One More Night: A Second Chance Romance (One More Series Book 4)

by Roxy Sinclaire

  Dad didn’t make any arguments, his shoulders slumping. With a last nod, she walked off.

  There were seats lined up against the wall, plastic and uncomfortable looking. But when Dad went to sit, Kevin and I followed silently. I wrapped my arms around myself, because I suddenly felt very cold like I was freezing from the inside out.

  I wanted to reach for Kevin, I knew having his arms around him would comfort me, even make me a little warmer. But my dad was right there. A part of me raged at this, wondering, so what? So what if my dad was there and he would notice my every move? I needed it!

  But the part of me that had insisted on us staying a secret for nearly a year held me back, and I sat there, slightly trembling. No one was talking, but I didn’t blame them. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk and speculations, either.

  Where the fuck is that damn doctor?

  “Excuse me?”

  The voice came right at the tail end of my thought, and my head snapped up to see a doctor walking down the hall toward us. He was dressed in scrubs, with a cap covering his hair, and a mask pulled off his mouth to hang around his neck.

  At least the nurse kept to her word. It might have felt like an eternity, but we probably hadn't been waiting even ten minutes.

  “Yes?” Dad questioned, tone hopeful as he half rose from his chair.

  “Are you all here for Caroline?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes,” he said immediately, eagerly stepping forward. “Caroline, and my son, Rod. How are they doing?”

  There was a pause, and I watched as he clasped his hands in front of him.

  “Well. Your wife sustained some injuries. She had her seatbelt on, but when the car crashed, part of the front caved in, and her leg was injured. She got cut up from glass that flew from the windshield. She was in a bad state when she was brought in. But we only just got her out of surgery and into a room, and she’s stable now. We have her on oxygen and an IV with painkillers, but she should wake up in a few hours, at most.”

  I stepped forward and asked the question we were all wondering about next before the guys could.

  “Where is my brother? My mom has a room, she’s lying on a bed, and she’s going to be fine now. Why hadn't anyone said anything about my brother?”

  His lips tightened like he realized I’d noticed his slip earlier. When my dad had asked ‘how are they,’ and the doc had paused before answering with news of my mom. Even before, everything had been vague. At school, all the principle announced was the accident victims had been picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

  Maybe he was in a different one, and it isn’t here yet…

  But I wasn’t so dumb as to believe something like that. I just didn’t want to face the reality I was imagining.

  The doctor wasn’t helping me much. He was silent for so long, and my body suddenly felt weak. But I forced myself to stay up and listen, to hear what the doctor had to say.

  “Please, doctor,” Dad said, losing his patience. “I need you to tell me what is going on with my son. This is Stacey, his twin, and his best friend. They all go to school together, and we are all worried.”

  This time, the pause wasn’t so long. The doctor cleared his throat and glanced at Kevin and me before his eyes were back on my dad. He probably had bad news and felt more comfortable sharing with the adult. Or he just didn’t want to look at me, because I looked like I was a step away from breaking apart. It was how I felt anyway.

  He’s in a worse state than Mom, I thought with horror. My brother…

  “It… seems,” he started slowly, “that your son was taking some steroid, or a something similar to it. Whatever he was on, it affected his body and bodily functions. Also, he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.”

  My hand rose to cover my mouth as I heard him talk. When he mentioned ‘seatbelt’ and that Rod wasn’t wearing his, I knew to expect the worst. But my mind, my whole being, didn’t want to.

  This was my brother they were talking about.

  “What...” I could barely get the word out, and I didn’t realize I was trembling until Kevin suddenly put an arm around my shoulders, his hand steady, and dragged me to his side. Dad and the doctor glanced at me, then looked back at each other.

  Dad looked like he was holding his breath. The doctor sighed, and shook his head, looking regretful.

