Thankfully, Ben took after him.
“Um.” I peered down at my watch, noticing he was gone more than his usual hour. “He went for a run. He should be back soon.”
Alisa frowned, hustling John to the kitchen. “We need to get the steak and ribs on right now. And my dessert needs to go in the fridge.”
“The grill is set up in the back.” I motioned to the back patio.
“Hey, kid.” John leaned over, kissing my cheek. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too.”
“John!” Alisa called to him.
John rolled his eyes playfully, rushing off to the kitchen, not wanting to get any more grief from Alisa.
I peered over at my sister. She was trying not to show how she felt about my mother-in-law before she looked back at me, taking a shot of tequila. Harper was six years older than me, but we’d always been close. She had raised me when mom got sick. We shared the same body frame and hazel eye color, but my sister was blonde, like Mom, whereas I was dark-haired, like our father. Though he was only briefly in my life, my memories of those moments were strong. Both of our parents were gone now.
So, even though Alisa was a lot sometimes, I still clung to her and John as my family. Ben gave me the stability I had been searching for all my life.
Snorting, I strolled over to Harper. She poured another drink, handing it to me. “Can I say I’m thankful Joe’s mother is cross country?”
We clinked glasses, shooting down the liquor.
“Someone else is at the door.” She nodded to Ben’s friends waving at me through the screen door, loaded with beer and chips.
Why wasn’t Ben back yet? It was so unlike him.
Something in my gut fluttered, and the back of my neck prickled, but I quickly pushed it away. Pinning a smile on my face, I motioned them inside, telling them the same thing. “Ben went for a run. He should be back soon.”
Where are you, Ben? Irritation furrowed my brows. This was all for him. He should be back.
Yanking my cell out of my pocket, I hit his number. A ring chimed from the sofa, my gaze landing on his mobile. Dammit. He had a habit of leaving it behind no matter how many times I asked him to carry it with him.
With every guest who arrived, my stomach twisted more. My irritation and fear plowed head-on into each other. Ben was never late, and he especially wouldn’t be late tonight. He knew everyone was coming over. The party was for him.
“Did you try calling him?” Harper came up beside me.
“Yeah.” I swallowed, the lump growing in my throat. “He forgot his phone.”
“He’ll be back soon.” Harper patted my arm. “Knowing him, he probably stopped to get more beer and ice.”
My head bobbed in agreement, but I couldn’t let go of the tightening in my gut. Please, Ben… walk in now. I could picture him slamming through the side door, all smiles, his face sweaty, his arms carrying beer and ice, greeting everyone with boisterous cheers. Doing exactly what Harper had said. It was totally something he would do. He always thought to bring flowers to me when I had a bad day or add chocolate to the cart if I was on my period.
When my eyes spotted his wallet on the side table next to his phone, my lungs clenched. The taste of panic coated my tongue like battery acid. A knee-jerk reaction from my past, the reason I sought stability. Permanency. Love.
Ben’s fine, Em. He’ll be back full of apologies, claiming he got wrapped up in his head and lost track of time. He sometimes tended to do that when he went running. It was how he escaped all the pressures of work and school life.
I heard someone turn music on in the backyard, voices curling around me in a happy timbre, the gleeful celebration already starting as my smile felt more and more forced.
He’s fine. He’s fine. I’m going to kill him when he comes in, though.
A knock hit the front door in three solid strikes, the thump echoing down my spine. My head snapped to the screen door, instinct locking up my lungs as my gaze made out the forms standing on my stoop.
Two policemen stared back at me, their faces stern.
I went numb, my feet shuffling me to the door, my mind rolling with the simple reasons why they were standing there. My heartbeat thumped in my ears, my body prickling with both hot and cold.
“Can I help you?” I swallowed.
“Did we already get a noise complaint?” Harper laughed from somewhere behind me, but I felt everything growing farther and farther away.
“Are you Mrs. Roberts?” one officer asked.
“Yes.” I heard the tremble in my voice.
“There has been an accident,” the tall blond one said.
“Accident?” My defenses stacked up.
“I’m sorry, but your husband has been taken to the hospital.”
“No.” The word flew from my mouth, my head shaking, denying. “You are mistaken.”
“The store clerk identified him as Ben Roberts.”
My muscles locked up, and the terror I tried to shove away earlier came roaring back in my ears like it had been warning me.
“What do you mean, accident?” Harper came up beside me.
The officer’s mouth pinched. “He was found collapsed near the liquor store on Union Street. It’s all I know.”
That was on the route he ran every day. Bob, the owner, knew us. We went there often. He would know Ben.
Air heaved in and out of my lungs, my legs wanting to bow underneath me. “Is he okay?”
The blond officer shifted on his feet. “We can drive you to the hospital, Mrs. Roberts.”
My brain didn’t think past the need to get to Ben. I tore out of the house after the cops, my feet bare.
Harper yelled back at people as Alisa shrieked for John. In my peripheral, I could see them running for their car while Harper hopped into the back seat next to me.
“Emery?” She leaned over, slipping my flip-flops onto my feet, taking my hand. “He will be fine. Ben is young, healthy, and strong.”
I only nodded, my mind a whirl of panic and desperation, tears flowing down my face. “Ben…” I uttered his name as though he could feel me calling to him. That I was coming. I stared blankly out the window, everything feeling as if it were going in slow motion. The streets stretched out, the red lights longer. I fought to keep it together, my nails cutting into my hands, when we finally rolled to a stop in front of the emergency room.
Bolting from the car, I darted inside and straight to the desk.
“My husband…” I croaked. “He was brought in.”
“Ma’am, slow down,” a nurse responded, her expression holding no ounce of worry, her boredom clashing against my distress.
“No!” I bellowed. “My husband! I need to see him! Is he okay?” My voice rose, panic claiming my body and taking over.
“Ma’am, who is your husband?”
“His name is Ben Roberts.” My sister jumped in. “He was just brought in.”
The nurse tapped away at her computer leisurely. A slight pinch tapped her brows. “A doctor will be out with you shortly.”
“No!” I screamed again. “Tell me if he’s okay?” Tears of fear and frustration poured down my face.
“Please, have a seat. A doctor will be out shortly,” she repeated.
Harper yanked me back from the desk to the sitting area, my arms whirling, wanting to fight the receptionist and my sister. I needed to see Ben. It was a desperation so deep that I felt vomit coming up into my throat. The notion I couldn’t be by his side shredded through me. He was my heart.