Page 87 of Connected By Souls

“God, I did not need to know that,” Bella says, wrinkling her nose.

“Way to go, Emma!” Sophia high-fives her. “I think that calls for another round of shots for us girls!” She signals the waitress over.

Laughing, we all toast to our adventure in the storage room. I look over and grin at Emma as I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know what it is, but he can always tell when someone has just had sex.”

“It’s a gift,” Mav grins at us both.

The rest of the night, the girls enjoy the dance floor until they’re so exhausted we practically have to carry them out. Emma and Skye fall asleep shortly after we leave the club. I pull up to Emma’s house and say goodbye to Cole as he carries Skye in.

Parking my truck in my driveway, I gather Emma in my arms as she snuggles against me. I carry her upstairs and lay her down on the bed, taking her shoes off and removing her dress. Pulling the covers around her, I kiss her forehead before undressing and climbing into bed, bringing her against me. Breathing in her scent, I close my eyes and instantly fall asleep beside her.

ChapterThirty

Emma

I packfor our camping trip when I wake up in the morning. Noah got an emergency call this morning from one of our neighbors needing help with something, so we’re meeting everyone out there this afternoon. Mav picked up Skye and Cole earlier to load his boat, and Bella and Sophia are riding the jet skis out. Putting the last items in the cooler, Noah walks in with his hair soaking wet.

“What happened to you?” I laugh and run my fingers through his hair.

“The pipe burst on me,” he says, chuckling. “I’m glad I went. They couldn’t get the plumber they usually use to come today, and that couldn’t wait. Let me grab a shower real quick, and then I’ll load up all this stuff.” He kisses me on the lips before heading upstairs.

Closing the cooler, I grab our bags and set them by the door as Noah comes back down ten minutes later, wearing his board shorts and a tee.

“I packed your bag for you. I put a sweatshirt in there for later and some pants just in case it gets chilly.” I point at his bag.

“Thank you for doing that. I’m sorry I wasn’t much help this morning.” He gives me a hug.

“You can make it up to me tonight.” I grin up at him. I’m looking forward to being alone with him later and telling him how much I love him. I can’t wait to say the words and hear the same come from his lips. It’s been an unspoken energy whenever we’re together, and I want him to know I’m all in and how much I’m ready for a future with him.

“Deal.” He kisses me before turning and grabbing a bag. “Let’s get packed up, and we can get Nala from my parents before we head to the marina. Are you excited for your first camping trip out there?” He asks, turning to look at me.

“Very. The weather’s going to be perfect, and I’m looking forward to the campfire and s’mores later.” I grab my bag and walk with him to his truck. Noah goes to the garage and loads the tent and blankets before putting the big cooler in the back. We lock up and drive to his parents. I turn the radio on in the background as we go through town. Pulling up to a stop light, Noah takes my hand and kisses it. I smile at him as the light turns green. His eyes go back to the road as we go through the intersection. Glancing at me, I see Noah’s smile turn to a look of horror as he focuses behind me. I turn to see what he’s looking at just as my world goes black.

* * *

“Emma, sweetie, wake up?”I open my eyes, and my mom’s face comes into focus.

“Mom?” Confused and disorientated, I sit up and see both my parents sitting beside my bed. “Dad?”

“Yes, baby girl, it’s me,” he grins. Crying, I reach for them, and they hug me close as tears fall down my face.

“I’ve missed you guys so much,” I sob into their arms. “I don’t understand. What’s going on? Where’s Noah?” I ask, looking around frantically.

“Everything is okay, my love.” My mom pushes my hair away from my face and dries my tears. “Noah is fine. He’s actually here with you now and hasn’t left your side. You just can’t see him right now.”

“I…I don’t understand.” Tears start to fall down my face again. I look around, and I’m in Noah’s bedroom. It’s just like we left it this morning.

Taking my hand in his, my dad looks at me. “You were in a bad car accident and had some brain swelling. You’re in a coma now, but your body is healing.”

“Did I die?AmI dying?” My breaths start to come in short spurts, and my chest feels like someone is standing on it. I’m more scared than I’ve ever been. The thought of never seeing Noah again is breaking me in two.

“Breathe, honey.” My mom takes my hands. “Take deep breaths.” I close my eyes and remind my body to breathe. “You’re going to be fine. More than fine, actually. You have an amazing life ahead of you.” My mom grins widely. “Think of this as just a dream that you’re having before you wake up.”

“Let’s go outside and get some fresh air so we can talk.” My dad takes my hand and leads me to the back deck.

I breathe in the salty air trying to get my chest tightness to go away. I take in the beautiful view that I love so much. I glance down the beach and notice we’re the only house here. “Where are we? This is Noah’s house, but the beach is different. There’re no houses except ours.”

“It’s an illusion of sorts, is the best way to explain it,” my mom says. “Your subconscious brought you here because this is your safe place where you feel most at home for us to talk.”

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