Page 33 of Playing With Temptation

Fuck it.

I didn’t need my purse.

“Rainy,” Sophie called out as she grabbed my purse off the couch.

“Do you have a phone? I need to call my mom and ask her to pick up Lucas.”

“Rainy, girl, your phone is in your pocket.”

Shit. Right.

I was so distracted yanking my phone out of my pocket I missed Sophie walking across the room until her hand landed on my shoulder. “Hey.”

I glanced up to find her warm brown eyes full of something I hoped to God wasn’t grief. Did she know more than she was saying?

“How bad is it?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured and slid her arm around my shoulder. “Valentine was in a hurry.” She paused and turned me toward the door. “Let’s get to the hospital.”

My stomach did this funny somersault. A combination of drunk butterflies fluttering about and cramps so bad I couldn’t stand upright.

Humans were funny creatures. I’d gone years without seeing Jase. I’d spent years attempting to block him from my memory. But in a split second, all that effort had turned into my biggest regret. I couldn’t remember a single reason why I’d walked away. I couldn’t even remember the pain our breakup had caused and how that one decision had spiraled and sent my life down a path that hadn’t included him.

And the last time I saw Jase, I’d practically ignored him—erected a wall between us because I wasn’t ready to face what I’d done.

Had I learned nothing from losing Zoe? Life could end in an instant. Death didn’t wait for you to wrap up unfinished business—it just took you whether you were ready or not. There was no asking for more time so you could tell the people you loved what they meant to you. And the same went for the people being left behind—we didn’t get to hit pause and get a final goodbye—right wrongs, apologize, say all the things we should’ve already said.

Death happened.

It was final.

There was no going back or do-overs.

Once it happened, that was it.

“I need to see him,” I whispered.

My throat constricted, and I prayed I wasn’t too late.

CHAPTER TEN

“I should’ve told you.”

I turned my head toward the voice.

“Why didn’t I tell you?”

A woman’s voice.

“I should’ve just told you.”

“Told me what?” I asked.

“Jase? Oh, God. You’re awake.”

With effort, I pried my eyes open but only made it a sliver before the bright lights had me slamming them shut. But that sliver was all I needed to see Rainy sitting in a chair next to my hospital bed.

“What are you doing here, Rae?”