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  I quickly clean up my mess with a napkin I saved from dinner. Tossing it on the floor, I right myself and lean my head back. “God, baby, I needed that. I feel like it’s been days.”

  “Me too. What time do you come in from work in the morning?”

  “Around six. There’s a key on top of my door.”

  “Good. I’ll be waiting in your bed when you get home. If you’re a good boy, I’ll even save you some time and take my clothes off myself.”

  I smile. “I’m always a good boy.”

  “I’ll talk to you in the morning. If I make it that long,” she jokes. “Bye.”

  “Bye, Aria.” I hang up the phone and a deep breath leaves my lips. What the fuck happened to me? How did I get so wrapped up in this girl? How the fuck did I ever think I’d be able to avoid her?

  I’m lost in thoughts of her when a bright light hits me in the eyes—blinding me. It’s a car, coming straight at me, and they’re going fast. I look down and unbuckle my seatbelt. Everything is in slow motion. I look up as my hand reaches for the door handle. I hear the sounds of smashing metal and shattering glass. I get the door open, but it’s too late.

  Everything goes black.

  I hear sirens. A blinding pain takes over my body. My eyes crack open, and all I can see are flashing red and blue lights. Something wet hits my face. I flinch and turn my head.

  “He’s moving!” someone yells.

  “Stay still, officer. You could have a spinal cord injury. The ambulance is on its way. It’s almost here.”

  “What…happened?” I ask, using all my energy to find my voice.

  My ears fill with a ringing sound, and my vision gets fuzzy around the edges. I try to move, but I can’t.

  I can’t move.

  I can’t feel anything other than pain.

  Rain pelts me in the face, and I turn my head from side to side. Something in my back pinches, and pulls me back under.

  I’m surrounded in darkness once again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Aria

  I quickly use the bathroom and wash my hands before heading back out into the living room.

  “You were gone a while,” Amy says. “You still seeing that fuck buddy of yours?”

  “Why am I here, Amy?” I ask, ignoring her question and flopping down on the end of the couch.

  She sighs, but sits on the opposite end while Vesper sits in the lounge chair. “This needs to stop with you two. You’re sisters. Now, make up!” she orders.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Ves points out. “I wasn’t doing anything but showing how much I care for my little sister and her well-being.”

  I roll my eyes. “Vesper, you need to realize that I’m an adult now. I can handle my own life.”

  “I know you can. It’s just so easy to screw up sometimes, you know?”

  I feel my brows draw together. “Screw up? What are you talking about? You and Liam are like soulmates. What did you screw up?”

  Her eyes fall, watching her fingers that are knotting together in her lap.

  “What’s going on, Ves?” Amy asks, falling to her knees at her side. She takes her hand while studying her for the answers she’s not giving us.

  Ves begins to cry, and I find myself doing the same as Amy. I stand, walk over to her, sit on the floor at her feet, and hold her other hand. “What’s going on? You’re scaring us. Is everything okay with you and Liam?”

  “We got into a big fight. I left and came home, but he had some work to do. And I haven’t heard from him since. I think he’s regretting marrying me. What if I screwed up too much? What if he wants a divorce?” Tears are now flooding her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

  “What was the fight about, honey?” Amy asks.

  Vesper takes a deep breath and looks at me. “I found out that I’m pregnant and ended up snapping at him over something so stupid I can’t even remember. I took a home pregnancy test. I still haven’t been to the doctor, so I don’t know how far along I am, and I still haven’t told Liam.”

  My mouth drops open. So that whole meltdown about using protection wasn’t about me screwing up; it was about her screwing up.

  “Oh my God, Ves. That’s awesome!” Amy says with a wide smile in place.

  Vesper nods. “I freaked out. I mean,” she releases our hands and stands to pace back and forth in front of us, “we haven’t talked about kids. I’m not ready for kids yet. He’s still traveling all the time, and I have two animal hospitals. I’m just freaking out. I mean, how can I handle it all: a husband who travels, enough jobs for ten people, and a baby?” She shakes her head clear and wipes the tears from her eyes. “He doesn’t know. He still doesn’t know. I picked a fight and left. And he hasn’t called, so I haven’t been able to tell him.”

