After another thirty minutes, Piper’s parents finally walk in, and I wheel myself to them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. I’m relieved you made it.”
Her parents' faces are stone cold, and they don’t even offer me a hello as Mrs. Montgomery stares at my leg.
“You’re in a wheelchair?” she asks in shock.
“Yes, but I’ll recover quickly.”
“You’re an amputee.” Mr. Montgomery analyzes my wound sock.
“I am, sir. I didn’t disclose it to you when you hired me because it wasn’t a setback you had to worry about.”
“Apparently, it was,” he spits out.
I don’t want to argue with them, so I don’t bother responding.
“Can you please let the nurses know I have permission to see Piper? She’s been all alone and is probably waiting for me.”
Mr. Montgomery glares at me with a huff. “Absolutely not.”
His words feel like a punch to the gut, and my body stiffens. “Sir, with all due respect, I’d like to see her.”
“Tristan, unfortunately, I can’t allow that to happen. My daughter wouldn’t be in this position if you had done the job you were hired to do. You’ll be lucky I don’t sue you for not disclosing critical medical information about your ability to protect her.” He lowers his gaze again.
“I did everything I possibly could.” I look back and forth between the two of them. Her mother’s lips form a tight straight line, and she doesn’t say a word.
“Clearly not enough,” he barks out. “I’ll need the keys to the rental car. As of…” He looks at his watch, then back at me. “Right now, your services are no longer needed.”
“Won’t you at least let me explain what happened?” I have no idea what they’ve been told, but it couldn’t possibly be the truth. “Jack had a—”
He holds up his hand. “I don’t want to hear excuses. My daughter is in the fucking hospital because of your incompetence. Keys. Now.”
I dip my hand in my pocket, then hand them over. Adrenaline rushes through me as my face heats with anger and frustration.
“Don’t worry about returning to New York either. It’s actually best if you don’t. I’ll have all of your belongings sent to your address. Stay away from my daughter.” He meets my eyes one last time before leading his wife to the nurses’ station. Moments later, they’re escorted to the back.
I try to blink away my anger as the shock of their reaction rocks through me. Knowing they won’t listen or let me explain, or worse, see Piper, has me enraged. Since there’s nothing more I can do, I pull my cell from my pocket and call Easton again.
“You can pick me up,” I say, defeated.
“Did you get to see Piper?”
“No. Her parents showed up, then fired me.”
“What the fuck?”
“I know.” I grind my teeth, trying to hold back my emotions. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to reach her, and if I do, will I ever see or kiss her again?
“Gimme twenty minutes,” he says.
“Thanks, man,” I tell him, grabbing the bag the nurse put my prosthesis supplies in.
In record time, my brother arrives and helps me get into the car, then returns the wheelchair inside. Luckily, there’s an extra one at the beach house. After I was discharged from the military, my mom wanted to make sure I could visit and never feel immobile. Bless her heart because even though I fought it at first, it’s saving my ass today.
“You look like shit,” he tells me as he drives out of the parking lot. “So tell me what happened with Jack.”
I rehash everything I witnessed and what Piper told me before she was taken away. Then I tell him about my injury and how intense my phantom pains are.
“I don’t even care that they fired me, but not to allow me to see her is fucking cruel. They wouldn’t even listen to what happened,” I mutter, growing more angry as I talk about it.
“Maybe once they cool down and she explains, they’ll change their minds,” Easton offers.
I shrug, not feeling confident about that. “They’re hardheaded. They’ll only believe that I failed to protect her, and that’s that.”
“Man, I’m sorry,” he says as he drives on the highway.
“And I have her phone, so she can’t call me. If she knew my number by heart, she would’ve at least tried to get ahold of me. I’m feeling shit outta luck right now,” I say, staring out the window.
“Is this where you tell me you’re in love with her?”
I turn toward him, and the corner of his lips tilts up.
“I am,” I admit. “For the first time in years, I opened up to someone and fell harder than I’d ever imagined was possible. Now it’s all over.”
“That’s not like you to just give up, Tristan.”
“I’m being realistic,” I counter. “Her parents are too powerful to fight against.”