Icould vaguely heartalking around me, but I couldn’t stop the tears that rushed down my face or the sobs that wracked through me.A strong hand rubbed soothingly up and down my back before pulling me into a hug and holding me.
As much as I tried to stay focused on the news about my dad, I couldn’t help but relive the moment I had found out about my mom.It had felt the same, as if the ground had been ripped out from underneath me and I was falling into an empty abyss filled with darkness.
Growing up, I had always been close to my parents.It was always just the three of us, and back then, it felt like we were inseparable.When my mom died, the entire foundation we stood on crumbled, and while I resented my dad for pushing me away, I also couldn’t blame him.Losing my mom had been as devastating for me as it had been for him.
Knowing that he was in critical condition in the same hospital she died in messed with my brain in the worst way.I knew that I needed to get back to Colorado to see him, but I felt paralyzed with fear.While our relationship had been strained for some time now, he was still my dad, and I couldn’t stand the thought of losing another parent, let alone so close to my birthday.
Maybe my birthday was some sort of bad omen, and by not having celebrated it all of these years, I had kept people safe.This was the first time I’d considered celebrating it, and now my dad was in the hospital from a car accident—just like my mom.The only difference was that she had her accident and died on my birthday, and his accident was two days before my birthday, giving me plenty of time to obsess over the coincidence.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” Enzo said firmly but gently as he squeezed my knees.
I looked up to find him kneeling before me, watching me with such intensity that it sent a chill through me.
“You don’t know what I was thinking,” I muttered, acknowledging he was there.
“I have a pretty good idea, given the look on your face.”His voice was soft as he continued putting gently pressure on my knees.“Asher is looking at flights as we speak.We’ll get you on the first one out.”
“Thank you.You guys don’t have to do all of that, but I appreciate it.”
I knew I hadn’t been in any condition to do anything myself, but I didn’t expect them to step in and do stuff for me.Then again, maybe I should have because that was exactly the kind of thing they did.
“It’s not a problem at all.”
Enzo smiled as Asher walked toward us, his fingers flying quickly over his phone.
“I was able to find one flight out tonight, but there are only two seats,” Asher said, giving me a soft smile as he looked at me.“We can wait and take one in the morning so we can all fly together, but I don’t want to delay you getting there.”
I swallowed hard, pushing past the discomfort that was building around me because saying what I was about to say was going to kill me.
“Thank you.I think I need to go on my own, so we only need one ticket.”
Enzo’s features changed quickly as Asher frowned.
“I appreciate you guys wanting to help me, but I need to do this alone.”
Asher continued to frown, but Enzo’s face fell as he looked away from me.I knew the hurt on his face confirmed he knew what I was getting at.
“Violet, we want to be there for you.We want to help—”
“I understand that, I just don’t think—”
“She doesn’t want her dad to know about us,” Enzo interrupted, lifting his eyes to meet mine.
My lip trembled as I tried to deny it, but couldn’t.
“I need to be there to focus on him and make sure he’s okay,” I lied because there was nothing that I wanted more than for them to be there with me.But I knew the second my dad saw both of them that he would lose his shit if he knew I was dating both of them.The last thing I wanted was to upset him while he was recovering, assuming that he even recovered from his injuries.
“We get that,” Asher replied softly.“Trust me, Violet, we get that more than you could know.Butwewant to be there foryouand make sure that you’re okay.”
“If you guys are there, then I won’t be able to focus on him.I need to do this on my own.I’m so sorry.”I sobbed harder, drawing in a shaky breath as I saw the hurt on both of their faces.
Enzo got up and paced the other side of the room, shoving his hand through his hair in frustration.I got up and kept my head down as I went to my room to pack a bag, not knowing how long I would be gone or if I would come back.
