Chapter 30
5 YearsLater
Summer
In the darkness of the summer storm, I blinked against the raindrops assaulting my eyelids, trying to protect my eyes from the harsh, cold droplets that fell in a torrential downpour from the dark sky.
All around me, chaos ensued. People were running for cover. Cars were being pushed or driven into the big warehouse. Everywhere I looked, people were moving in a chaotic mess – a mess I was directing. Checking again that all the cars were safe, I turned for cover, brushing my wet hair that was plastered to my cheek out of my eyes.
Just as I was about to cross the threshold of the building, the ground shook as a roar erupted from the warehouse, and flames burst from the big garage doors.
What the hell?!
Screams of terror reached my ears as everything began to happen in slow motion.
I crumpled to the ground, my knees crashing against the concrete as I watched my dad’s empire collapse around me.
Employees ran around like chickens without their heads, all screaming one name. Mine.
What was I supposed to do?
I couldn’t hear anything over the rush of blood in my ears. I watched in pure terror as flames licked up the sides of the large building, eating everything in sight, destruction in its wake.
Pain blossomed from my knees, heart, and head as I just watched, helpless to do anything.
The ground shook again, and another eruption went off, sending me flying back into one of the cars in the parking lot.
My body crunched against the metal, blood instantly trickling down the side of my face.
How did this happen?
Two strong hands gripped my arms, pulling me up, but my legs felt like they didn’t belong to me, and as he dragged my numb body away, we both fell to the ground with yet another explosion.
Make it stop!
He wrapped his body around mine, trying to protect me from the fall, the rough asphalt tearing into our skin.
“Don’t give up on me now, darlin’.” His voice. Like a moth drawn to a flame, my head whipped in his direction, seeing his ashen face and wide, green eyes.
My husband.
He pulled me to my feet again, his hands brushing over my face and down my body, checking my injuries as I looked over his shoulder in horror at the crumbling building.
Dad would never forgive me.
One day. One damn day, he left me in charge.
“The babies? Are the babies okay?” His hands were holding my swollen belly like he might be able to feel them.
I shook my head, tears threatening to spill at the thought of something happening to my babies. I didn’t know if they were okay.
“I don’t know,” I whimpered, letting him pull me against his big, strong chest.
I heard the sirens before I saw the ambulance tear into the lot, followed by the police. People in uniforms flew into action. A familiar paramedic rushed over to Colton and me, ushering me to a stretcher, but I could only watch my father’s empire – my legacy – burn.
All our dreams were gone in a heartbeat.
“Summer, can you hear me?” Closing my eyes, I tried to understand everything happening around me. I heard the screams. I felt the pain radiating from everywhere. I saw the destruction.
But I couldn’t comprehend any of it.
How could everything go so wrong?
“Mrs. Michaels, I need you to answer me please.” Blinking slowly, I turned to the paramedic and saw a familiar, blonde man.
Brookshire Wheeler.
Just my fucking luck.
The man I had left at the altar for my husband had to be on call today.
Relief flooded his expression at my acknowledgment to him. Colton’s heavy hand rested on my back, his warmth and love pressing into me.
“I need you to tell me where it hurts.”
“Everywhere,” I finally found my voice.
“She’s eight months pregnant with twins. I need to know that the babies are going to be okay.” Colton’s soothing voice washed over me.
Rage filled every inch of my body. He only cared about the babies?
“The business is on fire, and you only care about the babies?” I whispered, looking up at him, the heat of the burning building warming my face.
Anger filled his emerald eyes in turn, and the anger within me itches to clash with him.
“I can help your father rebuild the goddamn company, Summer, but I can’t fix losing our little girls.”
Our little girls.
“I’m going to suggest bringing her in. She’s going to need a few stitches and a scan since she is so close to term. I believe it’s best she goes in for a full check-up,” Brookshire spoke to Colton, not even bothering to address me.
“I can’t go. Dad is going to kill me,” I mumbled, speaking more to myself than either man.
