“Good.” Then she climbed into my lap, hugging a ragged teddy bear to her chest, and closed her eyes.

I stared down at her and quickly slipped an arm around her so she didn’t fall.

Emily half rose. “I’ll take her. She’s sleepy.”

“She’s fine.”

Emily eyed me for a moment, then nodded and sat back down.

Then we waited.

And waited.

Finally, a door creaked open. The doctor appeared, looking tired.

Rising, I handed Haley to the oldest teenager, then faced the doctor, my heart in my throat.

“She’s going to be fine,” the doctor said.

I exhaled and felt dizzy.

“We confirmed that it was tetrahydrozoline poisoning. Thankfully not enough to kill her.”

My body locked.

Poisoned.

Tessa had been poisoned.

The doctor got an angry look. “Idiots put eyedrops in food or drink, thinking they’ll make someone sick. It can kill.”

“Fuck.” I turned and kicked a chair.

“Ro—” Caden rose.

“She ate my meal. She wanted me to try her fish. The bastard after me poisoned my meal and she ate it.”

God. Anger was a red haze over my eyes.

Allie stepped forward like an avenging harpy. “I’m going to find this asshole and kill him.”

She spun like she was going to storm out and tear through Windward until she found our poisoning saboteur.

“Hold on,” I said.

But it was Caden who caught her. He gripped her arms and turned her to face him.

“Stand down.”

“Back up, Broody. My friend almost died.”

“She needs you here,” Caden said.

Allie quivered.

“We’ll keep Ms. Ashford for observation for a few hours, but she can go home later,” the doctor said. “If her heart rate and respiration stay normal.”

“I’ll find this fucker,” Caden said.

I glanced at the kids, but noted the little ones were asleep. “Do it, Caden. Fast.”

Caden nodded, then looked back at Allie. “I promise I’ll find him.”

She stared at him for a beat, then nodded. He released her, met my gaze, then stalked out.

A nurse appeared. “Ms. Ashford’s conscious. She’s asking for Ro.”

23. Tessa

Chapter 23

Tessa

“You don’t have to carry me.”

Ro ignored me and carried me toward my house.

“Ro—”

“Quiet. I’m carrying you.” It was his bossy billionaire voice. But I heard the undertone of something hard.

I pressed my face to his neck and breathed him in. “I’m okay.”

“You were poisoned.” The words shot out like bullets, but then he reined it in. “Unlock the door, baby.”

I liked it when he called me baby. He held me while I unlocked the front door. I was wearing a pair of scrubs, and he was still in a scrubs shirt.

We looked like we’d gone to war and lost. I was just glad to be out of the hospital.