Acts of Atonement: A Single Dad Age Gap Romance (Men of WRATH, Book 1)

THE KIDS ARE passed out in their respective seats, so I’d say today was a total success. This is despite the awkward tension we had to endure between the men of WRATH. Usually, they are full of nothing but jokes, always teasing each other and making everyone around them laugh. But today, it was as if they were all walking on eggshells.

I’m guessing it has something to do with the new security detail they’ve added to the already extensive one tailing us. I’ll have to remember to ask William about it later.

William. Oh. My. Gawd.

The sex with him has been mind-blowing. Take the intense sex and couple it with our insanely strong connection and it’s like a supernova explosion between us. I’m amazed we were able to keep our hands to ourselves today.

William is supposed to talk to the group about us, but I’m not sure exactly when that’s going to happen. To be honest, I’ve been too busy floating on cloud nine to think about it.

We’re finally alone since the kids and I are riding in William’s Escalade, while Ashley is with the rest of the men in Ren’s truck. Taking advantage of the privacy, I reach over and grab William’s hand.

“Hey, hot stuff. You’ve been awfully quiet today. Is everything okay?”

“Of course it is. I’ve got you by my side.” William shoots me a weary smile. “Though there is something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“A ‘though’ is just as good as a ‘but,’ so you aren’t fooling me. Just spit it out.”

“Well, you see…” William hesitates which makes me worry even more.

“I see…?” I squeeze his hand, trying to reassure him. “Seriously. You could say the sky is falling and it wouldn’t change how I feel about you, so go on with it.”

“It’s about my father.” William chances a glance over at me, as if trying to gauge my reaction.

“Okay,” I say after a long pause. I’m about to urge him to keep going when my phone rings. Pulling it out of my bag, I see that it’s the hospital and quickly answer.

“Hello?” I ask while placing the phone on speaker.

“Yes. This is Nurse Jackson calling for Ms. Moretti,” a familiar voice cuts through the line.

“This is she. Is my father okay?” I ask, holding my breath for her answer.

“Dr. Ansley would like you to come in as soon as possible.”

It doesn’t escape me that the nurse avoided answering my question. Though her calm and even tone does bring me some measure of comfort, I still don’t trust it. This is what she does for a living and could totally be an expert at delivering heartbreaking news, even with the calmest of voices.

Needing to know either way, I ask again. “Can you at least tell me if my father is okay?”

“There’s been a change in your father’s condition and Dr. Ansley would like to discuss it with you before you step in to see Mr. Moretti tonight. Just as before, please come directly to the nurses’ station upon arrival.”

Finally accepting the fact that I’m not going to get a full answer from this woman, I drop the question. “Okay. I’ll be there in about an hour.”

I hang up the phone without thanking her or saying goodbye. The woman couldn’t even answer my damn question, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be cordial.

“Don’t worry, Bella.” William’s deep voice cuts through my thoughts, acting like a balm to my soul. “We’ll leave the kids at home with Ashley and one of the guys. Once they’re settled, we’ll head to the hospital and see what Dr. Ansley has to say.”

I don’t answer, I simply keep looking out the window, focusing my vision on the full moon beginning to glow through the darkening night. How fitting. It seems the moon has always been my companion on nights of significance, whether good or bad. Hopefully on this night, it’s good.

William

Well, shit. I’m fucking glad I didn’t tell her about our parents’ affair. That would have been a disaster. Tonight is stressful enough as it is and giving Bella any additional information, information that is not good, could be debilitating for her.

We’re walking up to the hospital and I can feel the anxiety radiating off of Bella in waves. She’s been going through cycles of calmness followed by miniature meltdowns. Right now we’re in the middle of the calm before the storm, and I’m afraid Dr. Ansley’s news will throw Bella into a fit of hysteria.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, I try to comfort her. “Bella, I can see the wheels in your head turning. Everything is going to be fine. Let’s just stay positive and wait to see what Dr. Ansley has to say.”

“Okay, you’re right. I’ve just been conditioned to expect the worst and that damn nurse wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone.”

“That damn nurse isn’t allowed to give any medical information over the phone,” Nurse Jackson teases from behind her station. Though her words are meant to be chastising, her tone is kind.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.” Bella stares blankly at the nurse.

I’m pretty sure she did mean to be rude, but I’m not going to point that out. Hell, I’d be much worse if I were in her shoes.

“I’ll go get Dr. Ansley for you. I’m sure you’re eager to talk to him.” Nurse Jackson smiles warmly before turning toward a hallway where the doctor is presumably located.

“Look at me.” I take Bella’s face in my hands, brushing her cheeks with my thumbs. “I want you to know that no matter what the doctor says, you’re not alone. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

Bella closes her eyes, which had begun to water, and slowly nods her head in acknowledgment.

“That’s my girl.” I bring her face to mine, softly placing a kiss on her forehead.

“Ms. Moretti, Mr. Hawthorne,” Dr. Ansley’s voice greets us from down the hall. We walk toward him, pausing right outside Aiden’s room. “Good evening. I understand it’s rather late but your father has been presenting signs of awareness and I wanted to let you know as soon as possible.”

