Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Blair
“Auntie Blair, Auntie Blair! Are you coming to our party? It’s coming up, and Dad said we had to share… again! Tell him we want our own parties. We’re too old to share. We aren’t babies anymore!”
The twins had been running me ragged all day talking about their party decorations and fighting over who got to pick out the pinata and who got to cut the cake first. I loved them, but I had only been at my brother’s for three days, and I was already exhausted.
“I think Brenden is right, Chris. They’re little men now, and they have different styles. Maybe they should have their own parties.”
My brother huffed. He could rarely say no to his boys. “Perhaps you’re right, little sister. I’ll talk to your mother, and if she agrees, we will start planning separate parties. But I don’t like it!”
I rolled my eyes and laughed when Brenden and Cole rushed to tackle me in a hug.
“I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t been back here since the last time you were here,” Chris said as we were getting out of the car.
Chelsea kept the boys home so we could see our parents. We waited until after dinner and left while they were getting ready for bed.
“You have a family and a busy life, Chris. They understand.” I smiled and squeezed his arm.
It had been way too long since I had seen them, too. I talked to them almost every day, just as I talked to Gran, but it wasn’t the same as coming to see them.
We took our usual spot on the grass and took turns telling them how much we loved and missed them. Chris told them about the boys and their birthday parties they were now having. I was surprised to see his eyes water at the mention of them growing up.
I told them about being a best-seller and how I hoped they were proud of me. I also told them about Drea, and I started crying when I told them that we’d broken up. Chris was there to comfort me, and it was nice.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to no one in particular.
Chris helped me stand as I wiped the tears away. “Let’s say our goodbyes and get back to the boys, okay?”
I nodded, and we took our turns saying goodbye before heading back to the house.
I said goodnight to everyone early, but I couldn’t sleep.
I was still thinking about Drea, and whenever I closed my eyes, they would fill with tears, picturing all our memories together.
Mostly the hurt I felt hearing all the things she had said to Cara.
Making it sound like I meant absolutely nothing to her, while she meant everything to me.
It was nearly two in the morning and I still couldn’t sleep, so I gave up and headed to the kitchen for a late-night snack.
When we were younger, my brother and I used to sneak into the pantry after our parents had gone to sleep, and we’d eat chocolate chips right out of the bag. They never caught us, or if they did, they never said anything.
“I should’ve known I’d find you in here.”
I was sitting with my laptop in the kitchen when Chris came in. I’d gotten my computer before I’d come down, knowing I shouldn’t have.
Sometimes when I was upset and crying, I thought it was helpful to have something to make me cry harder. It was a weird coping mechanism of mine, and I still didn’t know if it was healthy, but it made me feel better… eventually.
I was already thinking about her, so I’d decided to bite the bullet and open the email from Rylee.
She had sent me the pictures from the wedding, and they were gorgeous…
until I got to the ones she’d taken of me and Drea.
Dancing together. Kissing. Looking perfectly happy and in love… at least one of us wasn’t faking it.
“Blair?” I was so lost in thought I had forgotten Chris was standing in the doorway.
“Hey,” I said quietly, quickly trying to wipe the tears away. “Why are you up?”
He walked over to me, and his face softened when he saw me. He took some chocolate from the bag. “I couldn’t sleep. You?”
“Same.” I shrugged, turning my attention back to the pictures.
“Is that the wedding you went to? They look happy.”
I nodded. “Yeah. They really do, don’t they?”
“They aren’t the only ones. You two look quite smitten with each other, you know?”
I huffed out a sad laugh. “Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving. I was, but I guess I was delusional.”
I slammed the laptop closed and covered my face with my hands. I didn’t like anyone seeing me cry. Least of all over some woman.
Chris enveloped me in a hug, and I leaned into it, unable to hide the pathetic sob that escaped me.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
“I loved her, Chris. Like fucking seriously loved her. I thought I could see us settling down together. How pathetic is that? Months ago, I despised her!”
“Hey, hey. It’s not pathetic at all. Love doesn’t have a time requirement. It happens when it happens, and you can’t change that.”
“Yeah, well. I can make sure it never happens again. This feeling fucking sucks, and I’m not going through it again.”
“Oh, don’t say that. It only sucks because it was real. You can’t give up on love, Sis. Just take some time for yourself. But don’t give up! I know how much it hurts right now, but it will get better.
I snorted. “I know you’re right, but right now, it sucks.”
It did suck. I was still so angry with her, but the love I had for her was still just as strong. I was determined to get over her and move on.
We were sitting in the living room two days later still talking about the boys’ parties. Now that they were getting separate parties, there was a lot more to manage.
“Hold on, Chris, someone’s calling me.” I reached for my phone and froze when I saw Cara’s name light up on the screen. I hadn’t talked to her since I’d left her office. She never even messaged me after the signing, but I didn’t know why I expected her to.
I furrowed my brows and answered hesitantly. “Hello?”
“Oh my God, Blair, I’m so glad you picked up!” She was frantic and sounded like she had been running.
“Why, what’s wrong?” She was starting to freak me out a bit.
“Blair, it’s Drea… There’s been an accident.”
Everything in my body felt as if it had stopped working. My eyes couldn’t see, my ears couldn’t hear, and my lungs couldn’t absorb oxygen.
“What?” I whispered, almost dropping my phone. I had to sit down.
I was in the middle of the living room, and I didn’t even make it to the couch before my legs gave out and I sat in the middle of the floor.
“It’s all over the news. There was a storm a few days ago—”
“Days?! What happened? Is she okay?” Is she dead? I couldn’t bring the words out of my throat. I was too afraid to hear the answer.
“I don’t know. There was an accident on the highway, near the airport. There were five cars involved. One of them was her car. She was being carried out on a stretcher. They said there were a few fatalities and some in critical condition, but they aren’t giving any details.”
I couldn’t breathe. “Does Fallon know? Kaia, Penelope, her parents?”
“Yes, her parents are flying in from Portland, and Fallon called me. She’s a mess, so I told her I’d call you. I’m sorry this is how we have to speak for the first time, but—”
“Where is she?” I was already packing my bags before the words had left my mouth.
“Blair, you’re in—”
“Where is she, Cara? I’m coming home.”
“She’s at Northwest Medical. I tried to call, but they wouldn’t tell me anything because I’m not family. Fallon called her parents, though.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Call me if anything else happens. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t left—”
“Blair Ameilia, don’t! This is not your fault. Just get here when you can.”
I didn’t bother saying goodbye when I hung up.
“Chris, can you drive me to the airport, please? I have to go home.” I could barely get the words out through the tears. I didn’t know what was going on, and I didn’t know if she was alive or…
“Blair, calm down, please. What happened?”
“I’m sorry. It’s an emergency. I… Drea was in an accident, and I don’t know what’s going to happen. Can you please take me to the airport or get me a car so I can finish packing?”
He grabbed my arms and stopped my frantic movements. “Breathe. It’s only a few hours away, and it’s cheaper if I drive you. I’ll leave the boys with Chelsea. Let me grab my keys and let her know.”
He hugged me, and I cried into his shoulder. “What if she’s gone, Chris? What if she’s gone and I wasn’t there? I should have been there. I should have—”
“No. Don’t say that. She’s going to be fine, I promise.”
He couldn’t possibly promise something like that, but I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I nodded in agreement and finished packing.