Chapter 17 Indie rolled from her belly to her back. Light...too much freaking light. What was the time? She cracked one eye open. Definitely later than she usually woke up. Had she gone to bed late last night? She frowned, only for her pulse to stumble then race when it all came back to her. Colt's mother. The quiet drive home. Then everything that had happened after that. Sex...with Colt. Good sex. Ha. Sex with Colt was never good. It was breathless and dizzying and body-and-soul consuming. She scrubbed her eyes. Coffee. She needed a giant mug of coffee. But wait...where was Colt? Both eyes popped open and she scanned the room. The open bathroom door. The empty walk-in closet. He wasn't here. Well, not in the bedroom anyway. Had he left? Or was he somewhere else in the house? She threw back the sheets and stood, the slight ache in her core another reminder of what they'd done last night. Heat flushed her cheeks. She'd missed him. God, she'd missed him so much. It wasn't just the act of having sex that she'd missed. It was the intimacy. The closeness. On her way to the door, she lifted his discarded shirt-which was now folded on a chair-and tugged it over her head. She was about to start her search in the kitchen when she heard sounds in the hall bathroom. She changed direction and cracked the door open. Her throat dried instantly. Hell, it was like the Sahara Desert. All thanks to Colt. He stood in front of the mirror, his very wet, very muscled back toward her. Holy shit, he was hot with a towel slung low around his waist. "That is exactly why I tried to sneak out, Cricket." Her gaze flashed up to meet his eyes in the mirror. They were like dark pools of heat. She swallowed. Nope, still dry. "You tried to sneak out on me?" "Hell yes, I did. Because otherwise, I wouldn't make it out of the house at all." Her lips curved into a small smile. "You think I have that kind of power over you?" "We both know you do." He turned, and his dark gaze ran down her body. "You look great in my shirt." "That's good, because you're not getting it back." "Really?" He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What if I ask really nicely?" "Depends...does the request come with any form of touching?" A low growl rippled from his chest, and he lowered his head to kiss her. And even though they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other last night, she suddenly felt starved of his kisses. She leaned into him and ran her fingers over his chest, absorbing the dampness of his skin. "Where are you sneaking off to?" she finally asked, when he lifted his head. The humor left his face and a darkness took its place. Anger. "I'm going to talk to my mom." "Oh." That was all she said. Because honestly, she didn't know what to say. Last night, Colt had reacted exactly how she'd known he would. Actually, no, it was worse, because Colt had heard the words for himself. "I hate that this is hurting you." "It's not your fault. But I need to remind my mother that you're part of my life. A big part. And if she can't be kind to you, she doesn't get me." Which sucked, because he shouldn't have to remind his mother of that. She knew they were married. "Is there anything I can do?" she whispered. "Yeah. Stay home with the doors locked. You don't have any shoots today, do you?" She laughed, but there was no humor behind it. "No. That rumor sure worked and seems to have lost me most of my clients." "The rumor you mentioned at the bar?" "Yeah. Apparently, people around town have been gossiping about me. Something about money and my business. I don't know the details, but it sounded like I didn't come off quite so well, and that's possibly why people haven't been booking me." A muscle in Colt's jaw clenched. "Do you think my mother started it?" Oh God, she did not want to answer that question. But no secrets-they'd promised each other last night. "I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind. But honestly, I don't know. I never thought she'd go so far as to ruin my livelihood." But then, she'd never thought Sylvia would be so brazen as to say everything she'd said last night, with Colt so close by. "I'll find out." His tone was heavy. He went to step around her, but she grabbed his arm. "Colt, wait... I don't want to be the reason you and your mom fall out with each other." "You wouldn't be. You didn't ask for any of this. It's all her. And it's her choice what she does next." "Will you come straight home after and tell me how it went?" "I'll do you one better-I'll come home and take you car shopping." She rolled her eyes. "I don't need you to buy me a car." "I'm not. I'm forcing you to use our shared money to buy a safe vehicle." "Same thing. Like I've said, I still have my money from the Subaru. I can buy my own car, thank you." He growled and stepped closer. "My money is your money." "But-" "No. No buts. You're my wife. That makes everything that's mine, yours. Okay? And maybe while I'm gone, you can get those wedding rings out of storage." Shit. "I'll look for them." It wasn't a lie. She would look. She just had no idea where they were. "Good." He lowered his head and kissed her, and she slipped her hand behind his neck and deepened the kiss. A low, guttural sound vibrated from his chest before he pushed her back against the wall, the warmth of his body in complete contrast with the cool tiles at her back. He was just inching her top up when the ringing of a phone sounded from behind them. Colt's phone. He growled. "It better be important." She chuckled, missing him the second he stepped away from her. Colt frowned before putting the cell to his ear. "Ben. Is everything okay?" Whatever Ben said made Colt straighten. "I'm coming now." Nerves punched Indie in the stomach as she waited for him to hang up. "What's wrong?" "It's Mom. She's in the hospital." Colt pulled into the parking lot of the Amber Ridge Hospital. His