Flashbacks of the accident invade my dreams and I wake with a fright. The scariest dream was about never waking, never seeing my family and never seeing Seth again. I suck in a deep breath to calm my hammering heart.
“I’m here, I’m alive, and it was just a dream,” I whisper to myself.
“Yes, it was just a dream.” I practically jump out of the bed at the voice coming from the chair beside my bed. Seth takes a hold of my hand resting over my heart.
“Are you trying to kill me? You scared me half to death, which wouldn’t have been hard considering I nearly died,” I joke. I reach for the light switch so I can see his beautiful face.
“That’s not a joke,” he responds, his tone dead and cold. When the light flickers on, I can see my near-death experience wasn’t something I should joke about, especially to Seth.
“I’m sorry.” I give his hand a squeeze. “Come sit up here with me . . . I want you close.” The need to have him near me, is very strong. I need to know this isn’t a dream, that he’s real, and we both survived.
He climbs up on the bed with me, and I move slowly on to my undamaged side and press my body against his.
I look up at him, and his worried eyes burn into mine. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“Trust me, I’m fine. I want you right here.” Laying my arm over his chest, I breathe him in. His casted arm rests over mine, his fingers tickling my skin.
He leans down and claims my lips. Fireworks explode within me. Everything about him is perfection. He’s mine—I want him in my life.
“I’m so relieved you’re alive. I don’t think I could live with myself if you weren’t here.” He continues to touch my face and my skin as if to remind himself I’m really there.
When I shift my body as close as I can to his, he holds me tightly. “Do you remember what you said when you woke up?”
His question confuses me. “Umm . . . no. Should I? I was pretty foggy.”
“You said a name.”
A name? “What name?”
He pauses for a moment. “It’s not important—don’t worry about it.”
Thinking back to what I could have possibly said, nothing stands out. My dream or vision or whatever it was with Olive is all I can think of. Did I mention that?
“I didn’t get a chance to ask how you are—how rude of me. How are you?” I hadn’t thought to ask until now.
His grip on me tightens. “I’m okay. It’s you I’ve been worried about.”
“How long do you need to keep this on?” I ask, touching his cast.
“Six weeks at least, I think.”
Being near Seth, breathing in his clean scent calms me. “Will you stay here with me?”
“I don’t plan on going anywhere. I’m right where I want to be.” His words settle my nerves that have been pouring through me from the moment I woke up.
Tilting my head up, he looks down at me and places his lips on my forehead. Closing my eyes, I lay my head back down on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. A sense of calm fills me, and my eyes drift closed.
Three days later, and I’m finally getting discharged. Mum and Dad are still in town. Janie has been helping Sherri with the final touches to the café. Seth hasn’t left my side, except for maybe an hour each day to grab a shower and bring back some food and sweets from Sherri. That woman is going to make me fat with all her sugary goodness.
“Sherri has said you’ll be staying with us while you heal,” Seth informs me as he pushes me in the wheelchair to the car.
“That’s not necessary; Janie can look after me.”
“No, she’s doing the opening in the café next week, so she’ll be busy with that. Chance can watch the garage, and so I’ll be taking care of you.”
“What about my parents? They can look after me.”
“In a hotel room?” Sarcasm is evident in his response. He gives my shoulder a squeeze. Mum and Dad could stay at my place but I don’t think they’d be comfortable, there isn’t a whole lot of room. “It’s okay, Chloe . . . I’ve got you.”
“I know.”
On the way to his place, I fall asleep. It’s only a quick trip, but that twenty-minute nap has given me some more energy.
“Chloe?” Seth lightly shakes me, my eyes flickering open to the view of his home, with Sherri and my parents standing on the porch. He quickly steps out of the car and comes to assist me.
“Hey, honey,” Mum calls, as she makes her way down to me. She takes the bags Janie packed for me from the backseat.
Not being able to do anything for myself blows. Having my leg restricted as well as all the bruising limits what I can do; I hate being dependent on others. Always the damsel in distress. Seth’s arm wraps around my waist, assisting me.
