by Christi Snow
With his stomach roiling, Austin knew he couldn’t stay there.
He somehow found himself in a chapel on another floor. How he ended up there, he didn’t know. Hell, he wasn’t even religious, but sank into a pew, anyway. Silent tears coursed down his cheeks and struggled to breathe without sobbing.
He had no idea how long he sat there, long enough for his ass to go numb. Eventually his cell phone vibrated.
Pulling it out of his pocket, he had a feeling this was the news he’d been dreading for days from Emily.
But when he opened it, it said the two words he wasn’t expecting.
Daniel’s awake.
DANIEL
Daniel wearily dragged his eyelids open. Why was it so hard to do that? He didn’t understand. Sleep kept pulling him under like the surf of the ocean.
The ocean.
Daniel’s eyes flew open on a terrified gasp.
His mother stood there grasping hold of his hand. “Shh, you’re okay. It’s okay. Relax. You’re going to be okay.”
His gaze darted around the room, trying to figure out what happened. Everything hurt, but even in this groggy state, he could tell he wasn’t feeling the full effect of the extreme pain. Something bad had happened. He could sense it in his bones.
“Brady?” he asked. He still couldn’t remember what happened, but he had a sense that Brady had been there and in trouble. Oh shit. Had Brady died? He tried to sit up, but his mom held him down.
“Shh,” she shushed him again. “Brady’s fine. You will be fine now that you’re awake, too. Every day will get easier. You just need to calm down, Daniel. Relax. The doctor is coming.”
His mom’s hand on his shoulder held him in place. How could she do that? She wasn’t even trying, but there was no way he was strong enough to push past her.
“What...happened?” Forcing the words from his brain to his mouth felt like wading through goo. It took so much effort.
“You were in a plane crash.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. Why was she crying? “You’re lucky to be alive. You’re our miracle. They didn’t think you would survive, but you will be okay now. Do you hear me, Daniel? No matter how bleak things seem, you will be okay. You lived, and that’s all that matters.”
Oh, god. What was she talking about? What was wrong with him? Why was she talking like this? He tried to understand, to take stock of his body. So much pain. Everywhere. His head, his torso, his legs. Hell, it felt like his eyelashes even hurt. It was hard to breathe past the agony.
He struggled to sit up, to look down his body, and take stock. Then he remembered.
His legs.
The plane. The water.
Gone.
Blood. So much blood.
He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe.
His mother screamed for help, her panic echoing his own.
People rushed into the room.
Something warm flooded his veins.
Blackness filtered into the edges of his vision.
My life is over.
THE PRESENT
Chapter Eight
LATE NOVEMBER
AUSTIN
Austin flipped through the paperwork he needed to sign before going home for Thanksgiving break. Emily’s name on one paper grabbed his attention. He glanced over it.
Hodges Media owned several properties throughout the world for various public relations outreach projects. This was a request from Emily for use of one of their smaller cabins in the Colorado mountains over the Christmas holiday, when she was supposed to be at the Gresham family compound with her husband, Brady.
Austin’s stomach sank.
No. She and Brady couldn’t be having problems. He’d seen them just a few weeks ago and they’d been happier than ever, even talking about adopting.
He picked up his phone and dialed Emily’s number.
“Hey, Austin,” she said when she answered. “How’s my favorite brother? Does this phone call mean you’ve changed your mind about spending Thanksgiving with us?”
“Us? So, things are still good between you and Brady?”
“Of course they are. Why would you think they’re not?” She sounded confused.
“I just saw your request for use of the Serenity Meadows cabin. Isn’t that when you’re supposed to be with the whole family at the compound in Colorado?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry. I’m not requesting the cabin for me. Brady’s cousin, Daniel, is having a hard time adjusting since the plane crash, and his over-protective family isn’t helping any. He needs an escape, some time alone, but he can’t drive yet and Brady wants him close enough that someone from the family can come help if he needs it. The Serenity Meadows cabin is only about an hour away from the Gresham Compound, so we thought it would be perfect as a solution that everyone could feel comfortable with. That’s not a problem, is it?”
Austin’s muscles tightened at the mere mention of Daniel’s name. Austin had kept up with his recovery through Emily and knew he’d had a hard time adjusting...obviously. Who wouldn’t have a difficult time when faced with the reality of life with a double leg amputation?
But overall from the reports that Austin had heard, Daniel had been doing remarkably well with his youth and excellent physical fitness before the accident helping a great deal.
“Of course Daniel can use it. Do you know? Is he playing music at all?”
Emily blew out a sigh. “No, and that’s a lot of the reason the family is going along with this plan. They know how miserable it is for all them when their internal music goes silent. Daniel claims there are too many voices constantly around him so he can’t hear it anymore.”
Emily chuckled lightly. “They’re a close-knit bunch, but from what I’ve seen Daniel is never alone, or allowed to breathe enough just so he can figure out what his life will look like now. So, I’m not sure how much of it is a real need to recapture his music or if that’s just an excuse he knows they can’t argue with. I’m worried about him. Granted, I don’t know him near as well as the others do, but while he laughs and smiles at all the right times, it’s almost like he’s a ghost of his former self. There’s no real light in his eyes. Right now, he’s missing more than just his legs. Maybe it’s the music...” Her voice trailed off.
