Page 74 of Accidentally Forever
My mother moved forward and fluffed my pillows. “I’m just happy you’re okay. And Crew will be fine soon, and then I’m forcing you both to stay with us for a little while so I can pamper you and put you in bubble wrap.”
My lips twitched even as I looked at my mom’s watery eyes. “I don’t think Crew would like that.”
“Crew is going to have to deal with me as his new mom.” She held up her hand. “I’m not talking about your relationship. I mean yes, I love you both, but Crew needs a mom and dad right now, and he is stuck with us.”
“That gets a little incestuous,” Gus mumbled.
“Gus Montgomery,” my dad growled.
“I’m just saying.”
“I’m not talking literally.” My mom shook her head in exasperation. “I’m talking about the fact that I loveyou, daughter of mine. And I love that man who risked everything for you. So I am going to pamper him and show him exactly what a mother should be. Because I want to have words with that woman who calls herself a mother.”
“Your mom is about to curse. Beware,” Dad said softly, and I knew he was trying to keep the banter light.
“Fuck off, Alexander Montgomery. My babies are hurt.” My mother immediately broke into tears as my father held her and I had to look away for a moment before they broke apart and stood next to my bed.
“I just need to see him.” I let out a breath and leaned into my mother’s hold.
“We will make that happen,” she said so fiercely, that I knew if anybody could make it happen, it would be Tabitha Montgomery.
It took another three hours before I was able to see the man I loved.
I had never seen Crew so still before. Even when he slept, he constantly moved as if to protect me. That was just who he was. He boxed, he drove too quickly around curves, he hiked, painted, ran multimillion dollar businesses, and did countless things to keep busy. But he was never still.
Lex came with me first, because we were his family, and reached out to hold Crew’s hand.
“He’s not out of the woods yet,” the doctor spoke softly. “He has much better chances when he wakes up. We just need him to wake up on his own, because he was underwater for a long time, and the river was just cold enough that hypothermia was an issue. But I have all the faith that he will make a full recovery as long as he wakes up soon.”
He continued to say other things, but that ominous warning still echoed throughout my mind after he left.
“I need you to wake up, Crew. I love you so much. I want to see the world with you. I want you to get mad at me when I use the last of the milk and don’t put it on the list. I want you to roll your eyes when I mix your socks with mine because I took over your dresser. I want to watch you paint and make the others laugh because you pretend you aren’t a pretentious artist like the rest of us. We wasted so much time bickering. Now I’m going to keep yelling at you until you wake up. I love you, Crew. Please. You have to wake up.”
Lex, who had returned, let out a sound by my side, but just held my other hand as I looked down at Crew and hoped that the love of my life would wake up.
Because he was my forever.
I wasn’t going to take any other option.
Chapter Seventeen
Crew
Loud beeping echoed through the room, and I kept my eyes closed, holding back a moan. It felt as if I were trying to crawl through mud, my body far too heavy, my limbs not doing what I needed them to do.
“Crew. Crew I need you to open your eyes. You’re so close. But I need you to open your eyes for me. Please, baby. Open your eyes for me.”
I didn’t know why Aria sounded so scared. And I wanted to do what she asked. Hell, I would do everything for her. Anything she asked, I was hers. But the thought of opening my eyes felt insurmountable.
Instead I let the quicksand take me under once more, the beeping growing distant, everything feeling far heavier.
The next time the beeping returned, it was slightly louder, a sharp staccato against my temple. Although I didn’t know if it was a machine making noise, or the sound of my pulse.
What an odd thing to wonder, considering it felt like something I should know.
“Aria. You need to get some sleep. At least take a shower.”
“You might be my twin, but you don’t get to physically haul me out of here again.”
