by Parker, Ali
“I am calm!” she said.
“You promised me you were here to talk,” Dillon gently reminded her. He looked at me as if I needed to answer the question.
I sympathized with him. Avery had the same temper at times, and from what little I had seen, I didn’t want to see her when she really got angry. “I care about Avery, and I’m crazy about her. And I know that nothing I tell you is going to make you believe that, so why don’t we just all four go out to dinner and you can see for yourself?”
Dillon was the first to react positively. “That’s a good idea. Isn’t it, Clara?”
“That’s fine. I’ll give you a chance to prove it. But only because my sister cares about you. And you better be good to her, or I’ll kick your ass myself!”
Dillon pulled his lips in tight, and I could tell he was trying not to smile. “Okay, I think that’s enough excitement for today, Clara.” He put his hand on her shoulder and turned his attention back to me. “You and Avery work out the details and give me a call.”
“Tonight good?”
“Yeah, sure. The sooner, the better.” He turned around and saw that Clara was giving him a hard look. She was tougher than Avery, and that surprised me. That and how much I was actually intimidated by the little girl. If she had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have cared, but being that she meant so much to Avery made it matter.
Dillon opened the door to his truck, and once Clara was in, he shut it and turned to me. “Hey, man, don’t screw this up.” He shook my hand and walked around to get in.
I got in my Jeep and waited for them to drive away.
And I thought the practice had been intense.
Chapter 17
Avery
With the playoffs wrapping up for the girls’ team and Seth’s team having a night off, we had made plans to go to dinner with Dillon and Clara.
I still couldn’t believe they had shown up at Seth’s practice to defend my honor. Seth had come up with a good solution, and hopefully after tonight, things would be different for Seth and my sister.
I just wanted her to see him the way I saw him. He could be sweet and kind and really romantic when he cared about someone. If he had wanted to screw me and leave, he would have been gone by now.
As I got ready, there was a knock on the door. I was dressed, and my hair was fixed, but I only had my makeup half done, thanks to Abi, who had helped me find the best products for my complexion and needs.
I didn’t expect Seth so soon, and he gave me a strange look before kissing me. “Look at me,” he said. I glanced up, and he smiled. “Oh, only one eye has eyeliner. I thought you looked a bit different. I wondered if Clara dotted your eye for a minute.”
“You’re the one whose eye she wants to dot, not mine.” I laughed at the thought of my frail sister smacking him. It would be like a gnat on a rhino. “You can come sit on my bed and talk to me while I finish the other side if you want. I’m kind of new at this, so you tell me if I look like a clown.” I was still a bit self-conscious that I was doing it wrong. I wanted to look good for him.
“You aren’t going to look like a clown. But honestly, Avery, you can wear that if you want, but you don’t need it. I think you’re a knockout with or without it.”
“So, off or on?” I didn’t want to go through all that trouble if he didn’t care either way. I led him down the hall.
“How does it make you feel? That’s what matters.” He followed me to the bedroom and plopped down on the foot of the bed while I walked over to the dresser and stood in front of the mirror.
I shrugged. “I like it. I think I’ll just do the other eye. Clara will be surprised. When we were younger, she loved makeup. She stopped for a while with swimming, but she’s back to it now that she lives with Dillon. I think it gives her something to do mostly. I know it’s taking me forever. They should call it a hobby.” I would get used to it. It wasn’t going to be an everyday thing, but I liked it for going out.
Seth laughed. “You do a lot to make her happy, don’t you?”
“Yeah. Is that so bad?”
“No, but make sure you’re making yourself happy too. You can’t live for her.”
“I know. It’s not that I need her approval, but I just want her to like you and be happy for me. You know, I want to make her proud, I guess, in some way. And it would be less for her to worry about once she gets to know you.”
“I get it.” His voice sounded a bit down, and when I glanced in the mirror, I could tell his smile had faded a bit.
“Good. I know this sibling stuff might not make sense to everyone. But when my dad left Mom, she was a basket case for a while, and Clara was all I had. We took care of Mom and each other. We did everything from paying the bills to buying groceries. It wasn’t easy. Mom barely got up to go to work.”
“I have a brother,” he blurted. “Well, I had one.” He said it as if he was admitting he had a drinking problem.
The information came as a surprise. I had always thought he was an only child from the stories he’d told me. “What do you mean you had? Like a stepbrother?” Maybe his mom or dad had remarried at some point and divorced?
“No, he was my brother, but he passed away. I was going to tell you, but things are always so happy with you that I just didn’t want to bring the mood down. Besides, I’m working on moving on from what happened, and I guess I’m at a point where sometimes still just talking about it stirs up old feelings.”
“I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes a moment and tried to compose myself. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“It’s okay. I’m in the right mood to talk about him. His name was Bryan, and he was only eleven months older than me and one grade ahead, but you’d have thought he was twenty by the way he protected me.”
“I can relate to that,” I said, seeing him in a whole new light. “That sounds like Clara. It must be an older sibling thing.”
