Millionaire Husband (12 page)

He’d returned to his house for solitude and peace, but the solitude was suffocating and there was no peace in sight.

Later that night, the phone woke him out of a restless sleep. Justin automatically answered it.

“Hi, this is Michael. I just heard from Dylan and I thought you might want to go see him. He’s at the hospital.”

Alarmed, Justin sat straight up in bed. “He’s hurt?”

“No. Alisa Jennings was in some kind of accident. It’s serious. She’s unconscious in ICU and Dy
lan’s determined to camp at the hospital until she wakes up.”

“How did Dylan know she was hurt?”

“Apparently her mother’s out of the country on an extended trip, so they couldn’t reach her. They found Dylan’s business card in her purse, so they gave him a call. He doesn’t sound good. I’ll get over there soon, but you’re closer to the West County Medical Center. I tried calling you at your bride’s house first,” Michael said and let the question hang between them.

“I needed some time to think,” Justin said.

“Hmm. Okay. Don’t take too much time,” Michael advised as if he’d learned something along the way about waiting too long. “I’ll see you at the hospital.”

Pulling on his clothes, he grabbed his car keys and left for the hospital. After getting two cups of coffee from a machine, he found Dylan in the ICU waiting room, staring unseeing through the glass door at the nurse’s station. Dylan, the most outwardly carefree guy Justin had ever met, looked as if he were facing death itself.

“Hey,” Justin said, offering him a cup of coffee. “What happened?”

Dylan accepted the coffee, but didn’t drink it. “She was running after a neighbor’s dog that got loose and a car hit her.”

“Oh, God,” Justin said. A picture of Alisa as a child slid through his mind. “She was such a sweet
kid, and she grew up to be a beautiful lady. This is a damn shame. What’s the prognosis?”

“They won’t tell me much,” Dylan said. “Serious head injury, internal injuries. They don’t know if she’s gonna wake up at all,” he said, his voice desolate.

“Did they let you see her?”

Dylan hesitated. “Yeah. I told them I was her fiancé.”

Justin did a double take. He’d known Dylan had carried a torch for Alisa, but he hadn’t known the man was this determined.

“It was the only way I could make them talk to me. Besides, her mother is on one of those trips to Europe and Russia where they move around every two or three days. Alisa may not want me right now,” he said grimly, “but she damn well needs me.”

“How long have you been in love with her?”

Dylan gave a wry humorless laugh. “Forever. She’s what I wished for before I knew how to wish, but I screwed up big time when we got together in college. I was so full of myself. I didn’t treat her well. I’m paying now. God, if she dies, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“But you haven’t been together,” Justin said.

“You don’t understand,” he said looking at Justin with stark eyes. “Just knowing she exists and is alive makes the world right for me.”

Justin felt an echo of recognition inside him at Dy
lan’s words. Knowing Amy existed made the world a better place for him. He wondered what he would do if something like this happened to Amy. Just the thought scared the living daylights out of him.

What if Amy died? What if she wasn’t even on the earth? What if he lost even the possibility of being with her?

Justin’s stomach churned with nausea.

“When you’re in love,” Dylan said, raking a hand through his sun-streaked hair, “there’s only two places in the world—where she is and where she’s not.”

Justin sat with Dylan through the long night, but in his mind, he was going home to Amy. That was exactly what he did the following morning. On the way to her house, he called his attorney and instructed him to dissolve the prenup agreement. When his attorney argued against it, Justin would have none of it. “Either you cancel it, or I’ll pay somebody else to cancel it.”

Pulling into the driveway at dawn, he felt a sense of resolve that went deeper than his bones. He strode into the house and headed upstairs.

Amy’s voice stopped him. “How is Alisa?” she asked quietly from behind him.

He slowly turned to face her and drank in the sight of her in a nightshirt. He shook his head. “She’s still unconscious, still in ICU.”

She crossed her arms as if to hug herself. “It’s terrible. I couldn’t sleep. I tried to call you after
Michael called me, but you must’ve already left for the hospital.”

“Yeah, Michael’s with him now. I needed to see you.”

Amy nodded. Her nerves were shot. “You’re right. I need to talk to you.”

Justin held up a hand. “I have something to tell you.”

