Even though it was only a few seconds, it seemed to take an eternity before Milo started moving. “Easy does it,” Briggs coached, his pulse hammering against his ears. Milo was on his feet. “Now, raise up your hand.” Briggs scooted as far off the edge as he dared and reached down. His heart sank when he realized that Milo’s hand was still a good two feet away.
The wind picked up, rustling through the trees. Then came a clap of thunder that shook the ground. Milo let out a yelp and moved back to his fetal position.
Briggs heard Zoe’s soft sob. His mind ran through the alternatives as he made a split-second decision. He got to his feet. “I’m going down to get him.”
Zoe’s eyes rounded. “Is that safe? We don’t know how strong that ledge is. With as much rain as we’ve had, it could shift.”
Briggs had thought the same thing, but he didn’t know what else to do. They had to get Milo to safety before the storm got worse. There was no time to call for backup. “I want you to get on your stomach like I did. I’ll shimmy down and lift Milo up to you.”
“How will you get back up?”
“I’m a pretty good climber.” If he couldn’t get back up, Zoe could then call for help. Briggs could hold onto the side of the cliff if the wind got worse, whereas Milo was so small that he could get swept off.
Zoe touched his arm. “Please be careful.”
He nodded. “Just be ready to pull Milo up. Milo, I’m coming down to get you.” Saying a quick prayer in his heart, Briggs eased himself down, his fingers digging into the dirt, using it as handholds. Carefully, he scrambled down, breathing a small sigh of relief when he felt the ground beneath his feet. Milo rose up and tackled him in a tight hug. A shaky laugh escaped Briggs’ throat. “Easy does it, sport. No sudden movements.”
“I’m so sorry,” Milo cried.
“It’s okay,” Briggs soothed.
“I don’t hate you,” Milo croaked.
“I know.”
Briggs looked up at Zoe. “I’m sending him your way.”
“I’m ready,” she called.
He looked at Milo. “I’m gonna lift you up. You reach for your mom’s hand.”
“Okay,” Milo stammered.
Briggs’ stomach nearly dropped through his ribcage when he felt the ground shift beneath them. Milo screamed. “It’s okay,” Briggs assured him. “I’m lifting you up now.” Bracing his body against the side of the cliff, Briggs heaved him up.
“Got ya!” Briggs heard Zoe say as she pulled Milo up. Milo broke into weeping.
“You’re okay,” Zoe kept saying over and over. Briggs could tell that she was crying.
A gust of wind ripped at Briggs’ clothes, causing a streak of alarm to rush through him. It was time to climb up. Zoe shined the flashlight down as if reading his mind. “Let’s get you up.”
Digging his fingers into the earth, Briggs attempted to climb, but it was too slick. His hands and feet kept slipping. He needed something to hold onto. Pressing himself against the side he began feeling around. A burst of hope shot through him when he grasped onto a thick tree root. He pulled at it. The root appeared to be strong enough to hold him. Grabbing hold, he began his upward descent. He got about three feet up when the root pulled loose. He grunted in surprise as he fell back to the ground with a hard thud that wracked his body. “I’m okay,” he called up.
Briggs heard a loud pop, followed by Zoe’s shriek as the shelf gave way.
Then, he was falling.
18
Zoe’s heart slammed against her ribcage, and she couldn’t seem to get a deep enough breath. She’d already cried an ocean full of tears. Even so, the tears wouldn’t stop coming. It seemed to take a superhuman effort to push back the flood of emotion threatening to break loose. Just keep walking, Zoe commanded herself as she rounded the corner and trudged down the long hall to where Mason and Jax were congregated in front of Briggs’ hospital room.
The events of the past several hours were a blur. Her mind ran through the sequence as if on a loop. Briggs’ grunt as the root broke and he fell. Him hollering that he was okay. The dizzying relief that swept over her as she’d laughed, feeling like they were cheating fate. And then the loud sickening pop of the earth giving way as the ledge collapsed. Her crying and screaming until she was hoarse. The wind raging through the woods like a freight train. Zoe diving to the ground and covering Milo with her own body as trees cracked around them like toothpicks.