Or maybe it’s something else, like Luke, Austin mentally answered for her.
“Okay,” Austin said. “When I saw the request, I was just worried that something might be wrong between Brady and you.”
“No, never.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “He’s been great, although I’d love some alone time with him. Life has been crazy with the movie and the upcoming adoption. It makes me want to feature a snowed-in trope for my next book, just so I can do the research for it.”
“Snowed-in trope?” he asked.
“Yeah, you know in romance...when the guy and the girl are too stubborn to admit their desires, they get snowed in. Stuck in a remote cabin with just the two of them, so they have to admit their feelings. Romantic, cozy ambiance, nothing to do but get warm together.” Her tone of voice made all sorts of insinuations that made his face heat. He didn’t want to discuss sex or anything close to it with the person he considered to be his sister.
“Okay,” he said uncomfortably. “Well, look at that. I’m going to be late to my meeting. I’ll catch up with you later, Em.”
She laughed. “Goodbye, Austin. Next time we get together we need to talk about your prudish tendencies.”
He was shaking his head and smiling when he hung up the phone. Snowed-in trope. Who knew?
But...
Austin gazed unseeingly down at the cabin request paperwork that Emily had put in. Did getting snowed-in together really work to encourage a romance? It had to for someone or else it wouldn’t even be a thing, right?
Ideas began to buzz around in Austin’s head.
He picked up his cell phone and shot off a quick text to Emily. Quick question for you.
Emily: Sure. What’s up?
Austin: Luke doesn’t travel with Brady to the family thing at Christmas, does he?
Emily: No. Luke gets that time off every year. I think he sometimes picks up other bodyguard work during the break just to do something different.
That’s exactly what he wanted to hear. Thanks, Em. I might have a job for him. Can you send me Luke’s contact number?
After he checked the text that she sent with the number, he thumbed on his intercom. “Prescott, can you come in here? I need your help to sort through the details on a very special, delicate job.”
Chapter Nine
MID-DECEMBER
DANIEL
Daniel gritted his teeth as he used his forearm crutches to navigate the three steps leading up the porch of the small cabin. Luckily someone had already shoveled the snow, so the steps weren’t slick, although with the snow coming down it wouldn’t take long before they were impossible for him to navigate.
He hated using the crutches, but if he wanted Brady to leave him here, he couldn’t show any sign of weakness. After seven months wearing the prosthetics, he could manage them pretty well, but days like this where he had to travel in less than ideal conditions he got sore and tired. That was a recipe for a fall. He didn’t want to tempt fate or have another humiliating fall in front of his cousin. He refused to let his pride keep this from happening. He desperately needed this time away from his family.
The last nine months had been some of the most trying of his entire life. While he knew he was lucky to be alive, there were days when it was so hard to hold on to that. He understood why his mother worried about him being alone. Hell, there were some days when her worry was absolutely justified, but shit...
He couldn’t do that to his friends and family. He wouldn’t, no matter how hard things were.
He rolled his shoulders and tried to relax. He had the next week to live on his own in this cabin. Maybe he’d learn who he was now in this new reality.
He’d been practically living on his own since he was eighteen. Now at twenty-five, having to live with his mother and the rest of his family hovering almost constantly was slowly sucking the life out of him. He had to prove to them all that he would and could survive on his own. It was past time. Because he refused to have his mother come over and check on him daily for the rest of his life.
Glancing around the upscale, one-story, modern-styled, log cabin, he nodded. This should work. “This is nice. What did you say Emily’s company uses it for?” He would expect a corporate cabin to be filled with luxurious touches and vast amounts of space, which this was but it still felt small and cozy and he only saw a doorway leading to one bedroom in the open design floor plan. In his experience, corporate retreats were generally bigger than this one appeared.
Brady smirked. “I think the executives use this cabin more for romantic getaways than for publicity perks. Emily mentioned something about how their executives work long hours, so they provide cabins like this one and a few others scattered throughout the country free of charge. The execs can bring their significant other for a week a year to thank them for being so patient for their husband or wife working such long hours.”
“Okay. That makes sense.” Daniel nodded and tried not to grimace.
Nice. Nothing like rubbing in his forever-single status like a week alone inside a glorified love nest.
Brady carried Daniel’s bags to the bedroom and then came out and checked the large, stainless steel refrigerator. “It looks like you’re stocked. There are frozen dinners, soups, and casseroles in the freezer and a ton of different options in the fridge. There’s plenty of firewood for the fireplaces in case the storm knocks out the power.” Brady bit his lip and eyed Daniel. “Are you sure you want to stay here alone?”
“I’ll be fine, Brady. Thanks for bringing me, but you’re just a phone call away. I brought extra portable chargers for my electronics, so even if I lose power I should be able to call you on my cell.” He took a deep breath and tried to give Brady his most confident look. “I took care of myself fine before. The plane crash didn’t hurt my ability to think. I’m an adult and can be trusted to stay by myself for a few days.”