  I stand and walk up to her, placing my hands on her shoulders and leveling my eyes on her. “Vesper, you are going to be a great mom. I know you will, because you’ve always been there when we needed you. And you’re so loving with every animal you meet. And when it comes to Liam, I know he doesn’t know yet, but he’s going to love being a father. He loves you, and he’s going to love this little baby too. You just have to calm down and call him.”

  “You think it’ll be okay? You don’t think I’ll fuck everything up?”

  I smile and shake my head. “There is no way Vesper Lawrence is going to fuck anything up. That’s my job, remember?” I laugh and bump my shoulder against hers.

  She laughs and pulls me in for a hug. “Thank you, Aria. And I’m sorry for freaking out on you at dinner. I wasn’t meaning to pick a fight. I’ve just been so scared.”

  “It’s okay. I love you, sis.”

  “I love you too,” she whispers. “So, you guys really think I should call him and tell him I’m pregnant?”

  Amy stands. “No, call him and tell him you’re sorry about the fight. Ask him to come home, and when he comes home, tell him in person. Nobody wants to be told over the phone that they’re expecting a baby.” Amy smiles and pulls us both in for a hug.

  All negative things fall away as we turn on a movie and eat a pile of junk food. We’re laughing and having a good time, and in the end, I’m glad Amy tricked me into coming. When the night winds down, I pack up and head to Ethan’s apartment. I unlock the door and put the key back in place before walking in and locking up behind me. I rush to his room and strip off my clothes, then jump into his soft bed. His scent engulfs me. It feels like he’s here with me—I smell him so strongly. Finally, I pull back the blankets and crawl beneath them.

  I hear the door unlock and I smile, thinking he’s made it home early. I push the blanket down my body so that when he walks in, I’ll be the first thing he sees.

  The bedroom door opens, but it’s not Ethan who walks in. It’s his mother.

  I scream and quickly pull the blankets around me as I jump from bed. She screams and jumps back until she sees that it’s just me.

  “Aria! What are you doing here?” she asks, covering her heart with her hand.

  “I’m…we’ve...” My brain stops working. “What are you doing here?” I motion toward her.

  My question seems to remind her about why she’s here, and she jumps into action, opening Ethan’s closet and pulling out a duffel bag. “There’s been an accident.”

  My blood runs cold. “What kind of accident? Where’s Ethan? Is he okay?” I can hear the panic in my voice.

  “A drunk driver smashed into Ethan’s cruiser a little while ago. He’s been taken to the hospital, but he was unconscious.”

  “Oh my God,” I cry. I release the blanket and it falls around my feet while I rush to get dressed, not caring that Ethan’s mom can see me naked, or acknowledging that she now knows what we’ve been up to. Ethan is all that matters. Tears fill my eyes and flow down my cheeks.

  I’m done dressing the same time she’s done packing and we both rush for the door. She stops and turns toward me. “Do you need a ride?”

  “No, I have my car here.�
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  She nods once. “He’s at Moresville Hospital, two towns over.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, now just moving around robotically instead of thinking anything through. I lock and shut the door behind us.

  “I guess I’ll see you there,” she says, spinning around.

  “Mrs. Brighton?”

  She turns to face me but doesn’t say anything. She just clutches the bag in her hands.

  “No one really knows about us yet. So, would you mind—”

  “I’ll keep your secret, Aria.” She turns and leaves without another word.

  By the time I get to the hospital, Mrs. Brighton, Amy, and Vesper are all in the waiting room. Amy rushes up to me and grabs me in a tight hug. “Thank you for coming, Aria.”

  “Of course,” I whisper, trying to hold it together as I hug her back.

  She pulls away and sits between Vesper and her mother. I sit next to Vesper and stare at the floor.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you here, sis. You and Ethan must be becoming friends since he’s working with Dad.” Vesper doesn’t act like she’s picking up on anything, just noticing the fact that I’m here, and work is really the only link I have to Ethan that she knows of.

