Bailey helped her slip into her black party dress, making sure not to mess up her hair. Caroline dug around in her overly stuffed bag and pulled out a pair of silver heels still wrapped in plastic.
“Nice shoes,” Bailey commented.
“I knew you’d like them.”
They heard the doorbell ring and the sound of Clay’s familiar voice, followed closely by the sound of his parents, echoed down the hall. “Show time,” Caroline said and took Bailey by the arm.
Clay’s jaw dropped when he saw Caroline walking toward him. “Wow, baby, you look gorgeous!”
She feigned a smile and leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself,” she said, admiring the charcoal gray dress pants that accompanied a surf brand button-down black shirt.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews. It’s great to see you.” She hugged both of his parents who beamed with approval.
“It’s great to see you, Caroline. You look beautiful.” The overly animated tone made the butterflies in Caroline’s stomach come alive. Her knees started to weaken as nerves took over her previously calm body.
“Jan, is that you I hear?” Caroline’s mom yelled from the kitchen.
“Yes it is, mother of the bride!” And with that, Clay’s mom rushed through the kitchen door.
****
Lily galloped toward the farm and Jackson’s father noticed immediately that his son was absent from the horse’s back. He bolted out the front door and toward the horse that had finally slowed down to a nervous trot. “Lily…come here, Lil.” He noticed the mud-covered reins dragging on the ground and his heart sank. He looked into the distance for his son, but there was no sign of him.
“Where’s Jackson?” A slender woman shouted from the front porch toward her husband.
“I don’t know. Something’s not right, hon. Lily came back without him.” His brown eyes narrowed with worry. “You stay here, I’ll go find him.”
He hopped onto the waiting horse and took off toward the far side of the property line where Jackson had been working. The rain dumped water at them with ferocious intensity as the lightning and thunder spooked Lily, even in a full gallop. “Jackson!” He screamed his son’s name while he rode, hoping to hear anything in response.
“Where is he?” His father frantically turned his head in every direction, his eyes intensely scanning the surroundings. He rode to the broken fence, which he noted had been fixed, but still saw no sign of Jackson.
“Jackson!” He shouted and quickly quieted his breath as he strained to listen over the pouring rain and Lily’s heaving breath. The horse led him near the tree where she had been tied and he noticed broken branches and upturned mud littered the ground. That’s when he spotted him. Just a shoe, at first.
“Jackson?” His father leapt off the horse and ran over toward what he hoped was not his son’s body. “Jackson! Oh my God, Jackson!” Jackson lay in a small pool of blood, still unconscious. Terrified at the sight and unsure of what to do, he reached for his cell phone and dialed 911.
“Hello? I need an ambulance at the Parks Ranch. My son is unconscious and he’s bleeding from his head. What? I’ll check.” He bent down and grabbed his son’s wrist.
“Yes, he has a pulse. I’m not sure how long he’s been out. I don’t know what happened; I found him like this. No, I won’t move him. Hurry. Please.” Tears started to fall from his eyes as for once in his life, he felt completely helpless. He disconnected the call and quickly called his wife.
“Honey. I found Jackson, but he’s unconscious. Calm down. The ambulance is coming, but you’re going to have to help them find us. We’re at the far end of the property line. Where the broken fence was…do you remember where that is? Yes, near the old tree. Just wait for them. I don’t know, honey. Calm down. I know. I love you too.” He ended the call as soon as he could. He was too scared to deal with a frantic woman at the moment and he knew he would be useless at trying to calm her down.
****
Crowds of people milled throughout Caroline’s parents’ modest backyard where white tables were arranged, each one covered with a crisp white linen. A solitary white candle surrounded by blood red roses adorned the center of each, where matching red, silk napkins sat perfectly folded beneath hand-written table cards.
Caroline was stunned into silence, noting each new detail, her mouth constantly agape. “Our parents are insane,” she whispered into Clay’s ear.
“You don’t like it?”
“It’s so pretty. It’s just a bit much, don’t you think?”
Clay looked around. “I think it’s perfect.” He placed a careful kiss on the top of her head. “Your hair looks really pretty.”
“Thanks, babe.”
She held on to Clay’s arm as they walked though the yard, thanking everyone for coming.
“I don’t know half the people here,” Caroline confided into Clay’s ear.
“Me either.”
“Is this what our wedding’s gonna be like? A bunch of strangers sharing our special day?” Caroline’s stomach started to roll.
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “No. We won’t let it.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” He kissed her hand. “I think I hear your phone,” Clay said as he craned his neck in the direction of the house.
“That’s weird. I thought I left it in my room.” She strained to listen until she too heard it ringing. “I hear it, too. Oh well, they can leave a message.”
“What if it’s important?” Clay’s mind always seemed to be on work. It didn’t matter what they did, where they were, or what happened around them. He always made time for the office.
Caroline’s mind instantly flashed to a scene in the future…the two of them at a soccer game, watching their son play. Clay’s phone rings and he once again apologizes for having to leave. He gives Caroline a quick kiss on the cheek before running off. All the while, their son is watching their dad leave his game for the umpteenth time. Her heart breaks a little as the scene in her mind fades.
