38. Lottie
Lottie
I ’ve never been happier.
That’s the thought that has been repeating in my head since Teddy kissed me at the top of the Ferris wheel.
Now he’s holding my hand as we meet Mom and Dad in the fireworks field. This has always been my favorite part of the spring celebration. There’s something magical about the explosion of colors in the sky. It’s as if they’re marking the beginning of something brand-new.
My entire family has gathered together tonight.
Ryan and his family are sitting on one blanket.
Carson is entertaining Noah and Lilly’s girls while Carson and Noah’s parents laugh at his antics.
Gia and her parents are sitting next to Mom and Dad’s blanket, and Caroline is sitting next to Michael and his parents on what has to be a queen-sized comforter.
“Hey, you two! The show is going to start soon,” Caro shouts.
“There are drinks in the coolers over there.” Dad points to the other side of them.
“You vet this guy?” Michael’s dad, Todd, asks my dad. Todd is the deputy police chief. He can come across as very scary if you don’t know him.
“For the most part. We kind of like him,” Dad teases.
Todd grunts in response.
“Oh, drop the tough-guy act, Dad. You’re not that scary.” Michael laughs. Todd throws a napkin at him.
“Don’t listen to any of them,” I tell Teddy. “They’re a bunch of crazy people.”
Teddy smirks. His eyes scan the field, assessing the crowd and whatever else he deems necessary. Dad does the same thing when we go to new places, and I’ve always wondered what they look for. Obviously, some form of threat, but what type of threat, I have no clue.
“You going to introduce us, Lottie?” Todd asks as I grab a couple of drinks from the cooler.
“Nope.” I grin.
He slaps his chest as if he’s wounded. “Do you hear the insolence? Who raised you?”
“I did, and I’m damn proud of her.” Dad raises his hand.
“Yeah, I am too.” Todd winks at me.
A little sparkly feeling of acceptance bubbles in my chest. I swear I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I look up at Teddy to see if he’s hanging in there, but he’s still looking around the field. It puts me on edge, and I start to scan our surroundings.
Did he see someone? Could the person threatening me be here right now?
The first firework shoots up into the air with a bang, red sparks exploding into the night sky.
Then something knocks into me, and I black out.
“Lottie? Are you okay? ”
“Huh?” I suck in a pained breath. “Ouch.” My head is killing me. “What happened?”
“You hit your head on the cooler, sis.”
“Caro?”
“You’ve got us all hovering like hummingbirds at the only feeder in town.”
“Not helpful, Caroline,” Dad reprimands. “Open your eyes, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want to. My head hurts. Think you could turn down the fireworks?” A boom hits right after I say that, and I wince.
“She’s fine. Her jokes are just as bad as usual,” Caroline says.
I blink my eyes open to find Caro leaning over me with a goofy grin. “You go away. I’m injured. I shouldn’t be subjected to this type of treatment.”
“Yeah, she’s fine.” Dad laughs. I hold my hand out for him to help me up.
“No, but really, what happened? One second, I was looking around the field, and the next, I was on the ground.”
“Uh…well.” Dad looks over at Mom, who gives me a look of pity.
“We’re not exactly sure either,” Mom says. “When the first firework hit, Teddy yelled something.”
“It sounded like, ‘Get down,’” Caroline interrupts.
“And when we turned around, he was lying on top of you as if he was covering your body from the blast.” Mom’s lips turn down.
I look around the field to find him, but he’s nowhere to be found.
“He left as soon as he realized he’d knocked you over,” Dad says solemnly.
“Ran is more like it,” Caro mutters .
“Caroline,” Dad barks. “You know nothing about what happened.”
She looks properly chastised. “I’m sorry, you’re right.”
“I need to find him.” I start to stand up, and the world goes dizzy.
Dad grabs my arm. “Whoa. Absolutely not. You need to get checked out first.”