  “I’m afraid your son died on impact, sir. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Chapter 10

  Kevin

  After the doctor gave him the news…there was a moment of silence. Then Stacey broke down with a loud wail, and I couldn’t even blame her. I wanted to cry, too. But her dad looked like he had frozen in place, and I didn’t like hearing her cry her heart out like that because it was painful for the both of us. I turned her and brought her into my arms, not complaining when she practically strangled me.

  I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think I could. My throat itched and constricted as my eyes blurred with tears, and I squeezed my eyes shut, burying my face in her shoulder as I let the tears fall. I rocked us gently from side to side, hoping it would comfort the both of us.

  Then out of nowhere, a pair of arms came around the both of us. I would have been startled, but I realized pretty quickly that it was Stacey’s dad.

  I could hear the doctor still talking.

  “If you would like to see your wife, I can lead you to her room. I’m afraid she’s asleep, though, and only one of you will be able to go in.”

  “It’s fine, I’ll go,” Paul said.

  He gave us both a squeeze then let go. Stacey pulled away from me as soon as he did, reaching a hand out to him, but he was already walking down the hall with the doctor.

  “I’m so sorry, Stacey,” I whispered, holding her sideways against me. I wiped my eyes and brought her close again, her head falling onto my chest as she watched her dad move further away until he was out of sight.

  She just whimpered and hugged me tight again. I drifted over to the wall, guiding Stacey, and leaned back against it as I held her to me. My mind was still blank, trying to process what the fuck I’d just heard.

  “I don’t know how this happened,” Stacey whimpered like she was reading my mind. “Or why. My brother was just fine this morning, so how could he be…”

  She didn’t finish the sentence, but I didn’t need her to, either. I thought of the last time I talked to Rod, and suddenly, I was so fucking guilty. I should have tried to talk to him that time, really talk to him. Because I could tell he needed me, but he wouldn’t talk, and I gave up on him.

  And now, that would be the last conversation I had with him—Rod reaching out to me for help, and me practically ignoring it as I went home to fantasize about his sister.

  “I’m so sorry, Stacey,” I repeated in a whisper. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “It’s all right,” she whispered, her voice muffled because she was pressed against my chest. “I know it hurts you, too.”

  We spent some more time in silence, trying to comfort each other. When it was broken again, it was the last person I expected.

  “Kevin? Kevin!”

  I looked up, surprised to hear my mom’s voice. She was still dressed how I’d seen her that morning, only her coat was gone, and her hair was slightly ruffled. She was running down the hall toward us.

  Stacey buried further into my chest at the intrusion. I patted her hair.

  “Mom, what are you doing here?” I asked once she got to us. “Who called you?”

  Her eyes were trained on Stacey. After a moment, she looked up to meet my gaze, and her eyes looked devastated.

  “Paul called me,” she admitted. “Do you know what happened?”

  I sucked in a sharp breath, and Stacey whimpered. I held her tighter. I didn’t think I could say the words, and she obviously didn’t want to hear them. So I just shook my head and ducked down to bury my face in Stacey’s hair.

  “Jenny!”

  Stacey’s dad was back. I looked up
as he jogged down the hall toward us. My mom rushed forward to meet him.

  “Paul! I came as fast as I could. Please, can you tell me what happened? How bad is it?”

  Paul floundered for a moment, eyes meeting hers and looking dazed. Then he glanced over at us and took her by the arm to drag her a bit away. I watched as he gave her the news, and my mom’s face was frozen in shock. Then her hands rose up to cover her mouth, and her eyes overflowed with tears.

  After a while, she slowly walked back to Stacey and me.

  “Kevin, I am so sorry,” she whispered.

  She reached out her arms, probably to hug me, until she remembered I was still holding Stacey. Then she just wrapped her arms around herself. Paul came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. He was looking down at her, and I frowned at the look of almost pained affection in his eyes.

  What the fuck. I thought they weren’t talking, so why are they suddenly acting so close?

