Page 73 of The Chances We Take

isabelle

PRESENT DAY

Hey, it’s okay. Come on.” Reid opened the door to my hotel room.

I tilted my chin down in thanks as I brushed past him, not wanting to look him in the face. I swiped my index fingers under my eyes, trying to ignore the burning sensation behind them.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror outside of the bathroom, my fears of mascara running down my face confirmed.

Great. Just great.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he handed me a glass he had filled with water after we walked in, pausing like he figured it was the wrong thing to ask. He sat on the bed, but I stayed standing. This whole thing was already humiliating enough.

“Yeah…” I trailed off, not giving a very convincing performance. “No. I don’t know what I’ll do if something happened to her. She just started driving by herself. She was so excited for it, and now…”

“Give me your phone. I’ll callyour mom.”

I took a deep breath, deciding to bite the bullet and sit next to him. I pulled out my phone, unlocking it and handing it over to him as a tear rolled down my cheek. I sniffed, wiping the tears away, willing myself to be a little bit stronger.

He opened the phone app and clicked on the favorites tab. He hesitated for a moment, probably seeing his name on the list, but then tapped the contact for my mom and held it up to his ear.

“Hello?” My mother’s muffled voice came through the phone.

“Hi, Mrs. Bennett. I’m Reid, a friend of Isa’s.” He paused, letting her speak. “I just wanted to call to check in. She got a notification that Amelia was in an accident, and she’s not answering. Is everything okay?”

He nodded a few times then turned his head toward me. “She’s okay. She got rear-ended, but it’s very minor. She got out without a scratch.”

My shoulders slumped with relief as I let out a breath. “Thank God.”

“Your sister wants to talk to you. Here she is, Amelia,” he said before handing me the phone.

“I’m coming home,” I blurted out, a bit more forcefully than I intended to.

“Dang, sis, not even a hello?” Amelia giggled.

I’d never been so relieved to hear her voice. “Sorry, hi. I’m coming home, though. I-I’ll book a flight tonight?—”

“Sissy, stop. I’m fine, I swear.” Amelia cut me off. “Please don’t do that. It was nothing, seriously. My phone slipped off the seat when I got hit, and it must have picked up that I was in an accident, but I’m okay.”

“You’re okay,” I breathed out.

“Yes. Now, congratulate Ellison and Colter for me and don’t let this ruin your night. I love you, okay?”

“I will and I’ll come home soon, okay? I love you too.”

“You don’t have to do that, but okay.” Amusement tinged her voice. “Love you, later.”

“Love you, later.”

The phone clicked as she hung up, and I turned to Reid. “Thank you for being here. For taking care of me.”

“I told you, you can always come to me.” He took my hand, running his calloused fingers over mine. “No matter what it is.”

“I feel like I over—” I stopped mid-sentence as I looked down at our joined hands then back up to his face.

I knew what I was going to say, but I couldn’t find the words.

Too much was going on, and I couldn’t focus. I tried to pick one thing—the hum of the A/C unit by the window, the roughness of Reid’s skin as he traced his thumb over the top of my hand, his eyes, his round lips.

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