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“Do you know her passcode?” I asked Emmett.
“You’re breaking into her phone? Cool.” He motioned for it. “I know the pattern. Up, middle, down, then middle.”
He tapped the screen, the phone unlocking immediately.
“You’re not going to throw me under the bus if she kicks my ass for this, are you?”
Emmett laughed. “No. I’ll tell her I did it.”
With a nod, I walked out onto the back deck and pulled up the missed call. I hit the name of her sister-in-law and took a deep breath.
Paige answered on the first ring. “Holy shit, Isabel, I’ve been freaking out since Molly texted me. You fell out of a tree?”
I winced. “This is Aiden, actually. Her … boss.”
Deafening silence met my announcement.
“You’re …” She paused again. “Aiden Hennessy?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry to call you like this.”
“Is she okay? Why do you have her phone?” Paige asked, the concern in her voice loud and clear.
“She’s asleep, and I think she’ll be fine. Sore, but nothing broken or seriously injured.”
She exhaled heavily, then I heard her cover the microphone and repeat what I said to her husband. “I’m going to put you on speaker, Aiden. Logan wants to know what’s going on. Is Emmett okay?”
“Yeah, he was a little rattled when I showed up at the house, but he’s the one who called 911 when the branch broke. He’s a brave kid.”
Logan spoke next. “What happened exactly?”
I told them what I knew and what the paramedics relayed to me.
Paige made a tsking noise. “Why am I not surprised she’d be so damn stubborn about this?” Her voice wavered on the end. Then she sniffed, and I heard Logan murmur something quietly to her. She sniffed again. “Sorry, Aiden, I just hate being away when something happens to my babies.”
I smiled a little, imagining the woman in my bed as anyone’s baby. “No apology necessary.”
“You’re sure she shouldn’t go to the hospital?” Logan asked. “How do you know she doesn’t have a concussion?”
“I don’t,” I answered honestly. “But I’ve had a couple myself, so I know what to look for. She’s steady on her feet, she never passed out, no nausea, no confusion.” I sat in a chair and stared out at the water, thought about the night in front of me. “I’ll wake her every three to four hours, and if I have even the slightest worry, I promise I’ll take her in.”
“What about the kids?” Paige asked.
“My parents live about five minutes away. I can call my mom to come over here if it comes down to it.”
She exhaled audibly. “Okay. Before we even talked to you, I decided to switch my flight to the first one out tomorrow. Logan is going to talk to his head coach, not sure if he’ll be with me or not.”
“I’ll text you my address.”
Paige paused. “She’s going to hate that you called us. Like, a lot.”
“Yeah, I figured as much,” I answered wryly. “But I’m a parent. I’d want to know if it was me.”
“We appreciate you telling us,” Logan said.
“Gimme a second, honey,” Paige said to her husband, and I heard the sound of a door closing a second later. “Just … a word of advice, Aiden. If you’re open to it.”
My brow furrowed at the change in her tone. “Of course.”