“I have crutches here to help me, Seth.”
“I know, I’m just helping you out, and then I’ll grab them for you.” He smiles.
“Thanks.”
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I sit in one of Sherri’s comfortable chairs. She had cleared out a room for me to rest in, but I had no interest in lying on the bed. After spending three days lying around, I swear I am about to start growing bed sores. Gross!
Sherri walks out holding a plate of something that looks like one of her famous pastries and a cup of tea. “Here you go, dear.” She places them down on the small table set up beside me.
Taking the pastry, I devour it. “Sherri, this is delicious.”
“Anything for you. I know hospitals don’t have nice food. I spent a lot of my time there when Seth was younger. He was a wild child.” She eyes me.
“Oh, really? Him and Chance?”
She nods.
“The older generation at the hospital know the two of them very well.” The thought of Seth there when he was younger makes me laugh. “The doctor who looked after me knew them. Her first question was, what they had done now.”
“Are you ladies amused at my expense?” Seth walks into the room. He had been showing my parents around his beautiful home.
“Always,” I reply, still giggling.
Mum and Dad follow Seth into the room.
“It’s good to see you out of the hospital and looking much better,” Dad says as he leans down, placing a kiss on my forehead. He’s the best father any girl could ask for.
“Thank, Dad.” My eyes fall to Mum, who looks to be in some pain. “Are you alright, Mum?” Concern fills my voice.
“Oh, yes honey, just a headache I can’t seem to shake. Most likely stress and lack of sleep.” She waves it off.
“Why not go get some rest? I’m fine here, I promise.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” She looks to Dad, who nods.
“We’ll be back later,” he announces before they step out the door, leaving.
“Do you need anything?” Seth asks, placing his hand over mine. It’s a simple gesture, but it fills me with tingles. Every single touch he places on my skin ignites a passion within me.
“No, I’m good thanks. Sherri took care of me.” I gesture to the plate and the steaming tea.
“Alright.”
Sherri stands. “Well, kids, I need to get to the café and make sure things are going well. Your friend Janie is a wonderful help, Chloe.”
“Yeah, she’s great. How are things going there?”
“Beautifully. They are just making some final touches in the kitchen today, and then we should be ready to go next week. I’ve done the menu up and I’ll get you to look over it tonight.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Oh, my gosh, I’m so excited.” I squeal.
“Me too, dear. It’s going to be great being busy again and doing what I love with a wonderful business partner.”
Moving here is the best thing I’ve ever done. When life throws you a lemon, you’ve got to keep sucking through the sourness until you don’t taste it anymore, and eventually it’ll simply be sweet.
Once Sherri’s gone, Seth stalks over to me with a huge grin on his face and a hungry look in his eyes. Without saying a word, he scoops me up into his arms.
“No, you shouldn’t be doing this with your arm!” I protest.
“It’s only holding your legs and if you hold on tight, you take some of the weight.” I grip tighter to him. He walks us around the couch, and I spy a picture hanging on the wall. A familiar face smiles back at me. She’s surrounded by someone who looks to be an older version of Seth, her father. There also stands a young Seth. His smile—that’s his mother’s. She stands with her arms wrapped around the young Seth. There’s laughter and love in this picture. Being here so many times, how could I not have noticed it? I guess if you aren’t looking for something, then you won’t see it. Even at work I never saw photos. I know he keeps one there because he moved it when I walked in that first day.
“Who are they?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself. I know who they are but, I want him to share their story with me.
Seth stops, staring at the picture, a grin spreading across his face. The lake they stand in front of is familiar. It’s the same place I was at in my dream with Olive. Their family holiday spot at the lake.
“That’s my family.” There’s a sadness in his words. It breaks my heart that they aren’t here.
A million questions burn within me, but I don’t want to push for answers. Being in his embrace right now, a sense of home and belonging flows over me. How can one man make me feel like this? “Oh,” I respond, unsure what else to say.