mother being here wasn't a new thing. Suffering from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease meant she'd made frequent visits since he was a kid. She had better and worse days. Was it worse today because of everything that had happened? Or maybe it wasn't worse. Maybe this was a ruse to get him to come to her...just like it had been the night Indie had asked for a break a year ago. He hadn't thought his mother could even do something like that. But after last night? He wasn't sure what the woman was capable of anymore. He climbed out of his Audi and crossed the parking lot, heading toward the room number that Ben had texted him. Everything his mother said last night played over in his head again and again. And it made him angrier each time. The reason it hurt so much was because he'd trusted her. From his father, he expected to be stabbed in the back. But not from his mom. The one good thing to come out of last night? Indie. She'd finally let him in. She'd finally let him love her again. He wasn't going to mess that up a second time. He was going to protect their marriage at all costs. He turned the corner to see Ben standing halfway down the hall. Colt stopped in front of him. "Hey. How is she?" Ben shot a glance toward the closed door, then back to Colt. "Not too good. I woke up to her calling out for me. She was short of breath and had chest pains. I brought her straight in and she was put on oxygen. The doctor ran some tests and we're waiting for the results, but he said, based on her history, it could just be a flare-up." "Thanks." He wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, but before he could step in, Ben grabbed his arm. "Are you okay after last night?" "No. But I'm her son. I need to at least see her." Ben studied him for a moment. "She shouldn't have said what she said. But she loves you." "Then she needs to accept Indie in my life." Ben nodded slowly. "I agree. Good luck." "Thanks." He stepped into the room. His mother lay in the center of the bed, an oxygen mask on her face. At the click of the door closing, her eyes popped open and went straight to him. She tugged down the oxygen mask. "Oh, Colt, honey. I'm so glad you're here." Colt's brows drew together. She said it nonchalantly, like the previous night had never even happened. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "How do you feel?" "Better. But it was so scary. I barely slept last night and woke up to the worst chest pain this morning. I couldn't breathe. Thank God Ben was there." "I'm glad he's staying with you." "Me too." He stopped beside the bed. "The doctor said you're okay." "At the moment. I'm scared to see what the tests show. But darling, I'm just so glad you're here." Sylvia reached for his hand, but he stepped back. His mother frowned. "Colt-" A knock at the door had them both looking up as a middle-aged male doctor stepped into the room. "Is now an okay time, Mrs. Reed?" "Oh, yes, come in. Dr. Leeroy, this is my son, Colt." The doctor dipped his head. "It's nice to meet you." He looked back at Sylvia. "I have good news. Your breathing has improved, and your oxygen levels are back to where they should be. I've also had a look at your test results-they also show everything's fine. It was just a flare-up." His mother sighed loudly. "What a relief." "I'd still recommend taking it easy over the next few days and keeping up with your medications. We'll schedule a follow-up appointment, just to make sure you're managing everything effectively, but I think you'll be okay to go home today." "Thank you, Doctor." The doctor dipped his head and stepped out. His mother looked up at Colt and smiled. "Isn't that great news? And with you and Ben at the house, I'll be well looked after." Did she really think he was just going to forget about everything from the previous night and move back in with her? "I'm not going back to your house, Mom." Sylvia looked confused. "Because of last night? Colt, I didn't mean to hurt Indie's feelings." "Hurt her feelings? You told her she wasn't right for me. You made her believe she wasn't strong enough to be my wife. You told her that IVF was unethical, and that God basically didn't want her to become pregnant!" His mother opened and closed her mouth. "You're my son. I was trying to protect-" "I'm an adult, Mom. It's not your job to protect me. Your only job is to love and support me. When you hurt Indie, you hurt me. Do you understand that?" Her face paled. He took a breath before asking his next question. "Did you start a rumor about Indie's photography business?" The smallest widening of her eyes was all the confirmation he needed. Fuck. "You did." The reality hit him like a fucking freight train. How? How had he not seen any of this? "I didn't start a rumor," she denied. "I simply...had some conversations with friends about her money situation." "What situation?" Colt asked through gritted teeth. Sylvia squirmed uncomfortably. "Just that one of the reasons she married you was for your money." The fuck? That wasn't even slightly true. "What else?" She swallowed. "I may have mentioned that when you stopped funding her lifestyle, she left you. And without your money, she probably had to resort to shortcuts in her work. Like AI edits and cheaper photography equipment. Just small talk!" Jesus fucking Christ. "You told people that?" "It's what I believed," she said stubbornly. "It's what I still believe. I don't think her motives around you are innocent, and as I mentioned last night-" "Stop. Just stop. You tried to ruin her business, and you're still pushing the bullshit." Out. He needed to get the hell out and breathe. "I'm leaving." Sylvia pushed up. "Wait-when will I see you again?" "When you can be better. When you can fix what you've broken." "Colt, please, I did this for you-" "I never asked you to. Indie is my entire world. And I am not letting you hurt her anymore."