“Yeah, she was pretty scary at practice.” He laughed.
“We’re both the babies? Or do you have others?”
“No, just him.” He took a deep breath, and I could tell that it was hard to talk about. “Look, I didn’t keep him from you on purpose. I don’t want secrets between us.”
“I understand. And while I almost lost Clara, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. How did he die? Or do you not want to tell me? I’ll understand if it’s too hard. I can be patient for you.”
“I know, and you’re sweet to say so, but I’m okay. I don’t mind telling you. I feel like I could tell you anything actually.”
I walked over and sat next to him. “I want you to be able to tell me anything. And I hope you feel the same.”
“I do,” he said. He took my hand. “It was a car accident. We were at a party, and he had been drinking a little. So had I. I was tired. I had a rough night with Layla. We were fighting, and shit was bad at home. I told him I was leaving, and he insisted on bringing me back to our friend’s house so he could keep the car and our parents would think we were together. He had met a girl and wanted to use the backseat.” He smiled and rolled his eyes. “We were a lot alike at that time. Anyway, I agreed. And on the way back from dropping me off, he was in a wreck.”
My heart broke for him. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”
“Well, Bryan was brought in to the hospital, and he fought for his life for days. He was strong. A real fighter, even more so than me. Things were actually looking good, but there was an unseen complication, and he didn’t make it. He died just as I got to the hospital to relieve my mom on the fifth day. We were both there when it happened.”
“God, I can’t imagine. Clara has given us a good scare, but I never thought for once that I’d lose her.”
“I never thought I’d lose Bryan. It’s like, how do you ever imagine a world without him in it?”
“Yeah, exactly,” I said. It was strange we had that in common.
“I hope you never have to find out what’s it’s like.” He leaned in and kissed me. “Now
you should get ready. I don’t want us to be late tonight. Clara is a tough girl to please, and I have to start off on a good foot with her to make up for all of the bad she’s heard about me.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to keep taking the blame.”
“If it protects Layla and it doesn’t bother you, I’m just going to leave it alone.”
“It’s fine. And when it comes to Clara, she’s tough, but she just needs to understand things. If she sees how much I like you and how happy you make me, things will be fine.”
“Yeah, if I don’t screw it up somehow. I have to warn you. My track record for doing that doesn’t only include cheating on Layla. I can be a little clueless at times.”
“You’ll do great,” I said, not wanting to continue on the sad path. “Thanks for telling me about Bryan. I wish I could have met him.”
“Thanks. I know he would have liked you. And by liked, I mean he probably would have tried to take you from me. He liked to turn on his charm, and he was a hell of a lot better with the ladies than I ever was.”
I walked back to the dresser. “I don’t know about that. You’re sure good with me.” I finished my makeup by swiping on some mascara and added a little neutral lipstick and glossed it up a bit with a shimmer Abi had picked out for me.
I was so excited for us all to be on a date and hopeful that it would clear the air and make everything good between us. Thinking of going out on double dates and having another couple to hang out with now—and not to mention getting along during the holidays when we went back home with our dates—was nice. I just hoped it worked out.
“I’m ready,” I said about ten minutes later.
Seth was lying on the bed now, playing a game on his phone. He raised up and put it away. “You look so good you make me want to keep you here all to myself.” He got up and gave me a sweet kiss.
“Maybe we could be a little late?” I giggled, knowing he was determined to please my sister instead.
He turned a bit red, and I was glad I could at least make him blush. “You’re too tempting. I think we better wait until Clara’s used to me before we pull that kind of stunt.”
“Fine, I’ll behave.” I shrugged it off and pretended it didn’t bother me.
“Hey, I never said you had to do that. It’s a good drive to the restaurant, and I’m an excellent multitasker.” He wagged his brows and we both laughed.
“Hmm, now who is tempting who?” I felt an ache between my legs, wishing I had him there again. I had trusted him with so much that first night, but I never knew how much it was going to make me crave him.
I took him by the hand as we left my room. “We can go in my car if you want to drive.”
“Sure, it’s probably a lot more comfortable.”
When we went outside, I locked the apartment, and he held my hand and walked me around to open my door. “Are you sure you don’t mind me driving?”
“It’s fine. Dillon drove it all the time too, so Clara can’t say anything.”
Seth hurried around after shutting my door and got in behind the wheel. He drove out to the main freeway, and I called Clara to let her know we were on our way and should be on time just as we took the exit.
“We’re on our way,” I said.
“Okay, we’re almost there,” she said. “We’ll meet you out front. Be safe.”
“Okay, see you soon.” I hung up the phone and placed it on my leg instead of putting it away.
Seth glanced over and smiled as the light changed. “At least we won’t be late.”
He had no sooner gotten the words out of his mouth than the light changed. When he went, I caught something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned my head, it was too late. The truck was going to hit us, and there was nothing I could do.
I felt the impact on my side, and that was the last thing I remembered.
