Page 60 of One More Time

“Can I take a look?” I asked.

Hannah rolled up her jeans, and Griffin and I checked her ankle. “You’ll need an x-ray, but I’m guessing you fractured it.”

“Do you think?” Hannah’s worried gaze met mine.

“Probably.”

“Or a bad sprain,” Griffin offered.

“How long do we have to wait for the tide?” Hannah asked.

Griffin grinned. “We’re going to carry you.”

He glanced toward McKenna. “Your feet will get wet, but it’s only a few minutes, and then you’ll be able to dry off.”

“I can handle it,” she replied.

Hannah began apologizing, and the three of us collectively cut her off. “Things happen,” I said.

“I’m trying not to be any trouble, though,” Hannah said. Her eyes were bright with tears.

“You’re not any trouble.” I stepped in front of her, kneeling and putting my hands on her shoulders. “Life happens. I promise you don’t need to worry about doing life perfectly. Trust me, I fuck up plenty. Slipping and hurting your ankle is what we call an accident.”

“I’m a member of the fuckup club,” Griffin chimed in.

McKenna glanced among us, offering, “I should’ve probably realized that we could’ve come another day when we had more than just a few hours before the tide.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Hannah pressed.

“Absolutely,” I said with a firm nod.

Griffin and I got Hannah situated between us with her arms over our shoulders and started walking.

McKenna pointed out, “If she walks ahead of us in the cold water, it would probably bring the swelling down.”

Hannah smiled at her, and I was relieved to see her relaxing. I couldn’t help but ponder her worries. I thought back to my shock at learning Derek had a daughter and realizing she had no one but him and me to turn to for family. It felt as if her life and ours had spun sideways with the change in a matter of days. Life was a twisty road sometimes. Her presence in our lives only expanded my heart.

Occasionally, I looked ahead at McKenna, gamely tramping through the cold water without hesitation. Maybe I wasn’t sure how she felt, but I had missed her. A lot. I knew what lay between us was much more than chemistry. I knew I wanted to face the complications instead of avoiding them.

When we got back to the parking lot, we determined Rhys would drive Hannah to the hospital, and we would follow since I had my truck. I didn’t want to be separated from Hannah or McKenna even for the short drive to the hospital.

Derek insisted on going with Hannah, which left no room in Rhys’s SUV. McKenna ended up riding with me.

On the drive to the hospital, I glanced over. McKenna shivered a little. “You need to change. Let’s stop by your place.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“McKenna, you’re cold enough to get hypothermic. We’ll meet them at the hospital after you change.” I called Griffin, who quickly agreed that was the smart plan.

“Oh my God,” she muttered after I ended the call.

“Look, if you show up at the hospital, they’ll see you’re at risk for hypothermia and maybe keep you for observation. Which option do you want?”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

She was still shivering when we got to her place. I suggested she take a shower.

“I don’t need a shower,” she tried to argue.

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