medication and blood being dumped into her. Or maybe it was
the sound of his name. What would Phillip’s thoughts be in re-
gard to his defective girlfriend and their dead baby? Before she could even follow the train of thought, Cedric left the room.
Phillip rushed into the room as if the building were on fire.
His clothes were disheveled with odd brown stains on his jacket
and shirt. and he had a large bruise on the lower left side of his 35
TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
face. He looked haggard and exhausted. His eyes swept her, flit-
ting to the I.V.s in both her hands, and he practically screeched to a halt when he saw the blood hanging from the pole beside
her. Steph watched expressionlessly as he took in the machines
and alarms. When his eyes finally met hers again, she saw pity
and fear in them. He moved around the bed and pulled the chair
right up next to it so that when he sat, they were virtually face to face. He apprehensively took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.
“What the hell happened to you?” Steph reached out toward
his jaw. His half smile as he pulled away from her hand revealed just how painful his injury was.
“It’s nothing. Really.” His face was an inch from hers, his
eyes somber. “You scared the hell out of me, love. Don’t ever do that again. Thank God you only have one appendix for me to
worry about.”
Steph’s glassy eyes languidly roamed his face. He didn’t
know. She exhaled loudly and set her jaw. He never needed to
know.
She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault that part of you malfunctioned.” He
smirked, and his unintentional jab stung so badly she pressed her pain med button. Phillip reached into his jacket and pulled out
the ring box. Steph tried to roll her eyes, but had lost the muscle control to do it justice. Not that damn box again. He pulled the ring out of the box and reached across the bed for her left hand.
Steph pulled it back and covered her eyes with it. She shook her head, unable to believe he was putting her in this position twice in one day. This day of all days.
“Oh I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” He flushed, and the con-
cerned expression he wore fractured her already wounded heart.
“I can’t. I just can’t,” she said more to herself than him. It
was way too heavy and too much to process. He made way too
many emotional demands, and in her weakened state, she felt
36
RAGE
herself caving. She heard Cedric’s voice ringing in her ears.
Your baby is dead.
She felt more of those insidious tears threatening to fall. Her
voice failed her, and she turned from him, but Phillip gently
touched her face.
“Steph, look at me,” he demanded quietly. The first tears
spilled from her eyes as she reluctantly complied with his re-
quest. She watched him shed a tear of his own. He ignored it and took her hand in his. “Do you love me?”
She felt her heart racing as she panicked. Her monitor
alarmed, and she tried to steady her breathing. Flashes of their time together bombarded her senses. When they were apart, her
body, mind, and soul ached for him. She counted the minutes
until she could get on a plane to him, or he to her. And here he was, asking for her hand, for the second time in a day. Part of her wanted to act impulsively and hop on a plane to Vegas with him.
But Steph knew she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to have a
serious conversation, let alone make a life-altering decision.
Her voice cracked when she spoke. “You know how I feel
about you.”
He narrowed his eyes, but his gaze was unflinching. “Then
what is your answer?”
She tried to form the sentences, to construct her many con-
cerns and fears into coherent thoughts, but the narcotics had tak-en hold. Battling heavy eyelids, she pressed her lips tight and
shook her head.
His face clouded over. He wore a disdainful expression that
she was all too familiar with.
“Right, then.” He nodded and snapped the ring box closed
loud enough that she jumped.
As he vanished through the door, she tried to call out to
him. But her sobs made speaking impossible. She felt her body
relax. and she had no fight left in her as the morphine tide took her under.
37
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CHAPTER FOUR
“I mean, I think I’m a damn good man! Am I or am I not a
good man?” Bret’s wild gesticulations were starting to grate on
Cheyenne’s nerves. They’d been in the air for hours, and Fury’s
lead guitarist had already woken Liam twice. She loved her rock
star husband, but sometimes it felt like she was married to a
rowdy fraternity. Nathan, who in his own twisted way was trying
to be a supportive pal, had been plying Bret with Vodka since
takeoff. The keyboardist put a little flair on his pour and handed Bret another glass. He accepted it greedily. Cheyenne really did sympathize with Bret; only six days earlier, his wife of 5 years had seemingly packed up the kids and left without an ounce of
provocation.
Nathan tossed his auburn hair out of his wicked eyes and
sloshed more Vodka into a tumbler glass. He held the glass up
for a toast. “You, my friend, are an absolute prince among men.”
“I love you, man.” Bret slurred, flopping into his seat and
guzzling his drink. Cheyenne glared back at them and pointedly
shushed them. Nathan smirked at her, cleared his throat, and
took a sip of his drink.
“Do you need us to freshen up your drink?” he asked her.
Cheyenne glanced to her right at her son and husband, who slept
in identical positions. Liam’s first birthday would be here before too long, and he already looked exactly like Scot. He seemed to
have her shy disposition, which suited her fine. One celebrity in 41
TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
the family was plenty.
Liam had been walking for almost a month when Scot had
finally convinced her they needed help. Between her deadlines
for The
