“You’ve always been my boy,” she murmurs, accepting her fate for us both. She’s barely able to form her last words. Her lips close at the same time her hand falls to her side. My eyes grow wider with affliction. I take her hand back into mine and squeeze, wishing she would squeeze my hand back.
She doesn’t.
She takes her last breath. Her bleeding chest falls for the last time, coming to a complete rest. I wait for it to rise again, feeling for a pulse in her cold neck, but it doesn’t come. I’m back in a familiar hell of grief.
No.
No.
God, this isn’t happening.
Coraline sags to the side, completely pale and distraught, matching my emotions. I study her for a second, only wanting her arms to fall apart in. As if she can read my mind, she inches closer.
But before she can embrace me, Merelyn’s front door is being broken into by the police. The captain—my close friend, Matt, has his weapon drawn and pointed toward the ground. He spots Maya, then darts his lethal gaze at us. His red cheeks match the color of his hair, while his brown eyes dart and assess the situation.
“Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “What the hell happened here?”
CHAPTER 34
CORALINE
Iwatch Gavin’s pained blue eyes stay on Merelyn’s bagged body. The pain is too much, and I don’t know how to stomach it. She’s dead because she tried to save me. Because of someone in my past.Because of Maya. His only family up here in these mountains is now gone. A sense of guilt eats at me even though I know it’s not my fault, but still. I feel responsible for everyone’s pain.
I should have left when I had the chance; maybe she would still be alive. I palm my face in my hands as I choke back the sobs in the back of the ambulance.
“That was the last stitch. You took it like a champ.” The paramedic’s lips curve into a genuine, friendly smile. I try to return it with my own, but nothing reflects. Nothing moves. I feel numb and horrified by the past few hours.
My best friend. My co-worker. My shoulder, I thought I could cry and laugh on, was the one after me the entire time. She was in love with Liam to the point that it drove her crazy. She hid her hatred for me so well.
I don’t understand what I ever saw in him. Hell, I don’t know what Lilly or Maya did.
The medic places a warm blanket over me.
“Gavin Ariksen. Half of the town is scared of him, and the other half is trying to date him. He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you came into my care. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so protective of anyone who wasn’t Merelyn. Are you guys together?” She looks me up and down after staring at Gavin. I blink rapidly at her, dumbfounded. I tighten my grip on the blanket that wraps around my chest and stomach.
“After all that’s happened, you’re asking me about this?” I look at her with evident disgust written all over my face. I shake my head at her disdainfully. I can’t even fathom or accept Merelyn’s death, and she’s asking me about my dating life?
“I’m sorry for asking; that was inappropriate.” She clears her throat and stands. She pulls off her gloves. I had to get ten stitches where Maya hit me in the back of my head. Then she pulls out her phone and taps away on the screen. I continue to glare at her. “I’ve been a paramedic for almost ten years. I’ve become a little desensitized to trauma. I deeply apologize.” She turns off her phone and gives me a small smile. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Those five words don’t do anyone’s grief justice. Nothing will. I’ve grown attached to Merelyn in such a short amount of time. Gavin not only lost someone close to him but also the only person he talked to. Georgia was quickly transported to the local hospital. She sustained a significant amount of blood loss, but the medics reassured us she’ll be okay.
The paramedic, whose name never settled into my memory, walks away, giving me space and time to think.
Gavin continues to talk to the local policeman, his broad arms resting on his chest. This man makes anything look sexy. That same butterfly flaps in the pit of my stomach, loosening my tense nerves for a second. For a swift moment, I forget about the pain. I forgot about what we just went through. No one has made me feel that way. Only he has that effect on me.
Whenever I see him take a breath, it silences my insecurities. The voice in my head telling me I’m not enough goes mute. My art did that for him, and that’s why he felt inclined to search for me. I made him feel seen—less alone. The reality of my art leaves gratitude in my soul. I didn’t fully grasp the impact art has on another broken soul searching for the same things I am whenever I pick up a pencil. I can’t stop dreaming. If I ever stop drawing for myself, I have to keep going for others. That is motivation alone to keep going. No matter what.
For the first time in weeks, the sun emerges, shining a bright golden light mixed with purple and pink shades against the stone texture of Gavin’s house. I glance around the surrounding mountains, drinking in the mesmerizing beauty of the landscape. The mountains. The snow. The trees and the wildlife that call it home. Sometimes, I forget just how beautiful this planet is.
The sound of a cop car’s sirens filters through my ears from a distance. I watch the cop slow down as it fights its way through the feet of snow. It stops once it’s behind the fire truck. Gavin’s land is full of cops, detectives, medical personnel, and firefighters.
A man emerges from the backseat, swinging the door frantically. As soon as he steps out, his feet slip, and his forearm connects violently with the hood of the cop car to keep him upright. My brows narrow at him curiously, and a twinge of familiarity pulls in my heart.
What the hell is Liam doing here?
My nostrils flare, my blood turns hot, and I swear I think I could hit something—specifically, him.
He looks straight at me, and I straighten my back, clawing at my thighs, full of anxiety. He picks up his pace, jogging and tripping over the feet of snow, clearly struggling like he doesn’t know how to maneuver through it. He’s in a thick coat with jeans and a winter beanie that hangs down the sides of his ears.
