Page 99 of Meet Me in the Vines
“Donovan, thank you for loving my baby girl. Thank you for protecting her and helping her heal.” Her hands tremble as she holds me. “Her life was not an easy one, but know this—you are a miracle,” she cries, her soft cheek brushing against mine.
She’s amazing, Mouse. I can’t wait to tell you about her.
“Please tell my honey tulip how much I love her.” Her eyes water, but they’re full of hope.
“I will. I promise.”
Violet opens her arms to me and I hold her against my chest, memorizing how it feels to hug her. “I love you, Violet. Thank you for everything. Noah loves you. Audrey loves you. Everyone loves you,” I murmur, kissing her hair. She wipes the corner of my eye and puts her hand on my cheek, her palm soft as silk. “Oh, my sweet boy. I love you too. Thank you,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
I turn to face James and crash into his arms. We stay like this for a moment, breathing each other in.
“I just got you back. I can’t leave you. I need you, big bear,” I plead, begging for a way where he can come back with me. Where they all can come back. But I know they can’t.
His chest shakes as we silently cry into each other, not wanting to let each other go. But he finally breaks the embrace, placing his hands on my shoulders.
“Now, you listen to me.” His eyes narrow in on mine. Ocean meets ocean. “You have a whole life ahead of you. And as painful and wonderful as it is to have you here, you don’t belong here. Not yet. You hear me?” His voice trembles as he ticks his jaw, holding my face between his hands. I nod as I grip his wrists, tears rimming the edges of my eyes. One blink, and they fall. “Say hi to Mom and Dad for me? A kiss for Wyatt and Kerry, too,” he murmurs, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Love you boys.” He kisses the top of my head and stares hard into my eyes.
“I love you, Donovan. I always will. And I will always be there for you, whether I am here or there. I’m everywhere. Forever, little bear.”
I stifle a sob, resting my forehead on his. “I love you, James.Forever.” I breathe, clutching him to me one last time.
“Say hi to Audrey for us. Tell her we love her,” James says, his palm resting on my heart. Wren and Violet follow, with tears in their eyes, stacking their hands on top of my brothers.
My eyes close and I see a tunnel of light. I open them one last time and take in their faces, remembering each feature. Violet’s kind smile, Wren’s sunset hair, and James.
All of James.
Each of them smiles at me, ready to let me go. “Thank you,” I whisper, meeting their gazes. James gives me a nod and I nod back, closing my eyes.
I picture Audrey and run towards her. I run towards her laugh, her smile, her soul, her heart. I run until the last thing Isee is her bright green eyes drowning me before a bright flash blinds me.
And I gasp for air.
Chapter Thirty-Four
AUDREY
Donovan died last night. He died right in front of me. I watched in terror on that ambulance ride as his heart stopped beating. For two minutes, my person, my soulmate, my best friend, lay lifeless on the stretcher as hands and bodies frenzied around him in a steady beat, trying to compensate for the absence of rhythm on his heart monitor. That lone piercing beep echoes in my head, reminding me of everything at stake. And for two dreadful minutes, my mind conjured painstaking images of a life without Donovan.
As soon as we arrived at the hospital, the paramedics rushed him in through the double doors to the emergency room—taking my heart and my future with them. That was the last I saw of him.
They left me outside those doors. I begged to go in, wailing and screaming, until Wyatt came up behind me, holding me back. I’ll never forget the look in Wyatt’s eyes when he saw the amount of blood on my hands and clothes. His pupils dilated, darkened in fear, as if I had taken the blue hues and erased them myself. My heart shattered at his expression, wishing I could take the pain away from this family.
“Please, save him! Please!”My own piercing voice haunts my mind. I fell to my knees, falling victim to the tsunami of emotions I held at bay, only for them to take over and drown me from the inside out.
Wyatt and Kerry mustered the strength to whisk me away into the waiting room, holding on to me like I deserved it.“It’s okay, Audrey. We got you,”they’d said. Every affirmation might as well have been a bullet straight to my chest.
I sat against a frigid wall instead, unable to get myself into a chair, staring at the dried blood on my hands. Caleb held Grace tightly while she sobbed into his chest. His stare was empty and cold. A lot like how I felt.
Wyatt and Kerry sat incredibly still in their seats, as if any erratic movement would put a final stake into the reality that Donovan’s heart stopped. The stillness in them held a glimmer of hope, because I was doing the same thing. Every breath held was a frayed rope to hold on to—just enough to keep the faith that Donovan would make it. But as I watched the silent tears fall from his brothers’ faces, I blamed myself. I caused pain for this family. I did this.
When a nurse walked in after what seemed like hours, asking for Donovan King’s family, everyone but me shot up out of their seats and rushed over to her. I held my breath, my bottom rooted into the floor. Her back was to me, her voice soft. I clutched onto my heart, expecting the worst.
“He’s gone.” “We couldn’t get him back.” “I’m sorry.”
But those weren’t the words that she uttered. “We were able to reestablish a heartbeat, but we’re preparing him for open-heart surgery.”
Wyatt and Kerry both let out a devastating breath, one that held fear and hope as they cried, clinging to each other. Caleb’s mouth fell agape as Grace embraced him with worry and reliefclear on their faces. He was alive. Donovan was alive. My heart stopped the minute I heard his started.