“I hate to say it, but your dad’s right.” Mom pushes my hair off my forehead. She reaches around to feel the bump on the back of my head, and I hiss at the probing.
“I’m fine. Some Tylenol and an ice pack will do the trick.”
“You blacked out, sis. You probably have a concussion,” Caroline points out.
“I can go check on him,” Noah offers from my left.
It’s only then I realize my whole family surrounds us.
Worry lines each of their faces while fireworks explode in the background.
Seems strange for them to be this worried about me over a bump on the head.
The scene of Teddy yelling and knocking me down comes to mind. That was probably pretty scary.
I look at Dad. “Do I have to get checked out?”
“Yes.” He’s got his stone face on, which means there’s no arguing with him. I find Noah again. “Go check on him. And tell him to call me. I have a feeling he’s not going to answer if I call first,” I mutter the last bit to myself.
Mom and Dad get me to the car while Caroline calls Doctor Upton. He has a family practice in town where most of us go when we have the flu or need a general checkup. I’d tell them not to bother him, but my complaints won’t be heard.
“Clint—Dr. Upton is going to meet us at the clinic.”
I raise an eyebrow at Caro across the back seat of Mom’s car. “ Clint?” I mouth.
“Shut up.” Caro gives me a death glare.
I’ll have to dig into that one at a different time.
Dad pulls into the clinic’s parking lot a few minutes later.
Dr. Upton’s car parks next to ours, and we walk inside together.
Caroline’s whole demeanor has changed since he got here.
Instead of being her bubbly self, she’s withdrawn.
I’m not sure if that’s because she’s embarrassed or if she’s trying to hide her relationship with the man.
“Okay, Miss Jackson?—”
“ I am for real … Sorry. Couldn’t help it.” I grin. You hear the Outkast song enough times, and it sticks in your head. Mom would change the lyrics as if she were talking to Grandma, so all it takes is the right cadence, not even the right lyrics.
He chuckles. “Let’s getcha checked out.” Dr. Upton swoops his blond hair back off his forehead, his brown eyes warm and kind.
He checks over the lump on my head, making me wince at the prodding.
Then he goes down his checklist for concussions.
I highly doubt I have one. I’m not even sure I truly lost consciousness.
The pain was blinding enough to stop my breath.
The longer it takes, the more antsy I get.
I want to check on Teddy. He’s probably beating himself up for tackling me.
I need to set him straight to keep him from ruining what we’ve been building.
He’d sacrifice his happiness for me if he felt it would save me.
Too bad for him, he’s become a necessary part of my life.
I won’t give him up for anything. I’ll take the nightmares, the triggers, whatever he’s got. He’s mine just as much as I’m his.
“Have you heard anything from Noah?” I ask Dad.
He shakes his head. “He hasn’t been able to find him.”
My eyebrows furrow. “Like he can’t get him on the phone?”
“No, as in he’s not at his house, the gym, or anywhere in town. They’ve looked all over for him. ”
“That doesn’t make sense. A man can’t just disappear at the drop of a hat.”
“A Special Forces Marine could.”
Dad has a good point. The chances Teddy hightailed it out of town are high. He wouldn’t believe he’s worthy of staying here if he thought he messed up.
Except…something niggles at the back of my head. I can’t see him running. Not when we’ve built our relationship on truth and no small amount of love.
But where would he go?
I jump off the table. “I’m good to go, yes?”
“He hasn’t finished checking you out yet,” Dad protests.
Dr. Upton tilts his head. “You don’t meet the criteria for a concussion, but it would be good to stay alert for any dizziness, extreme exhaustion, or any odd behavior you wouldn’t normally have.”
“Got it. I can keep an eye on it.” I grab Mom’s arm. “I have to go.”
She presses the keys into my palm. “Go. We’ll have Noah come get us.”
I race out of the clinic and to Mom’s SUV. I’ve got a hunch about where Teddy might be, but I’m not positive. If he’s not there, then I’ll know he left town.