Then came the eerie stillness afterwards that was even more terrifying than the upheaval. Zoe rushing to the side of the cliff. Yelling for Briggs and getting nothing in response. Her trembling fingers dialing 911 and then Daddy and Mama.
It seemed to take forever for help to arrive. All the while, Milo whimpered softly, telling her how sorry he was for everything. She’d mechanically soothed him with calming words as her heart shattered into unrecognizable bits. Then, when the paramedics arrived, she’d received a tiny spark of hope. Briggs was still alive. The trees below the ledge had buffered his fall. Still, the situation was bad. How bad Zoe didn’t know.
They’d rushed Briggs to the hospital where he immediately went into surgery. Zoe had gone back to the ranch house to get the kids settled. Daddy had offered to stay with them so Zoe could come here.
As she stepped up to her brothers, the gravity of the situation was reflected in their somber expressions. Tears rose in her eyes as she swallowed. She didn’t know how she was going to make herself go into that room. Contemplating the condition Briggs was in was bad enough. Seeing it with her own eyes would be devastating.
“H-how …” The rest got lodged under a ball of emotion. She coughed to clear it, starting again. “How is he?”
A look passed between Jaxson and Mason. That one look said it all. The situation wasn’t good. Mason’s head swung back and forth. “We don’t know yet, sis. We’re waiting to hear the specifics from the docs.”
“We know that he broke some bones and has a head injury,” Jaxson added.
Zoe clenched her hands. Somehow, she managed to speak. “Is he in a coma?” Terror rattled her insides.
Another silent exchange passed between Jaxson and Mason. Jax looked like he going to speak, but Mason touched his arm. “Just let her go in and see for herself.”
That was code for It’s really bad.
“You should go in and talk to him,” Mason encouraged, “let him hear your voice.”
Tears filled her eyes. “He saved Milo,” she choked, putting her hand to her mouth.
Jax touched her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.” He offered a reassuring smile. “Briggs loves you.”
“I know,” she squeaked.
“Go on in there,” Mason said, motioning with his head.
“Okay.” She had to get a grip! She sucked in a breath, steeling her shoulders. Before Zoe could take her first step, Birdie came rushing up in a flurry, her blonde hair flying out like wings behind her. The minute Zoe saw Mama, tears started gushing out.
Mama threw her arms around Zoe and let her cry. After a few minutes, Zoe pulled back, sniffling as she wiped her eyes. “It’ll be okay,” Mama assured her, but Zoe could tell it was a kind lie—the one a mother tells her daughter because the truth is too terrible to hear.
Birdie looked her in the eye. “Before you go in there, there’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice trembled. “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”
Zoe’s brows tugged together. “Okay.” What could her mama possible need to tell her right now?
“Let’s go over here,” Birdie said as she placed her arm around Zoe and led her down the hall away from the guys.
Just as she feared, the actual sight of Briggs all bruised and broken was far worse than anything Zoe could’ve imagined. He was lying stone still in the hospital bed, hooked up to numerous machines. There was a bandage above his right eye. His left arm was in a sling, and his left foot was covered in a cast and propped up on pillows.
A sob wrenched her thro
at as she scuttled next to him. “I—I’m so sorry,” she uttered softly as she brushed the hair from his forehead. It seemed impossible that this larger-than-life man of muscle and grit could be so critically injured. Her gaze traced the rugged lines of his face, settling on his strong jaw that she loved so much. His olive complexion was pale and sallow. Let him hear your voice. That’s what Mason had told her.
