I went back to pacing. By the time the physician poked his head out of Hailey’s room, I’d worn a trench in the floor. “How’s she doing?” I asked.
“Are you family?”
“I’m her fiancé.” I hoped that wouldn’t get back to her parents; if it did, I’d have some explaining to do. But I figured it would get me more answers than being just Hailey’s friend.
He eyed me for a moment, almost causing me to squirm. I was positive he knew I’d lied, so I wasn’t expecting it when he said, “She’s doing well considering everything that has happened. I want to monitor her for a few days before I release her. And she’ll be sore for a while.”
“What about her memory? When will she get it back?”
“It’s hard to say. It might never return.” Fuck. That was not what I needed to hear. I thanked him and entered Hailey’s room.
She was staring out the window, lost in thought, and not for the first time since she’d woken up, I wished I knew what she was thinking.
I used to be able to easily read her, but I was out of practice. I couldn’t even tell if she was happy to see me. She hadn’t exactly welcomed me with open arms. More like the opposite. I mean, other than the part about the kiss—although I doubted that she had even known it was me at the time.
But I couldn’t blame her for her reaction after the shitheaded way I’d treated her. I’d intended to protect her, but all I’d done was hurt her. I could spend the next ten years trying to make it up to her and I would always fall short.
I stepped closer to the bed. If she heard me approach, she didn’t let on. She continued staring at the sky, as if she could find the missing memories spelled out in the clouds if she looked hard enough.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, desperate to break the tension.
“He said”—she gestured toward the door—“I might never remember the attack.”
“I know. He told me. But there’s a chance you will.” Or that she would remember what had happened, but not enough for the police to arrest the asshole who’d attacked her. It was possible she hadn’t even seen him, which would be great if the guy knew she couldn’t identify him. But if he wasn’t aware of that, Hailey could be in danger.
I sat back down next to her on the bed. I didn’t know how to bring up my concerns without freaking her out. And no way would she not freak out. “I’m planning to stay in town until the police capture whoever did this to you.”
“You can’t do that,” she blurted out. “Aren’t you supposed to work on your next album or something?”
“I can work on the songs here.”
“It’s really not necessary, Nolan. I mean, what if I never get my memory back? You can’t stay here indefinitely. Your life is in L.A.”
I stared at her for a good ten seconds. It sounded like if she could’ve gotten out of bed, she would’ve escorted me to the door and wished me a good life before sending me on my way.
“Look, I’m concerned about your safety.” I was one step from glaring at her to show her I meant business. “What if the attacker went after you specifically and knows where you live? You could have died. Maybe that was his intent, but someone interrupted him and he didn’t have a chance to kill you.” Way to go, Nolan, on sugarcoating it.
Hailey rolled her eyes. Literally, fucking rolled her eyes.
I folded my arms. “I’m serious. And I can stay with you until he’s caught, or until I know you’ll be safe.”
She shook her head forcefully. “You don’t have to worry about me. Besides, I…I have a boyfriend.”
My heart sprang to my throat, practically cutting off my airway. “A boyfriend?”
“Yes, a boyfriend.” She lifted her chin in the way that was totally Hailey. “So you can go back to L.A. and let him worry about my safety.”
Anger clenched my gut in a tight fist. “Well, if it’s true, you’ve got yourself one douchebag of a boyfriend.”
She pressed her lips together, squeezing the blood from them until they were white. “He’s not a douchebag. And what do you care, anyway?” Her voice cracked at the last part, and I inwardly threw numerous curses at myself. Brandon had mentioned at one point that she had a boyfriend, and it had almost killed me hearing that tidbit, so I’d never brought up the boyfriend question again.
“So where is this boyfriend? Why hasn’t he been right here by your side every single day?”
“Because…because he was out of town.”
“Was? So he’s back now?”
She hesitated, her gaze going to the ceiling, and that was when I knew I had her. She didn’t have a boyfriend. She just wanted to get rid of me. Well, to hell with that. It just made me want to stay put even more.
“He’s due back today,” she replied.
I patted her leg and kept my smirk in check. “Can’t wait to meet him.”
Hailey shifted on the bed, almost knocking me off the narrow space. “Maybe next time you’re in town.” Her eyes gave away what we both knew was true—that I wouldn’t be returning to Northbridge after this.
A knock on the door interrupted our standoff. Before Hailey could say anything, a petite girl with long blond hair and curves that would drive most guys wild stepped into the room.
Hailey cursed under her breath.