Page 48 of Anywhere with You
I shake my head. Aiden rubs his hands up and down my back,while his parents stand close by, but I refuse to let go of Liam. I tighten my arms around him, take a deep breath, and rasp out the words, “She’s gone.”
“Who’s gone?” he asks, still keeping an eye on Jason.
All of them look really confused except for Hailey. She knew I was going out to return a call to Judy. “Oh, God,” she cries.
“What? Can someone, please, tell me what is going on?” Liam raises his voice. I tense at the sound. “I’m sorry, baby, I’m scared. I don’t know what’s wrong, you’re upset, and I can’t make it go away unless you tell me,” he pleads.
“Gran, she’s g...g...gone. J...Judy…” I break down in sobs. “Judy called, she was sleeping, she checked on her, and she’s gone. She tried CPR, but it was too late, she was already gone.” I bury my head in Liam’s chest and let the pain that is tearing through my heart unleash with my tears.
He squeezes me tight. “Oh, Allie, I’m so sorry.” He embraces me in his arms. “I’m taking her home,” he says to everyone.
“No, I need to go to her. I need to go to Grans. Please.” I cry harder.
“Okay, I’ll take you there.” He looks to Aiden. “Can you get my bag from the locker room and meet us at the car? I have a change of clothes in there I can change into when we get there.”
“Sure, man, go on, and I’ll be right behind you,” Aiden says, already turning in the direction of the locker room.
“Dad, can you call the airport and get us on the next flight out?”
“I got it covered, son,” he tells Liam.
“I’m coming with you,” Hailey says to Aiden as she follows him.
“Allison, honey.” Mrs. Emerson is rubbing my back. “We’re changing our flight as well. We’ll meet you there, okay, sweetheart?”
I nod, but it’s Liam who responds, “Thank you both. Mom, Dad, I’ll call you and keep you posted.”
“Sounds good, son, you just take care of our girl,” Liam’s dad tells him. Both of his parents give me a hug. I still refuse to let go of Liam.
He turns to Jason. “Thanks, man, for helping her.”
Jason nods. “I’m sorry for your loss, Allison.” Then he walks away.
Liam picks me up and carries me out to the cab that’s waiting to take us back to the hotel. He opens the rear passenger door to set me in the car, and I panic. I keep my hold firm around his neck. “Oh, Allison, baby, I’m so sorry,” he says, tightening his grip on me.
I hear Aiden talking and the next thing I know Liam’s climbing in the back seat with me in his arms, never letting me go. He holds me close and continues to tell me how sorry he is, how much he loves me, and how everything is going to be okay.
All I can think is I’m alone, all alone. I have no family left in the world. It’s just me. I feel hollow inside. My tears continue to flow as I fall asleep in Liam’s arms.
CHAPTER 34
Liam
My fucking heart is breaking. Allison refuses to let go of me, so I’m holding her in my arms while Aiden drives us to Gran’s from the airport. My beautiful girl is in so much pain, and I don’t know what to do to make it better. She falls asleep almost instantly, and I’m glad. She has an emotional journey ahead of her, and I need a minute to get my emotions in check. I went from elation from the win, to full on outrage, to scared shitless, to heartbroken for her. That’s a damn tornado of emotions in a span of what, five minutes. When I thought Jason had hurt her, I was going to kill him. I wouldn’t have stopped until he was dead. Then when she told me he was helping her, fear crashed through me, who hurt her? What happened to have her this upset? When she finally told me Gran was gone, I felt my heart breaking. Not only had I become close to Gran over the last several months, but I knew what this meant for Allison. The devastation of losing Gran is going to take a toll on her emotionally, and I have no fucking idea how to help her.
We pull into the driveway, and Allison is still asleep. She slept the entire flight as well. I brush the hair off her cheek and whisper in her ear, “Allie, we’re here. Wake up.”
She bolts straight up in the seat, flings the door open, and runs to the house. It takes my brain about ten seconds to register before I’m right behind her. I catch up to her as she’s going up the steps. I reach around her and open the door. Judy’s sitting in the living room, curled up on the couch with a box of tissues. The chair where Gran always sits is empty. Allison starts to fall to her knees, but I catch her just in time. I lower us both to the floor and cradle her in my lap while her entire body shakes with gut wrenching sobs. Her tears are falling so fast, I can’t wipe them away. I feel tightness in my chest and before I even realize it, I’m crying too. I want to take this pain from her, I want to make it better, and I can’t. I’m scared to death for her, for how this is going to affect her emotionally. God, how am I going to get her through this?
Aiden and Hailey come in, carrying our bags. Aiden’s parents are right behind them. Aiden has showered and changed. “Ash,” Aiden says, “come sit with me, let’s let Liam get showered and changed.” He speaks softly to her. We left the game, the celebration and went straight to the hotel to pack and then to the airport. Dad was able to get the four of us a flight within a few hours of finding out about Gran. Showering was the last thing I was thinking about, but I did manage to change out of my uniform before Allie was latched back onto me.My girl is broken.
Allison shakes her head. “Can I—can I come with you?” she asks me.
“I can wait, baby, we’re good here for now,” I tell her.
“No, you need to shower and change, but I just…”
“Allison,” Mrs. Emerson addresses her, “how about you and I take a walk?”
