by Claire Raye
“This new?” Adam asks, his fingers taking my wrist, his words bringing me away from Charlie and my own thoughts.
“Yes, Charlie gave it to me for my birthday.”
He turns the charm in his fingers, reading what it says. “Breathe. Huh. Feels like we all need that reminder some days.”
I don’t respond to him, not certain what to say. It feels like an opportunity to explain something, but here at the bar on my birthday does not seem like the time or the place. We both have a story to tell, we both admit we’re fucked up, yet we somehow work. No sense in fucking that up too.
The music gets a little louder, the voices grow a little stronger and I still can’t believe I’m standing here at my birthday party that was never supposed to happen.
“Thank you,” I tell Adam, leaning into his side.
“Of course. I want you to have a night you will always remember,” he says, his arm wrapping around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him.
“This will definitely be a night to remember.”
Chapter Thirty
Adam
As hard as it was trying to keep this party a secret from Mila, we somehow managed to pull it off and I’m glad, because she seems to be having a good time hanging out with our friends. It’s not a big group of people, but I get the feeling it’s better this way and I’m glad Caleb was cool with us closing the bar to everyone else tonight.
“Hey you,” I whisper, as I come up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder.
“Hi,” she smiles, turning her face toward me and brushing her lips over mine.
“You having fun?”
“Uh huh,” she says, leaning in to kiss me again. “Tons of fun!”
I laugh softly, kissing her again before moving my face to her neck and nuzzling her skin. “I think you might be a little tipsy,” I tease, pulling back to see the pout she gives me.
“Maybe, but so are you.”
I smile, leaning closer to nip her bottom lip. “Maybe,” I repeat. “You wanna get out of here?”
“And do what?” she asks playfully, and I know she knows exactly what I’m about to suggest.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, pretending to think as I kiss and suck at her neck. “We could go have tons of fun in bed.”
Mila turns so she’s facing me now, her arms around my waist as she looks up at me, a smile on her face and her eyes filled with happiness. “Adam Cooper, are you trying to seduce me?” she asks, biting her bottom lip.
I burst out laughing, pulling her closer. “Maybe, is it working?”
Mila pushes up on her toes, brushing her lips against mine. “Uh huh, but when it comes to you, it doesn’t take much.”
I crush my mouth against hers in a hard kiss. “Let’s go home, beautiful. I don’t feel like sharing you anymore.”
“Yes.”
We say our goodbyes to everyone, Mila thanking everyone for coming as she hugs and kisses her sister and Charlie goodbye. I call up an Uber, too tired to walk back to our apartment, especially now we are both a little drunk and Mila is still wearing those heels.
When the notification comes through that our car has arrived, we give a final wave and head outside to the car. I open the back passenger door for Mila, gesturing for her to climb in. She giggles, giving me a quick kiss as she slips past me and into the back seat.
Walking around, I get in behind the driver, pulling on my seatbelt before reaching my arm across the back seat, just needing to touch her.
“You good?” I ask, my fingers brushing the back of her neck.
“I’m good,” she says, turning to me as she moves closer and slips a hand on my thigh.
“Put your seatbelt on, babe,” I say, reaching over to grab it.
Mila laughs a little as though she didn’t realize as I buckle her in. “My hero,” she teases leaning over to kiss my cheek.
“Cheeky,” I tease as the driver pulls away from the curb.
It’s not far to our apartment but given it’s late and we’ve both had quite a few drinks, we spend most of the ride in silence. When I glance over, Mila is sitting with her head resting against the seat, turned toward me, with a soft smile on her face.
“What’s that smile for?” I ask, tucking some strands of hair behind her ear.
“For you,” she whispers, her hand squeezing my thigh.
“For me?”
“Uh huh,” she says, blinking slowly. “For tonight, for everything. You’re amazing, Adam.”
I pull on my seatbelt, loosening it a little as I lean closer and I kiss her softly. “I think you’re amazing, Mila, and I—”
The rest of my words are cut off as a blinding light suddenly fills Mila’s window right before a loud bang ricochets throughout the car and we swerve violently to the side, the force of the impact spinning us around and sending Mila flying toward me.
Everything feels like it’s moving in slow motion as I’m hit with a nauseating sense of déjà vu. I hear Mila scream as the restraint of her seatbelt yanks her away from me, the sickening thud as her head slams into the window before the glass shatters everywhere.
“Mila!” I scream, as her body goes limp, cradled by the twisted metal of the door. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I yell, my hands reaching for her, touching her as my brain tries to process what the fuck has just happened.
The air is filled with the smell of burning rubber and petrol and for a second, my panic switches from worrying about Mila to worrying about the car catching fire and us being trapped.
A groan brings me back to the moment though, the Uber driver, mumbling something as his head moves from side to side on the seat in front of me.
