11. Everly
Everly
Loud voices surrounded me as I slipped in and out of consciousness. They were familiar, but my brain was slow to catch up, making it impossible to put a voice to a face in my mind.
“I’m not telling you again. If you don’t leave, I will drag you out of this hospital myself. By your hair.”
That sounded like Mila, but I hadn’t heard that level of anger from her before.
“I’m only checking on the girl. Stop being so overdramatic.”
I cringed away from the sound of that voice, somehow knowing it was Rory, even though she sounded farther away than Mila.
“You don’t only do anything when it comes to Chance. Jos was just riling you up about being a helicopter mother, but you’re a freaking cosseter, Rory. No wonder Chance has never had a healthy relationship with a woman if you’re always bulldozing them out of his life.”
“That’s not true. He’s never had a relationship because he didn’t want one. This is different. Matt told me how Chance reacted last night. I merely wanted to have a chat with her.”
“Why? To see if she was worthy? Or maybe you wanted to warn her what would happen if she ever broke your son’s heart?”
“I was just trying to determine for myself if she was serious about him. The whole twin thing threw me. I thought Matt and Tanner were bullshitting like they always do when they told me about them dressing alike. Now that I know it’s true, I’m glad I stepped in.
That’s just weird. Those girls have mental health issues. ”
“Get out!” Mila’s voice cracked like a whip, harsh and heated, her emotions pricking my own. Even in my half-conscious state, I was thankful for Mila’s presence. I wanted Rory gone. Needed it.
“Don’t speak to me like that, Mila.”
“She said get the fuck out.”
A chill went through me at that voice, my every instinct shouting to wake up and get as far away from whoever it belonged to as I could.
It was cold and quiet in a commanding way that caused my lungs to squeeze, trapping the air inside.
Danger. I tried to open my eyes, to see who it was, but my lids were too heavy.
My body refused to cooperate with my brain.
“Shh, shh,” a soft voice soothed. Gentle fingers stroked over my forehead and cheek, brushing my hair back from my face.
Not Evie. I couldn’t sense my twin. But that voice and touch were calming, whereas the other caused me to try to curl into a ball, even semiconscious.
An image of red hair and pretty blue eyes flashed behind my lids.
Abi. “It’s okay. You’re safe. Sammy made her leave.
It’s just me and Mila now. Don’t be afraid, Everly. ”
I wanted to believe her, that I was safe, but it wasn’t me I was worried about. Evie might run into Rory, and if that woman made her cry, I was going to…
What?
Pay a hit man to kill her for me the same way I’d done to William?
Maybe.
“You had a panic attack on top of an allergic reaction. The doctors gave you high doses of intravenous antihistamines and a sedative. Rest now. We’re here to watch over you.”
Her voice was so comforting. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of me.
Mom and Aunt Mildred sure as fuck hadn’t.
Even though I’d been out in the world, experiencing all the things my sister was denied, I’d had no one I could rely on.
I only had myself, and the increasing sense of urgency to get to my sister.
I hadn’t been locked away like Evie, but life had been incredibly lonely without her.
Sleep pulled me under again, and this time, I didn’t fight it.
“I’m so sorry, Evy.”
Hearing Evie’s voice jerked me awake. I opened my eyes to find myself in a sterile room.
The lights were dimmed, and I was only vaguely aware of everything.
A few things stuck out, like the sticky pads on my body from the heart monitor and the IV that was attached to the back of my left hand.
Mostly, the smell of antiseptic mixed with sweet peaches that followed my sister around.
I was in what appeared to be a private room.
Evie’s warm fingers wrapped tightly around mine. With my brain still a little fuzzy, I needed a moment to focus on her, and then I realized she was crying. Huge tears spilled down her face, her nose was red and running, but she tried to give me a brave smile. “H-hey, you’re awake.”
“Who made you cry?” I demanded. My throat was dry, and my voice was hoarse. It sounded like I hadn’t spoken in years rather than hours. Or what felt like hours. Fuck, I hoped it was only hours.
How long had I been asleep?
For a flicker of a moment, I wondered if I’d missed my date with Reid, but I quickly pushed the thought away when my sister sniffled.
That was not on my priority list. At least, it shouldn’t have been.
That didn’t stop the disappointment. “I was just worried about you. How are you feeling? Any…discomfort?”
I assessed myself, waiting to experience the unholy itching and burning between my legs. I wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I wasn’t ready to claw my skin off either. Mostly, I felt swollen and a little sore. And one hundred percent still mortified.
Oh God, I’d met Reid’s mom while my vagina was on fire. Gotten into an altercation with his aunt. Discovered Ghost potentially lived in the same town I’d just moved my sister to. And then passed out.
This was high on the list of the worst days of my life.
“I’m fine. Now tell me what made you cry.”
She scrubbed a hand over her damp cheeks, and I realized she wasn’t wearing any makeup.
Her hair was pulled into a messy knot on top of her head with strands falling from every angle.
She wore a T-shirt that was like a tent on her slender frame and a pair of old yoga pants that were mine.
Definitely not the outfit I’d left on our bed for her so she could match me.
That caused a pang in my heart. Evie wasn’t twinning with me for the first time since she’d gained her freedom, which was another good sign that she was getting better mentally. But I needed that connection to her just as badly as she did.
I should have been celebrating. This was a huge victory in her recovery. But it hurt to see her not mirroring me.
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard once, twice. Blowing out a breath, she lifted her lashes. “Can you stop worrying about me for two minutes and focus on yourself? Please, Evy. We are two separate people. You matter too, damn it!”
Surprised by the way her voice rose, I could only stare at her for a long moment. “I-I know we are separate people.”
Her chin wobbled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice.
It’s just that you spend so much time worrying about me that you forget about yourself.
