I reach out and take the broken piece of glass from Ash and bring it to my nose to smell but get nothing. I look to the closest table and see plenty of glasses filled with golden bubbly but none have any pink. I close my fingers around the glass shard until blood runs through them and drips on the marble floor.
“It was the champagne and it wasn’t a fucking accident.”
Ash’s eyes narrow on the puddle but Beck snags a passing waiter and hauls him to a stop.
“Which one of you was serving the pink champagne?”
The waiter tries to pull back but Beck clamps a big hand painfully on his shoulder and bares his teeth. “Answer the question. Who was serving the pink champagne?”
The guy shakes his head as his eyes dart from side to side looking for help but nothing will be able to help him if he doesn’t give us the answers we need.
“N-nobody! We only serve the cheap shit. Pink champagne is too expensive to serve at a function like this.”
Beck growls and tightens his grip. “Fine, how can the cheap shit be turned pink with strawberries?”
The guy makes a face like we’re crazy but answers anyway. “I don’t know, you could probably infuse it with strawberries, I guess. Listen, all I do is carry a tray that’s already filled with glasses. I’m not in charge of pouring them.”
Beck lets the guy go and starts scanning what’s left of the crowd. After the EMTs were called, the event wound down pretty fast.
“It had to be the sister. Who else would know about her allergy? She must have paid off someone to serve that tray to Savy, right?” Beck fumes.
Ash gapes at him in disbelief. “You think her sister tried to kill her? Really?”
I throw down the blood-covered glass and pull my pocket square out to wrap around my hand.
“No, she did it to humiliate her. She knew Savy carries an EpiPen. She’s the one who said to check her purse for it when I threatened to snap her neck.” With one final glare around the room, I spot coach headed our way so I jerk my chin at the doors. “Let’s go. Coach wants a word with us and I’m not in the frame of mind to deal with him.”
As one, we turn and leave. My skin itches to be with my doll, to make sure she’s okay.
TATE
“She’s going to be groggy, fatigued, and there may be some dizziness for the next few days. She shouldn’t be left alone until she is recovered. We’ll keep her here for observation until morning but she should recover completely. Make sure you stop at the pharmacy and replace her pen. I’ve already sent down the prescription for her.”
The reassurance from the doctor helps and a heavy weight lifts from my shoulders. She’s going to be alright. I lift her limp hand to my mouth and press my lips against it before setting it gently down on the bed beside her and pull out my phone. Her blue dress and heels are jammed in a plastic bag hanging from the side of the bed and she looks so small in the hospital gown they put her in. I tap out an update to the boys and ask them to swing by the house to grab her some of my sweats to wear in the morning when we take her home.
I drag my hands through my hair and study her sleeping face. She still looks too pale to me and her face is slightly puffy from either the allergic reaction or the medicine they gave her but she’s still beautiful to me. How did I fuck this up so badly?
I had no idea what was happening and at first, I thought Ash was attacking her when he took her to the floor. I just stood there frozen like a jackass as Beck yelled about her strawberry allergy and called 911. Jude was making threats of violence until he got the information about her purse and the life-saving pen inside it. Ash just held her like she was the most fragile piece of crystal.
I’m supposed to be her boyfriend, fake or not. How do they know more about her than I do? Why did they take care of her better than I could? What the fuck is wrong with me?
“T-Tate? Wher…”
My eyes flash to her confused, hazy ones and I take her hand again as I stand and lean over to brush her hair back from her face.
“It’s okay, baby girl. I’m here. You’re okay, you’re safe now.”
She tries to swallow and makes a face so I grab the cup of water next to the bed and place the straw between her lips. Once she’s taken a few sips her brow furrows.
“W-what happened? Ash, Ash was…” Her blue eyes widen as it starts to come back to her. “Ash…he was scared? For me?”
I blow out a breath and kiss her forehead. “We all were, baby girl. You scared the hell out of us. But you’re okay now. Everything is okay.”
Her confused eyes stare into mine for a few more moments and she whispers, “Jude, where’s Jude?” in a slurred voice before they start to droop and finally flutter closed. I sit back in my seat and drop my head into my hands. Fuck.
Savy doesn’t wake up again before the guys show up. When they walk in, Jude doesn’t even spare me a glance. He goes straight to the bed, drops the side rail, and climbs up onto it, laying on his side to pull her against him. Savy’s eyelids flutter but don’t open as she curls right into him and fists his shirt like she was made to fit exactly there. A pang of envy is quickly followed by the sharp claws of jealousy that I have no right to feel. Out of all of us, Jude’s the only one who’s accepted Savy from the start and never said or done anything to make her feel less. He was the first one to throw down for her so she’s exactly where she should be right now. I can only hope she lets me try and be the man she deserves too.
SAVY