“You’re right. I’ll go see who it is.” She knew it wouldn’t be her office since they all knew she was out of town for the weekend. Nothing she did there was so important that it couldn’t wait for her return.
She found her phone on a table near the back door, but didn’t recognize the number that was displayed. Her heart dropped when she realized it was the same area code as Jackson’s number. “Hello?” She quickly scooted inside the house for some privacy.
“Caroline?”
“Yes,” she responded cautiously. “Who’s this?”
“I’m sorry. This is Alex, I’m one of…”
She cut him off. “I know who you are. You’re one of Jackson’s friends. What’s up, this isn’t really a good time.” She peered out of the glass door and glanced over at Clay, who shrugged his shoulders in her direction. She gave him a quick wave and a smile to ward off any worry and watched as Clay turned and continued his conversation.
“I’m sorry, but um…listen. Jackson got into a really bad accident. He’s in the hospital and I just thought someone should tell you.” Caroline’s pulse quickened at the fear and worry in Jackson’s friend’s voice.
She walked into her room, closed the bedroom door, and sat on her bed. “What do you mean? What kind of accident? Is he okay?” The phone trembled in Caroline’s hand and goose bumps rose on her bare arms.
“No, he’s not okay; we don’t know if he’s going to make it. It was a pretty bad accident. He was at the farm on his horse. We’re not sure what happened, but he’s in a really bad way, Caroline. I just thought you should know.”
Caroline’s body numbed and her mind went blank. All she kept hearing in her head were Alex’s words repeating, “We don’t know if he’s going to make it.”
“Caroline? Are you there?” Alex stopped the words from playing in her mind one last time.
“I’m here. Where is he?” She swallowed her pride.
“Albany Memorial.”
“Okay.”
“He loves you, you know.”
“I know,” she admitted.
“Okay. Well, I just figured someone ought to tell you,” Alex explained with an uncomfortable edge to his otherwise kind voice.
“Thank you so much, Alex. I really appreciate it.”
She hung up, her mind instantly filled with clarity. The idea of staying at this stupid party she never wanted in the first place seemed beyond ridiculous. How could she celebrate anything when Jackson was possibly dying in a hospital room on the other side of the country?
Afraid the guilt might stop her, she refused to over-analyze what she was about to do. But the truth—her truth—could no longer be denied. She promptly changed out of her dress and into more comfortable clothes. She grabbed her purse and a jacket, and then went outside to look for Clay.
She spotted his confused expression as he rushed to meet her. “What’s going on? Where are you going?” He took in her change of clothes with a disapproving glance.
“I’m so sorry, Clay, but I have to go.”
His brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, you have to go? Where are you going? Caroline? What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll tell you everything later, I promise. I’ll call you.” She ran toward the front of the house, refusing to look back.
She heard her mother shout, “Caroline, honey, where are you going?”
Pangs of guilt coursed through her as the beautiful party decorations and the trouble her parents had gone to flashed in her mind. But she didn’t stop running. She couldn’t. She’d explain it all to her parents later and prayed they’d understand.
Bailey stood next to a buffet table and watched the scene unfold with a bright gleam in her eyes. She brought her wine glass to her lips and hesitating, lifted it in a subtle toast to Caroline, before taking a satisfied sip.
As Caroline drove to the airport, the realization that she had left Clay alone in her parents’ back yard to pick up the pieces of her disappearance hit her. Thankfully, it was brief before it was hastily replaced by thoughts of Jackson. She parked her car, raced inside, and inquired about the next flight to New York.
Luck, fate, or whatever you want to call it seemed to be on her side as the ticket agent informed her that seats were still available on the next flight. “Perfect. I’ll take one.”
She pulled out her “for emergencies only” credit card and charged the one-way ticket on it. Her stomach flipped at the thought of a five-hour flight. She heard Alex’s voice repeating how Jackson wasn’t okay. They weren’t sure what happened, but he was in a bad way.
How could she have been so stupid? How could she have tried to pretend these past few months that none of it mattered…that there was no Jackson Parks? She would never forgive herself if something happened to him.
The ping of an incoming text broke her concentration. “What’s up?”
Bailey’s question forced Caroline to remember the party she had just ditched…and Clay. She’d never go through with this flight if she allowed herself to think about the upcoming consequences of her actions.
She responded, “So sorry, Bails, Jax is in the hospital and apparently he’s not okay. Flying to Albany now.” Five seconds after she hit Send her phone rang, making her jump from the ringtone that played.
“What? What happened to him?” Bailey freaked.
“I don’t know. I got a call from one of his friends telling me that he was in the hospital and that he was in a bad way. A BAD WAY, Bails. How could I have been so stupid?”
“You’re not stupid. And just for the record…you’re doing the right thing.”
Bailey’s reassurance gave Caroline a brief moment of peace. “Thank you. Oh geez, how’s Clay?”
