Hidden Kisses (Love in Sienna Series Book 2), page 18
“Anything. Apparently hearing our voices will be good for him.”
Mikey finally walks over to the bed and sits in the chair next to it. “Hey, man. You need to wake up. There’s a very beautiful woman here waiting for you.”
I smile and take Tia by the hand, leading her out of the room.
“Want to grab a coffee?” I ask her.
She smiles and nods. “I’d love to.”
We grab our coffees and sit at a small table in the cafeteria.
“So why did you do it?” she finally says, breaking the silence.
“Fall in love with Johnny?” I ask.
I’m confused by her question. It’s not like we can pick who we fall in love with. She knows that better than almost anyone.
She shakes her head, “No. Lie to me. I could tell you were falling for someone. Every time you looked at your phone, your face would light up. I just don’t understand why you hid it from me.”
I stare at the table, avoiding eye contact.
“Because he’s Johnny fucking Crown,” I mumble, still not looking at her.
She grabs my hand, and I finally look up.
“It could have been Satan himself, and I still would have been happy for you. Hell, sometimes I thought he was Satan.” She laughs, making me smile. “But it doesn’t matter to me who you love. Yes, Johnny made parts of my life almost unbearable, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be happy.” Her smile fades. “It really hurt finding out you were keeping a huge part of your life from me.”
I nod and feel more tears falling from my face. I am so done crying.
“I didn’t want to hurt you, Tia,” I sniffle. “I wanted to protect you. Honestly, I tried my hardest to shut things down with Johnny. After the first time we slept together, I figured I would get him out of my system and move on, but it didn’t work. He only got more under my skin. I swear to God, Tia, I didn’t want to have feelings for him, but it’s too late now. I’m madly and deeply in love with him. He makes me want to give up control and be in a partnership. You know how hard that it is for me, but he makes it so easy.”
Her smile comes back, and so does mine.
“He’s the one,” she says. It’s not a question. She just knows me that well.
I nod. “He is. I don’t want anyone else.”
“That’s how I feel about Mikey.”
I giggle. “Well, that’s good. You are wearing his ring, and you did have his child.”
She laughs, and I’ve missed that sound. It’s so nice having my best friend back.
“And I’m carrying his second child,” she says as a pretty shade of red takes over her cheeks.
My eyes go wide, and I almost spit out the coffee I was drinking.
“Seriously?” I squeal.
She nods. “We just found out last week. We aren’t telling people yet, but I had to tell my best friend.”
I squeeze her hand and I’m sure I look like a crazy person, I am grinning so wide.
“I’m so happy for you! When is your due date?”
“End of October.”
I’ve missed how her smile lights up her face.
“Don’t lose that anymore,” I tell her, and see the look of confusion on her face.
“Lose what?” she asks.
“Your smile. It’s too pretty to keep hidden from the world.”
She smiles again, this time even bigger. “I won’t. I’m really happy, Leah. And even more now that we’re talking again.”
My phone buzzes, and I see Rayna’s mess of red hair.
“Hey, sexy. Tia and I are down in the cafeteria having coffee. Want to join us?” I answer.
“I already had my Red Bull, but thanks for the invite,” she says. “I just got back to the hospital and they’re going to try waking Johnny in about an hour or so. The swelling is almost gone. It actually went down faster than they anticipated. Come on up to the room.”
“We’ll be right up.” I hang up and look at Tia. “It’s almost time to wake my man up.”
She nods, and we walk hand-in-hand back to the room.
“How long does this normally take?” I pace back and forth, unable to stay still.
Tia is sleeping, curled up on Mikey’s lap, and Rayna is sitting in another chair. Johnny’s private room is quite large, but I feel like the walls are closing in on me.
It’s been eight hours since they took him off the medication that was keeping him asleep. He is breathing on his own and all the scans are coming back normal, but he still isn’t awake.
“There’s no real answer, honey. Everyone is different. He should be awake soon,” Rayna says.
If I hear her say that one more time, I’m going to throw something.
“That’s what you keep saying and he’s still not awake. What if he never wakes up?” I yell, and immediately feel bad. “I’m sorry.”
I fall to the floor, crying. I feel this weight on my chest and it’s like I can’t breathe.
What am I going to do if he never wakes up? We’ve only been together a short amount of time and it’s crazy to be thinking about forever, but I am. I want forever. I want marriage, kids, the dog, the white picket fence, everything.
Rayna comes over and wraps her arms around me.
“Just breathe,” she encourages me.
I continue to cry and shake. My body feels like it’s going to fall apart.
“Leah,” Mikey says.
I just don’t want to talk anymore. I don’t look up. I just stay on my spot on the floor.
“Leah, get the fuck over here. I think he’s waking up.”
I stand up so fast that I get lightheaded and feel like I’m going to pass out. Rayna grabs my shoulders, steadying me.
“I’ll grab his doctor,” she says before bolting.
I sit on the edge of the bed and see Johnny’s fingers wiggling.
I grab his hand. “I’m here, baby. I love you. Wake up.”
His hand squeezes mine.
“There you go. Keep going. Come back to me.”
