Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 101398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Do…do you want me to come with you? I’ll follow in my car, of course, but I can also stay here and help Clay if you’d rather—”
“No. I want you to come,” Bennett interrupts. “I want you to come, and I’m sure Summer does too.”
“I just don’t want to overstep here, Ben. I can—”
“Norah, get in the damn car.”
Argument forgotten, along with our very public location, I get up on my toes and press a single kiss to his lips. Brief, soft—just a whisper. But the feel of his fingertips as they dig into my hip is enough to tell me he appreciates it.
I hustle to the Civic on the other side of his truck as he climbs in and starts his engine. When he’s sure I’m ready to follow, he takes off, and I pull out of the space after him. In tandem, we make the ten-minute drive to his house, and by the time we arrive, Summer is fast asleep. He scoops her delicate body into his arms, and I grab the oxygen tank without a word, following him into the house.
Charlie is already there, waiting in the kitchen when we arrive. Her rugged face is soft with compassion as she gets her first good look at Summer. “Was it everything she hoped for?”
“And so much more,” Bennett huffs as we walk into Summer’s bedroom.
“Sounds like there’s a story there.” Charlie smiles at me as I secure the oxygen tank behind the bed. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”
“It was certainly something.”
“Yeah,” Bennett grumbles. “I could stand to wait a day or two before reliving it.”
I have to bite my lip to hide my amusement. Charlie, though, outright laughs. “Man, now I really can’t wait to hear about it.”
“I’m sure Summer will talk your ear off about it when she wakes up,” Bennett says as he sits down on the edge of her bed. She’s deep in sleep, and he takes her small, lax hand into his. With his free hand, he fusses with her sheets and comforter, making sure they’re tucked around her just right.
I use the quiet moment to step back into the corner of the room and text the one person I haven’t stopped thinking about since I got in her Civic and drove here.
Guilt sits heavy in my stomach as I hit send.
Me: Are you okay? I know I’m the last person on earth you want to talk to you right now…well, besides the idiot whom I won’t name. But I just wanted to say I’m sorry, Josie. I’m so, so sorry for what happened out there. I swear to you, I had NO IDEA that Clay was the chosen groom until this afternoon or that he was going to be a total asshat. Please don’t hate me. I love you.
I nearly drop my phone when an incoming text makes it vibrate in my hands.
Josie: I don’t hate you.
Me: You promise? Because I feel like a real asshole for putting you in that situation.
Josie: Promise.
Me: Breezy still with you?
Josie: Yeah. She brought some wine to distract me from killing Clay.
Thank goodness for Breezy.
I can tell by Josie’s short answers that she’s nowhere near ready to talk about what Clay revealed today. No doubt, she needs time to work through the myriad of emotions she’s probably feeling right now.
And I’m sure there’s a part of her that’s still pissed at me, but that’s okay. I can handle it as long as she hasn’t shut me out completely. We’ve done that once, for far too many years, and I never want to do it again. Josie means too much to me. She’s the only family I have now. Besides Bennett and Summer.
Funny enough, that thought doesn’t even scare me. It only makes me send my sister one more message.
Me: Just so you know, you made Summer’s day. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that little girl so excited. She said, and I quote, “It was the best thing I’ve ever seen!”
Josie: I’m glad at least something good came out of it. Give her a kiss for me.
Me: I will.
Charlie’s voice grabs my attention again when she offers, “Ben, how about I sit with her while she sleeps? I’ll let you know if there’re any changes or if she wakes up.”
Bennett nods in agreement, kissing Summer’s hand and cheek one more time before rising to his feet. I follow suit when he’s gone, giving her two kisses to her forehead and brushing her hair out of her face as I do. “Sleep well, sweet girl.”
Charlie takes a seat in the chair next to Summer’s bed, and Bennett and I step out into the hall, pulling the door shut behind us.
I’m happy to be here, but there’s a part of me that wishes I would have gone home to shower and change first.