Page 81 of Suddenly Yours

“I’m not afraid anymore,” she whispered.

“Good,” I said softly. “Because I love you, always have. I want to spend the rest of my life telling you, showing you, hearing you tell me back.”

Then the beeping faded into the background, the pain dulled, and, as darkness took over, everything felt like it was exactly where it was supposed to be.

I woke again sometime later to the quiet hum of machines and the faint glow of streetlights bleeding through the windows. My mouth felt dry, and my head was heavy, like it was stuffed with cotton. For a few seconds, I didn’t know where I was. Then I remembered and looked around.

Missy sat beside the bed, cross-legged in the chair, eating a paper-wrapped burger. Max leaned against the wall near the window, looking out with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was somewhere between exhausted and furious. The smell of fries hit me next, and my stomach growled loud enough that Missy glanced over.

“Cade.” Relief flooded her face so fast it nearly knocked the breath from me. “You’re awake again.”

“Was I asleep or knocked out?” I asked, my voice rough and slow, like it had to wade through mud to reach my mouth.

Max snorted quietly. “You were out cold. It’s the drugs. They want to make sure you’re not feeling much pain.”

“Good,” I muttered. “Did I miss dinner?” I tried to shift, but winced. “Is that a burger?”

Missy laughed softly, the sound shaky. “Of course that’s what you focus on.”

“I’m starving,” I said honestly. “Either that or the drugs are lying to me.”

Max pushed off the wall. “I’ll grab the nurse. I’m not sure what you’re cleared to eat. Don’t get too excited. Burgers may not be on the menu yet.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” I said, closing my eyes for a second. My body felt like it had been put back together wrong—everything there, but nothing quite lined up yet.

While we waited, Missy unlocked her phone and turned the screen toward me.

“The police pulled footage from a traffic camera near the cove,” she said softly. “They’re hoping it might jog your memory.”

The video was grainy, the image streaked with rain. My truck appeared first, and I watched my headlights sweeping around the curve. Then another set of lights appeared that were too close mine. The SUV was practically riding my bumper. The other car lurched at the back corner of my truck, which caused me to swerve hard out of the frame. Then there was nothing but darkness and rain.

My chest tightened. “I don’t remember any of that.”

“I know,” she whispered, her fingers tightening around mine. “They can’t get a plate or even a clear outline of the other vehicle. They’re still looking.”

She locked her phone and tucked it away just as the nurse came in with a tray. My bed was raised so I could sit up and eat. I worked through the broth slowly and sipped the water. Then I tried to enjoy something that was pretending to be gelatin. The food was helping cut through the fog in my head.

When I was done eating, Missy’s phone buzzed. She looked at it and froze. One glance at the screen and she flipped it face down without answering.

“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly.

She shook her head too fast. “Nothing.”

Max shifted closer. “Missy?”

She let out a slow breath and picked up the phone again. “It’s Dad,” she said. “He’s called a few times today.”

Max’s expression darkened. “He’s been calling me too. I didn’t want to talk to him. Then you drove off a cliff.” He grimaced. “So we’ve been kind of busy.”

Missy hesitated, then opened her voicemail and hit play.

Gerald Sharpe’s voice filled the room, smooth, controlled, sharp around the edges.

“Melissa, you’re being emotional. This bakery phase is charming, but it’s time to think long-term. Levi is willing to forgive you. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come around twice. I’ve arranged for everything. It’s time you fell into line.”

She tapped the next message.

“You’re prolonging this divorce by being stubborn. Collateral damage happens in business. You understand that.”