The Hardest Hit

by Teague, AS

  I should have told him that he was nice, and sweet, and then made up some lie about having an early flight.

  At the very least, I should have pretended to have a headache—or syphilis—and made a break for it back to our room

  But when I opened my mouth to do just that, the only words that left my lips were, “Yes, yes, I do.”

  When You Became Mine

  Piper

  Eight years old

  “Hey! Stop running around the pool!” Lawson shouted from his perch on the porch.

  He’d been reading one of his stupid books, refusing to play with us, like always. I didn’t know why he even bothered coming outside if he was just going to have his nose stuck in a book.

  That was typical Lawson, though.

  Cautious, worried, boring.

  “Come play!” Georgia yelled to him over her shoulder, her red hair streaming behind her as she chased Hampton.

  I rolled my eyes at her plea. She knew he wasn’t going to move from the porch unless it was to migrate inside to his computer.

  But that was typical Georgia.

  Optimistic, free-spirited, fun.

  I watched them running, Hampton easily outpacing Georgia, yet still pretending she was the one who was the fastest. He was only a year older than her, but was easily twice her size. But he’d never been one to relish in winning, or to rub his superior size in someone’s face—unless it was Lawson’s. He’d always been happiest when he let Georgia think she was the best.

  And wasn’t that typical Hampton?

  Strong, sweet, dependable.

  I stood rooted in place on the edge of the grass, unable to move, watching the people I loved most race around me.

  We were playing freeze tag, taking advantage of the break from the hot summer sun that had held on for far longer than it was welcome. When we’d gotten up this morning, it had been almost cold enough for a sweatshirt. Almost.

  “Hurry up, Ham!” I shouted, bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Come tag me already!”

  It was my favorite time of year. The leaves had finally begun to change into the bright reds and oranges I loved so much. We were back in school, and even though I didn’t like waking up early, I did love learning about new things. It was getting closer to Christmas, which was my favorite holiday. Not just because of all the presents, but because we always went on vacation to the mountains.

  Lawson, Hampton, and Georgia weren’t actually my brothers and sister, but it felt like they were. My mother was their nanny, and she’d been working for their family since my actual brother, Jack, and I were just babies. My mom liked to call us her own personal staircase. Lawson was the oldest at twelve, with Hampton just two years behind him. Georgia was a year older than Jack and me, and she never let us forget we were the youngest. We’d all grown up together, spending our summers at the beach and the winters skiing. We fought like we were all siblings, and sometimes I wondered how my mother could stand it, but we also loved like brothers and sisters do, and I knew they considered us family.

  “Pip! I’m coming, be ready to run!” Jack shouted. I twisted my head, catching sight of him sprinting toward me, and nodded.

  Georgia switched gears when she heard him call out and darted after Jack. She was hot on his heels, so I knew that as soon as he tagged me I had to be ready to go. If I didn’t, she would freeze me again.

  I watched as Jack barreled toward me, excitement coursing through my veins. I’d been frozen since the start of the game and I was ready to run.

  Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention and I swung my head to the side just in time to see Hampton trip over a stick.

  His large frame slammed into my tiny body, knocking the wind from my lungs. I’d been ready to make a break for it, not braced for an impact, and I went flying, like a scene out of an action movie.

  “Piper!” a strangled cry escaped Georgia’s lips and as I sailed through the air, I caught sight of her panicked face.

  Hampton’s fall may have been in slow motion, but my flight through the air seemed to happen in less than an instant. My head collided with the cement of the pool, the sound rivaling a crack of thunder, filling my ears for a split second before the world went dark.

  When I came to, I tried to open my eyes, but my lids wouldn’t budge. I was cold, even though I could feel the sun on my face and my clothes were soaking wet. I tried once more to open my eyes and finally they cooperated. Hampton’s face loomed above mine, his eyes wide with fear and filled with tears.

  “Piper!” he breathed, relief washing over his features.

  I could hear Georgia’s sobs and Jack’s strangled cry, but my head felt heavy, like it was stuffed full of cotton. I tried to open my mouth to reassure them I was okay and tell them to quit being such babies, but when I did, water poured out. I coughed hard before my stomach twisted and I wretched chlorinated water.

  Had I fallen into the pool?

  I wrapped my arms around Hampton, clinging to him as he stood and attempted to carry me toward his house. When I saw the tears roll down his face, fear coursed through my veins.

  “Piper! Oh, thank God.”

  I turned my head to see Lawson’s pale face trailing after us. The movement caused my head to pound. Another wave of nausea washed over me and my stomach heaved once more. Instead of jumping out of the way, Lawson moved forward and pulled my hair away from my face, holding it back until my stomach was empty. When I managed to open my eyes, I noticed his clothes were dripping wet too.

  Weakly, my throat feeling like sandpaper, I asked, “What happened?”

  Lawson’s lips parted, but before he had the chance to tell me, I heard my mother scream my name.

  I pulled my eyes away from Lawson’s and saw my mother and Mrs. Reed racing down the back steps of the large wraparound porch, fear etched in both of their faces.

