. “Good thoughts; I only want you to be thinking good thoughts, okay?” He waited until she nodded, although he could tell that she was merely placating him. “We need to be prepared to accept that he'll have some injuries, but we need to stay positive here, kiddo. You need to be strong.”

“I'm just so worried,” she said wearily.

He hugged her close. “I know you are. Hopefully we'll have an update soon and then we'll all be able to relax and get a good night's sleep.”

“I hope you're right because I feel like the walking dead right now.” She attempted to smile and was just about to make a joke referencing the television series when her father walked over.

“It's good to see that you can laugh while your brother's life is hanging in the balance,” Robert said when he came to a stop in front of her.

“Now wait a minute,” Ethan began but was cut off when James rose at the same time.

“Seriously, Dad, have you learned nothing in all these years?” James asked incredulously.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“We discussed this on the plane. I don't know why you're directing all of this hostility toward Summer. She's not to blame here. If you'd open your eyes and shut your mouth for a minute, you'd see that your daughter has been crying. She's exhausted and she's worried just like the rest of us!”

“Well, if she would have put her foot down and stopped Zach from going, we all wouldn't have something to be worried about!”

Father and son argued for another minute before Ethan cut them both off with a loud whistle. When he had their attention—as well as everyone else's in the room—he spoke. “Your son is a selfish asshole who doesn't listen to anyone!” He noticed the look of shock on Robert's face, the wary one on James's and Ryder's, the worry on Summer's, and the smile on William's. “We all tried to talk Zach out of this, Robert. Hell, even his doctor tried, but in the end he gave Zach the clearance.” Ethan raked a hand through his hair in frustration. “Now I get that you're upset and worried and pissed off because this entire situation is beyond your control, but you have got to put the blame firmly where it lies—and that's on Zach.”

“No,” Robert said with a sneer. “She didn't try hard enough!”

“I'm sitting right here!” Summer snapped and jumped up at Ethan's side to join the fray. “I did everything I could to talk Zach out of taking this trip. You can't even begin to imagine the arguments we had over it. But Ethan's right. Zach is a very selfish person, and as upset as I am about that and as sick as I am with worry for him, I've still managed to control myself and my emotions. I'm ashamed of the way you've carried on here, throwing your weight around and acting as if you're the only one who has a say in how things are done!” It was the first time in her life she had ever talked back to her father, and it felt good!

“These people have been working around the clock since this happened and they have done everything they could to ensure no one else gets hurt. How dare you come in here and try to tell them how to do their jobs! How would you like it if someone walked into Montgomerys and did that to you?”

“I'd like to see someone try!” Robert yelled.

“That's my point exactly!” she yelled right back. “As a business owner, shouldn't you be showing Mike the same courtesy? Has your yelling and lecturing done anything to help? I mean, you just don't get it, do you?” She turned and pointed to James. “James ran away at sixteen because you wanted to dictate how he should live his life. Ryder and Zach moved almost three thousand miles away to get away from you, and I did my best to stay away for as long as possible! When are you going to learn that your way isn't the only way?”

She was breathless from her little speech, and leaned into Ethan and felt his arm come around her waist and pull her close. After her show of bravado, she wasn't sure what emotion to register first—pride in herself or excitement in having Ethan show his support of her in front of her family.

Robert was seeing red. The possessive look on Ethan's face was the straw that broke the camel's back. How dare he touch Summer as if he had every right to! And on top of that, in all his life, no one—not one of his children—had ever spoken to him the way his youngest just had. He wanted to yell, he wanted to scream, he wanted…

“Excuse me, folks!” Mike Rivera yelled as he jogged across the room. “I hate to interrupt but we have some news.” All eyes turned to face him. “We got them!”

Those three little words effectively brought all arguing to a halt. In the blink of an eye, everyone was huddled around Mike's desk as they listened to the communications coming from the command center—all of the climbers were found. A million questions were waiting to be asked, but for the time being, everyone stood silently—waiting and listening for any specific information on Zach.

If the wait seemed difficult before, now it hit a painful level. They were so close, so close to finally hearing what they'd been waiting for, and having to sit through anything else was bringing everyone back to the edge.

“I'm going to need names of who is going where,” Mike said into the receiver. The phone was on speaker so that everyone could hear. “How long until we have that information?”

“The first chopper just left with the first three…all were in pretty bad shape…broken bones and signs of hypothermia,” a voice said over the staticky line.

Mike looked from the radio to the people around him. “Was Zach Montgomery on that chopper?”

There was a moment of silence as everyone sat still and held their breath. “Negative,” the voice said and then named the three people who were on it. “This is going to take some time, Mike. There are a lot of people up there, and we can't send too many choppers up at once. We've got a medical team up there right now to assist the injured and assess who needs immediate attention.”

