Page 9 of The Billionaire's Promise

To me, he said, "Is she—"

I shook my head and went to get my purse. "She's hanging in there. We'll follow them to the hospital."

I poured my cooling mocha into a travel mug and filled one for Vance, desperately needing the caffeine. There was no point in rushing with the paramedics blocking the doorway. I shoved a mug into Vance's hands, and we followed them out.

Sitting in the waiting room at the hospital was a new form of torture after the rushed fear of the past hour. Vance didn't have any contact information for Amy's family. Not even a roommate. All we could do was sit and wait. And wait.

We didn't speak. I had no idea what Vance was thinking. I wasn't sure what I was thinking either. I'd started my day pissed off at Brayden. And pissed at myself for putting up with him, if I was honest. Finding Amy, the fear that she might die, the regret that I hadn't woken them earlier, and anger at Vance for letting his life get to this point in the first place—it was all tangled up inside me in an unruly knot of emotion.

I didn't want to talk to Vance. I wasn't sure what I would say, and I didn't want to regret it later. I had enough regrets as it was.

Finally, a doctor came out to tell us that Amy was stable. Vance went to talk to someone in administration, probably to make sure they knew the bills would be covered regardless of her insurance situation.

When he came back, he sat in the chair beside me, his eyes on the floor, and said, "I'm going to stay until they let me see her. You should go home. Take the day off. I'll call you later."

I nodded my head and stood up, my throat tight.

"Before you go," he said, "can I borrow your phone for a second? I left mine at the loft."

I nodded again and handed him my phone, relieved when I saw him pull up his brother’s number. Aiden must've answered right away.

"Hey, can you come down to the ER? I'm okay, but I've got a situation and I need your help."

I took my phone back when he was done. He still wouldn't meet my eyes. I was torn. Part of me wanted to run screaming from the whole mess. The other part didn't want to leave Vance on his own. I was furious with him, but I knew he was scared.

"Go home, Magnolia," he said. "Amy is going to be okay, and Aiden will be here in ten minutes. You shouldn't have had to deal with any of this. I just want you to go home."

My throat still tight with everything I hadn't said, with the tears I wouldn't let fall, I gave a brisk nod, picked my purse up off my seat, and left.

Vance didn't want me there. I didn't want to be there. I just didn't want to leave him on his own.

I ended up picking Scout up at Vance's loft and going home. I spent the rest of the day outside, weeding. I hated weeding, but it kept my mind off Vance and Amy and my fight with Brayden.

That night, just as I was sitting down to dinner alone in front of the TV, there was a knock at my front door. I was surprised to find Aiden Winters there, his suit rumpled and his brown eyes tired.

"Hi, Maggie. May I come in?"

"Of course," I said, stepping back to let him enter. Aiden followed me back to the kitchen.

"Can I get you anything?” I asked. “Beer? Wine? Tea?" I wouldn't normally offer Aiden Winters tea, but he looked like he could use a cup. He shook his head. Catching sight of my tray in front of the TV, he said, "I'm interrupting your dinner."

"It's okay."

"I wanted to update you on the situation," he said. I nodded, my chest tight as I braced for bad news. "Amy is doing okay. The doctor said it was close, but you found her in time. She wants to go into rehab, and Vance and I helped her get that set up."

I nodded again, sensing Aiden wasn't done. I was right.

"Vance," Aiden started, then stopped and swallowed hard. "Vance called me because he's decided he'd like to get some help. Once we were sure Amy was settled, we spent the rest of the afternoon looking for someplace that would be a good fit for him. We found a clinic in Colorado that specializes in addiction treatment with a combination of counseling and a lot of outdoor activity."

Sheer relief broke open the knot in my chest, setting free the tears that coursed down my cheeks. I was very sorry that Amy had come so close to dying. But if the result was that they were both going to get help, I was a little grateful, too.

"Tell me, honestly, was it Vance's idea, or yours?" I asked.

His voice rough with emotion, Aiden said, "It was his. Thank fucking God, it was his. I tried not to push. I didn't want him to feel like he couldn't talk to me when he needed help, but he always said everything was fine even though—”

"I know. I know." I scrubbed the heels of my hands against my eyes.

Vance was going to try to stop drinking. I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking he had an easy road ahead of him. He didn't drink for fun. He drank to escape the demons riding him. If he wanted to stop, he was going to have to face those demons one way or another. But when Vance wanted something, he never gave up. If he'd decided to get sober, he would do it. I had to believe that.