His eyelids start moving and I can tell he’s trying to open his eyes. There is a nurse in the room checking his vitals, but I don’t pay any attention to her.
“Open those beautiful eyes, baby,” I encourage him.
Finally, his eyes pop open. The perfect shade of green. I’m so glad to finally see them.
“Hi, baby,” I whisper as the tears of joy fall down my face.
I can tell he’s trying to talk, but having trouble.
“It’s okay, Johnny. Your doctor will be in soon,” I tell him.
As if it was scripted, his doctor walks in. “Okay, if I could ask everyone to please move to the side while I check out my patient.”
I don’t want to, but I nod and move to where Tia and Mikey are standing. Rayna moves to stand beside me and holds my hand.
The doctor looks over Johnny’s vitals and makes some notes.
“Are you able to talk, Mr. Crown?” he asks.
“Yes,” Johnny croaks out, his voice sounding rough.
“Good. Do you know where you are?”
“A hospital?” he asks.
I can’t help but giggle.
“Yes, Mr. Crown. Now, I need to ask you a couple more questions before I can let you rest. And I’m sorry if these questions sound stupid.”
Johnny nods, giving the doctor the go-ahead.
“Okay, please tell me your full name.”
“Johnny William Crown.”
The doctor nods. “Good, and your date of birth?”
“May 17th, 1990.”
“Great job,” the doctor says, checking it off. “Okay, last question for now. Do you remember what happened and why you are here?”
Johnny nods, staring at the blanket on his bed. “I was driving home, to my girlfriend, when a vehicle swerved into my lane and hit me head-on.”
Hearing Johnny tell what happened is hard. Does he know that the man didn’t survive?
“Did he make it?” Johnny asks, as if reading my mind.
The doctor shakes his head. “No, and you are very lucky to be in such great shape.”
Johnny lifts his arm with the cast. “This is great shape?”
The doctor laughs. “Yes, Mr. Crown. It is. I’ll be back in a little bit. There are people here who want to talk to you.”
I run to the bed and smash my lips to Johnny’s. He chuckles and grabs my hip with his good arm.
“I missed you,” I say against his lips.
“I missed you too, baby,” he murmurs. “And there is something I need to tell you.”
I sit down on the side of the bed, confused as to what he could possibly want to tell me.
“It’s good to see you awake. We’ll be back in a little bit,” Mikey says, pulling Tia out of the room.
I stare at Johnny. His eyes are closed and he’s taking a deep breath. Finally, he opens his beautiful eyes and stares into mine.
“I killed my father.”
Her eyes are wide and she’s not saying anything, so I just keep going.
“I was twenty-one and I’d just started playing for the major leagues. He came to my place looking for money. When I refused to give him a dime, he aimed a gun at my head. I charged at him and the gun went off,” I tell her.
Her eyes close, her chest rising and falling as she takes a few deep breaths.
“Fuck, Johnny,” she says. “I thought you were going to tell me some horror story about how you murdered him because of what he did to your mother, which, in all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have blamed you for. But you didn’t hunt him down and kill him. You just defended yourself when he put a gun in your face.”
I nod. “I’ve always thought of myself as a horrible person, a monster, for so many reasons. But I’m finally coming to terms with everything.”
While I was in my dream world, I realized that I can’t hold on to these feelings anymore. The past is the past, and it needs to stay there. The only way I can move forward is to let go of everything and just live.
“I want to let go of my self-hatred and my past. I just want to be happy, and with you, I’m happy.”
Leah smiles, and I feel a warm feeling in my chest.
“I love you. Don’t ever scare the shit out of me like that again,” she says.
I’m happy to spend the rest of my life with that attitude.
Yes, that’s right. I said the rest of my life. I plan on asking her to marry me. I just have to figure out the best way to do it.
“I’m going to text Tia and tell her and Mikey to come back up,” Leah says, reaching for her phone.
“Are you and Tia talking again?” I ask her.
She looks at me through her lashes and nods. “Yes. I have my best friend back, and my handsome man is finally awake. Life is good, baby.”
The next couple of days went by fast, thank God. My head injury is healing nicely, and my arm should only take about six weeks to heal. Thank fuck it was my left arm, and not my throwing arm. Even though my healing time will have me out for a month this season, I’ll still be able to play.
Tia and Mikey stayed as long as they could, but they had to get back on tour. Canceling a major show was not an option.
After spending one extra night in the hospital, I was able to go home.
“Babe, I can make my own coffee,” I tell Leah as she brings me another cup of coffee on the couch.
She’s been babying me since we got home.
“I know, but I took a couple of weeks off work so I can take care of you,” she says, kissing me on the head.
I grab her by the waist and pull her down onto my lap.
“Be careful with your arm,” she says, squirming.
“My arm is in this fucking sling. It’s fine.” I flip us so she is lying under me and start kissing her neck.
She tries to push me off. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy and relaxing.”
I push her down harder with my good arm and bite her neck.
“How am I supposed to relax when my sexy-ass girlfriend keeps walking around and not letting me fuck her?” I growl, kissing my way down her body. Then I sit back on my knees to let her sit up. “Take off your shirt.”