“Confused, of course. But he’ll be fine. Leave him to me. I’ll tell him I talked to you and you got some crazy phone call about someone being hurt in New York and you had to go ASAP.”
“He’ll think it’s Tray.”
“I know.”
“But then he’ll want to fly out.” The last thing Caroline wanted or needed was Clay flying out half-crazed to New York under false pretenses.
“I know. But he can’t. He’s on a big case, remember,” Bailey said through her sarcasm.
Caroline sighed. “Bailey, I have to go. We’re boarding already.”
“Hang in there. It will all be okay. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
She sat down in her assigned seat and realized it was the first time she’d been on a plane since she and Jackson had met. The emotions from that day immediately flooded through her and she thought she might pass out.
She sunk deeper into her seat and tried to fight off the bad feelings she couldn’t seem to shake. What if he died? She reached into her purse and gently pulled out the heart charm from Jackson, which she secretly had affixed to a long silver chain. She unclasped the necklace for the first time and fastened it securely around her neck. She felt the chill of the metal against her skin as it rested underneath her shirt.
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and forced her eyes to close.
Chapter Fifteen
When Caroline awoke, she spent the remainder of the flight beating herself up emotionally. Life was too short and too precious to waste making decisions you didn’t really want. Of course other people’s feelings should be taken into consideration, but their wants and needs shouldn’t be more important than your own. And then she heard Bailey’s words in her head, “Sometimes other hearts have to break in order to keep yours intact.”
She nodded to herself and the truth resonated within every fiber of her being. She also recognized that it was far easier said than done, but there was no time for that. After landing, she hailed a cab for the fifteen-minute drive to the hospital.
Caroline practically sprinted into the large white building before she spotted a guy walking down the hall that instinct told her was Alex. She shouted his name and the guy stopped walking and turned around.
“Are you Alex?”
“Caroline?” Alex immediately recognized her voice.
“Yeah,” she responded, half out of breath.
He walked over to her with a smile on his face. “I can’t believe you’re here. Thanks for coming.”
“Where is he?” she asked, every drop of her strained emotions spilling out in her words. “Is he alive?”
“He’s alive.” Alex put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s over here.”
Caroline’s eyes softened. “I love him too, you know.”
“I do have to warn you, though. I, um, didn’t know you were coming. And, well…”
“What is it?” Nervous energy shot through her and stopped her legs from taking another step.
“It’s just that…Sally’s here. That’s the girl he’s been dating the last couple of months or so.”
“Oh.” Caroline brought her fingers to her mouth and started to bite nervously on her nails. “I see.” It had never even occurred to her that Jackson would have moved on so quickly.
“No. It’s not…” Alex touched her shoulder and gave a gentle nudge forward. “He doesn’t love her. But she wants him to. Anyway, she really cares about him, so it will probably rattle her a little to have you here.”
“Got it.” She exhaled and held her head up high.
“I knew you loved him back.” He gave her a one-armed hug and winked at her playfully.
Alex held the door open for Caroline and she walked through, unsure of what to expect on the other side. She gasped at the sight of Jackson’s body lying helplessly in the small hospital bed. Tubes and wires came from what seemed like every part of his exposed body. Machines beeped with a steady pace. His head was swollen to a size she couldn’t describe and his arms and legs were bandaged in various places.
Her heart seized at first, but then love rapidly soared through her every fiber. She knew in that mom
ent that everything she had felt for him all those months ago was real. It had always been real.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Tommy jerked his head in her direction and glared with disgust.
“You must be Tommy. I’ve heard you’re not my biggest fan.” Caroline attempted to be civil.
“Well, at least you came. I guess that says something about your character.” His eyes rolled as he looked away.
“I guess I deserve that,” she said as she tried to hide the sting of his words from her expression. Caroline looked over at the petite brunette sitting in the corner. “You must be Sally?” she said kindly, and offered a soft smile.
“I’m out of here,” Tommy snorted as he stormed out of the room.
Alex shot Caroline an apologetic look. “I’ll go talk to him.”
Once the door shut, Sally stated, “And you must be the reason why he won’t love me.” She looked Caroline over from head to toe before continuing. “You know…I thought in time, he’d get over you.” She took a breath for strength. “But he never did.”
Caroline’s gaze fell to the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“You ruined him. All I wanted was for him to stop thinking about you and open his eyes to see me. ME!” Sally pounded at her chest with clenched fists. “I’ve been standing in front of him all along. I’d do anything for him. But he never cared. He never saw anyone but you. And I hate you for that.” She dropped her face into her hands and wept.
Caroline struggled to catch the breath that escaped her. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried in vain to wipe away her tears. “I don’t know what to say other than I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“You broke his heart.” Sally rose from the padded chair and gathered her belongings, her blue jeans and pink T-shirt wrinkled from sitting in one place for too long.
“Please don’t go,” Caroline pleaded.
Sally stopped and looked at her. “I don’t belong here any more. I never did.”
Caroline’s eyes widened, her mouth agape. “Yes, you do. If anyone doesn’t belong here, it’s me.”
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