Page 53 of Three Months Yesterday

“On the property. I see the barn in the distance, maybe a few hundred yards away?” I know Aiden can’t see me, but that doesn’t stop the words from coming out as a question.

He grew up on this land the same way Madison did. He has to know where I am. There’s no other option.

Muffled voices come through the phone before his attention comes back to me. His words aren’t demanding, but there’s no room for argument. Aiden is in sheriff mode and nothing is going to pull him from that. Not even the fact that it’s his sister we’re talking about.

“Drop me a pin. An ambulance is already on the way.”

“Okay.”

“Is she conscious?” He wavers on the last word and I’m shocked I even notice it with how garbled my mind is.

“No.”

“Fuck.” There’s a breath before he continues, his words taking on a harder tone. “Don’t move her, Beckett. No matter what.”

“I know,” I whisper.

There was never a question of moving her.

My eyes slide from her chest and trace her face. She looks so peaceful, as if she’s simply relaxing and I want to brush my fingers across her smooth cheek or run them through her hair, but even that simple touch makes me nervous.

The sound of sirens pulls me from my musings and it takes a moment to realize it’s coming through the phone, not from the road.

How long will it take for Aiden and the ambulance to get here? Depending on the traffic and the lights, it can take more than twenty minutes to make it to The Lantern Inn from the center of town, and I have no idea where the fire station is.

I have to remind myself that she’s breathing. That her chest is moving in a normal rhythm. That it doesn’t sound strained or raspy.

She’s going to be fine.

She has to be.

“I’m two minutes out and the ambulance isn’t far behind me.”

Even with the phone held to my ear, I still forget I’m on the phone with Aiden, but hearing him is a small sense of relief.

“Help will be here soon,” I whisper to Madison.

I have no idea if she can hear me, but there’s a comfort in talking to her as if she can.

“I’m hanging up, Beckett. I’ll be there soon.”

Not waiting for my response, the line goes dead. I can’t say I blame him. His sister entirely consumes my attention.

For some reason, I’m thrown back to the night of the car accident. If I take a minute to think logically, I know this isn’t my fault—the same way the accident wasn’t my fault—but in the heat of the moment, all I can think about is that the ride was my idea. If I hadn’t suggested it, Madison wouldn’t be unconscious on the cold, hard ground.

The sound of sirens reaches me, faint at first, then growing louder until they cut through the quiet night air. Relief like I’ve never felt before crashes into me so hard my shoulders sag.

“You’re going to be okay,” I murmur. The words are entirely for me and while I can’t guarantee they’re true, I have to hold on to the belief that they are. I don’t know what I’ll do if they aren’t.

Red and blue lights flash between the trees before Aiden’s SUV tears across the pasture. It seems like he’s out before the vehicle fully stops, his sheriff’s jacket unzipped and radio clipped to his hip.

“I’m here.”

It’s an obvious statement, but I appreciate the words all the same. They’re like a trigger, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.

His gaze sweeps over Madison in one practiced motion, checking what he can without touching her. It amazes me how detached he is from the situation, but then I see his jaw flex, and I know he’s feeling more than he’s letting on.

“It’s gonna be okay, Stone. You did the right thing.”