Holding the phone up to my face, it unlocked, and I nervously opened the message. My heart was racing in my chest. I felt sick and excited at the same time.
If you come to your senses and decide not to throw us away, I’ll be waiting. You know where. Midnight tonight. If you don’t come, I’ll do what you asked and walk away. For good this time. My flight leaves at two. R.
Palpitations exploded through my chest.
Lowering the phone, I checked the time. It was already after eleven.
My entire body started to shake as I paced the floor in my bedroom, re-reading his message several times. I was torn, my heart beating so hard I was surprised it didn’t burst through my rib cage.
All my hopes, dreams, and fears raced through my head. Maybe we could run away together? That one wish, which had rotated around my mind like a broken record, appeared again, but I knew it was hopeless. We were both at college and had no money. I didn’t come into my trust fund until I was twenty-five. How would we live?
Reed was already packed; his foster sister Harper had messaged me earlier. Molly had also texted me. I knew all my friends were trying to fix things for us. The girls had wanted to warn me that Reed’s original coach had been canceled, and so he would have to take the red-eye: an overnight flight that would transport him across several states and into New Jersey. Reed had won a football scholarship. It covered all his fees. He had been given an amazing opportunity to attend one of the country's best elite sports colleges.
I needed to see him before he left. I couldn’t leave things the way I had at the beach. Jasper’s relentless calls to my cell had ruined my last moment with Reed.
And say what? Stay with me and ruin your life in the process?
Fuck!
Nothing made sense apart from that pain inside me that I knew could only be stopped by speaking with Reed that night. Maybe I could explain the situation? As things stood, Reed didn’t know anything about Jasper’s threatening ultimatum. I had dressed up our breakup as an ‘it would never work: we are from two different worlds’ scenario—utter bullshit, of course. I didn’t care that Reed was a social services boy who had nothing; he was twice the man Jasper would ever be.
Unplugging my cell, I grabbed my purse and scrambled to find my car keys. I knew I was over the limit for driving, but I didn’t have time to arrange for Jacob, Daddy’s driver, to come and get me. To catch Reed, I had to leave immediately.
My fight-or-flight response kicked in.
Bursting out of my room, I hit the stairs running, adrenaline rushing through my limbs. I didn’t even know what I would say when I got there; I just needed to be near him. When I saw Reed, I would know, I told myself.
The rain hit my skin as I left the house, pressing the button to unlock my new sports car, a gift from Jasper. Ironic, I know.
Climbing behind the wheel, I fired the engine. Water poured from the sky, hitting the windshield like bullets. I turned the vehicle in the yard and activated the electric gates that led out of our estate.
Checking the time on the dashboard, I hit the accelerator and powered down the driveway and out onto the street.
The weather was affecting visibility, but due to the time, the roads were quiet.
I’m coming, Reed, please wait for me. There’s so much I need to say.
Those three special words had been on my lips for weeks, yet I had never said them. Reed didn’t know how I truly felt. And he should know, my feelings for him were beautiful and raw: the real deal.
I love you.
The wind howled, reminding me of Reed’s wolf tattoo as the rain pelted the roof of the car. I swerved the wheel to miss a tree branch in the road, and my bag slid across the seat and into the passenger footwell. Holding the vehicle steady, I leaned over to grab my purse, sliding out my cell with my free hand.
A lump formed in my throat. I was going to be late, and I would miss him. Then he’d leave, never knowing how I truly felt.
Call him!
A car horn blared out as I turned a sharp corner, my focus half on the road and half on my cell as I found Reed’s number. The wave of endorphins I was riding made my movements erratic, as did the whiskey I had downed.
At that point, several things happened simultaneously: my thumb hit the call button, the battery on my cell died, and the car skidded. My body was jolted in the seat, my head cracking the offside window. Pain shattered through my skull as I pumped the brakes and attempted to claw back control. A scream erupted from my chest as the wheel was ripped from my hands and the Audi RS 3 careered off the road.
There was a high-pitched, drawn-out screech from the tires and the noise of crunching metal as my seat belt jarred into my shoulder—and then there was nothing.
Nothing but pain, darkness, and a suffocating silence.
ONE
Four Years Later