“I understand,” Mike said. “I am going to want an update on every person as they're taken down from the mountain—I need to know which hospitals they are being sent to as soon as you have it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I should have another update for you in about twenty minutes.” The line went silent, and Mike looked at the anxious faces around him. Their pain and disappointment was obvious. “I don't want you to get discouraged,” he said finally. “Just because he wasn't on that first flight doesn't tell us anything about his injuries. For all you know, Zach opted to let the others go first because he's helping out.” It seemed to be the perfect thing to say because there was a collective sigh around the room.

“That would be something Zach would do,” Ryder said as he stepped away from the desk. Others joined in with their agreement, but Summer, Ethan, and Gabriella exchanged doubtful glances.

Gabriella left the room first and Summer followed. They walked out of the offices and down the long hallway until they found their way out the back door. Gabriella closed the door, sank onto the top step, and looked up at Summer. “I don't know how much more of this I can take,” she said sadly.

Summer slouched down beside her. “Me either. I don't know what I was expecting.”

Gabriella nodded. “I know I should agree with everything Mike said and we should be thinking positively, but I'm afraid too.”

As much as it pained her to admit it, Summer agreed. “I know,” she said quietly. “From the moment he announced this trip, I didn't feel good about it. I thought that with my knowledge about injuries and how Zach was still struggling with his leg that he'd listen to me. But he just blew me off.” She gave a mirthless laugh. “Who am I kidding? No one takes me seriously anyway.”

Reaching out, Gabriella took one of Summer's hands in hers and squeezed. “I take you seriously,” she said and rested her head on Summer's shoulder. “I think you're one of the sweetest and bravest women I've ever known. The way you stood up to your family out there before the call came in was amazing.”

“You heard?”

Gabriella nodded.

“I thought you were making calls.”

“Please, I was done about twenty minutes before the whole scene started. It was just safer to stay in the office and out of everyone's way.”

“Maybe I should have volunteered to make the calls,” Summer said miserably.

“No way. You needed to be out there and have your moment. I think you just about shocked the hell out of the bunch of them. I can't remember ever seeing so many Montgomery men standing with their jaws on the floor before.”

Summer chuckled. “It did kind of feel good.”

“I'm sure it did. You should do it more often. Show them what you're made of. Proves they can't just push you around.”

Summer let that thought sink in as she closed her eyes. “I'm not sure it did me any good. I was saved by the proverbial bell.”

“Mmm,” was all Gabriella could say. She was mentally and physically exhausted. She was used to keeping up a fairly active pace, having worked for Zach for so many years, but this particular situation was taking an emotional toll as well. Over the last couple of weeks, even before the climb, she'd found herself really forming a bond with Summer. She respected her as a coworker and was coming to consider her a good friend. She didn't have too many of them—partly because she was a workaholic and partly because she seemed to intimidate people. She sighed. Now was not the time to dwell on that. As Summer's friend, she needed to be strong and supportive.

And then find a way to survive it herself.

“As much as I don't want to, I suppose we should get back in there and wait with the rest of them. They're probably wondering where we are.”

“They probably haven't even noticed we left,” Summer said and yawned widely.

“I'm sure Ethan noticed,” Gabriella said with a hint of a grin. Summer turned to her with a look of anxiety. “Look, I hate the timing of all this for the two of you, I really do. But you're going to have to deal with it. I knew before the two of you even hooked up there was something there.”

Summer shook her head. “I didn't believe it was even possible.” Then she sighed. “I'm just not sure what's going to happen once my family finds out. Ethan may decide it's not worth all the aggravation.”

“That's a load of crap and you know it.” Standing up and stretching, Gabriella held out a hand to help Summer up off the floor. “I'm not going to stand here and say everyone is going to be thrilled and happy and supportive. Everyone is going to have something to say, and it might not be good. But here's the thing: Is Ethan worth it?”

“What do you mean?”

Gabriella rolled her eyes. “Being with Ethan, having a relationship with him, isn't it worth putting up with a little BS from your family? You know they'll get over it eventually. They've known Ethan for a really long time. They may not be thrilled right now, but I think the dust will clear sooner rather than later.”

“I don't know,” Summer said sadly. “We haven't talked about it, but it's been an issue most of my life. My family has a tendency to intimidate the guys I get involved with. Being that it's Ethan and he's Zach's best friend introduces another level of awkwardness to the situation. I wouldn't blame him if he ran screaming in the opposite direction.”

“So he may be a little nervous. He should be. Your family has a way of making it seem like there are a lot more of them than there actually are. I mean, there are four of them out there—just four Montgomerys—and it feels like they consume all the space, all the air in the office!” She let out a laugh. “And it's like this all the time. They just have that big of a presence.”

“But Ethan should be used to it by now! He's known us for like…forever. None of this is news to him. If you can see everyone will get used to it in time, why can't he?”

“You're jumping to conclusions here. You just said that you haven't talked to him about this yet. Why are you looking for trouble?”

Summer shook her head. “There has been so much going on with Zach and the rescue, it seemed selfish to try to talk about us and where all of this is leading. I get the feeling Ethan would rather have this whole thing go away…”

“Wouldn't we all?”

