Chapter 199: Chapter Thirty-Seven

Jaymeson

I went slow with her — even though I knew her parents were coming back soon — I still went slow.

Without realizing it, I'd become her friend, and then her boyfriend, and quite honestly, I liked the friend part a hell of a lot more than I realized.

We went to the beach.

I took her out to dinner.

We held hands.

Freaking HELD HANDS. But it was awesome. I loved it — I loved her. More than I wanted to admit out loud, because then it freaked me out that I could possibly lose her.

Because I still wasn't sure what I would do once my little jaunt in Seaside ended. Would she come with me? Would she even want to? Did I even want the movie anymore?

It was day seven, well, actually night seven.

I was trying to play it cool, trying not to freak the hell out as I lay in bed with her.

Demetri demanded we leave the doors open just in case I couldn't be trusted — but honestly, if I hadn't tried anything before, I sure as hell wasn't going to try anything now.

“What's wrong?” Pris cuddled into my chest and wrapped her arms around me. It was the perfect moment.

It was also our last night before her parents came back.

“Nothing,” I shrugged. “I'm just going to miss having you in my arms every night.”

“Because I'm going somewhere?”

“Because,” I sighed. “Your parents are coming back and I don't want to get shot by your pastor dad, that's why.”

“He doesn't even own a gun.” Pris giggled.

“Um, believe me, if he saw me in your bed he'd go out and buy one — or three.”

We stayed in comfortable silence for a while before Pris shifted and looked up at me. “What's going to happen?”

I suddenly felt sick — like someone had punched me in the stomach. “Is it all right if I'm completely honest and tell you I don't know?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “That's all right.”

“Good.”

Her breathing grew deep and even, but I stayed awake, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do in order to make it work. In order to give us a fighting chance.

****

Priscilla

My phone was blinking again. Seriously? How many voicemails could my dad leave? It had been his thing over the past few days.

The room was still blanketed in darkness.

With a yawn, I reached for the phone. It was only six a.m. Maybe my parents were back already? I looked at the screen. Two missed calls from Dad.

And five missed calls from Stella. How had I slept through all that buzzing?

Curious, I dialed Stella's number and waited, hoping she was okay and not in the hospital or something.

“Hello?” she answered on the first ring.

“Hi, Stella, what's up?”

“Oh, honey.” She sniffled. “Honey, I'm so sorry. I'm just so sorry. There was nothing they could do.”

“They?” My heart started skipping beats as it slammed sharply against my ribs. “What are you talking about?”

“You don't know,” she said softly.

“Know what?”

“Honey, maybe it's best if you talk to the police first.”

“Why would I be talking to the police?”

“Where are you?”

“Stella…” I swear the woman made me want to pull my hair out. “What's going on?”

“Honey, I don't know how to tell you this.”

“Tell me… what, exactly?” My voice sounded funny, like I was standing in a tunnel. My vision blurred. I knew. Somehow I knew. It was bad.

“Your parents, honey… they got in an accident last night.”

My heart stopped. “But they're fine, right? What hospital are they at? Are they still in Seattle? I can be there in an hour I—”

“Sweetie, they didn't make it.”

My world stopped. I dropped the phone onto the ground and followed suit, my body going completely numb.

“Priscilla!” Stella yelled on the other end of the phone. “Priscilla! Honey, answer me.”

Her screams must have been loud enough to rouse Jaymeson. He took one look at me on the floor, tears streaming down my face, and the phone.

In an instant, he grabbed it. “Hello? Who is this?”

His entire face went pale, as he pulled me into his lap and rubbed my head, listening to Stella talk, while drawing lazy circles across my scalp.

I was in such shock, I wasn't sure if I was even crying. Was I crying? Or were the tears just coming without my permission?

“I understand.” His voice was hollow. “Thanks, Stella, I'll be in touch.”

Without saying a word to me, he dialed another number and barked into the phone. “Get me a plane.”

He was leaving me?

I tried to pull away but he was too strong. He hung up and gripped my hands. “Pris, we need to go see your sister. She's in critical care. They had to fly her to Seattle.

I nodded slowly.

“I'll help you pack, but we have to go. We may not—” His voice caught. “We may not make it in time.”

