Page 155 of Please Save Me

A single fat tear rolled down Mason’s cheek, and I swept it away before slipping her hair behind her ear and pressing my forehead to hers. “And no matter what, you and Rosie have a lot of love. Just like Dr. Reed said, everything will be fine.”

I breathed her in and kissed her forehead before shutting her door and running around to the driver’s side. My SUV rumbled to life, and I immediately threw it into drive. My goal was to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. That way—

An angry beeping reminded me of a crucial part of the driving process.

“Seb, you need to put your seatbelt on,” Mason’s voice shook.

But that was the thing; I didn’t have time. Plus, Hartwood General was only ten minutes away from Main Street. I gripped the steering wheel tighter as I wrestled with the urge to dismiss her concern flat-out. “I’ll be fine. I’ve driven hundreds of times. Right now, I just want you to lay back and breathe.”

“Please,” she insisted.

But I ignored her pleas. We’d be at the hospital soon, and I knew I was safe.

The snowflakes grew larger and far more frequent, and I could feel my tires struggle for traction. Still, I knew how to drive in snow, so this would be fine.

The SUV skidded around a corner, but I quickly corrected it. Mason’s breathing grew more labored as she let out a small groan. A dizzy sort of rush washed over me as I realized we might be closer to meeting our daughter than I thought. I needed to go faster.

My heart raced as I pressed on the accelerator, my focus solely on the road. “Just a few more blocks, and we’ll be there.” I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring myself or Mason.

As we approached the intersection, the light shifted from green to yellow, and I considered stopping. But another noise of discomfort escaped Mason, and I pressed the gasharder. All I could think about was how badly we needed to get to the hospital. When we got there, I’d call Cameron, and he could bring the hospital bags. Even if Rosie had to stay a few weeks, we would have the stuff for her. We were ready for this. I was prepared for this.

The light turned red just as we passed through, and I thought that meant we were in the clear. That was until the icy road caused the SUV to spin. My pulse thundered in my ears as the world around us blurred.

“Sebastian!” Mason’s terrified shriek cut through the chaos.

I steered toward the skid, trying desperately to regain control as an evergreen tree came all too clearly into view. My heart seized as I realized there was no way to stop what was about to happen.

“Hold on!” I shouted, but it was too late.

The next thing I knew, the SUV slammed into the tree with a sickening crunch and enough force to launch me out of my seat. The windshield crumbled around me, sending shards of glass through the bitter air as I was propelled from the vehicle. My body felt weightless for a terrifying moment as the night air burned my lungs, that was until the icy ground rushed to greet me.

Chapter 47

Cameron

Time always seemed to slow down when it was snowing. I pressed my forehead against the cold glass, separating me from the outside. I’d been looking out this window for what felt like forever.

My gaze flickered toward the clock on the wall. It had been almost an hour and a half since Sebastian called to yell at me about the food order. I knew service at Jade Palace could be slow, especially if they were busy, but this feltexcessive. We’d all gotten so tired of waiting that we finished decorating the tree and sent Lucian upstairs to read to the kids before bedtime. I shifted on the couch, pulling my phone from my pocket, hoping I’d have something from either of them.

Nothing.

Maybe I was just overanalyzing this. Hell, I knew for a fact that neither Mason nor Seb could keep their hands to themselves, so they were probably just out having sex in the woods orwhateverthose kinky little shits were into.

My fingers started to tingle as I looked at the clock again, unable to do anything else.

“Would you look at that snow,” Sophia said, sneaking up behind me and planting a hand on my hip.

Her warm body melted into mine as I continued to examine the world lying just beyond the window. A thick blanket of white snow covered the rolling farmland, and I was glad I’d made it a point to get all of our equipment into the barn last week.

Sophia’s head rested on my shoulder as she looked up at me. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

I swallowed hard. Less than an hour ago, I’d wanted to scream at her for giving Lucian alcohol, but now all I wanted was for her to soothe my frayed nerves.

“I’m just thinking about Seb and Mae. They should have been back a long time ago, or at least called someone to let us know they’re alright.” The snowflakes swirling outside were almost mesmerizing, but they only seemed to make my anxiety worse.

“You worry too much.” She shot me an award-winning smile. “Mason likes to get lost. I’m sure she just sweet-talked Sebastian into going to look at the stars.”

I forced myself to nod. Sophia had yet to be wrong in our three-year relationship, and I hoped that trend continued. Still, I couldn’t shake the unease that gnawed at me. The longer we stood there, the more the picturesque scene outside the window felt like a cruel reminder of the unknown. I tried to check my phone again, but Sophia slipped it from my fingers.

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