  All at once, everyone started talking, the sound of chaos causing my aching head to throb even harder. Tears streamed down my face, adrenaline finally coursing through my veins and overwhelming my senses.

  “Give her to me, Hampton,” my mother demanded.

  He didn’t release his iron grip on me. Instead, he took the back steps two at a time and continued into the house. “Call an ambulance!” Despite his attempt to be tough, his voice trembled.

  Hampton was never scared. That was Lawson, but not Ham. His fear intensified mine and the tears fell harder as he made his way to the front door.

  “I think she’s okay,” his mother assured as she grabbed his arm to stop him. “But let’s put her in the car.” She looked at my mom and my mother nodded in response. “We need to take her to the doctor, though, just to make sure.” Her arms were outstretched and she gave him a wide smile, prompting him to hand me over. Yet, he still refused.

  “This is my fault,” he whispered, standing in the foyer as we dripped water all over the hardwood floors.

  “No, honey, it’s not,” my mom replied, her voice much calmer than it had been. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure it isn’t your fault.” She looked back at me, still clinging to Hampton as though he were a life preserver and I was drowning in the ocean. “Now, let’s get her in the car and get you and Lawson into dry clothes.”

  Lawson was watching me closely, his dark eyes full of concern, his face pale, his bottom lip pulled in between his teeth. He was studying me the same way he read one of his stupid books, as though I were a great mystery he was trying to solve.

  Even though any movement at all seemed to cause my head to pound, I smiled at him, trying to relay that I was okay.

  His eyes widened slightly and he looked away. “She gonna die?” he asked his mom.

  Georgia, whose sobs had finally died off, wailed loudly.

  Jack marched the few steps between them and shoved at Lawson. “No, she ain’t gonna die!” His voice cracked and he pushed him again. Lawson was easily a foot taller than Jack and he didn’t budge. But he also didn’t fight back. He just stood there, eyeing
me with what seemed like contempt, and waited for an answer.

  My mother’s face softened as she looked at Lawson and she shook her head. “She’s fine, honey. Probably has a concussion. But nothing life-threatening, I’m sure.”

  Lawson gave her a quick tilt of his chin and turned on his heel. With one more glance at me, he sprinted up the stairs before slamming his bedroom door so hard that the china in the hutch rattled.

  With a heavy sigh, Mrs. Reed wrapped an arm around a still crying Georgia. “Come on, honey. Let’s go get you a snack and check on your brother.” She glanced back at my mom. “You want to leave Jack with me?”

  Mom nodded. “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

  Mrs. Reed shook her head, her perfectly styled hair swaying over her shoulders. “Of course not. Jack, why don’t you and Hampton go upstairs and play video games with Lawson?”

  Jack’s arms were crossed over his chest. “I’m not going in his room! He’s a…a…jerk!”

  “Jack!” my mother scolded.

  I felt Hampton shift his weight and I turned my eyes to meet his. His young face was lined with worry, his eyes searching mine. “You okay?” he whispered.

  I wasn’t sure if I was okay, but I didn’t like seeing him scared, so I nodded. “You can put me down if I’m too heavy,” I whispered back through tears.

  He gave a sharp shake of his head and flexed his arms. “I’m fine.”

  “Piper, can you walk, honey?” Mom asked me.

  I pressed my lips together to stop them from trembling before I answered. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Her warm eyes shifted away from my face. “Okay, Hampton, you can put her down.”

  He gave a stiff shake of his head. “I’m going too. I’ll carry her to the car.”

  My mom tried to protest, but Hampton was already carrying me through the front door and down the front steps. With little choice but to follow, she hurried after us, pulling the front door closed behind her.

  Hampton gently placed me in the back seat and buckled me in before surprising me and scrambling around the back of the car to climb in beside me. He never wasted an opportunity to sit up front, and my stomach felt funny when I realized he didn’t want to be too far away from me.

  I leaned my head on Hampton’s shoulder and closed my eyes.

  It was when he laced his fingers through mine and started humming “You are my sunshine”, my favorite song, that I fell in love with Hampton James Reed.

  About the Author

  A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn’t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.

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  Acknowledgments

  As always, first and foremost, the most important ‘Thank You’ of all goes to my husband. I’ve said it a million times, but it doesn’t hurt to say it again. You are amazing. I love you. Thank you for supporting me through all of this. I luba you.

  My kids. I’m sorry I yell so much when I’m on a deadline. You two know I love you.

  Aly Martinez… What is there to say at this point?

  The DND ladies: Thank you for being so supportive, offering advice, listening to me complain, and supporting me always.

  LK Farlow…AKA Birthday Baby: You are absolutely the best. I am so SO thankful that you are my friend. Writing with you, bathing with you, and crying with you is the best. <3

  Amie Knight…Thanks for making my sexy scenes a little dirtier….

  To all the authors that always make room for me in your reader groups, who share my cover reveals and new releases, and who offer advice and support….. A BIG HUGE THANK YOU.

  My Betas: THANK YOU. This book would be nothing without you!

  The readers and bloggers: Thank you. There would be no point in this if it weren’t for you. Your love of my words mean so much to me. More than you will ever know. I’m living a dream and it’s because of you. Thank you!