We all had Thanksgiving at Braxton and Jurnee’s home and although we had been seeing each other, we still hadn’t been public about it. Sure, our friends knew because they were impossible to keep secrets from but for the time being, we were keeping it somewhat under wraps. We also didn’t want to confuse the girls with something so new.
Besides, stolen kisses and sneaking around was kind of exciting.
Things seemed calm and to be going my way.
I had more time on my hands since I was on holiday break from classes and I was happy to say that I was only a few months away from completing college and having my master’s degree. To top things off, I’d already been offered a teaching job for next fall and was over the moon that everything was falling into place.
I sighed blissfully.
My good mood was in full swing, along with Christmas. I couldn’t wait to meet up with the ladies to go shopping. As I drove, I sang along to the holiday music in the car.
I didn’t know exactly what the future would bring but things were going better than I imagined. A huge smile lifted my cheeks as I continued to sing about walking in a winter wonderland.Maybe it will snow this year. Then Bodie and I could take a walk in our own winter wonderland hand in hand.
A giggle escaped me as I wondered when I had become such a sap. Sure, I’d always wanted a significant other and kids to share my life with, but I’d never been overly mushy.
Until Bodie.
The man made me feel things I couldn’t even explain. And then, there were things he did that stole my breath and ability to speak so explaining how I felt would have been impossible. We may not have had sex yet, mainly because it hadn’t been the right time, but my body, heart and soul screamed he was the one.
A tingle shot to my lady bits when I pictured what Bodie would look like sans clothes. Lost in that thought, I jumped when my phone rang. With it connected to the car, I hit the button to answer. Before I could get a word out, Jurnee was talking.
“Hey girl, are you almost here?”
I could hear the others talking in the background and Teal claiming she was starving. She and Ruby were eating for two so that was to be expected.
“Tell the preggos I’ll be there in ten minutes,” I told her, laughing.
“They can hear you, you’re on speaker,” Jurnee said with a giggle.
“Yeah, we heard that!” the ladies shouted. I assumed it was Teal and Ruby since I’d been teasing them.
“See you in—” I didn’t get another word out.
Out of nowhere, my driver’s window shattered. Sharp shards of glass struck my arms, neck, and face. A scream surged from my lungs and broke from my trembling lips as my body lurched forward in shock, smacking the steering wheel. The sound of tires squealing hit my ears along with Jurnee frantically shouting. My breathing was inconsistent and my heart raced.
What was happening?
Back to an upright position, I looked down to see bright red staining my white sweatshirt where my arm burned and I felt like I was going to vomit. My vision swam and my car veered off the road, crashing into a tree. I moaned and struggled to move at all, courtesy of the airbag deploying. It and the seatbelt were holding me hostage. And the pain settling in every inch of my body in record time wasn’t helping either. I faintly heard sirens in the distance as everything dimmed to hues of gray.
Terrified, my brain only had one thought before everything went black.
“Bodie,” I called out weakly wishing he was there.
And that was the last thing I remembered.
* * *
Shaking my head was a mistake.
Everything felt scattered and fuzzy, but moving my head at all to clear the cobwebs taking up residence inside my brain was a dumb move.
One that hurt like hell.
Bits and pieces started coming back to me. Glass, the tree, being pulled out of my fairly new car that was probably smashed to smithereens.
Theblood.
I’d been in and out during the ride in the ambulance. Once at the hospital, I was rushed into the emergency room to be treated. The voices of the doctors and the nurses filtered through my head, but I was dazed. I hadn’t caught as much of it as I should have until the physician said, “She’s lucky, the bullet just grazed her arm so she just has a flesh wound.” The rest of what he said was drowned out by the rushing sound in my ears.
