AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fucking shit. At least tell me she’s okay. Is my little girl okay?”
“I don’t know… I don’t know… I don’t know…”
“Oh my god, I—I need to be there. I need to be with her.”
“Respectfully, sir, I don’t want to have to do another accident rescue tonight. The roads are really bad.”
“Send me updates every ten minutes, Elijah. You hear me? I want to know everything as soon as you know it.”
“Will do,” I say. “I promise.”
39
TAYLOR CROMWELL
Iwake up to Elijah staring at me, holding King in his arms. I don’t quite remember coming home, or the past week or so I’ve spent in the hospital. It was a big blur. I look down at my hands. They look a little skinnier than usual. I remember them being cold… so cold.
Elijah stayed beside me the whole time, but I couldn’t ever tell him what I wanted to say. By the time I was conscious enough to understand where I was, Dad was there, too.
I reach to the top of my head to feel where it aches the most but Elijah puts his hand out, sayingno, don’t touch that.
“The presents,” I remember. “Where’re the presents?”
“What presents?” Elijah asks. I sit up in bed. My body is aching but it’s nothing I can’t handle.
“In the Jeep. Your Christmas presents.”
Elijah shakes his head and places King back in his terrarium. He comes over to kneel beside the bed. His hair is scruffy, and it looks like he hasn’t shaved in a while, either.
“That’s the first thing you say out of the hospital? You’re worried aboutmypresents? You should be worrying about yourself, about recovering.”
“Did you see them? They’re in the Jeep.”
“No…I,” he scoffs and sits down on the bed beside me. “Don’t worry about any damn presents. The Jeep is in the shop.”
“I—I crashed the Jeep.” I press the palm of my hand to my forehead. Being home makes it all too real.
“Oh my god. I crashed your Jeep, Elijah.” My mouth drops open. How is he not pissed? “I’m so sorry.”
His jaw clenches before he speaks, and I’m ready for the wrath. “You’re all I care about, okay? Fuck the Jeep. It doesn’t matter.”
“I was just trying to get home…” I say, recalling the accident. I picture the ice, the way the car rolled, and my world spinning and spinning again. The freezing cold slowly consuming my warm body. Helpless. I feel a tear come on and wipe it away. “I was so scared.”
“I know, baby.” He strokes my back, and I groan at the simple pleasure of physical touch.
He stops, and I groan again, looking up at him.
“Does that hurt?” he whispers.
“No, it’s the best thing in the world. Which reminds me, I have some things I need to tell you.”
Waking up and seeing him here with me, knowing he saved me, it was the sign I was looking for. Not that I truly needed one. Not that it wasn’t glaringly obvious.
Elijah bows his head down. “I was afraid of this. Go ahead and tell me.”
Afraid? Maybe he’s changed his mind.
“Stephanie and Olive kissed at Bibio. And I thought it was perfect, I mean, it’s not perfect, but it is, if that makes sense. Their love and their love for Levi is so… I don’t know. Overwhelmingly real and unapologetic? I was looking at the Christmas lights and the snow and I thought it was just meant to be. But then I thought there was something missing and… and I guess what I’m trying to say, Elijah, is yes. Yes, to forever if that’s what it takes.”