“No, not the accident and Zach, but the two of us. I don't think he had any intention of ever making a move on me. That's why I had to make the first move when I was camping in the tepee.”

Gabriella's eyes went wide. “Wait…what? The tepee? How? I mean, I knew he was going to try to find you and talk to you about Zach but…”

“We were talking, and then we were arguing, and then he was saying how people need to take risks, and I agreed. And took one.”

A knowing smile crossed Gabriella's face. “Good for you!”

“I thought so at first, but then he left. We agreed no one had to know. It would be our secret.”

“And then Glacier Bay.”

She nodded again. “And then Glacier Bay. I was so stunned when I saw him there, and when he told me he decided not to go on the climb…I actually had hope. I really thought I had gotten through to him! But he said he hadn't been into it for a while and it was no big deal.”

“Oh, please,” Gabriella snorted. “You got to him. He's just not ready to admit it. And the way he was looking at you when you walked away from him on the boat? Sweetheart, that was not the look of a man with only mild interest and time to kill. That was a man who looked at you and thought…
mine
. It was sexy as hell.”

Summer blushed. “It was pretty hot. By the time we got back to the lodge and to the elevator, I wasn't even sure we'd make it to the room.”

Gabriella pretended to fan herself. “You little vixen!”

Her blush deepened. “I never knew I had that kind of passion in me. The first time we kissed, I knew it was going to be different. It was so intense and so consuming, and every time he touches me, it just makes me want him more.”

“Then you have to talk to him about this. You have to make him see that while it certainly won't be easy, it will be worth it.”

“Ethan's pretty stubborn.”

“Tell me about it,” Gabriella said as she reached into her purse to pull out a compact and check her appearance and then cringed. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone for so long in casual clothing and without a full face of makeup. “Working with him and Zach has been a challenge because they are both so damn stubborn. I can't tell you how many times I've had to play referee and send one of them to another office!”

The image made Summer laugh. “Oh, you don't have to tell me. I grew up watching the two of them.” And in all those years of watching and yearning, she knew there was still so much more to Ethan Reed and she really wanted to know all of it. How was she going to convince him it was okay?

Taking in Summer's suddenly somber expression, Gabriella placed a hand on her arm. “Hey, it's going to work out. I know it will.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

“And I wish I had your curves,” Gabriella said with a sassy grin. “Now, I think we've hidden out in here long enough. Let's head back in there and see what's going on in the office. Maybe by now they've gotten word on your brother.”

Together they walked back into the office and were surprised to see everyone sitting around quietly—drinking coffee and talking amongst themselves.

“I don't know what to do with this,” Summer whispered. “I know how to handle them when they're loud and rowdy, but this? This quiet and meek behavior? It's unfamiliar.”

Gabriella could only nod. “It's definitely not natural.” She glanced around the room and felt oddly out of place. “Maybe we should back out slowly and head to the ladies room or something.”

The idea was tempting, but just then Summer's father looked up at her. He didn't frown, but then again he didn't smile either. He simply looked at her warily. In her entire life, Summer couldn't remember a time when she couldn't clearly define her father's mood just by looking at him. It was definitely weird.

“Maybe he wants to talk to you,” Gabriella whispered out of the side of her mouth.

“If you think I'm going to go over there willingly, you're crazy.” She didn't have to.

Robert Montgomery stood and slowly made his way over to her. Once he was at her side, Gabriella excused herself to get another cup of coffee.

“We were beginning to worry about you,” he said by way of an icebreaker.

It almost made Summer smile: her big, strong father finally at a loss for something to say. And she had done that. Oddly enough, she was proud of herself. “The walls in here were starting to close in on me. It was nice to step out with Gabriella and just have a quiet moment.”

He nodded, hands in his pockets, and looked at the ground before looking at his daughter. “I guess it hasn't been particularly quiet since we arrived.”

This time she did smile. “It was pretty loud in here before; you just picked up the slack when the crowd thinned out.”

“Summer, I…I want you to know that…I'm aware.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “I know I was a bit harsh with you on the phone last night. I was in shock over the news. You aren't the reason for whatever your brother is going through. That wasn't fair of me to say.”

Summer realized it was as close to an apology as any of them had ever gotten. “I'm worried about him too, Dad.” She gave a mirthless laugh. “I've been worried about him for weeks. When Gabriella broke the news to me last night, I thought I was going to pass out.”

“I thought your mother was too when I broke the news to her. Luckily, Aunt Monica is with her as well as Casey and Selena.” He frowned. “I wish you were there with them too. I never should have pushed you to go to Portland. You should be home with your mother—safe. I don't like that you're so far away, and now you're all caught up in this mess.”

She reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “Dad, even if I were back home with Mom and everyone, I was still going to be caught up in this. Zach is my brother; I love him. I hate that he's going through this, and I hate that he and I fought so much before he left, but I want to be here for him. If I had been back home when you got the call, I would have fought like hell to fly here with you and James and Ryder and Uncle William.”