AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No,” I cut him off. “I’ll figure it out for myself.”
“I’m sure you will,” he says. “And Tess?”
“Huh?”
“While I’m busy being proud of you, try to get busy being proud of yourself.”
Olivia and Darby visit me next, dragging Spencer back in with them, cracking jokes and telling him all about the time I pretended I broke my arm. I made myself a cast using two whole rolls of duct tape. When my mom removed it, I hollered loud enough for everyone in Apple Valley to hear.
“It was her first wax job,” Liv teases.
Darby smirks. “That’s when I decided to become a doctor.”
Meanwhile, Spencer’s eyes never leave me, even with my sisters in the room. They’re so funny and vibrant and clever. They never fall on snakes. But he’s looking at me like I’m his favorite candy on Halloween. The best Christmas present under his tree. Like with all the options in the world before him, I’d be his choice. And despite our differences, I trust what he said.
Spencer Crane loves me.
After all, he said it twice—once when he wasn’t sure I could hear him, and again when he thought I might forget. Then I said it back, knowing full wellhecould hear and would totally remember.
This all seems fast, I realize. But only on the surface. Our feelings have been brewing underneath for a while. And since we’ve known each other for years, we already have a big head start. The rest comes down to the faith you invest in the person you decide to fully trust. That’s what love is about, right? Deciding who’s worth the risk, then believing with your whole heart.
When a nurse finally comes in to tell us visiting hours are over, Spencer’s the only one left in the room. “I’m going to head back to camp,” he says. “I wish I could stay but—”
“No. Go. I’ll feel better knowing you’re there with Jill and everyone. Thank you so much. You’re the best.”
He smiles at me, but something flickers behind his eyes. I feel the motion in my stomach. “I’ll let you get some rest,” he says. Then he presses his lips to mine. They’re soft and tender and perfect.
As he slowly backs away, I groan. “You’re going to kiss me like that and leave? You’re a drive-by kisser.”
He arches a brow. “We’ll pick up where we left off when you’re not in the hospital.”
Two minutes later, my phone starts buzzing. Someone must’ve left it on the rolling table, plugged into a charger. I don’t remember who. A lot about today is fuzzy. Just not everything.
Not the important stuff.
I pick up the phone and see an incoming FaceChat from Emi. When I accept, she talks first. And quickly. Her eyes are wide and full of worry. “Oh, Tess. Oh no! Look at you. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Emi. Just fine. Thanks to Spencer.”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Heaving a sigh of relief, she props her phone against a mug on the coffee table. I drag the rolling tray over my bed, and rest my phone against the plastic water pitcher.
“Did my brother call you?”
“Yes, as soon as you were stabilized. He thought we’d want to know what happened. And of course we did.”
“But it’s the middle of the night there.”
“We were up,” Nash says, plopping onto the couch beside Emi. His smile is soft. Eyes sleepy. “Hey there, Little McCoy.” He leans in close until his face fills half the screen. My second big brother. My third sister. I love them both so much. “Did youreallyfall on top of a rattlesnake?” he asks.
“Not on. But near. Yep.”
“Oh, man.” His smile slants toward Emi. “You’re even clumsier than my wife. I didn’t think that was possible.”
“Hey!” Emi elbows him. “You’d better take that back, or I’ll make you dance. Then we’ll see who the real klutz is.”
“Challenge accepted,” Nash says, chuckling. And now I’m laughing too. Emi may be the only person on the planet who falls down more than I do.
“I miss youuuuuu,” I blurt out. “You moved too far away!” Oops. I guess there’s still a little truth serum pumping through my veins.