“No, you did the right thing calling. I want to know of any changes right away, whether big or small.” Bella rushes to say.

Dr. Ansley nods before continuing. “This is great progress and lets us know he’s moving in the right direction. He is currently in what we call a minimal state of awareness where his consciousness is minimal but definite. He is making conscious eye contact and presenting cognitive movement of his limbs.”

Bella lets out a deep sigh of relief. “This is good news. This is very good news.” A soft laugh falls from her lips.

“Yes. This is very good news. We are hopeful that he will be making continuous progress with his awareness, though there are some things I would like to discuss with you before we continue any supportive treatment.”

“Of course, anything to help,” Bella answers cheerily.

“Mr. Moretti’s current mental state is very fragile. We aren’t sure if he can tolerate any extremely emotional information or scenarios, so we want to keep everything as light as possible when discussing things in front of him. As of now, Mr. Moretti currently goes in and out of his states of consciousness so we want to be constantly aware of our conversations. It’s also possible there might be a lapse in memory, as the prefrontal cortex suffered significant trauma in the fall. Don’t be alarmed if he doesn’t seem to recognize people or things pre-injury.”

At Dr. Ansley’s last words, Bella’s smile falls and her lips turn downward.

Quickly wanting to bring her smile back, I finally interject myself into the conversation.

“This doesn’t prevent him from eventually regaining his memory, right?” I ask the doctor while keeping my gaze on Bella. “If there’s even a problem with his memory to begin with. He could just as well remember everyone and everything, right?”

“Correct. We won’t know until he is fully conscious,” Dr. Ansley responds. “How about we step inside so you can say hello.”

Taking Bella’s hand, we push Aiden’s door open and step inside. Unsure of what we will see, we both take hesitant steps toward her father and my good friend.

“Hey Dad.” Bella’s voice is soft and sweet, at complete odds with what she must be feeling inside.

Aiden blinks hard at the sound of Bella’s voice, spurring on hope that he does, in fact, remember her.

“Aiden, my man,” I say jovially while patting him on the leg. “I think you’ve had plenty of time off work. It’s time to get you back in the saddle.” I grin ear to ear, hopeful that he hasn’t lost his sense of humor.

For a brief moment, I swear I see a hint of recognition flash across his eyes, but it’s gone just as quickly as it arrived.

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Just remember to keep it light. We don’t want to trigger any negative emotions that might revert any progress he’s made.”

Bella and I shoot each other a look, coming to a silent understanding of what this might mean for our relationship, at least in front of Aiden.

“Yes, of course,” I say once I’ve pulled my gaze from Bella. “How long do you think this state of consciousness will last?”

“We can’t really say at this time. We’ll continue to monitor his progress and keep you posted on what we find.” Dr. Ansley walks toward the door, placing his hand on the handle. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Have the nurses page me if you have any pressing questions.”

I turn back to see Bella crawling onto the hospital bed with Aiden and smile. “I’m going to step outside and call Ren. He wanted me to give him an update as soon as possible. Hopefully he hasn’t gotten on his flight yet.”

“Okay. I’ll be right here.” Bella snuggles into Aiden’s side, the sight of her curled up like that making her seem so small and fragile.

I quickly step out before I’m unable to control the urge to gather her in my arms and hold her. That would definitely throw Aiden for a loop.

Shutting the door behind me, I take my phone out to dial Ren’s number. But before I can press send, the phone begins vibrating and Mariana’s number flashes across the screen.

“Hello, William?” Mariana’s somber voice clues me in on the nature of her call.

“Mariana. I’m guessing you have some information for me, and by the sound of it, it isn’t good.”

“I’m sorry, William. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this,” Mariana says apologetically.

“I understand, it’s your job. If it makes you feel any better, I would rather it come from a friend than a complete stranger.”

“I should be the one trying to make you feel better. Not the other way around. Trust me…”

“Okay. Now you’re worrying me. It isn’t like you to drag out news like this. What is it? Do you have a lead?” I ask eagerly.

“I presume Dallas PD contacted you about the car they found in the river, right?”

“Yes. Based on evidence they found, they suspect the Moretti hit and run accident was intentional. Last I heard they were trying to identify the owner,” I say, piecing the information together as best I can remember.

“Well they found the owner.” Mariana lets out a loud breath before continuing. “The vehicle was purchased from a small used car lot and the buyer paid in cash. The driver’s license the buyer used was fake, however, the photo that was used in it was not.”

“Alright. Does the photo identify the driver?” I ask.

“Yes. We think the driver of the vehicle was your mother.”

Nothing but shocked silence follows Mariana’s last statement. Utterly horrific and devastating silence.

What in the holy fuck did she just say? She has to be kidding. This has to be a joke.

Speaking only after what feels like an eternity, I finally gather the courage to ask Mariana a question. “How certain are you that my mother was the one driving the vehicle?”

“Based on the evidence recovered from the scene and the testimony of the car salesman, we’re pretty damn sure she was the driver.”

“Well, fuck.”