“Hey,” she began, “It’s me … Zoe.” Tears blurred her vision as she smiled slightly. “In case you were wondering, you saved Milo.” Emotion clogged her throat as she coughed to clear it. “You’re a hero. Right after you saved him, a tornado touched down a half mile from where we were. Had we not gotten to Milo when we did, there’s a good chance he would’ve been swept off the ledge.” She sucked in a hard breath. “It’s a good thing you listened to that feeling you had and made us turn around. “
She didn’t try to stop the hot tears that spilled down her cheeks. “There’s something else you need to know.” She laughed. “A few things, actually. For starters, I know everything. I know why you broke up with me all those years ago.” Her stomach twisted into hard knots as she raked her hair out of her face. “Mama told me.” Her voice broke, a bitter anger taking hold. “She had no right to ask you to give me space.” She clenched her teeth. “Mama said she wanted me to have time to go to school, time to develop my art before getting married and starting a family.” Regret rolled in her chest like a washing machine on spin cycle. “From what Mama said, no one expected me to run out and marry the first guy I met on the rebound.”
Zoe knew it was futile to hold a grudge against her mama. Eventually, she’d have to forgive her for what she’d done, but right now, she was fighting mad over it. Mama had cost Zoe the love of her life. And because of Briggs’ stupid personal code, he felt like he couldn’t say anything to Zoe when he promised Mama that he wouldn’t. The whole thing was absurd! Yet, it also spoke to how honorable Briggs was.
There was more Zoe needed to get out. Even though Briggs couldn’t hear her, she needed to unburden her soul. “When I first got home, Daddy asked me why I was reluctant to give you a second chance. I couldn’t answer that at first, but now I know why.” She paused. “It was because I was scared. Terrified of being hurt again. You asked me what Cash meant by One Way Home.” A chuckle scratched her throat as she looked at Briggs’ motionless face. He was still handsome, even now in his current condition. She filled her lungs with air, releasing it slowly. “Okay, here goes.” She laughed to herself. “If you were awake right now, no way would I be telling you this.”
She swallowed, composing her thoughts. “After you broke up with me, I was a mess … truly. Anyway, Cash was going through a difficult time as well. He was in love with this girl, a fellow singer.” She waved a hand. “Anyway, that part doesn’t matter because Cash is long over that girl now. But at the time, he was hurting … bad. I told Cash that he needed to go to the girl, tell her how he felt. He needed to love like there was no tomorrow, leaving nothing on the table.” She paused, the past flashing before her eyes. There was so much regret, so much sorrow. All this time, Briggs had loved her as she’d loved him. Outrage spiked through her—regret over all that she’d lost, over what might’ve been. No, she couldn’t think that way. She had Milo and Madison.
“I told Cash that if the girl didn’t take him back, so what? At least he would have tried.” Her voice quivered with intensity. “I told Cash that I would give anything to have just one more day with you.” She smiled through her tears. “There’s only one way home, and that’s through the heart, that’s what I said to Cash.” She blinked. “I love you, Briggs McAllister. I always have. You’re a great man. The best. I will always be in debt to you for saving Milo. Thank you,” she said quietly. A shudder ran through her. “Please don’t leave me. I need you.”
She gasped, nearly coming out of her skin, when he reached for her arm, holding it in an iron grip. Then, his eyes popped open.
Her jaw dropped. “W—what?”
A corner of his lip quirked up. “For the record, I need you too.” His beautiful eyes locked with hers. “And just so you know, I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
She began laughing and crying at the same time. “I thought you were in a coma.”
He chuckled. “I sort of gathered that when you started baring your soul.”
“B—but?” Zoe looked back, surprised to see Mama, Jaxson, and Mason huddled in the doorframe. “Have y’all been there the entire time?”
Tears were flowing down Birdie’s cheeks. “That was so beautiful, honey.” She dabbed at her eyes.
Zoe homed in on Jaxson and then Mason. Her eyes narrowed. “Let him hear your voice,” she mimicked. “You tricked me!”
Mason tossed her a sheepish grin. “I only told you that we were waiting for the docs and didn’t know the full situation yet.”
Zoe marched over to Mason and punched him in the gut.
He howled and laughed as he doubled over. “Man, you’re vicious.” Mason looked up at her and winked. “But I did get you to spill your guts. Too bad we didn’t get it on video.”
Zoe looked at Jaxson. “Were you in on this little shenanigan too?”
