“Want me to take him?” Colton asks, startling me a little from my thoughts.
“Oh, uhh…” I start, glancing down at the baby and then my silent phone.
“Here,” he says, putting the leg rest down on the chair and coming over to where I’m lying. “Let me take him. It’s his bedtime anyway.” He carefully lifts the little one from my chest and snuggles him against his own. Colton kisses Milo’s forehead and carts him off to bed.
With both hands now free, I fidget with my phone, trying to decide what to do. Chase has been late a few times, but he always calls to let me know. This is the first time he’s been more than thirty minutes later than he anticipated, and I have yet to hear from him.
Unable to fight the urge any longer, my fingers type out a text and tap Send.* * *Me: Just checking in. How’s work going?* * *The message is marked as delivered, but even after staring at it for several seconds—and eventually, minutes—it’s never read. I sit up, an uneasy feeling prickling down my spine. I’m calling his number before I can even stop myself, but unfortunately, it goes straight to voice mail.
“Everything okay?” Colton asks, reappearing in the living room, running his hands through his hair.
“He’s not answering,” I state, keeping my eyes locked on the phone, as if willing him to pick up. When the beep echoes in my ear, I leave the message. “Hey, Chase. Just checking in with you. I sent a text too. Give me a call when you get a minute. Love you.” As I hang up the phone, that uneasy feeling refuses to vacate my body.
Without being instructed, Colton pulls out his cell and dials. “Straight to voice mail,” he says aloud, waits a few seconds, and speaks into the device. “Hey, brother, trying to figure out where you are. Gabs is starting to freak out a bit. I’m going to have to keep her calm, and then she may realize she’s with the wrong brother.” Then he hangs up, laughing.
“What the hell was that?”
Colton snorts. “Don’t worry, Gabs. Nothing will bring my brother home quicker than me telling him I’m moving in on his girl.”
Even though my heart is in my throat, I can’t help but smile, mostly because he’s right. Chase will flip when he hears his brother’s message, even if he doesn’t believe him. I can picture the tips of his ears turning red and his jaw ticking with irritation. Hell, we might have some pretty fabulous sex later tonight while he stakes his claim, not that sex with Chase is anything less than fabulous to begin with.
My phone starts to ring and I almost drop it in relief. Colton chuckles as he sits back down in the recliner. “See? I knew it wouldn’t be long before he came running.”
I don’t even look at the screen, just slide my finger across it and place the phone to my ear. “Chase, I’m so glad to hear from you,” I say by way of greeting.
“Gabby?” The familiar voice is definitely male, but it’s not the one I expect. My heart actually stops beating in my chest and my lungs seize.
“Harrison?”
“Gabby, I need you to listen to me and not freak out, okay? Can you do that?”
My hand starts to shake as my blood runs cold. My ass hits the couch, my legs too numb to hold my weight. “Yes,” I whisper, the words barely audible.
“I just got a call from Gavin at the gym. There was an accident,” he says, his voice firm, yet calm.
“Accident?” I murmur. Colton comes to sit beside me and takes the phone from my trembling hand.
“Harrison, this is Colton. What’s happened?” The only sound is the occasional “okay” as Colton listens to whatever my brother-in-law says. My mind keeps going to the worst place possible, which is the unthinkable.
Please let him be okay.
Please.
“Sounds good,” he says, hanging up my phone and slipping it into his pocket. Colton drops to his knees in front of me and grabs my face with his big hands. “Listen to me, Gabs. Your sister is on her way here to hang with Milo. We’re going to head to the hospital in Dalton. There was an accident at the gym, but he’s going to be okay.”
I hear his words, but for some reason, they don’t compute. “Accident?”
“Yep,” he says, standing up and pulling me with him. “Let’s get our shoes on. I’ll drive, okay? You’re not in any condition to drive.”
Before I can turn and find shoes, Colton pulls me against his chest and hugs me tight. I feel the relief and tension slip from my body as I return the gesture. “He’s going to be okay?” I whisper against his shirt. Colton’s hard like his brother, but so very different.