Terrified he was totally giving up on their marriage, she shook her head and spoke in a rush. “No. I need to say I’m sorry. I know this has been impossible. I’m sorry I haven’t been anything resembling a wife. I’ve just been so determined and so scared,” she said, that admission costing her, “that I shouldn’t rely on you. Justin, you’re so strong. You’re the strongest man I know, and I want to rely on you, but at the same time I’m afraid to do that. There has never been anyone I could rely on. Both my parents were alcoholics and I learned at a very early age to be self-reliant. I don’t know how to be more balanced,” she confessed, feeling her throat tighten with emotion. “But I’d like to learn with you.”

Justin walked closer and stared at her. “I called my attorney on the way from the hospital.”

Amy’s stomach sank. He was already initiating a separation. She was too late.

“I told him to cancel the prenup. I want you to marry me, Amy,” he said.

Her head reeled. Unable to assimilate his words,
she shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. I thought you’d had enough of our marriage and wanted out.”

“I’ve had enough of pretending this is temporary, because it’s not temporary for me,” he said, slamming her heart into overdrive with his revelation. “I can’t explain it, and I know it sounds weird as hell, but I think you and I were meant for each other. You are the woman I would have wished for if I’d known you existed. You make the world make sense to me. I don’t—” He broke off. “Why are you crying?” he asked in horror.

Overwhelmed, Amy felt tears slide down her cheeks. “I thought you were leaving for good.”

He pulled her into his arms and held tight. “No, the beanee weenees pushed a button, but—”

“Excuse me?” she said. “Beanee weenees?”

“Long story,” he said. “It’s one of those bad memory foods.”

She winced. “They’re Jeremy’s favorite.”

“He can have my share.”

Being in his arms filled Amy with such warmth and hope. “I don’t understand what you were saying about the prenup.”

“Cancelled,” he said. “We don’t need a prenup.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, knowing it had been important to his sense of security. More than anything Amy wanted Justin to feel all the security and love he’d missed as a child. She wanted to be the woman to give it.

“Yeah, I did,” he said. “I want a lifetime with you. I want a commitment with you with every possible string attached. I don’t want you to get away.”

Her eyes filled with tears again. “I have been so afraid of loving you, but I do. I love the child you were, the man you are and I want the chance to love the man you’ll become.”

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her with such tenderness and love that she was humbled. How, she wondered, had she gotten so lucky?

“I used to think my mission was marrying you for the sake of the kids. Now, I know my mission is loving you for the sake of me.”

One week later, Amy surprised Justin when she arrived home with Chinese food and champagne, but no children in tow.

“Where are the munchkins?” he asked, giving her a welcome kiss.

“They’re at a sleepover at Kate and Michael’s house,” she said, unable to keep a smile from her face. “We passed inspection. The kids are really ours now.”

“Hallelujah,” he said. “We should celebrate.”

“That’s my plan.”

“Oh, really,” he said, his voice deepening in approval. “What kind of plan?”

“I think you should take off all your clothes and go to bed immediately.”

He scooped her up into his arms and strode to
ward the room they’d shared as husband and wife for the last six nights. “I’m not arguing,” he said. “What about the food?”

“Later,” she said, and they made very good use of their time making love to each other. Justin never ceased to amaze her with how easily he read her body. With each passing day, he seemed to read her mind and heart.

Afterward, Amy slipped on a chemise and brought the boxes of Chinese food and champagne to the bedroom on a tray. They took turns feeding each other. “Did you hear about Alisa? Kate told me she woke up, but she can’t remember anything.”

Justin nodded. “Dylan called today. I think he’s just relieved she’s going to live. He said he’s sticking to her like glue even though she’ll probably spit in his eye when she gets her memory back.”

“I feel lucky,” she said.

He nodded. “I don’t even want to remember what it was like before you were in my life.”

Her heart filled to overflowing. “There’s something I need to say to you,” she told him and took his strong, gentle hands in hers. No Burger Doodle vows for her. Looking directly into the eyes of the man she adored more than anything, Amy made promises she knew she would keep. “I take you, Justin Langdon, to be my lawfully wedded husband, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.”

She leaned forward and kissed him with all the love in her heart. “Forever and ever and ever.”

“I take you, Amy Monroe, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I will love and stand by you forever and ever,” he said solemnly, then lowered his head to whisper in her ear. “Even if you serve beanee weenees.”

Amy laughed at the same time a tear fell down her cheek. He had told her many secrets during the last week including the beanee weenee story. “Now that is love.”

ISBN: 978-1-4268-5349-4

MILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

Copyright © 2001 by Leanne Banks

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