You are the most important person in the world to me.
If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would be alive right now.
” Her tears flowed faster as she shook her head.
“No. I know I wouldn’t be alive. You saved me when nothing else could. Without you, there is no me.”
“Evie—”
“I see it, Evy. You try to hide it to protect me, but I can see how broken you are. All of this—the move, the school, even the job—you did it all to help me heal. But not once have you done anything to help yourself. And now look what happened! You had a panic attack so bad that you passed out.”
“I’m okay,” I whispered, sinking back into the bed a little.
Her face darkened. “I won’t break if you admit that you’re not okay. What will destroy me is if I lose you.”
Tears clogged my throat. “As long as I have you, nothing else matters.”
“You will always have me.” She tightened her fingers around mine. “Maybe moving here was a mistake. We can pack one of the Jeeps with the bare necessities and drive around until we find a place that feels right.”
“What? No!” I sat upright, which caused the world to spin a little, but I fought off the dizziness.
Heart racing, I tried to think through the fog of panic and whatever drugs were lingering in my system.
Leaving wasn’t an option. Sure, we had obstacles that made our new living arrangements awkward, but we couldn’t leave.
That felt like running. Ghost’s presence was definitely something to be concerned about, but not even that mattered. Not when things were finally right.
“We are where we were meant to be. Creswell Springs is home. I feel it right here, with my whole heart.” I pressed our linked hands to my chest, a desperation to make her understand tightening inside me.
If we left, all the good things we’d gained would disappear.
Leaving meant losing more than I was willing to give up.
“I already see the change in you. This town is magical. You’re getting better every day. ”
“I’m healing because of you, Evy, not some stupid town. Being beside you is what is helping me. Each day I can wake up and touch you, I get another small piece of my soul back. That’s the magic. Not the place, but you.”
“I don’t want to leave.” As soon as the words left me, I realized they were true.
It wasn’t just because of how good this place was for my sister.
I wanted to live in Creswell Springs. Even with Ghost here.
Even with that bitch Rory running around mouthing off.
Even with that damn bloodhound and his fleas. I could make it work.
Somehow.
My twin stared at me for a moment. “Because of Reid?”
My stomach flipped at the mention of him. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
That tasted like a lie. Reid had a hell of a lot to do with it. It felt selfish. My focus should have been only on Evie. Even though I wasn’t giving my sister the full truth, I couldn’t lie to myself when it came to him. My heart was already engaged in a big way.
“I overheard his mom talking on the phone when I first got here,” Evie informed me. “She was trying to call him. Whatever he’s doing, he wasn’t answering his phone. Mila and Sammy both said they tried texting him with no response either.”
“He’s probably busy with work.” I shrugged. What little I knew about Reid, I didn’t think he would ignore his mother’s calls unless he had a good reason.
It would have been nice to have woken up to him beside me in the hospital with Evie, but he had no obligations to me. One night together didn’t mean we were anything special.
No matter how badly I wished we were.
Needing to turn the conversation away from Reid, I gave my sister’s outfit another once-over. “What’s the deal with you and the bloodhound? When I got home this morning, you were snuggled up on the couch together. Did you get lucky too?” I teased.
Pink filled her cheeks. “He said he wants to take things slow.”
“He does?” That surprised me. If anything, I’d expected him to have been ready to deflower Evie as quickly as Reid had me. That Chance hadn’t was a good thing, though. With my extreme reaction to the condoms, the likelihood of Evie having the same allergy was high.
Her shoulders drooped. “We made out and stuff. But then he just…stopped. Chance said he doesn’t want to rush me, but I don’t think he wants me the way I want him.
If he did, he wouldn’t have been able to stop in the middle of what we were doing.
I mean, he was acting like he couldn’t bear to have more than an inch of space between us all night, and there I was, ready to give him everything. It felt right, you know?”
Since I’d felt the same way with Reid, I nodded in understanding. “Yeah, that’s how it was for me.”
“And Reid couldn’t stop?”
“I think if I’d said I wasn’t ready, he would have.”
“Chance has a reputation. I heard multiple people talking about him last night at Hannigans’.
He hooks up with a different girl every weekend.
Sometimes a different one every time he goes to the bar.
” Jealousy flashed in her eyes, mixed with hurt.
“If he truly wanted me, he would have taken what I was offering. What, he can fuck every other girl who looks twice at him, but he won’t even show me his dick? ”
“Evie, I don’t think that’s the case. I’ll admit, I didn’t like him when I first met him yesterday.
But from my perspective, I think he’s wild for you.
” I couldn’t believe I was defending him, but here I was, trying to make my twin see that the bloodhound was attempting to be a better man for her instead of the horndog he was with every other woman.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to risk screwing up what you two have. He doesn’t want to scare you.”
“I’m so confused where he’s concerned.” She bit her lip, frowning down at her lap for a moment. “When Abi called to tell me you were in the hospital, I was a mess and couldn’t drive. He insisted on bringing me. It’s all a blur until we got here. And then I met Rory.”
I tensed at the mention of her. “I can only guess how fun that was.”
She grimaced. “She didn’t speak directly to me, but from what little I heard, she’s not a fan of either of us.”
Seeing fresh tears fill her eyes, I tugged her forward. Without hesitation, she moved to sit on the bed and wrapped her arms around me.
“People suck, Evie. Not everyone is going to want to be our friend. Some people are too small-minded to even try to understand.” I rubbed her back when I felt her shoulders begin to shake. “I’m so sorry you have to learn that the hard way.”
“There are a lot of lessons I still need to be taught,” she sniffled. “Even though it hurts, I’m thankful that I’m learning them now and not after I gave my whole heart away.”
“Giving your heart to someone doesn’t mean you’re weak, Evie.”
“Even if they don’t deserve it?” she whispered.