“Baby, I really think you should be relaxing.”
“And I really think you should be listening.” I pull at her shirt, trying to get it off. “Come on, baby. I can fuck you without hurting my arm. Hell, if you want you can go on top, and then I won’t need my arm at all.”
She looks at the floor, and I see the flush on her cheeks and chest.
I stop pawing at her shirt and grab her hand. “I’ve been home for three days, and I fucking need you, baby. Please. We can take it easy, but I need to be inside you. Do you not want me?”
“Of course I want you, but you were in a major car accident, Johnny. You could have died.”
She starts crying and I immediately feel like shit. I pull her into my arms and pet her hair. Here I am complaining about her taking care of me, and I haven’t asked how she is feeling. Sure, I was the one in the accident, but it must have fucked with her head thinking that I could have died.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I say, kissing the top of her head.
“Why are you sorry?” she asks as she peers up at me through her lashes.
Fuck, she is so hot, even when she’s crying.
“Because I never asked you how you’re doing. It must have been traumatizing to see me lying in a bed, not knowing if I would ever wake up,” I tell her.
She nods her head into my chest and hugs me tighter. “I was so worried. I don’t want to spend my life without you, Johnny.”
I hold her quietly for a minute. “I know you’re worried about me, but I promise I feel fine. Let’s make a deal. I’ll take it easy for the rest of the weekend, but come Monday, I’m fucking you.”
She giggles and nods. “Fine. I have been missing that magic penis of yours.”
I laugh loudly. This girl is fucking perfect.
“I’m fine, Coach,” I growl.
“You’re taking two months off. You can come to the games, but I’m benching you. I want you one hundred percent when you start,” Coach Gibbs says, and I know I’m not winning this fight. “This is my last year coaching before I retire. I want another win, Crown. I’m not willing to risk you hurting yourself this early in the season and fucking everything up.”
I nod.
“Fine,” I bite out.
It’s only two months, I remind myself.
I hate having to sit on the sidelines. I just want to play.
I throw my keys on the counter and make my way over to Leah, who is sleeping on the couch. I kiss her forehead, and she stirs.
“Hey, baby,” she says with sleepy eyes.
“Long day at work?” I ask, sitting down and pulling her feet into my lap.
“I’ve just been kind of tired the past couple of days. I think my period is supposed to be coming.”
“Well, we’d better get busy tonight then.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
She kicks at me and giggles. “Maybe later. Let me have five more minutes.”
“I’m going to take a shower, and then I’m coming for you,” I tell her, leaning over and kissing her lips softly.
“Mmm-hmm,” she says, closing her eyes again.
The hot water feels great on my muscles. Nothing is better than a shower after a long day. It just washes everything away.
I’m running my hands through my hair when I feel the cool air hit my body.
“I missed you,” Leah says, stepping into the shower.
I stare at her gorgeous naked body for a moment. Her raven hair cascading down her chest. Her hazel eyes bright and wanting. She wraps her arms around my neck, and lifts to her toes to kiss me.
“Mmm, this is a good surprise,” I say, deepening the kiss.
I move my hands to her ass and squeeze hard. Leah moans into my mouth, and I slip my tongue in, tangling it with hers.
“Take me now,” she whispers.
And fuck, I have to give my woman what she wants.
I turn her around and push her down so her hands are on the wall. My cock is already painfully hard.
“This is going to be quick and hard,” I tell her.
Even though I’m mostly healed, she still treats with me kid gloves, and I’m done with it.
I slide into her and let out a hiss. “You feel so good. I could fuck you every day and never get sick of it.”
She moans as I start to move.
With my arm still not being a hundred percent, I can’t pick her up and fuck her against the wall, but doggy style is still great. And her ass…yeah, it’s perfect.
I start to ram into her, and her moans and cries are like music to my ears.
“You are fucking perfect. I love you,” I say, and I feel her starting to contract.
I reach around and rub her clit, and I feel her squeeze my cock. Fuck, it feels like heaven. I pump inside her a couple more times and empty my seed, leaning over her and letting my heart rate even out.
I pull her to stand up and turn her around to kiss her. “I love you so much.”
She kisses me back and smiles. “I love you too.”
“Hey, bitch. How’s life on the road?” I ask, answering my phone.
“Oh, same old, same old, but CeCe sure makes it interesting,” Tia replies, giggling. “So, we have some interesting news.”
“Go on.”
“We are having twins!” she shrieks.
I immediately burst into tears.
“Oh, my God! I am so happy for you,” I sniffle.
“Um, are you okay?” she asks.
I quickly brush my tears from my eyes. “Fine. Sorry. Just happy for you, that’s all.”
“Oh good. I also have something else I want to swing by you.”
“Okay, shoot.” I tell her, still trying to compose myself.
I knew I wanted kids, but I didn’t realize how bad until I heard the news about twins. I need to talk to Johnny about this soon.
“So, since I’m now going to be outnumbered by children, I was thinking I need to take a more stay-at-home approach. I’ve come up with the idea of starting my own talent management company.”
