CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Reid
My pulse hasn’t stopped racing since I heard my girlfriend and sister screaming whilst I could do nothing but listen.
I don’t know how Jaxon is still Jaxon after what he heard with Lily.
Despite knowing Summer and Paisley are okay, my brain is still conjuring up horrific images, it’s tricking me into seeing other possible outcomes of the incident.
If it wasn’t for her hand being clutched in mine, I would drown in those images.
I would let the grief that has flooded my system keep me trapped.
I would let loose the anger that has been simmering in the pit of my stomach since the nurse told me I couldn’t stay with her.
Summer and I aren’t family. We aren’t married. The nurse couldn’t possibly know Summer means more to me than any label they print or tick on a piece of paper.
Summer has changed me. Or I grew. Or maybe this entire time, I had just been waiting for her.
I had been waiting for the woman who didn’t want me to change or tame me, and instead, gave me space to grow.
Either way, the man I am today is because of her.
I don’t even recognise the man I used to be.
The guy who would fuck a chick in a supply cupboard, or get a blow-job at the back of a club or bar, feels like a lifetime ago.
I have to remind myself that I was that person.
I fucked women for a release or to pass the time.
I remind myself to quieten the voice in my head that tells me I’ll hurt her.
That Reid would have hurt her. He would have flirted with any woman who paid him attention.
This Reid only sees Summer. He only wants Summer.
And I know I’ll never do anything to hurt her because I realised today, I would rather be tortured than ever cause her pain.
I will spend forever proving to myself I deserve her.
The nurse didn’t know any of that. She didn’t understand the connection that tied Summer and I together.
The only reason I didn’t lose my shit is because I knew it wouldn’t help Summer.
She didn’t want me to leave her side any more than I did.
She was already freaking out after waking up in an ambulance which is why she got sedated.
She didn’t need to wake up again and witness me losing my shit.
It’s why I sat in the waiting area, my gaze on the automatic doors, waiting for her parents to arrive. They would get me in there.
I thought for sure after this incident, they would change their minds about me, but they were just as concerned about me as they were Summer.
They demanded to know why I wasn’t back there with her, when apparently Summer had come to and repeatedly asked for me.
It had set me at ease, knowing soon I would be back near her side.
I haven’t left her since. Not when her cousins came to check on her.
Not when her sibling called. Or when they finally treated the small gash on her head.
Wyatt puts the car into park when we reach the farm, and that’s when I pull myself out of my thoughts. It is late, really late, and I’m beginning to feel it in my bones. “Why is Paisley not being dropped off at the bed and breakfast?”
Wyatt sighs as he turns the engine off. “She wants to find out if they found anything. She won’t be able to sleep until she knows.”
“She feels guilty for following him,” Summer rasps, sitting up from where she’s been leant on my shoulder. “She’s being hard on herself.”
I let out a tired breath, feeling it everywhere, and I wasn’t in the rolled over car. “Why don’t we go on in? Mum left early to make sure she had food ready for when we got back.”
Wyatt holds the door open whilst I stay beside Summer as she begins to slide out. He takes her hand, helping her out. I tense when I hear her groan.
“Maybe we should go straight to bed,” I offer in concern as I get out, closing the door behind me.
She takes my hand in hers again, her eyelids heavy when she blinks. “I’m okay, just a little stiff. My mouth is dry as hell too.”
Mum overhears. “I have some chamomile tea. I’ll get the kettle on.”
“Thanks, Mum,” I tell her, as Summer replies, “Thank you.”
I help her up the stairs to the house, and follow the low hum of voices in the living room.
My brothers, except Isaac and the twins, are here lounging on one sofa.
Liam and Maverick are looking through some papers laid out on the coffee table.
Landon is lowering Paisley down on the biggest sofa, so Summer and I take the love seat nearest the door.
Hunter joins us, lying cautiously at Summer’s feet.
Paisley sniffles once more, leaning into Landon. “I’m so sorry.”
“Stop apologising when you’ve done nothing wrong,” he pleads. “Was it the best idea you’ve ever had? No. But it’s not your fault.”