He continues walking until we’ve make it to my temporary bedroom. When he lays me down gently, I prop myself up on the million pillows that sit on the bed for decoration. He places himself beside me, turning towards me.
Taking a deep breath, he continues. “They’re dead.”
“Oh, my. I’m so sorry, Seth.” Reaching out, I take his hand in mine and squeeze.
“It’s not something I like to talk about.”
“I’ve noticed. You’ve shut down any talk about your family. Why are you telling me now?” The first night he brought me here, I asked about his family and he simply stopped talking about them.
“Because of what we just went through and the agony of nearly losing you brought back so many painful memories. It’s my fault they’re gone. I blame myself and I couldn’t bear to lose you too.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, fighting back his emotions.
My world stops. “How-how can it be your fault?” I stutter.
He remains silent for a moment. “Because I was driving the car when we had the accident.” My words are lost. I should be saying something, comforting him, but I’m unsure what.
“I don’t expect you to understand.”
Finally, I find my voice. “Accidents happen, I mean look at what happened to us. It wasn’t your fault. The mishap with me wasn’t your mistake, either. Stop blaming yourself for things that are freak accidents.” My tone firm, I seek out his beautiful blue eyes, placing my hand under his chin. When he raises his head, I see the anguish in his tear-filled gaze. The room is only dimly lit by the lamp on the bedside table, but it’s enough for me to see the glimmer of wetness that streams down his cheeks.
“You don’t hate me?”
“Seth, how could I hate you? You’ve shown me so much love and compassion—I couldn’t think anything bad of you.”
“I blame myself for losing them. The road was wet and a car was coming towards us too fast. It freaked me out because I’d only had my licence for a few months. That car wasn’t the cause though.” He pauses, taking deep breaths. “The rain got heavier . . . Dad told me to slow down. I still remember my foot tapping the brake.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I prepare to hear the tragic event that made a huge impact on Seth’s life.
He continues, “Everything was going good . . . We were on our way to our usual place for the annual camping trip at the lake. It’s a beautiful place; I’ve not been back there since that day. Too many painful memories I don’t want dredged up.”
I shift my body closer to him, comforting him any way I can.
“There’s this one corner where you can’t see what’s coming around from the other side until it’s too late. Everyone usually takes it slow. I came to the corner and tapped the brake again. The thing is, there’s a slight drop-off at the side—nothing huge, but enough to do damage. This is so hard.” He chokes on his words.
A lump forms in my throat as I struggle to be what he needs right now. I want to be here for him in every way I can. “You’re doing great. I know this is hard.” Now I realise the problems I was having with my family, the ex, and my best friend are nothing. The loss of family is so much more, having no one. At least he’s got Sherri.
“We came around the corner and out of nowhere, a car came too fast around the bend. It . . . it T-boned us right into the rail and flipped us over. The screams from my sister, Olive, give me nightmares every night.” He falls silent. His shoulders shake, I wrap my arms around him and hold him close.
“Seth, it’s not your fault. You need to stop blaming it all on you. Your parents and Olive wouldn’t want you to.” My voice trembles as I speak those words. His sobs take over. My arms tighten around him, pulling him against me. Such an awful loss.
We lie together, his arms tightly wrapped around my waist. My fingers run through his dark brown locks. His breathing becomes steady, and it’s then I realise he’s fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, I lean over, turning out the light. My thoughts don’t want to rest, so I lie awake for who knows how long.
How can Seth blame himself? It’s not his fault. He was going slower than the speed limit, judging by what he’s told me. Sharing this with me is huge. I have a deep desire to kiss those perfect lips. Slowly, I lean in and press my lips to his. He responds by pulling me as close to him as he can, devouring my lips. I guess he wasn’t asleep.
It’s a blissful moment—each touch and kiss is what I want forever. Ryan and Chad don’t measure up to Seth in any way, shape or form. He has claimed that pedestal. He is my forever.