Chapter 18
Seth
I barely saw the truck out of the corner of my eye as it ran the stoplight and crashed into Avery’s side of the car.
I was knocked out on impact, and when I came to, fighting through the fog in my brain, I could hear a lot of action going on around me. Traffic was still moving on the freeway beside us, and I could hear a man talking to someone who wasn’t filling in the empty spots with their responses.
“Yeah, the girl is bleeding. I need an ambulance. I’m trying to stabilize her, but this little car is a mangled mess. She might have to be cut out. The male? Yeah, I think I can get him out.”
The conversation became two-sided to my ears when another officer arrived on the scene. “Are they stable?”
“One is. One is critical. I need you to help me get him out, and I’m going to need us to do some cutting for the girl.”
Cutting? It didn’t make much sense to me as I started to fade out again.
“Come on, man, I need you to stay awake,” said a man in an EMT uniform. “We’re going to transport you to the hospital, okay? You’ve been in an accident. Can you tell me your name?”
“Seth—Seth Mills,” I said, realizing I had chills.
“Okay, Seth, let’s work with me now, okay? I’m going to put this on your neck.” He had a brace, and I began to panic.
“Avery? Where’s Avery?” I hadn’t heard her voice. I knew the truck that hit us was on her side, and I tried to replay seeing it a split second just before it hit us, but it was like I couldn’t keep a clear thought.
“She’s being helped. I need you to focus on you for a second, okay? Tell me if you have any pain anywhere.”
“No,” I said, feeling like my body had been shut down. Maybe it was just shock. “Where’s Avery?” She was the only one I was worried about.
“Seth, let’s get this brace on you and get you to the hospital.” He put the brace on me, but I wasn’t happy that they wouldn’t tell me about Avery.
I must have blacked out because when I woke up, I was out of the car and on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance for transport. “Avery!” I shouted. “Where is she?” I begged him to tell me where she was.
“She’s being transported too, sir. Just relax.” The man was patient.
Another man next to him was speaking much more softly. “We have to get that pressure down.”
I blacked out again, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Bryan standing with Avery, looking down at me. They were whispering to each other and shaking their heads.
“You can’t take her!” I shouted.
“Oh, you’re awake,” said a soft voice.
I opened my eyes and found myself in a hospital bed. “Avery,” I said as I tried to raise up.
“Is that the girl they brought in with you?” the woman asked with a somber tone.
“Yes, where is she?”
“She’s in surgery. You need to stay in bed. You have a nasty concussion, and we’re trying to get your blood pressure down a bit more before we let you up.”
“What time is it?” I didn’t know how much time had passed.
“It’s nearly seven thirty.”
Had all of this happened in just over half an hour? “I have to call her sister.” I knew Clara was probably worried sick when we didn’t pull up at the restaurant.
“Just a moment,” she said. She stepped away and waved another person into the room.
The woman was much older than the other, and she gave me a sympathetic smile. “Hi, I’m Linda. We were looking for information to call your friend’s family. The police have called asking for ID, but no one answers at the residence the car is registered to.”
“I can do it. I just need my phone.” I looked at the nearby table, but it wasn’t there. The last time I’d had it was in the car. It was probably still there.
The woman nodded. “Okay, just let me get with the EMTs. They should have brought your things in from the scene.”
About that time, another girl in scrubs walked into view. “They put them in the cabinet in case someone came in.” She walked over and got my
phone.
I looked at my contacts a minute as the women stepped away. I had to call Clara and tell her what happened, but I didn’t even know her number, and I didn’t know how to tell her Avery was in the hospital in surgery.
I took a deep breath and called Omega House. Micah answered the house phone.
“Hey, I need Dillon’s number. It’s an emergency.” I knew I sounded like shit, and the news would spread fast with me telling the head of the Omegas.
“Sure, is everything all right?” Micah’s voice was steeped with concern.
“No, I was in an accident with Avery. They were expecting to meet us for dinner, and I have to tell them what happened. Just get the number please.”
“Damn. Okay, man. I’ll text it to you.”
“Thanks.”
He hung up the phone, and a second later, I had Dillon’s number. I dialed it and waited.
Dillon picked up. “Hello,” he said frantically.
“Dillon, it’s Seth.” My voice broke a little knowing what I had to tell them. And I didn’t blame the guy if he was mad at me for letting this happen. Even though it wasn’t my fault, I should have been paying better attention.
“Man, where the fuck are you two? Clara is in a panic mode. We just left the restaurant, and we rolled up on this accident. Don’t tell me that’s really Avery’s car.”
“It was us. Avery is in surgery. Man, get down here please. And call her parents. They can’t get anyone on the phone. And they won’t tell me anything.”
“Sit tight. We’re on our way.” He ended the call, and I closed my eyes as the phone rested on my chest. I opened my eyes when the lady in scrubs walked over and patted my hand.
“Did you get them?”
“Her sister is on the way. Is she going to be okay? Please tell me something.”
“They are doing all they can. She had some bleeding from the impact. You’re lucky to be alive.”