  I nod. “Yeah, we’re…uhh…becoming closer. He works with Dad a lot more than me, but we’ve talked a lot.” I force a smile and nod my head, hoping she doesn’t ask how I found out about Ethan being in the hospital in the first place.

  “Mrs. Brighton?” a doctor says as he rushes into the waiting room.

  “Yes.” She stands up quickly.

  Amy and Ves stand with her, but I can’t move. I know if he delivers bad news, I’ll fall to my knees in pain and tears.

  “I’m Dr. Brown, the doctor attending your son, Ethan.”

  “How is he?” she quickly asks, holding on to Amy for dear life.

  The doctor nods his head once and presses his lips together. “He’s stable. He has lacerations covering his body, but there are no broken bones. He’s been seen by a spine specialist, and we believe that, during the crash, Ethan was jarred to the point that a nerve in his neck became pinched by a herniated disk. We’ll know more for sure after further tests and possible surgery.”

  “What does that mean? Will he be okay?” she asks.

  I find myself holding my breath until my lungs burn.

  “He’ll be fine. The injury may require surgery in the future, but it would be a minor, non-invasive surgery. Right now, we’re hoping it will heal itself with rest and medication.”

  I suck in a large breath of air just as the rest of them let out a sigh of relief.

  “His cuts are being cleaned and dressed at the moment, but we’ll have him in a room soon and you’ll be able to see him.”

  I sit back in my chair and breathe heavy to catch my breath, thankful that Ethan will be okay.

  “I’m so happy and relieved that he’s fine,” Amy breathes out as tears rush down her face.

  “I knew he would be, Amy. He’s strong and hard-headed,” Vesper says, rubbing her hand as a yawn takes over.

  “You should go,” Amy says. “You’re sensitive right now, and it’s late. You need to get home and get some rest. You too, Aria.”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” I insist.

  Amy stands. “Aria, he’s fine. I’ll tell him you were here. Can you take Vesper home for me? We were supposed to have a girls’ night, but I really want to see my brother and I know she needs the rest.”

  I look from Ves, to Amy, then to Mrs. Brighton. Vesper and Amy look confused, but Mrs. Brighton looks pleased that our lie might finally come out.

  I force a smile and nod. “Okay. Come on, Vesper.” I hug Amy. “You’ll tell him I was here?”

  “Of course,” she answers, but looks confused as to why it matters so much.

  “Tell him I’ll be by tomorrow.”

  “Okay, get some rest, both of you,” Amy says as we walk away.

  It’s going on two a.m. when I’m pulling back up to the hospital. I took Ves home and have been sitting in the parking lot waiting for Amy and her mom to leave so I can go in and see Ethan. Finally, both of them leave for the night and I rush inside the quiet hospital.

  I go back to the floor we were on, and rush to the nurses’ station. “Ethan Brighton, please. He’s the officer who was brought in by ambulance from a drunk driving accident.”

  The nurse looks at me. “Weren’t you here earlier?”

  It dawns on me that I need to say I’m family so they’ll let me in to see him. “Yes, with my mom and sister. I just had to take a friend home. Can I see him, or is it too late?”

  She smiles kindly. “He’s in room 203, but please don’t stay long. He needs his rest.”

  “Of course. Thank you,” I say, running down the hallway.

  I come to a stop when I find his room. I freeze and my heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears, but I push myself forward, excited to see him, but also afraid of what I might find. I step through the door and it softly clicks behind me. The room is dark, with only a small light shining in from the open bathroom door and soft street lights bleeding through the blinds.

  When my eyes land on his form lying completely still in bed, I suck in a loud breath, and tears immediately fill my eyes. Too quickly, they overfill and fall over, dripping from my cheeks. Ethan is a big man: 6’5” and at least 200 pounds. He’s all muscle and bulk, but lying in that bed, I’ve never seen him look so small or frail.

  My hand comes up to cover my mouth, hoping to keep the tears in. He needs his rest, and I don’t want to wake him. I sniffle without thinking, and the sound causes his eyes to open.

