Free Eye of the Storms (Eye of the Storms #1) by Lisa Gillis

question, “No, I can’t eat right now.”
    Reluctantly, I followed Olivia to the family lounge area and sank into a chair, submissively allowing my friend to mix my coffee.
    Conversations between my best friend and my family commenced while I alternated between staring glumly into my cold coffee and at the wall clock with a specific time on my mind. The surgeon had estimated that Tristan would be out of surgery and in recovery within ninety minutes.
    The realization that the chatter had dwindled to a stop was meaningless until I noticed all three heads pointed one direction; six eyes fixated on one common focus.
    “I’ll be damned!” The swear was just under my father’s breath.
    My mother’s lips formed a silent ‘O’.
    Olivia hissed, mimeishly and without moving her lips. “Russ is not who you think he is!”
    This entire scene played out in less than a few seconds, and sending my own gaze along the same geometric plane resulted in a debilitating case of déjà vu.
    Shocked, yet obsessed, I watched Jack as he sauntered closer and closer.
    The hood was down on his jacket, which hung open loosely over a casual shirt. His raven hair was slicked back into a ponytail that was mostly hidden, sandwiched between the hoodie and his shirt. A cap jammed onto his head covered most of any remaining hair and shaded his face. Like the day we had met, his long legs were clad in jeans, and prestigious sneakers encased his feet. The stuffed animal drooping in one arm was enormous.
    Jack had yet to notice his stunned audience. Just before reaching the connecting hall that the large waiting lounge opened into, he paused, resting a hand on the ledge of the nurses’ station.
    The young woman’s flush was obvious even from a distance, and as she pointed, Jack’s head twisted.
    A nanosecond later, his dark gaze locked with mine.

CHAPTER 10
    “Y ou came…” Rising, I crossed to meet Jack just as he hit the large open entry.
    My parents and Olivia were still gob smacked, and Jack dipped his head their way in a courteous, yet uneasy, nod.
    With a slight tip of my own head, I indicated my wish for him to follow. Slowly, I started down the hall, ignoring my mother who lunged from the chair, obviously wanting an introduction.
    Written on my parents’ faces was recognition, not of who he was, but of who he was. The resemblance to Tristan was strong, especially with his hair pulled back. Factoring in the toy he carried, they had done the math, figuring out he was the missing father of their grandson. Olivia, groupie that she had once been, most probably knew his face from the rock media sources she had once fed on.
    One foot in front of the other, buffed linoleum tile after tile, the clunk of my ankle boots was matched by the soft-soled squish of his sneakers. We continued this way, only stopping once we were closed inside the hospital room. Earlier, the room seemed vast and empty once Tristan, along with the bed, was rolled out. Now, with Jack’s presence, the walls seemed to close in.
    Ambling over, he set the ginormous plush toy next to the tiger.
    “I called you.” His firm words were spoken as he turned, and his eyes met mine, gauging my reaction.
    Cowardly, I could not hold his gaze and instead studiously studied the floor. “You didn’t leave a message.”
    “I didn’t have a message.”
    Now I looked up, needing his expression as an aid in this combative exchange. “So why did you call if you had nothing to say?”
    “I have a lot to say. I said I didn’t have a message. I wanted to talk to you…”
    “Really? What could we have to talk about? We only fucked once, or was it twice?” Just as he had mocked me in our recent phone call, I now pulled from that chilly phone conversation a rebound of the hurtful barb.
    “Je—” The sight of innocent plush animals in the window seemed to cut his curse. Possibly, he was counting to ten, because in roughly that many seconds, his eyes bounced back to my face. “I’m sorry