Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“Her seat belt wasn’t on.”
“Why the fuck wasn’t her seat belt on?” she demands.
“It was bad luck,” I say, pulling her into my arms. She’s shaking like a leaf in the middle of a damn storm. “Her mom had a benign tumor pressing on her brain that no one knew about. It caused her vision to blur, and she crashed the car while Taylor was unbuckled, reaching in the back seat to grab her iPad so she could go over the list of things she wanted to do in the city. She flew out, landed on her wrist, breaking it, and cracked her head on the concrete. She suffered from a concussion and had to have surgery on her wrist to fix it.”
“Can I see her?” she asks, her eyes glassy and her face blotchy.
“Yeah, but if you want to wait until she’s home …”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I need to see her for myself. To know she’s okay.”
“Okay. We can go see her. They’ve put her and Jamie in the same room.”
“Is Jamie okay?” Kinsley asks.
“Yeah, the tumor wasn’t cancerous, but between her shoulder getting dislocated in the accident and needing to have emergency surgery to have the tumor removed, she’s going to need some time to recover.”
Kinsley nods in understanding. “When can Taylor come home?”
“They’re hoping tomorrow. Because of the concussion, they want to keep her another night to monitor her and check to make sure there’s no swelling in her brain. I told her I needed to find you, and she asked me to grab some stuff for her since she doesn’t have any working electronics.”
“I’ll grab her favorite books,” she says with a forced smile. “Just give me a few minutes to get ready.”
“Thanks.” I reach out and wipe a few tears that are resting on her cheeks and then give her a quick kiss. “I’m going to grab some clothes and toiletries she asked for. I’ll meet you back down here.”
She nods, and as she starts to walk away, I can’t help the ominous feeling that comes over me, like everything is about to change—and not in a good way.
So, I grip the curve of her hip and pull her back toward me. “Everything is going to be okay,” I tell her, palming her cheek and looking into her eyes. “You know that, right?”
“I know,” she says. “Everything will be okay.”
THIRTY-ONE
Kinsley
As I walk to the master bedroom, I keep repeating to myself that Taylor’s okay, hoping if I repeat it enough times, I’ll believe it. Shane might’ve said everything will be okay, but until I see her for myself, I won’t believe it.
I don’t understand why her mom would let her take her seat belt off. And what was Taylor thinking? It only takes a split second. What if the accident were worse and she flew farther? Hit her head harder? We could’ve lost her, and for what? So she could have her damn iPad? The second I see her—after I confirm she’s okay—I’m going to make sure she never does that shit again.
When I step inside the room, I’m hit with all the sticky notes I put everywhere. I quickly remove them all since now isn’t the time to be cute—and Shane obviously didn’t notice them when he was in here, waking me up—and shove them into my makeup bag, knowing he won’t look in there. After I get ready, I locate a few of Taylor’s favorite books and then meet Shane by the front door.
On the way to the hospital, a thought hits me. “How did you know about the accident if your phone was dead?”
Shane glances at me and then back to the road. “It’s a small town. There’s only one fire station, and the accident was on Main Street.”
“Oh my God.” I gasp. “You …”
“Yeah,” he says, not needing me to finish my question. “We got the call, and I didn’t know it was them until we arrived. I freaked, but David helped me get my shit together. We only had five men on the scene with two victims. Luckily, she veered off the road and hit a bench so nobody else was injured. We’re not usually supposed to treat family, but we needed all hands on deck, so David and I treated Taylor while Luke and Brian treated Jamie. Billy was driving the engine.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say to him, threading our fingers together. “I can’t even imagine. When Brandon and I got into the accident, I blacked out. I used to wish I had stayed awake, wondering if maybe I could’ve saved him, but the doctors said there was nothing I could have done, so at least I don’t have the horrible memories of seeing him hurt and watching him die.”
“It was the worst call I’ve ever had,” he admits. “I’m just so damn thankful that Taylor’s okay. That they’re both okay.”