“Fucking hell, you okay?” I ask him, my eyes still on Mila who lies motionless beside me.
I don’t hear his response, my hands fumbling with my seatbelt as I yank it off and slide across the seat toward Mila.
“Baby,” I say, my words panicked. “Mila, can you hear me? I need you to wake up, baby.”
She mumbles something, her eyes flickering open a little as she suddenly coughs, a splatter of blood coming from her mouth and staining her clothes. I can hear the tell-tale crackles as she tries to suck air into her lungs and I immediately know one of them is punctured, filling with fluid and air and making it hard for her to breathe.
I need to get her out of the car, but I’m too afraid to move her, scared that I’ll make everything worse.
“Call a fucking ambulance,” I scream, not even knowing who I’m shouting my instructions to as my hands smooth back Mila’s hair, cupping her cheeks as I try to get her to wake up again.
It feels like forever before I finally hear the sound of sirens, the unmistakable flashing lights as the ambulance and police car race toward us. Mila hasn’t said anything more, the only sound she’s making that tells me she’s still alive are the short, gasping breaths she takes as she struggles to get air into her lungs.
Hating the sound and knowing how much this is hurting her, I undo her seatbelt, pulling her toward me as I try to lie her on her side, the collapsed lung beneath her so her other one can inflate.
A bright light fills the car again, as unseen voices fire a million questions at me.
“Are you alright?”
“Sir, we need to get you out of the car.”
“Can you let her go?”
My door is yanked open, and I feel a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of the car.
“No!” I scream. “Help her, take her, she can’t breathe.”
I’m pushed back into my seat as the hands reach past me, grabbing Mila and pulling her from the car. I stumble out after her, watch as they lower her onto a gurney, one of the paramedics putting an oxygen mask on her face.
“I think…I ah, I—”
My words are cut off as I suddenly fall to my knees and puke all over the road, the bitter taste of too many beers mixed with vomit stinging my nose and nearly
making me puke again.
I feel a hand on my back, hear a voice as it asks, “Are you okay, can you—”
“Help her,” I plead, forcing myself to get up as I stagger toward Mila who lies motionless in front of me.
“Sir, I need you to come with me.”
“Help her, please, I can’t…I can’t—”
“Sir, come with—”
“No,” I shout, shaking my head. “I’m staying with her.”
“Sir, I need—”
“NO!”
I don’t know if it’s the tone of my voice or the way I refuse to leave Mila’s side, but within a few minutes they are loading her into the waiting ambulance as I climb in behind them.
The ride to the hospital feels like it takes forever, and I watch as the paramedics work to stabilize Mila’s breathing and stop her bleeding.
“Are you hurt?”
I look over to find one of the paramedics looking at me and when she gestures to my shirt, I glance down to find it covered in blood. “No,” I choke out, shaking my head. “It’s, it’s not mine, it’s…” My words trail off as Mila moans and my gaze snaps back to her and I reach for her hand. “Baby, can you hear me?” I ask, squeezing her hand. “Can you…”
She passes out again as the same paramedic puts a hand on my shoulder and says, “It’s the pain. We can’t give her anything just yet because of the bleeding.”
“Can she…will she…” I don’t finish the question, because I can’t bear to hear the answer.
“We’re doing everything we can. Is there someone you can call, a friend or relative?”
“Fuck,” I murmur, my head falling between my knees.
“I can call for you,” the paramedic now says, even though I’m certain this isn’t normal.
Nodding, I hand her my phone, mumbling Ruby’s name as I look at Mila, my heart shattering in my chest at how broken and fragile she looks. As the ambulance races through the streets, the whole thing rocking wildly, my brain flashes back to another time and another night when I watched my heart get ripped from my chest. Watched my whole fucking life fall apart.
The pain of that memory, of what I’m seeing right now, the way history is repeating, is almost unbearable and as a low moan rips through the back of the ambulance, it takes a second to realize it’s me making that noise.
And how utterly fucking destroyed I sound.
We eventually come to a stop, doors slamming, people moving as Mila is pulled from the back of the ambulance, the gurney she’s on pushed through the doors of the E.R. I race after her but am held back when they move her behind one of the curtains.
“We need you to wait here,” someone in blue scrubs says, a hand on my shoulder.
I feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest as I watch Mila disappear, unable to do anything as I stand in the middle of the waiting room, surrounded by strangers.
“No, I…I need—”
“You need to wait here,” he says, pushing me backwards until my legs hit one of the chairs.
I watch as he turns and walks away, following after the people who took Mila away from me. I sink into the chair, my legs unable to hold me up any longer as I bury my face in my hands, my body shaking uncontrollably as I struggle to breathe.
