Page 90 of Remembering Passion

“In the daylight,” Damien said, “you can see the lake. It’s a spectacular view.”

“You’ll need to come back,” Van offered.

As we ate, Damien seemed to tense.

I leaned over and whispered, “Is everything all right?”

“My phone keeps vibrating,” he said through clenched teeth. “Johnathon knows I don’t want to be disturbed.”

Our afternoon conversation came back to me. “It could be about your dad.”

His nostrils flared as he exhaled. Looking up, he said, “Please excuse me a moment.”

The conversations continued, but instead of listening, my mind was busy fabricating possibilities of what Damien would learn. Chances were that it was something less important than his father’s health. That didn’t stop me from being concerned.

When he reappeared, I had the sinking feeling that my worries had been accurate. “Damien?”

He came behind me. “We need to leave.”

“Leave?” Julia questioned.

Damien pulled my chair away from the table. “The dinner was lovely,” I said as I reached for Damien’s hand. At the slight tremor in his touch, my eyes met his. “It will be all right. Let’s go.”

He nodded.

“Could you please call Michael?” I asked.

“We’ll need to get to the airport as soon as we can collect our things,” Damien said.

Julia’s expression displayed her concern. “If we can be of any help...”

“Thank you for everything,” Damien said.

It wasn’t until we were in the back seat of Michael’s car that Damien relayed the information. “Dad is back in surgery. He suffered another attack.”

Tears came to my eyes. “He’s alive.”

Damien nodded. “I spoke with Dani.” He clenched his jaw and turned toward the dark windows. “Allen can stop in Indy for you. I need to—”

“No,” I interrupted. “I’m going with you. No stopping. Straight to your dad.”

His expression crushed me as he laid his hand over mine. I lifted it, sandwiching it between both of mine. “You’re not alone, Damien. I’ll stay with you.”

He shook his head. “I’m so fucking glad I flew commercial.”

I forced a smile. “Tonight, private will be more convenient.”

Gabriella

Damien called Allen from the car. Thankfully, he and Angie had stayed in Ashland. He said he could have the plane ready in under an hour. The next stop was our hotel rooms.

“Don’t take time to change,” Damien said. “We can change on the plane.”

Outside my room, I reached for his hand. “I’ll hurry.”

He looked at where we were touching and back to my face. “I don’t anticipate being great company. You might reconsider the stop in Indy.”

My lips curled into a smile. “You can’t scare me away after spending the last week trying to get me back.”