“Charlie can handle your dad,” Colton said, nodding at Brook to put me in the ambulance.
He didn’t understand. He never did.
“I have to stay!” I screamed, agony filling every single cell of my body.
“I’ve got this. Get her taken care of.” Charlie’s deep voice entered the conversation, and I writhe in pain on the stretcher, hating that I was being sent away.
I was loaded into the ambulance, Colton at my side, his hand wrapped tightly around mine. He pressed his forehead to mine, whispering his love for me and our little family over and over.
I almost wanted to apologize, but the fear that filled me at my dad’s impending reaction overcame every other emotion and thought.
I had let him down.
In the hospital, they rushed me into a room where they stitched up my right arm. A deep gash lined my forearm where I had tried to catch my fall from the first blast. Then, they stitched up the cut on my forehead from hitting the car.
A female nurse checked the girls, her brows furrowing in concern as she double-checked, and then triple-checked.
“You’re in labor,” she whispered in disbelief.
Colton jumped up from his chair beside me, panic taking over him as he looked at the small monitor like he might understand what the nurse was seeing.
“Summer, what’s your pain level right now?” The young nurse asked, and I gritted my teeth in annoyance. My whole world had been turned upside down a few hours ago, and she wanted to know my pain level?
“Exceeding the limit,” I responded, gripping the bedsheets as a cramp swept through my belly and back.
“I’ll be right back,” she murmured, practically running out of the room.
I really fucking hoped she misread that screen because I wasn’t having our twin girls a month early. It wasn’t possible.
---
Six Hours Later
“They’re beautiful, Summer,” my mother cooed as she held one of my little girls. Dad cradled the other to his chest, love shining in his eyes for my little bean.
“I’m so sorry that I let you down when you trusted me for the day.” I burst into tears, unable to control the rampage of emotions swirling through me.
I had given birth to two beautiful, healthy baby girls three weeks early, my father’s shop had burst into flames, and I was in absolute agony everywhere.
My father scowled, looking between me and my little girl. “Do you really think I care about the shop over you and these two little gifts?” Colton sat at my side, reaching for my hand while his other hand traced a calming pattern on my arm.
“You put me in charge for a day, and everything went wrong,” I sputtered, not understanding why he wasn’t yelling at me.
“It wasn’t your fault. The gas line blew. I only wished I had been there to make sure you hadn’t been hurt and carried around this guilt for so long. We have insurance, and we will rebuild. Don’t worry your pretty little head about this for a moment longer. Don’t let that taint today.” He handed me Lacey, and her small, blue eyes opened, squinting against the harsh light.
“She has your eyes,” Colton murmured by my ear, his breath tickling my skin.
A smile tugged at my lips while I glanced at him.
“And your lips.” He grinned just as my mother put Harper in his arms. Our little girls had been identical twins. The only thing telling them apart was a simple birthmark on Harper’s cheek.
“I can’t believe you gave me everything I never knew I needed.” He kissed Harper’s forehead, his eyes filled with so much love.
“Where’s Heather? I think it’s time she met her baby sisters.”
Mom called for her to come in, and my sweet daughter stuck her head in, looking completely out of place, her black hair falling around her in perfect ringlets, her glasses sliding down her button nose. And those blue eyes I adored were wide with wonder.
“Hi, momma,” she whispered, inching into the room, sliding right up to her daddy where she looked on in awe at her little sisters.
“We’d like you to meet Lacey and Harper.” Colton pulled her into his embrace, and she melted into his hug.
“Are they really real?” Heather asked in disbelief. At eight years old, she knew and understood more than a normal child, like the fact that her real mother had died from terminal cancer. Because of that, we had her checked regularly because I couldn’t stomach the thought of losing her.
I might not have given birth to the sweet child, but she might as well have been mine because I loved her with every fiber of my being.
“They’re real, sweet girl,” Colton laughed, kissing the top of her head before looking at me. “Thank you, darlin’.”
“What for?”
“For giving me everything I could have ever wished for.”