He held up his hands. “I plead the fifth.”
Briggs’ warm, rich laughter caught Zoe’s attention as she whirled back around to face him. “And you,” she fumed. “I thought you were dying.” A smile trembled over her lips as she shook her head. She couldn’t be too mad because she was so relieved that he was okay. She went back over to him.
He reached for her hand, squeezing it. “Sorry, I was resting my eyes when you came in. I probably should’ve said something.” A crooked grin slid over his lips. “But that was just too good to pass up.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Okay, mister, you’re obviously not in a coma,” she snapped. “What exactly are your injuries?”
“I have a nasty cut over my eye, a dislocated shoulder, some bruised ribs, and a broken ankle, which they had to fix with surgery.” His expression grew serious. “I’d go through it all over again and a thousand times more to hear those wonderful words that came out of your mouth.” His jaw worked. “I love you, Z. I wanna be with you always.” His eyes searched hers. “Stay with me … please?”
More tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she smiled. “Always. I love you. One way home.”
“One way home,” he murmured as he pulled her in for a kiss.
Epilogue
Cash Romeo
As the limousine pulled up in front of the sprawling, white ranch house that was Cash’s childhood home, a feeling of nostalgia washed over him. His gaze swept over the familiar landscape, settling on the large front porch that spanned the entire front of the house. “It’s good to be home,” he sighed.
“See, what did I tell you? Got you here with twenty minutes to spare,” Jeremy boasted as he looked in his rearview mirror at Cash, grinning broadly.
Cash leaned forward and reached through the divider, patting Jeremy on the shoulder. Jeremy was one of Cash’s roadies who also acted as his driver. “I had zero doubts.” The past Thursday was his mother Birdie’s birthday, and the family was gathering today, two days later, to celebrate. The barbecue and birthday party were only part of the equation. At any rate, this was not something Cash wanted to miss. Cash had done a concert in London the night before then hopped aboard his private jet and had flown all night to get here. Cash had slept a little on the plane, but he was still exhausted.
“Where should I park?” Jeremy asked.
“Just pull over to the side,” Cash directed.
“Would you like for me to wait for you?”
“Nah. I’ll be here for a few hours. I can get one of my siblings to take me back to my house later on tonight.” Cash had a large house only a few miles from here.
Jeremy’s heavy brows darted together. “You sure, man?”
“Absolutely. You’re as tired as I am. Besides, I’m sure you have people you wanna see while yo
u’re in town.”
“Thanks,” Jeremy uttered with an appreciative smile. “I don’t care what those other people say about you, you’re a pretty decent fellow,” he teased.
Cash grunted out a semi-amused chuckle. “Just don’t tell anyone. I’d hate to ruin my reputation,” he quipped.
Jeremy turned around in his seat, frowning. “Watch out for the paparazzi. They get wind that you’re back in Nashville, and they’ll be on you like horse flies on a corndog.”
Cash shook his head as a grin slid over his lips. “Horse flies on a corndog? Where do you come up with those sayings?” Jeremy was also from Franklin. He and Jeremy had played football together, graduated in the same class. Whenever he could, Cash hired people that he knew and trusted. Jeremy was one of those that he would trust with his life. “I’ll be careful, man.” He missed the days of being able to go to the store like a regular person. Or go to a movie or restaurant without being attacked by flocks of fans or the press. Cash was grateful for his success, but fame was a lonely road.
“Alright.” They did a partial handshake fist bump, same as they’d done when they were teenagers.
Cash had just gotten out and the limo was pulling away when his phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket. It was his manager, Howie.
He slid his finger over the face of the phone before bringing it to his ear. “Hey.”
His manager’s booming voice filled the phone. “Did the bird land safely?”
“Yep, I’m standing in front of the old home place. About to go in.”
“Good.” He rushed on. “Hey, I know you were looking forward to taking a few days off before we head to Germany for the next concert, but Tandy just called. She wants you to come into the studio and record that new song that you just introduced at last week’s concert.”
One Way Home Page 19