My phone rings and I answer it through the Bluetooth on my car.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Fran. It’s Gerry Spence, Landon’s attorney. Is this a good time?”
“Yes, I’m just driving to the game.”
“Great, so I just got off the phone with Mr. James’ attorney. It seems that Kyle has decided to terminate his parental rights in order to keep from paying child support, his attorney was able to cut some type of deal to keep him from doing any jail time.” He pauses. “I wanted to pass along the good news.”
I’m stunned. It’s finally over. I wish I would have gotten the call before he showed up at my house. I don’t like him knowing where the two of us live.
“Thank you for everything that you have done for us. I truly appreciate it,” I say.
“Anytime at all. If you need anything, Kelsi, just call.”
I hang up the phone call. I’m so anxious to get to the game, I just need to see Landon. The light in front of me turns red so I slow to a stop. I grab my phone to shoot Landon a text about the phone call, hoping it will help ease some of the worry he’s been shouldering lately.
Me: Hey babe. The attorney just called, and Kyle terminated his own rights.. I’ll see you soon. We are about 15 minutes away.
As soon as I press send, I look up to see a speeding dark colored SUV flying toward me at an alarming speed. I press my horn over and over, hoping to gain the person’s attention, but they never move. They connect with the front end of my car, sending my car flying backward. The seatbelt jerks my body against the seat but my head hits against the driver side window and I can feel my car roll. Glass shatters all around me and all I hear are Carson’s constant screams in the backseat before everything turns black.
I wake up in a hospital bed. My eyes are heavy and I’m unable to open them. There is a constant beeping noise beside me, and it causes my headache to pulse even harder. There are voices surrounding me but it’s hard to focus enough to figure out who they are.
Carson.
I try to regain consciousness; I need to know if he’s okay. I groan, which causes all the talking in the room to halt. The room grows brighter as my eyes slowly open. I blink continuously, my eyes watering from the fierce light.
Someone grabs my hand and squeezes. It’s soft, while the other hand rubs up and down my arm.
My mom.
I can hear her quiet sniffles as she tries to contain her sobs. She fails miserably when I move my eyes to hers.
“I am so glad you’re okay. My sweet girl.” She leans over me and presses a kiss to my forehead. I wince, my skin tender, and I’m suddenly aware of the gauze wrapped around my head. I move my eyes around my body and notice the scrapes and bruising covering my arms.
“What happened?” I rasp out. My throat is dry and it hurts like a bitch to speak. I know what happened, the memory comes back and I can see the silver SUV approaching my car. I can still hear the sound of metal crushing metal and shattering glass.
“You were in a car accident, honey.” She glances to my dad.
“Carson?” I whimper, unsure how this all could have happened.
“He’s fine, peanut. He’s doing good. They just finished up testing with him and everything came back great. He will be released later today. Landon has been with him.” My heart shatters with relief. My baby is healthy and didn’t get hurt during the accident.
“Landon is here?”
“Oh, heavens yes. That boy wouldn’t leave either of you. He asked us to sit with you so he could go with Carson and get checked out. He left his game early when he realized you weren’t in the stands and you weren’t answering your phone call. The paramedics called us on their way to the hospital with the two of you.” She begins to shake. “Honey, I was so scared. I thought I had lost you both.”
I squeeze my mom’s hand but I’m unable to speak. I completely understand her fear because I was terrified at that moment, with my baby in the backseat. Landon walks through the door then; our eyes collide, and I can’t pull my gaze away from his. He’s dressed in his warm-up gear from the game and he looks exhausted. My parents stand on either side of the bed.
“We’re going to go see Carson.” Mom leans down and kisses my forehead before exiting the room with my dad in hand.
“Hi,” I speak softly. So many emotions are flying around right now and I can’t seem to get them all straight, but I know without a doubt after everything that has happened that I am falling in love with this man.
“Hi.” He slowly approaches me. He bends down, pressing a kiss to my lips as gently as he can. My body is sore from the accident but all I’d really like right now are this man’s arms wrapped around me.
“I can’t believe I wrecked my car,” I say. I had just paid it off before I met Landon, and while it wasn’t new, it was still a nice, decent vehicle that did its job. The first thing I’ve ever paid off on my own.
“I’m just glad the two of you are okay. I was so scared, Kels.” Landon leans his forehead against mine. “I could kill that fucker.”
“Who?” I ask, confused.
“Kyle.” He leans back, looking me in the eyes.
“What does he have to do with this?”
“He was driving the other car. He intentionally hit both of you,” he says. I’m frozen in place at his words. How did Kyle know where we were? “He was three times over the legal limit, Kelsi. He could have killed you both.”
“What? I can’t believe this. Where is he now?” I ask, not sure if I truly want the answer.
“He’s in lockup. The prick walked away from the scene unharmed, while the two of you were wheeled away on stretchers.” I’m relieved that he is in jail, but my poor son could have been severely harmed. Placing my hands over my eyes, I start to cry. Landon wraps both arms around me, gently rocking me.
“I love you,” he speaks and I’m stunned by his admission.
“What?” I ask, thinking I’ve surely misunderstood what he’s just said.
“I don’t care if you aren’t ready to say it back, but I love you. I was so scared when I found out the two of you were in an accident. I couldn’t get to you quick enough.” He pauses as he sits on the edge of my bed. His hands engulf mine and he rubs his thumb across the back of my hand. “I should have told you sooner, but I was so scared of running you off. I know it’s soon, but I want to be with you forever, and with Carson too.” Tears pour down my cheeks but Landon doesn’t wipe them away like normal. He just stares at me, his eyes focused only on mine.
“I love you, too,” I finally say. My voice is rough and deep, but the words fly past and I don’t regret saying them. I’ve known, deep down I’ve known for a while that I had fallen in love with Landon. He’s proven time and time again that he is serious about Carson and me.
He seems taken aback when he hears my words. My hands drop against the bed softly and Landon leans across my body, careful to support his weight, and presses his lips to mine.
“I love you,” he whispers against my lips and I smile before pressing mine back against his.
Chapter Twenty-Four