I don’t know how long I sit here, but the longer it takes, the worse I feel, my mind flashing back to everything that happened tonight, as it also goes back to over a year ago and all the things that happened then. The things that nearly destroyed me that night. The things that are destroying me right now.
I can’t go through this again.
I can’t lose her.
Can’t face this.
Can’t do this.
Can’t…
I push up out of the chair, my hands in my hair, gripping it tightly as I pull, relishing the pain, needing to feel something, anything, just to distract me from the pain in my chest, the way my whole body fucking hurts right now.
I can’t be here, can’t do this.
I can’t stay.
I need to leave, need to run.
I feel trapped, stuck, needing to see her, but so fucking afraid after everything, I—
“Adam, oh my god. Adam, are you okay?”
I turn, blinking quickly as I will my eyes to focus.
In front of me stands Ruby and Caleb, their faces awash with worry and sadness and despair as they stand there staring at me, as though they’re waiting for some kind of explanation. Some kind of answer.
Which I can’t give.
“Are you, is Mila—”
Ruby’s voice cracks and it’s enough that I feel myself sinking, collapsing as though the whole weight of what happened tonight is crushing me, pushing me under so I can barely stand, can hardly fucking breathe.
“I…I…fuck…” I feel my legs give way beneath me, my body as it starts to collapse before strong arms catch me, pulling me close.
“It’s okay,” Caleb says, his grip strong, as though holding me up. “It’s gonna be okay.”
But as my eyes close, I know it’s not.
How can it be, when everything I ran from is now catching up with me?
What’s Next?
Are you dying to know what happens to Adam and Mila after the accident? We’ve got you covered! Continue Adam and Mila’s story in Trust Me.
Grab it here!
Trust Me: Adam and Mila Book Two
Life at its hardest requires trust.
Adam Cooper ran without explanation, right when she needed him most. But she doesn’t know the true depth of his scars.
Mila Collins is everything to him, but she can’t understand the past that still haunts him. And he has no idea the secrets she’s hiding.
Consumed by their own secrets and fears, they’re about to discover just how much they need each other.
But in order to do that, they’re going to need to learn how to trust.
Your Free Books are Waiting!
Did you love reading about the Hawthorn Hills crew? OMG, you did!!?? We’re thrilled and we want to say thank you by offering you even more! This FREE prequel gives you a glimpse into early lives of Sienna, Caleb and Reid and takes place before the events of Complicate Me (Book One).
Grab your FREE copy of Confuse Me right here!
And, because one freebie is never enough, we are also excited to offer you a FREE prequel of our Rockport Beach Series! This FREE prequel gives you a glimpse into the early lives of Beck & Kelsey and takes place before the events of Coming Home to You (Book One).
Grab your FREE copy of Beginning with You, click here!
Happy reading and thank you!
Other Books by Claire Raye
The Rockport Beach Series
Coming Home to You: Book One
Finding Home with You: Book Two
Making Home with You: Book Three
Rockport Beach: The Complete Series
The Love and Wine Series
Always Yours: Book One
Finally Yours: Book Two
Maybe Yours: Book Three
The Dirty Hollywood Series
Beautiful Secret: Book One
Beautiful Trouble: Book Two
Beautiful Lie: Book Three
Cocky Hero World
Pin-Up Pilot
Hawthorn Hills Duet Series
Complicate Me: Book One
Complete Me: Book Two
Ruin Me: Book Three
Rescue Me: Book Four
Tempt Me: Book Five
Trust Me: Book Six
About the Author
Not only is Claire Raye a really sweet pen name, it’s actually a pen name for two sarcastic best friends who met through their mutual love of reading. After bonding over books (and wine and cheese), they decided to take the plunge and see if they could write a book together and ta dah... The Rockport Beach Series was born! In addition to their shared love of food and dropping an occasional (
read, a lot of) f bombs, the writing duo that is Claire Raye like to write about strong, sassy females who aren’t afraid to say what’s on their mind and the overprotective men who fall in love with them.
Both halves of Claire Raye are married and both of their husbands have a cheeky side that gets plenty of airtime in their books. From their smart mouths to their witty one-liners, there’s plenty of material to use for all those alpha males they love to write about.
Plans are already underway for the next series, which is sure to feature plenty of sass, steam and humor, and of course, a happily ever after!
Connect with Us
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Acknowledgments
As always, first and foremost, thank you to our readers for picking up our books and reading them. Our appreciation can never be fully expressed. It means the world to us every time we get an email, a review is left or a social media post is made because we know there are tons of books for you to choose from. So thank you for choosing us. It’s truly an honor.
To all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who help get the word out there. We appreciate each and every one of you and your support. Your commitment and kindness does not go unnoticed by us. We know how much you have loved our Hawthorn Hills crew and we are forever grateful for that.