  Immediately, I was suspicious. Stacey, as always, seemed to be in sync with my thoughts. She pulled away from me and wiped her face as she sniffled. I tugged the sleeve of my jacket lower and held onto it, my other hand on Stacey’s face as I wiped at her face for her. She gave me a shaky smile in thanks, then sniffled again, and turned to her dad.

  My heart was breaking all over again just seeing her face. Her face was blotchy; her eyes were red and puffy. And I knew this was only the beginning. Her brother had died. She was calming down now, but Stacey was an emotional person. It would hit her later for the second time, and she would break down crying again. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for her to calm down.

  “Dad?” she called, her voice small.

  Paul turned to her; his expression pained as he took her in. “Yeah, Stacey?”

  “Do you know what happened? I thought Rod already left for school, so why were he and Mom in a car together in the first place when he should have been at school already?”

  Immediately, Paul’s expression turned guilty. And, it was a bit of a surprise when my mom mirrored his expression. She wiped the tears from her eyes and Paul slowly pulled his arm away from her, taking a step toward Stacey.

  “Look, honey…”

  “Dad,” she said, her voice hard. It startled me, because she never acted like this, especially not to her dad. “I know there is something you and Rod were keeping from me. I tried to ask him, and he didn’t tell me. My brother is dead, so I want to know whatever it was, and if it has something to do with all this.”

  Not for the first time, I was impressed with Stacey. Even with her heart weighed down with grief, she was still thinking and making connections while my mind was pretty much still blank.

  Paul and my mom glanced at each other, and I narrowed my eyes at the two of them, my suspicions growing.

  “Uh,” he started, turning back to Stacey. “I think this is something we need to talk about at home, all right? Let me just talk to the doctor about your mother, and we can all go for now. Is that okay?”

  Stacey pursed her lips, and after a moment of deliberation nodded. Paul and my mom shared another glance; then he walked away. We were left in silence. Stacey pretty much ignored the fact that my mom was there and hugged me again, burying her face in my chest.

  Ten minutes later, he was walking down the hall to us.

  “Okay. I think we can all go home now.” He glanced at my mom. “Jenny, follow behind us, okay?”

  I frowned at my mom. What was it he wanted to say, and why did my mom have to be involved?

  Then he turned to me. “You’re going to want to be there, Kevin. You deserve an answer, too.”

  I nodded, even as my confusion only grew even more.

  We all left the hospital, going back to our respective cars. Stacey and I were silent the whole way, with my car following her dad’s, and my mom’s car coming up behind us. When we arrived at her place, we all stepped out and went into the house.

  Stacey took my hand as she dragged me over to the love seat. Then she pushed me down, sat beside me, and took one of my hands. Our parents followed slowly behind us, both of them moving to sit on the sofa, in synch, as if they’d planned it. Their eyes met, and they sat down close together, hands clasping.

  Just like Stacey and me.

  She sucked in a sharp breath. She hadn't missed it, like I hadn't, and when I turned to her, our gazes met. She opened her mouth as if to ask when her dad spoke.

  “All right,” he said, breathing out. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before. I know you want to know what’s going on, so please just listen quietly to what we have to say, okay?”

  Even though he said ‘we’, he nodded his head at my mom, and she took a breath as she met my eyes, then Stacey’s. Then her eyes dropped to where she was holding onto Paul’s hand with a vice grip between both of her own.

  “The thing is… I’ve been sleeping with Paul,” she confessed.

  Stacey sucked in a sharp breath next to me, her hand tightening around mine to the point of pain, but I barely reacted to it. For the second time in one day, I’d received some life altering news. I was frozen in place.

  Her eyes met mine, and they were full of apology, but I couldn’t react to it at all.

  “I left early this morning, and all the times before that, but it wasn’t because I was going into work early,” she admitted. “It’s because I…was going out to meet Paul. We went to a hotel…and then out of nowhere, Carol and Rod were storming into the room. She started screaming at us, and Paul tried to get her out of the room. She started beating on him, and he tried to control her. But then Rod shoved him away and punched him.”

