Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

wiping her eyes. She walked over to Julie and held out her hand. It was a white flag. But Julie was not sure she was ready to accept it.

“I never wanted any of this to happen,” Mrs. Bowood said.

“I know,” Julie said frankly. “Benjamin confessed. We know everything.” She rose to her feet and Mrs. Bowood glanced at Emily who had her hands on her hips.

“I was going to tell Harry the truth. All of it. I even called Benjamin last night when Harry left….” Her voice faded away as she looked from Julie to Emily lost for words. Emily folded her arms, she remained silent but the look of thunder on her face showed that she was resisting the urge to rant.

Julie bit her lip against her own outburst. How could a mother be so manipulative? Julie’s face must have given her thoughts away though, because Mrs. Bowood raised her brows at her.

“You’re not a mother,” she said her voice rising in pitch. “I had to have someone watch Harry. For his own good.”

Julie sat and rolled her head side to side with a yawn. Her muscles were seizing up. They had been at the hospital so long that morning light was starting to peer in through the windows.

“I don’t care. None of this matters right now. I just need to know he’s okay,” she said tiredly. Emily sat in the chair beside Julie and took her hand.

“He’s going to be okay. I can feel it,” she muttered.

Mrs. Bowood dragged her hand over her face and sighed.

“I’m going to make a call,” she said heavily and marched back through the doors to the parking lot.

Julie scowled at the floor. Kicking herself.

“I can’t believe I didn’t do anything,” She replayed the moment she was captured. She couldn’t believe how her body and mind had betrayed her. Why did she allow herself to become distracted in that alley. If she had just kept alert, and then fought like she’d been taught, then maybe….

“Don’t beat yourself up, you know that none of this is your fault,” Emily said firmly while squeezing her hand.

Before Julie could argue, the doors swung open and a surgeon entered the waiting room. Julie and Emily jumped to their feet as they crossed the room.

“You are Harold’s girlfriend, right?” Julie nodded. Girlfriend sounded so small and simple. Soul mate. Eternal love. Partner in crime. Any of those would have been better than girlfriend.

“The surgery was a success. I was able to remove the bullet and control the bleeding. Thankfully, his vital organs weren’t hit. He’s very lucky.”

“He’s going to live?” Julie asked, hardly daring to breathe.

“He is stable. I’m going to keep him in for a few days to monitor, and he’ll be on prophylactic antibiotics to guard against infection.”

“Can I see him?” Julie clung onto Emily’s hand for dear life.

The woman nodded. “A nurse will be out to take you to him.”

“Thank you so much, I don’t know what to say.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled, then walked to the reception desk and spoke to the nurses as Julie waited with bated breath.

“Julie Andrews? Follow me. I’ll take you to see Mr. Jackson,” a short brunette said with oversized glasses. She brushed crumbs from her scrubs and walked to the double doors.

“I’ll wait here and tell his mother the news,” Emily said softly, giving Julie’s hand one last squeeze before she let go. Julie gave her a brave smile before she took a deep breath, smoothed down her hair and followed the nurse.

The white sterile corridor with its blinding lights had a numbing effect on Julie. As she focused on placing one foot in front of another, a rising sense of panic crept up her arms. She could no longer feel her hands. Her elbows tingled and a heaviness sat on her chest that she couldn’t shake. The nurse stopped and opened a door. As she stepped aside, Julie peered in to see Harry laying in a hospital bed. She entered the room and noted this was the second time she had come to visit Harry in hospital. Although this time, she promised herself as she brushed his hair away from his forehead with her fingertips, I won’t run away.

Mrs. Bowood did not come into the room and Harry was in and out as he recovered from the surgery, leaving Julie to her thoughts.

The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. She was finally recognized as a designer, stood up to Frank, then got kidnapped all in one night. Benjamin was dead and Harry had been shot. Now Mrs. Bowood was in town. The situation sent her mind spinning. Did Mrs. Bowood know about Benjamin’s gambling problem? Did she not guess he would go to such lengths for money when she called off the deal? She sat beside the bed lost various scenarios for hours when Harry stirred. His brows were tightly knitted together and he pouted his lips. Julie pressed her lips against his forehead.

His eyes blinked open and zoomed around the room before settling on Julie. Then a weak smile took over his frown.

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he said faintly. Julie perched herself on the edge of the bed and stroked his face, tears falling freely as the bubble of emotion burst and came flooding out.

“I thought I lost you,” she said between sobs. Harry patted her leg gently and shushed her.

“You never lost me. I’m fine, see? Barely even a scratch.”

Julie wiped her eyes furiously. “Three weeks, Harry. Three weeks you didn’t even text.”

“Neither did you. And you ran off….”

Julie sighed as she studied the hurt on Harry’s face.

“Why did you come back?” she asked weakly. Harry grazed his thumb across her cheek and the corners of his eyes creased as he looked at her lovingly.

“Because I needed to tell you that I love you.”

The words flowed through her senses as if she had just jumped into a pool of warm honey. The panic calmed and her defenses melted away.