He autographed it and handed it back. “Here you go, Mike. I hope you enjoy the book and find some inspiration in it.”
“I know I will. Can I get a picture with you to show my dad?” He pulled out his cell phone.
“Sure.” Dash went to stand with him for a selfie.
Mike held up his phone, and Dash leaned into the picture as Reno began whimpering and barked. Dash whipped his head around just in time to see Amber staring vacantly into space as she fell toward the woman beside her. He bolted across the store as a collective gasp rang out. Fear and heartache clashing, he took Amber from the woman’s arms. His chest seized as he lowered her rigid body toward the floor just as she began convulsing.
“Please stand back!” His heart thundered as he rolled Amber onto her side and her sisters ushered people away, explaining that Amber was having an epileptic seizure.
Reno circled her, whimpering, trying to get to the button on her necklace.
“It’s okay, buddy. I’ve got her.” Dash kept his hand beneath Amber’s face so she didn’t hurt herself. She made stilted sounds as her body jerked uncontrollably. “You’re okay, baby. I’m right here.” He tried to remember what else to do. Keep her from choking. Time the seizure. “Time! Someone watch the time.”
“I’m already on it.” Marilynn crouched beside him with her phone in her hand, perfectly calm. “Are you okay, honey?”
“Yes. No. I mean, yes, but I feel helpless. My poor girl.” Spittle seeped out of the corner of Amber’s mouth, and Dash noticed a streak of urine sliding over her leg, puddling beneath her, his heart breaking. “Marilynn, protect her face.” She put her hand beneath Amber’s cheek, and Dash tore open his dress shirt, sending the buttons flying, and draped it over Amber’s lower half. Memories of what Amber had said about her teenage seizure slammed into him just as she went limp, eyes closed. “It’s okay, baby. Just breathe, sweetheart.” Amber jerked a couple of times, and then she stilled again, eyes closed, head back, mouth agape. Dash realized she was in the end stage, or postictal phase, during which her body returned to baseline.
“Two and a half minutes,” Marilynn said. “She’s okay.”
Thank God. A seizure that lasted more than five minutes usually meant trouble. He sank to his ass, stretching his legs around Amber, drawing her back up against his chest, cradling her sleeping body against him. He wiped the drool from her cheek with his hand and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re okay.”
“You’re doing great, Dash,” Marilynn said.
“Me?” he panted out, confused.
“I know how hard it is to see someone you love have a seizure.” Marilynn glanced around them and smiled. “I think some of these women would probably like to thank you for taking your shirt off.”
He looked down and realized his chest was bare, his lungs constricting as his shirt came into view, covering where she’d wet herself, and he processed the last few minutes. He looked up. Sable stood with her back to them, her arms out to the sides, shielding Amber from the crowd with her body, a sea of empathetic and scared faces staring back at him, bringing reality into focus. Shea stood beneath Hawk’s protective arm, her hand on her chest, tears in her eyes. Fuck. He’d forgotten about the signing and all the people.
None of that mattered.
The only thing that mattered was the woman he loved, slowly regaining consciousness in his arms.
AMBER WAS TRAPPED in a dense fog, disoriented, sounds hovering just out of reach, too unclear for her to make sense of them. She was tired. So tired. She struggled to get to the surface, but bone-deep fatigue kept sucking her back into its depths. Something rough and warm moved over her face. She wanted to chase that touch, but noises, voices clattered in the background, throwing her off.
“You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you.”
The familiar deep voice, full of anguish and warmer emotions, tugged at her, dragging her toward the surface. She fought the fatigue, forcing her eyes open, but her eyelids were too heavy, and they fluttered closed. She tried once more, squinting against the harsh light as Dash’s worried eyes came into focus. Where were they? Why was her butt wet?
“Dash?” she managed, a shaky whisper.
“I’m here, sweetheart. You had a seizure, but you’re okay. Your mom is here, and your sisters.”
Her mother’s face came into focus. “I’m right here, lovey.”
“Where are we?”
“At the bookstore,” Dash said. “Your sisters are taking everyone outside.”
Panic bloomed in her chest as her memory kicked in, and she tried to sit up. “The signing.”
Dash gently pulled her back against him. “It’s over.”
“No!” She pushed from his chest, sitting up, swaying unsteadily.
He put his arm around her, holding her in place. “It’s fine. We only had one hour left.”
“No. It’s not fine,” she said groggily, trying to force the confusion from her brain. “Those people waited for you.” She felt like she was swimming against a tide. “Mom?”
“I’m right here,” her mother said.
“You can’t let this happen.” Amber tried to push to her feet but only made it to her knees as cold wetness hit her butt and a shirt tumbled from her lap. It took a moment for her to put the pieces together. Embarrassment swelled inside her, throbbing like a pain she couldn’t shake, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—let that take over as she had as a teenager. Adrenaline surged inside her. “You’re finishing the signing.”
“I’m not leaving your side, baby.”
“I’m leaving yours.” Amber swallowed hard.
Confusion riddled Dash’s face. “What are you talking about?”
She looked around, fighting the need to close her eyes. “Where’s Sable? I need a ride home.”
“I’ll take you,” Dash insisted, his arms tightening around her.
“I’m right here.” Sable moved into view, her hands on her hips. “I told him you would want him to finish the signing, but I don’t think he heard me. Lindsay said she’ll help Shea and make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Lindsay stepped beside her. “I won’t let you down, Amber.”
“Jesus,” Dash gritted out. “She just had a seizure. Who gives a damn about the signing?”
“I do!” Amber snapped. “You can’t let my medical condition get in your way.” Every word took too much energy, but she had to make him understand. “You worked hard to get here.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “It’s bad enough that I peed myself. Please, for me, see this through.”
His jaw clenched, his muscles flexing and bulging, as if he were about to explode. His fingers dug into her skin. “I love you” roared out, ferocious and angry. “How can you ask me to choose a signing over taking care of you?”
Her breath rushed from her lungs, and she was sure she’d mistaken his words.
He grabbed her face with both hands. “I love you. Do you hear me? I will not sit on my ass and sign books when I should be with you.”