Summer sits up, her movements stiff as she clutches her chest. I know a large bruise is hiding under the T-shirt because I saw it during her examination.
“Paisley, you are talking like you acted recklessly. As soon as you thought it wasn’t safe, we left. You didn’t argue or hesitate.”
Paisley looks at Summer with tears swimming in her eyes. “I antagonised him. I made him come after us.”
“You said no more than I did,” Summer reminds her softly. “Do you blame me?”
Paisley’s eyes widen. “No. Of course not.”
Eli’s leather jacket rustles and squeaks as he sits up. “Did you see me chase Katherine after what she pulled and said at the function we were working?”
Jaxon nods. “People have a choice, P. Sebastian chose to get in that car. He thought he would get away with it.”
Summer leans back with a groan. Hunter whines sitting up, resting his head on her knees.
She brushes her fingers along his snout, soothing his anxiety.
“He got what he deserved. If that is all it took for him to run someone off the road, then he deserves to be behind bars. A dog has more patience waiting for their food to be dished. I keep thinking about all the things he would have done to us had I not had my phone recording. Or what he would have done to us after he stopped caring about the damn phone. That look in his eyes when he took that step before we got in the car... It really freaked me out. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad he’s been arrested.
” She pauses for a moment, squeezing my hand, but her gaze is still on Paisley. “I’m really sorry.”
“Sorry?” Paisley questions.
“I shouldn’t have crashed the car,” Summer rasps, then glances around the room. “I really didn’t mean for us to get hurt. I would never want to hurt Paisley or any of you.”
“We know,” I soothe, even though my entire body tenses. “We know.”
I briefly glance at Landon, making sure he’s keeping it together.
Unlike me who was too slow to reply to the nurse, Landon was quicker and told them he and Paisley were married.
That’s when I overheard Paisley telling him she gave Summer approval to stop the way she did.
She assured him it wasn’t Summer’s fault, and after a minute or two, I saw his shoulders relax.
More so after she gave him a list of reasons as to why she was at fault, and not Summer.
The blame game once again.
It tears people to shreds; scrambles their minds and breaks hearts.
It’s a game I’ve played too much.
Summer and Paisley knew braking was the only way they could get Sebastian caught red-handed.
If it weren’t for the live feed of him ramming into their car, or him resisting arrest, he may have gotten off with a fine.
As it stands, he has been arrested for assault, actual bodily harm, public order act offences, criminal damage and harassment.
And because luck seemed to be on our side today, a drug possession, and intent to sell charges, were added on to his arrest. It turns out, Sebastian had forgotten what he was hiding in his car.
Although he tried to shift the blame onto his bodyguard, I have a feeling that won’t fly this time.
“Are you kidding?” Paisley asks. “You braked preparing to block the road. We didn’t know it was going to flip. And I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but something good came from it.”
“If you say a new car like my dad, I’m not speaking to you,” Summer teases.
I snort, because I was witness to that conversation. Apparently, her dad doesn’t like the car and hasn’t since she first bought it. He didn’t like she was involved in a crash, but he is relieved she’ll need to get a better car, one that won’t break easily.
“No, Sebastian having those other charges piled onto him. I know he’ll probably talk his way out of this or at the most, get a short sentence, but it makes it worth it,” Paisley admits, her cheeks turning pink. “But I am sorry about your car.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Maverick rumbles, picking up another piece of paper. “These files contain a lot of evidence that the Black family are drug trafficking and have been for a while now. You were kind of right about why he wanted your shipping routes, Jaxon.”
“Kind of?” Jaxon questions.
“He wanted them to bring in guns, not drugs.”
Well fuck!
Liam nods. “There’s also blackmail in here for a lot of high-ranking government employees.
It looks like they’ve managed to run drugs for as long as they have because of them.
Although the financial document theft will get them a heavier sentence.
They have Andrew’s name on them, Sebastian’s, and there are a couple with his wife’s. ”
“So you did find stuff there?” I question, referring to the antique building Paisley pointed us to. A group went straight there whilst we carried on to the women, wanting to help them. All this time we’ve been looking for solid information and it was twenty minutes away from us.
“Was he there?” Paisley asks, clutching her hands together.