In Your Corner by Sarah Castille Read Free Book Online Page B

us.”
    I tense at his words. “Mom’s okay. She’s just always been preoccupied with her work, and my dad…well, he always wanted a son to follow in his footsteps. They’re both high achievers with very high standards, and they expected the same from me. Unfortunately, I often disappointed them, especially with my choice of boyfriends.”
    “I thought I had a rough time growing up.” Jakes shakes his head. “I was a bit of a wild kid and my parents blamed me for everything that went wrong in the family. But they weren’t cold people.”
    Touché.
    He tilts his head to the side and studies me so intently I wonder for a moment if I said the word out loud.
    “Being a disappointment is hard enough.” His face softens and he tucks an errant curl behind my ear. “But without the affection to balance it out…it must have been really hard.”
    Disconcerted by his sympathy, I lean back against the pillow and shrug. “I survived. I learned how to be independent and self-reliant. That way no one can let me down. Not so sure how I’ll get back in their good graces after this fiasco.”
    Jake gives a bitter laugh. “Sometimes no matter how hard you try, it isn’t enough.”
    A smile ghosts my lips. “I know that feeling well.”
    Jake’s eyes meet mine and something changes in the air between us. Whether it’s the realization that we actually have something in common or a mutual sympathy at being unable to meet parental expectations, for a brief moment we are bonded by a force other than the attraction of opposites.
    Tearing my gaze away, I reach for the water glass on the tray beside my bed, only to wince as the IV tugs at my wrist.
    “Here, let me.” Jake holds the straw to my lips and I take a sip. The cool water soothes my parched throat, but Jake’s tender gesture makes my stomach flutter.
    When I’m done, he sits back in his chair. “Makayla is on her way. I called her last night to let her know what happened. If she hadn’t been on a double shift with the ambulance crew, she would have been here when you woke.”
    Tears sting my eyes and my throat tightens. “Thanks. I lost my purse last night, and I was just about to call her from the hospital phone when my parents walked in. I reported my stolen purse to the police when they came this morning to take a statement…”
    Jake pulls my purse from his pack and places it on the nightstand. “Fuzzy brought it to the station after he arrested those two goons. They were charged with assault and attempted theft.” He clasps my hand and runs his thumb back and forth over my knuckles. His seemingly absent caress electrifies my skin. But I can’t deal with the rush of remembered emotions that come from his gentle touch and I jerk my hand away.
    “Hey,” he says softly. “Are you okay? Something hurt? Do you want me to call the nurse?”
    “No. I’m just…I can manage.”
    A pained expression crosses his face. “I wish we’d gotten there sooner. We wasted time sorting out who got to go and who had to stay.”
    Relieved to switch to a neutral topic, I relax back on the bed. “I was surprised to see you. I thought you said you didn’t go to Redemption anymore.”
    “I wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t bumped into you. But after I saw you at the law firm, I started thinking about how big a part of my life it had been when we were together, and how much I’d enjoyed training and fighting and teaching classes. I decided to give it another try and see if I could fit it into my schedule after all.”
    “I’m glad you did.”
    Jake shifts uncomfortably in his seat and then reaches for his helmet. “I should really get going. I’m sure Makayla will be here soon and I’ve got a meeting in an hour. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. After all, it was because of me you lost your job and wound up where you did.”
    Whoa, Nelly .
    “It isn’t your fault, Jake. It would have happened anyway. And I didn’t lose my job. I quit. Over a totally