Page 78 of Marry Me

“It happened just outside of town. Apparently, Brent took the day off to go four-wheeling with a few of his buddies.” It wasn’t anything new. One of his favorite ways to blow off steam. The guys would shoot their mouths off, drink some beer, and drive around the Carmichaels’ rural property until the sun set. “They didn’t get too far into their day when Brent flipped his vehicle while taking a corner at a high rate of speed. They transported him to Presbyterian, and I don’t want to upset you, but it sounds serious, Ally. I know he wasn’t conscious when he was transported.”

She blinked. Processing. “Why wasn’t he at work? He was rolling out a new floor plan for one of the stores, and now he’s hurt. How does that just happen?”

“I don’t know,” Megan said, her voice sympathetic. “I’m so sorry this happened. Let me finish a client meeting, and I’ll come by, so you’re not alone.”

“No.” She tried desperately to make her brain work faster. “I think I’m going to head to my parents’ house, let them know. Can I call you later?”

“Oh.” A pause. “Yes, definitely. And if I hear more, I’ll let you know immediately.”

The sky was inexplicably clear, and the sun shone brightly, like any other day. How odd. How did the sun not know that a good person was fighting for their life? The sunbeams that lit up her half of the car felt warped and out of place.

She pulled her car into the driveway of her childhood home and in desperation, needing to know more, placed a call to Jeff, Brent’s younger brother. It was possible he hated her, but they’d always had such a great relationship in the past that she hoped he could overlook all that had happened, given the circumstances.

“Please don’t hang up on me,” Ally said when he answered. “I need to know what’s going on.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” She exhaled. Thank God.

Tears sprang into her eyes. “How is he?”

She heard him exhale. “They’re taking him upstairs in a few minutes,” Jeff said. She could hear him walking, probably putting distance between himself and the family. “He was driving so reckless, Ally. I told him to knock it off, but he wouldn’t listen. He just had this look about him. Wild, you know? I tried.”

She pushed back against her seat as if it would absorb some of her concern. Guilt flared. He was having a hard time lately because ofher. “Hey, this isn’t your fault,” she told Jeff. “It was an accident. Is he going to be okay?” That last sentence she was only able to choke out, emotion having robbed her vocal cords of their ability. God, what if they lost him?

“We don’t know. Broken ribs, a broken wrist. His nose.” She rolled her lips in, hating those details. “His face was cut up a little when I saw him.”

“What now?”

“We’re waiting on a CT of his head, to see if there was any trauma. I don’t see how there couldn’t be. That thing was on top of him.”

That last part rattled her. “Let’s just wait.” And she did. Megan checked in with her, which was nice, and propped her up in the midst of the sickness that swirled and thrashed in her stomach. Not much news was coming her way. Allison went home and didn’t move. She sat on her couch, staring at the wall as the excruciating minutes ticked by.

Eventually, her phone rang. Jeff. “Like we thought. Multiple broken bones, and his brain is swollen. They’ll be watching him overnight and doing what they can to bring the pressure down. That’s their first priority.”

“Okay, but did they seem hopeful?” Her voice sounded scratchy, even to her. It was after one a.m., and every part of her body ached from the tension it carried.

“They said they’ll sit more comfortably once the head injury has been stabilized.”

“Good. Okay. Then we wait for that. It’s going to stabilize. I can feel it.” After hanging up, she sat back and let her gaze, once again, settle on the wall across the room and allowed her mind to drift to happier memories. When her parents opened the shop. On the beach with Megan’s arms around her. Brent’s birthday when she’d bought him that sweater three sizes too big, and they’d laughed until they had tears streaming. She bit the inside of her lip to tamp down the emotion, realizing how very blessed she’d been with the people in her life. She nodded, reminding herself that there would be more memories to come with Brent. He would find a way through this, not the type to give up. His body would fight now.

She had to believe that, will it to happen.

Chapter Seventeen

The Soiree office suite felt unusually quiet in the early morning hours. Megan was used to the commotion of her staff as they moved around the space, teasing each other, working together on details, or taking client calls that drifted down the hall, mingling in a jumble of energetic voices. With Allison out of pocket and looking in on Brent this entire week, she’d had trouble sleeping. When that happened, her best remedy was to busy herself. Arriving at the office at six a.m. had actually turned into a four-day streak she’d grown fond of. The alone time gave her a chance to tackle things like email, organization, and big picture project managing without so many small interruptions.

“Oh, my Jimmy Choos, you’re here early again.” Kelsey.

“Well, you’re early, too,” Megan said, squinting at the clock. It wasn’t yet eight. Kelsey was more of an eight forty-five kinda girl.

“I know. It’s horrible, too. I have a bride who can only meet before work, so here I am like a dutiful little wedding bitch.”

“That’s how I think of you, too.”

“You sleeping any better? You don’t look it.”

“Thanks.” Megan shook her head. “I wish. But everything is just so weird right now.”

“What’s the update? How’s Brent?”

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