Brady ran his hand through his hair, looking worried. “I know. I realize that. Just remember if something happens to you, it’s me who will pay since I’m the one who helped to convince them that this was a good option. If something happens to you, Aunt Stephanie will cut my balls off and Emily really wouldn’t like that. It would just be an all-around real mess. Don’t cause a family rift, okay?”
Daniel snorted and rolled his eyes. “I’ll do what I can to prevent any family drama, because lord knows, your balls are my utmost concern.”
Brady nodded seriously. “As they should be.” Brady looked at his watch.
“Go,” Daniel said. “I know you’re eager to get back to your wife. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if anything happens. I promise.”
“Okay.” Brady nodded and headed toward the front door. But then he stopped and turned back around. “I love you, ya know? I don’t say it enough, and I know this year things have looked bleak. But you’re doing so much better than anyone ever expected. You’ve proven to all of us—and to your doctors—that you are one tough motherfucker. This next year will be epic. You just need to believe it.”
Daniel’s chest grew tight, but he couldn’t give into the emotions pulsing there or else Brady would never leave. Instead, he glared at his cousin and best friend. “I know your wife has made you soft, but geez. Feelings? I am so not up for doing that with you, you jerk.” Daniel smiled wide at Brady’s shocked expression then he flat out laughed. “Leave, you idiot. I’m fine and I’ll be even better when you come back to pick me up in a week. Promise.”
“Okay. Call or text me,” Brady said, and then finally, he left.
Daniel took a deep breath. Alone, at last.
Now what?
He waited until he heard the crunch of Brady’s car driving away before he moved. When no one was around to see, he didn’t mind the crutches as much. He’d much rather have the sore muscles in his fully healthy arms than the pain that plagued his residual limbs. The crutches helped to take even the smallest bit of weight off them.
Suddenly the quiet of the cabin felt weighty with only his own thoughts to fill the silence. What would he do here for a whole week alone? He’d been so focused on making it happen—finding some time without his family hovering—that he hadn’t considered what he’d do with this time.
He’d told his family he needed to be alone so he could connect with his music to prepare for the band’s New Year’s Eve concert...one that was supposed to signal his return to the stage. Just thinking about it made him feel nauseated.
What a joke to think he could perform again. He hadn’t heard a note inside his head since before the plane crash. Even trying to play songs he knew were good, sounded dissonant to his ear, to where the vibrations literally made him sick.
But his music had just been the only excuse he could come up with that his family would understand and accept.
The accident had upended his life, but he had been struggling long before that. Even before the plane crash, just getting out of bed had almost become too much for him to handle.
And now...he knew he had to get a handle on this—the reality of his life now and the depression lurking in the corners of his mind—before he couldn’t manage it any longer. He needed to refocus on his wellbeing, not on what he was missing, because he would never get that back. Never get Luke back. Never see Austin again.
Right now, he wasn’t sure which loss hurt more...the music that had died in his mind or his nonexistent love life.
Love, what a joke. He obviously wasn’t made for it.
First Luke, then Austin...
And now no one would want him, not like this. He looked down at his prostheses in disgust. He hated them and what they represented. His life would never be the same. His world hadn’t been perfect before, but he’d at least had the hope that
it could be someday.
Daniel blew out a shuddery breath. He’d been questioning his life choices before the accident. At twenty-five, he wasn’t exactly over the hill, but he’d wanted to settle down for so long. Maybe meeting the love of his life at seventeen had changed something for him mentally. Most guys his age had been all about fucking, and while he’d had his shares of one-night stands with groupies, he did it knowing that he would leave the night unsatisfied.
He needed something more.
He always hoped for a connection that he’d never find, had only ever seen glimpses of twice before. But that was before. Before he became this invalid thing, incapable of even driving a car or taking care of himself for a full week without someone checking up on him.
And now, he just couldn’t see how that could happen. Hell, he couldn’t figure out how to spend a week alone. He sure as hell wasn’t ready to bring someone else into his life, not that they would want him now, anyway. His legs were gone, but so was the magic. He would never saddle someone else with the problems he had now.
But it wasn’t just his new disability.
His music had turned silent. That was the one thing about his life that always drawn others to him...the music. The band, that community, and the sense of being made him feel alive and that spread to everyone around him. He’d lost that. What was he going to do without it?
His throat tightened. Honestly, that was almost as big of a blow as losing his legs. He didn’t know how to survive either loss.
That was the worst thing about his life right now...just how lost he felt, with no idea how to fix it.
Daniel turned and looked at the large vaulted timber-frame room, searching for a distraction. His thoughts were turning, and that was the one thing he’d learned so far during this recovery...if he continued down that path, it spiraled into a dark place way too easily.
So, instead he focused on his home for the next week. He was no stranger to mountain cabins. The Gresham family compound had twenty of them in various sizes and ages. Some were modern, some were traditional, and a couple of them were so old and outdated, they should be bulldozed. This one was nicer than all of those put together and that was saying something since the very wealthy Gresham family wasn’t known for their frugality in their mountain homes. While the cabin wasn’t large, it was obvious just from glancing around that they hadn’t skimped on upgrades.