  She paused to take a breath and shoot a quick glance at Paul. Then she continued, “I tried to follow them when they left the room, to try and talk things over. But they weren’t listening. I don’t remember who got behind the wheel, but Rod was mad, and Carol was crying, and they both jumped into the car and drove off. To where… I had no idea. I went back to the room, and…that’s it.”

  I listened, and I did my best to ignore the obvious implications of her words. I fucking refused to even acknowledge it all at that moment.

  What I did think, was how this would have been happening around the time I was fucking Stacey on my living room couch, and suddenly, it was like I couldn’t breathe, the guilt was so heavy in my chest.

  “I’m so sorry to the both of you,” she went on, her voice trembling. “This isn’t how you should have had to find out, but the whole thing just turned into such a fucking mess out of nowhere…”

  A fucking mess, I thought and snorted. Mom, that isn’t even the half of it.

  Chapter 11

  Stacey

  Mom got the go-ahead to come home the next day. She was fine, so there was no reason for her to be left at the hospital. Besides, she didn’t want to be there.

  She was devastated when she heard the news, especially because she’d been the one to let Rod behind the wheel. The first thing she’d done when she saw me, was breakdown and start apologizing.

  I’d hugged my mom for the first time since I was a kid, we both cried and grieved together.

  Over the next few days, neither of us wanted Dad in the house.

  I still couldn’t fucking believe it! This was the secret that would ruin our family and Kevin’s life, the secret that cost my twin brother his? I remembered the argument with them and ruthlessly agreed with my brother. Dad should have kept his dick in his pants. Or fessed up instead of sneaking around.

  How long had it even been going on?

  “I don’t know,” Mom replied when I asked, sniffling and wiping her nose with a tissue. We’d both gone through several boxes of them already, and I reached for one myself as my eyes stung with more tears.

  “Then, when did you find out?”

  She shrugged. “Not that long ago. It was something your brother said that got me thinking. You know how he goes to Kevin’s house often? He came home one time and told me he could have
sworn he saw your father’s coat in their coat closet. Only he had to be wrong because there was no way. That was more than a month ago.”

  So, her suspicions had lasted for more than a month. But, if my dad and Jenny had been so comfortable around each other that he was even going to her place and forgetting things there, how long could this affair have lasted?

  Would it have gone on for years?

  “It isn’t fair, Mom,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around my stomach. It kept growling at me, and I realized it had been a while since I ate. But I hardly felt like eating anything as it was. “Of all people, why did Rod have to…” My voice trailed off as my face crumpled, and I let out a low whine.

  Mom patted my back, ran her hand through my hair. “I know, honey. I know it hurts. It hurts me so much, too. I was so scared when I saw we were going to crash, and I screamed. Then I blacked out, and the next moment I was in the hospital hearing…” She paused to take a deep breath, centering herself… “Hearing that your brother died in the accident. I wish I could take his place…”

  “No, Mom,” I refused immediately. “I didn’t want either of you to die.”

  She smiled, and it was shaky around the edges as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “I know, honey,” she whispered, voice hoarse. “Neither did I. But most of all your brother, and especially because of me…”

  I leaned forward to pull her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms around me, too. We rocked each other and cried. Mom kept babbling her regrets, but I didn’t want to hear any of them.

  As far as I cared, this was caused by my dad and his affair. I hated thinking ill of Kevin’s mom…but I couldn’t help it. She hadn't only ruined my family, because of her, my twin brother was taken away from me.

  Even after we both calmed down, we didn’t let each other go. And I relished the closeness with my mom, especially since I couldn’t have Kevin with me. I would have loved for him to be there, but he’d gone back home with his mom and stayed there. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to see him, considering the blame I put on his mom over my brother’s death. I knew it would hurt him if I ever actually said it to his face. He’d loved Rod like a brother, had treated us like family, and it turned out his mom was fucking my dad.