That was all it took. I jumped to my feet and looked helplessly around the room. Jaymeson gripped my shoulders. “Grab your overnight stuff. I'll get some clothes from Alyssa.

I nodded. Thankful that he was in control when I couldn't be.

Thankful that his heart was still beating. When I was pretty convinced mine had just died, cracking my chest wide open.

By the time I'd brushed my teeth, put my hair in a ponytail, and packed what was left of my stuff, Alyssa had come into my room with a bag ready to go and fresh clothing that she laid on the bed.

One look at her swollen face, and I lost it again.

We hugged for what felt like hours.

Jaymeson opened the door, Demetri followed, and without saying anything, they surrounded us, keeping us in their embrace as we all held each other.

“Love,” Jaymeson whispered. “We need to go if we're going to catch that plane.”

“Are we flying out of Portland?”

“No.” He gripped my hand in his. “Seaside. There's a private runway a few miles away from here. The plane arrived about five minutes ago from Portland. It's going to fly us into Seattle.”

“O-okay.” My body hurt. My head hurt. Everything hurt. I couldn't stop shaking even though I wasn't cold — just shocked.

“It's going to be fine,” Alyssa promised, kissing my head and giving me one final hug.

We walked outside and nearly ran into Alec and Nat as they ran up the stairs. Nat pulled me in for a hug while Jaymeson filled Alec in on the details.

Reluctantly, Nat let me go, and they said they'd be waiting to hear news from us. I hated that what was supposed to be a break from touring…

Was more of a break from life.

Jaymeson put our bags in the trunk of his Audi while I got inside. I must have been more out of it than I realized, because he had to reach across and buckle my seatbelt.

It took us exactly ten minutes to get to the airstrip.

But it felt like ten hours.

Every part of my body was heavy, like someone had sliced me open and filled every inch of free space with sand.

“Mr. Jaymeson.” The pilot tipped his hat. “I'm here to take you and your girlfriend to Seattle.”

I almost missed it. The girlfriend part. I was too exhausted to be excited.

“Thanks,” Jaymeson said smoothly.

It took us less than two hours to get to Seattle. Jaymeson didn't say a word to me — it was weird how well he knew me.

When we landed, Jaymeson led me off the runway to a private parking lot where a black limo was waiting.

A man in a uniform opened the door, and took the bags from Jaymeson. Once we were seated, Jaymeson didn't say anything. He simply grabbed a granola bar and handed it to me.

I took the bar and nodded. The bar slipped out of my fingers at least a dozen times as I tried to get it open. Why wasn't my body working?

Jaymeson took the granola bar, opened it, and broke off pieces, handing them to me like I was a small child.

Greedily, I took each piece, chewed, and swallowed.

When I was finished, he reached for my hands and kissed them both. “She's going to be fine, Pris.”

“How do you know?” I snapped.

He pulled me into his embrace. “I have to believe God wouldn't take someone so young. I have to. Or I'll go crazy.”

“Me too, Jaymeson. Me too.”

We rode in silence the rest of the way to Mercy Hospital. Jaymeson walked up to the information desk like he owned the place. “We're here to see Dani Garcia.”

I'd never told Jaymeson my sister's name. She hadn't been at Alec and Nat's wedding.

I'd never talked about my family.

The last time I talked to my dad he'd told me to believe in miracles. Where was my miracle now? Now that he and my mom were dead.

I sucked the tears in — needing to be strong for my baby sister. Seventeen. She'd just turned seventeen.

We were barely a year apart.

“And who are you?”

“Her sister and brother-in-law,” Jaymeson said in that same smooth voice that had even me believing we were married.

“She's in ICU. No visitors. Not even family until visiting hours.”

“And that would be… when?” Jaymeson glanced at the clock.

“Two hours.”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Look, miss, I know you're just doing your job. And I respect that there are rules in the hospital that people need to follow.

“I get that. But this girl right here? She's the love of my life. Her heart is freaking broken. She just lost her parents, and her little sister may be dying.

The lady's eyes widened as she touched the button behind her seat. “Go to the fifth floor. Room Eleven.”

“Thank you.” Jaymeson pulled me through the door and onto the elevator.

He loved me.

He loved me.

He loved me.

My parents were dead.

And he loved me.