Rush

poured
     into the dosage cup was the liquid cold-reliever medication.
    She sat up, frowning. She hadn’t imagined he’d leave. He’d been so…persistent.
    A shiver overtook her and she reached for the medicine, gulping it down with the water
     he’d left for her. She leaned back, resting her head on the pillow where Gabe had
     lain.
    She closed her eyes. She could still smell him. Could still feel his warmth surrounding
     her. God, she missed him.
    Was her pride worth them both being miserable? Did he truly love her, and did he want
     another chance for them?
    All the indicators were there, but she was afraid to trust him. Afraid to give him
     that chance again when he’d hurt her so badly by not fighting for her in the first
     place.
    • • •
    Gabe called Jace in the lobby of Jace’s building and waited for his friend to respond.
     A moment later, Jace responded and Gabe didn’t give him any time to question anything.
    “Jace, it’s me, Gabe. I need to talk to you. It’s about Mia.”
    A few moments later, Gabe rode the elevator up to Jace’s penthouse apartment. Jace
     was there to greet him when he got off the elevator, a slight frown marring his face.
    “What’s up?” Jace asked.
    Gabe walked inside, not bothering to take off his coat. He wasn’t staying long. There
     was too much he had to accomplish before the weekend was over.
    “Mia is sick,” he said bluntly. “I found her on the sidewalk yesterday when she was
     walking home from work. She was burning up with fever and some asshole had knocked
     her over. She didn’t even have the strength to make it back to her apartment.”
    “What the fuck? Is she okay?”
    Gabe held up his hand. “I stayed with her last night. Got some medicine down her and
     I left some for her to take when I left this morning. I left her a note telling her
     you’d be by to check in on her later.”
    Jace’s frown deepened. “You didn’t stay with her? Hell, Gabe, you’ve been relentless
     in your pursuit and you finally get a chance where she isn’t kicking your ass and
     you left her sick in her apartment?”
    Gabe sighed. “I’ve pushed her too hard. I’m part of the reason she’s so rundown and
     sick. I don’t want to beat her down. That’s not the way I want her to come to me or
     for us to be together. I need to back off and give her time to get well. I want you
     to get your ass over there and take care of her this weekend. I need her well by Monday
     night, because that’s when I’m going to fucking crawl for her.”
    Jace lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “What?”
    Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve got a ring to buy this weekend and other arrangements
     to make. All you have to do is have her at Rockefeller Center Monday night by the
     Christmas tree. Don’t fuck this up, Jace. I don’t care if you have to carry her. You
     make damn sure she’s there.”

chapter forty-four
    Mia spent the weekend with Jace—or rather he spent it with her. Ash was in and out,
     bringing takeout and generally fussing over her. The two men brought movies, and they
     crashed on the couch watching TV until Mia would drift off into a fever-induced sleep.
    By Monday morning she was feeling better, but not well enough to tackle work, so she
     called in to let Louisa and Greg know she wouldn’t be there.
    Jace and Ash headed into the office but told her they’d be back, because they had
     something special planned for the evening.
    Through it all, she hadn’t heard a single peep from Gabe. No flowers, no gifts. Just
     silence. It unnerved her and had her questioning every decision she’d made with regard
     to him.
    She didn’t have the heart to tell Jace she didn’t feel up to whatever he and Ash had
     planned. They’d both been so great over the weekend, pampering her endlessly and working
     so hard to cheer her up.
    Whatever they had planned, she’d be prepared and she’d take it with a smile. Jace
     had told her to dress warmly, so she could only imagine whatever it was they were
     doing was outside.
    Thank goodness she wasn’t still running a fever, or the thought of being out in the
     cold would drive her right over the edge.
    She showered in the afternoon and tried her best to dosomething with her hair and makeup so she didn’t look hungover and dragged through
     the wringer. But even makeup had its limitations…
    At six, Jace and Ash arrived, their eyes sparkling with mischief. She groaned inwardly
     because they were