“Mom, thank you for being you.” I release Christine and pull her into a hug.
“So, you’ve pulled your head out of your ass then?” This from my dad who I didn’t know was here.
I turn to see him and Marty carrying in two bags of groceries. “What’s going on here?” I ask them. “And yeah, I’ve pulled my head out of my ass.”
“Good. Where’s Laken?” Marty asks.
“She’s not here.”
“Why not?” Dad asks.
“I haven’t talked to her yet.”
“Ha!” Mom cheers. “That’s twenty.” She holds her hand out to Dad.
“What?”
“I bet your mother you would have gone to Laken last night.” He shrugs. “I lost.”
“I had the girls.”
“And?” Marty asks. “They love her as much as you do.”
I nod. “I just needed some time. I felt… raw and exposed.”
“All the more reason to run to the woman who makes you feel that way.”
“I needed some time.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? We’ve got the girls handled. Go get your girl,” Dad tells me.
I open my mouth to argue, but I’ve got nothing. I know I need to talk to Laken. I let my fear and guilt push her away and was cruel to her. I know that I broke her heart, just as I broke my own.
“You all have the girls?”
“Please, do we have the girls!” Mom scoffs.
“Go, Grayson. Follow your heart,” Christine says softly.
I nod before turning and racing to my room. I rush through a shower and throw on some clothes. It’s Friday, and I should be at the station. Thankfully we have a lot of volunteers in our small town, and I’ll just be across the street if we get a run. Quickly, I type out a message to Canaan.
Me: I’m not going to be in today.
Canaan: Going to get your girl?
Me: Something like that.
Me: I have my cell. If we get called out, I’ll be there.
Canaan: We’ve got this covered. I’ll call if we need you.
Me: Thanks, man. Sorry about yesterday.
Canaan: Remind me of that when I need my head pulled out of my ass.
Me: LOL. Will do.
Sliding my phone into my pocket, I make my way back to the kitchen. “The girls are still sleeping.” We were up late last night going through pictures.
“That’s fine. They’ll wake up when they smell breakfast,” Marty assures me.
“Thank you. All of you. The girls and I, we’re lucky to have you. I don’t know what I would have done the last three years without the four of you.”
“That’s what family is for, Grayson. Now, go. You have some apologies to make and a girl to woo.” Christine smiles.
“I love you. All of you. Thank you,” I say again, and rush out the door.
It doesn’t take long to get to town. I park in front of One More Chapter and turn off the engine. I sit here for a few minutes before climbing out. Laken has every right to kick my ass to the curb, but I hope like hell she doesn’t.
When I pull open the store door, the cool air conditioning hits me. “Welcome to One More Chapter,” a voice that is not Laken’s greets me.
“Leni?” I ask, walking up to the register.
“Hi, Grayson.”
“Where’s Laken?”
“Do you really care?”
I nod. “I deserve that,” I admit.
“She took the day off.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll just go on up to see her.” I move to the back of the store.
“She’s not here, Grayson.”
“Where is she?”
“She and Justine drove to Yellowstone County. Justine had a maternity photo shoot, and Tucker didn’t want her driving up by herself.”
“What?” I ask. Immediately my past comes roaring back. Holly and her sister.
A girls’ trip.
The phone call.
Their screams.
The crash.
Reaching for my phone, I pull up her name, and the call goes straight to voice mail. “No. No. No.” I try again. Straight to voice mail. “Laken, come on, baby,” I whisper as I try her number again.
Fucking voice mail.
“Leni, call your sister.”
She opens her mouth, but the look on my face stops her from saying whatever it was she was going to say. Instead, she picks up her phone and dials Laken. “Voice mail.”
“No. Not again. This is not happening again,” I say, my hands gripping my hair.
“Grayson, maybe you should sit down,” Lenora suggests.
“Sit down? You want me to sit down? The woman I love is out there not answering her phone, and I don’t know if she’s safe. I don’t know—” I swallow hard. “—if she’s been in an accident.”
Understanding flashes in her eyes. She might think that she gets it, but she has no idea. I lost the love of my life, only to realize I could love again. My heart can’t take losing Laken.
I won’t survive it.
“Grayson, I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll call Justine.”
I hold my breath as she dials her phone. “Hey, you all doing okay?” she asks. “Good, Grayson is here looking for Laken.” She listens to whatever Justine is saying. “Okay. Be safe,” she says, ending the call. “They made it safely. They just got to the studio. They’ll be home later this afternoon.”