Kaeden went to Jane and pulled her into his arms, just needing to hold her for a minute.
“It’s over,” she said into his chest. She was shaking. “It’s really over.”
“It is.” He spoke the words even though he knew there was still a lot that had to happen. Her mother would need to testify and they’d have to go to trial. Somehow he didn’t see Turner accepting a plea deal even with the fact his attempt to abduct and strangle his wife had been witnessed by a police officer.
The man would likely hire a team of lawyers that would put OJ’s team to shame.
An hour later, her mother was settled into a hospital bed under observation and they’d learned that the man who was injured was the private detective hired by her husband to find her.
“Evan realized Turner had duped him and he came to help. He was trying to get me out of there when Turner snuck up behind us.” Debra’s voice was scratchy and the bruising on her neck wasn’t the only injury she took away from the fight with her estranged husband. She had twisted her ankle and had two cracked ribs.
Several times Kaeden had seen her gasp and lose her breath with the pain. He knew how bad that pain could be.
The nurse was giving them all the stink eye since there were more than the approved number of visitors in the room, but so far they hadn’t kicked them out.
“Mom, we need to let you rest,” Jane said.
Her mother’s hand shot out to clutch Jane’s arm. “Don’t leave. I don’t want you to leave me yet.”
Kaeden rubbed Jane’s shoulder. “The guys and I’ll get a hotel room nearby and I’ll bring you a change of clothes and some dinner back in a bit.”
They had been told they’d need to report to the police station in the morning to provide statements.
Jane smiled up at him, tears in her eyes, but this time, he hoped the tears were happy ones. She could finally get her life back.
He didn’t know what that meant for them. Would she go back to her life in California now that her mom was safe? Connecticut was a long way from California. He didn’t mind traveling if that’s what it took to make it work, but would she want that? Would she want him in her life? They certainly hadn’t talked about anything long term.
In fact, they’d talked about just the opposite. They had said this would be nothing more than sex. A vacation fling.
“Thank you,” she said, before turning back to her mom. “Do you want more pain medicine, mom? You look pale.”
The nurse moved toward the bed and Kaeden and the other men filed out. They didn’t need to be told they had pushed their luck too far.
“I want to go see that private investigator before we leave,” Kaeden said. “I just want to get an update on how he’s doing.”
“I’ll get the car,” Logan said. “Meet you guys out front when you’re ready.”
Chad, Jack, and Kaeden went down the hall, stopping at the nurses’ station to find out what room the private investigator was in.
The man looked over at them when they walked in. He was a middle-aged, overweight, balding man, but he had a smile on his face as he finished up a phone call he was on.
“I love you, baby. Take good care of mommy.”
He hung up and turned to them with guarded eyes.
Kaeden stuck out his hand. “We wanted to come say thank you. We heard what you did for Jane’s mom.”
The man took his hand and shook it. “Evan Willows. And you’re welcome, but I can’t help but think if I’d been smart enough not to take the job in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Kaeden shook his head. “Someone else would have taken the job and that person might not have been there to help. You tried, at least, and that’s saying something.”
Kaeden was starting to realize that maybe he needed to see his own life through that lens. He’d tried with Alyssa. He hadn’t been able to help her in the way he wanted, but maybe he was being too hard on himself. And maybe he needed to move past that. Because that was the thing he could really criticize himself for the most: the fact he hadn’t moved on from it.
Jack nodded at Evan’s phone. “You have kids waiting for you?”
Evan’s expression was one of pride and love, but also something else. Sorrow.
“I took the job for her. I need to get home. She and her mom need me there.”