  He smiles weakly when he sees me. “Hey, you,” he whispers in a hoarse voice.

  I can’t talk. I can’t say anything. I just rush to him and fall into the chair beside his bed, taking his hand in mine. His handsome face is littered with small cuts and bruises. His lip is busted and swollen. His right eye is black. I lean forward and press my lips to the top of his cut hand.

  “Shhh.” He grabs my hand and pulls me up, but I fight him. “No, I can’t. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  He lets out a deep chuckle. “You can’t hurt me, Aria. Now, lie down with me,” he orders.

  After taking a moment to think it over, I nod and climb onto the bed and cuddle to his side, but I do so slowly and carefully.

  “This isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my evening.”

  “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared.” I squeeze him gently.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Aria. I’m fine—just a little beat up. I’ll get released tomorrow.” His strong hand runs up and down my arm.

  I lift my head and twist to look up at his face. My hand cups his cheek tenderly. “I was so afraid I was going to lose you. And then, I had to come here and try to keep it together, because why would Vesper’s little sister be worrying so much about Amy’s older brother?”

  He lets out a deep laugh again, but it turns into a cough. “I’m sorry, but you’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

  “Your mom knows,” I blurt out.

  “What?”

  “I was in your bed. Naked. She came in to get a bag of clothes for you, and she found me. She’s the one who told me about the accident.”

  He raises his left hand and rubs his eyes. “That’s just great.”

  “She promised she wouldn’t tell.”

  “I don’t even care right now. I just want you.” He pulls me forward and our lips meet, soft and strong. He kisses me deeply and passionately through the bruises and swelling. I try to make him stop, but he persists. Something about this kiss is different. It’s not like our usual kisses. It’s not a soft and quick kiss to keep anyone from seeing. It’s not the hot, hard kisses we share when we’re making love. This kiss is soft and slow and strong. It’s love. It’s relief. It’s being thankful. It’s everything.

  His tongue swirls around mine, and it feels like he’s savoring me. It causes my stomach to
tighten and goosebumps to take over my skin. It makes me want to climb on top of him and take every last inch of him. But he’s hurt, and he needs rest, so I break the kiss.

  “I’m going to have to go soon.” I rest my head on his chest.

  “Go back to my place. I get released tomorrow and I want you there, taking care of me.”

  A smile tugs at my lips. “You do?”

  “Of course I do, Aria.” He pulls me back in for a quick kiss. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promises.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ethan

  “Are you ready to go home, big brother?” Amy asks, stepping into my room and dropping her duffel bag of a purse into the chair with a thunk.

  I nod and sit up slowly. “More than ready. You have no idea how much you love your own bed until you’re forced to sleep somewhere else.”

  Mom walks in and starts gathering my belongings and stuffing them into the bag she brought yesterday. “The nurse is bringing up the discharge papers now. It won’t be long. You want to stop and grab something to eat on the way home? I know how much food you can put away and how horrible the slop is here.”

  The only thing I want is to get home to Aria. “Nah, all the meds they doped me up with have messed with my head. I just want to go home and actually get some sleep.”

  “Well, you don’t need to worry; I plan on staying with you until you’re all better!” Amy beams a wide smile.

  “What? No!” I yell unintentionally.

  Mom grins but turns her back to us to hide it, and Amy looks confused and alarmed.

  “I mean, I’ll be fine. I’m a grown man. I can take care of myself. Plus, you have a new business to worry about and a wedding to plan.”

  Amy scoffs. “Mom, tell him he doesn’t need to be alone right now.” She waves in my direction, one hand on her hip that’s sticking out—something she does when she’s being bratty and not getting her way.

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine, dear. He can take care of himself.”

  The nurse wheels me to the door in a wheelchair and helps me into the car. While I have no broken bones, I’m unbelievably sore and the neck brace I have to wear is uncomfortable. I have to move slowly so I don’t hurt myself. Amy and Mom help me up to my apartment, and Amy unlocks the door while Mom helps me inside. She places my bag on the kitchen table.