21
The call came at five-thirty, as Linc was driving home to change quickly before he went to the country club.
“Hello?”
“Linc?” Lilah sounded a bit breathless.
“Hey, baby sis, how’s it—”
“Lacey’s in the hospital.”
He braked so fast the tires squealed. At least the street was empty, so he avoided being rear-ended.
“What?”
“I don’t know.” He could hear the sob in her voice. “I came home and there was an ambulance in the driveway and she was just lying there and—” She choked it off.
“Where are you now?”
“We’re at the hospital. We just got here. Please, I need you to come. I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay, okay.” He got the car turned around and headed toward the interstate. He gritted his teeth as his apartment building shrank in his rearview mirror. “Tell me what happened.”
The details were vague and rushed. Lilah had come home, and the paramedics were already there. Lacey was alive, but not conscious. They’d taken her to the hospital.
When he got on the highway, he turned on the Bluetooth on his phone and called Avery. The phone went straight to voicemail, so he dictated a text instead.
“Hey. I’m so sorry I’m not going to make it. My sister is in the hospital. I’ll call as soon as I can.”
Shit.He’d fucked up. His heart ached at the loss of all the things he would have gained tonight. The cool relief of claiming Avery as everyone watched. The knowledge this was the right thing because it was who he was. The adoration in Avery’s eyes, more than enough to protect him from any judgment from the people around them.
He’d get it another way. Maybe not as big as a bachelor auction, but when he got back, he’d take Avery out somewhere. On a real date. Just the two of them. They’d sit together and Linc would put his hand on Avery’s back and let his thumb turn in slow circles. Fuck anyone who saw them and thought it was wrong.
Getting to Wilmington took less time than he thought. Barely two hours later and he was pulling off the highway. All those years keeping his distance, and his sisters were closer than ever. If something was really wrong with Lacey, if he was too late to see her, speak with her, and get to know her again, he’d never forgive himself.
He rushed into the emergency ward and was given directions to Lacey’s room. Lilah was waiting in the hall. She flung herself into his arms, shaking as she sobbed.
“Hey. Hey.” He smoothed a hand down her hair. The strands were longer than he remembered and streaked with pink and purple.
“I didn’t think you’d actually come.”
His throat tightened. “Of course I’d come.”
She cried a bit longer, holding on to him tight, until a voice from inside the nearest hospital room said, “Lilah! Who is that?”
He stiffened at the sound of Lacey’s strong and authoritative voice. The same no-bullshit one she used on the phone. “Is she—”
Lilah nodded. “She’s okay.” She took his hand, and he was shocked at how tall she was. When he’d left, his baby sister had barely been in high school, and now she was all grown up. A woman whose nose bumped his chin as she hugged him one more time. “Come on.”
Lacey was sitting up in bed. She wore a blue hospital gown and a scowl. Her hair was the same color he remembered, at least. The same sandy brown as his. The narrowed eyes were familiar too.
“Hey there,” he said, waving his free hand, because Lilah didn’t let go of his other one once, even when they were in the room.
Her scowl darkened. “What are you doing here?”
“Lilah called me. She said—”
“This?” Lacey’s voice rose. “You came for this?”
