“I like to think I’m transitioning right now. I spent my entire life training for the Olympics. I missed so many things. And now, I don’t have to train any more. Now, I skate because I want to with no pressure. I teach the kids because it’s fun. I’ve got more money than I could ever spend, and I don’t want to miss anything else, so I’m not in a rush to jump into a job that isn’t what I want. And I’m lucky enough that I can take my time figuring out what it is I want. But the one thing I’m absolutely sure of is Easton. He’s what I want.”
I reach across the counter and rest my hand on hers, knowing this is going to be hard for her to hear. “I’ve never been happier than I’ve been with him, but no one in this family was happy for me. It hurt. And even worse, you all tried to make Easton into the bad guy. You were all supposed to love him, and you turned on him.”
“Madeline.” Mom pulls away. “We didn’t turn on him. We needed you to help us understand. And I don’t think any of us did a good enough job of meeting you in the middle. I will say that Lenny and Jules were on your side. They stayed quiet while we figured out what was going on, but they never stopped giving me grief. Becket too. Don’t worry about this family turning their backs on that man. We all love him. But we were as mad at him as we were with you.”
“He wants to marry me again. In front of everyone.”
“Oh.” Mom is careful not to give away her thoughts. “And what do you want?”
“I don’t want some big, stuffy thing. That’s so not me,” I tell her honestly. “We’re already married. I don’t really see the point.”
“The point, princess”—Easton wraps and arm around me from behind, startling me—“is for us to promise to love each other in front of the most important people in our lives. Juliette pointed out to me that the people who love us should get to celebrate with us.” He looks over at my mom. “Hey, Ashlyn.”
Brandon walks in with the takeout. “Are we eating in here or the dining room?”
“Here,” Mom and I both say at the same time.
“So? Come on, princess. Don’t make me beg.” Easton drops down on one knee, and I try to pull him back up.
“What are you doing?”
“Madeline Kingston Hayes. I have loved you for what feels like my whole life, and I promise to love you until we’re old and gray. Will you marry me? Again?” he adds, and I laugh.
“Get up, hockey boy.” I pull him up and press my lips to his. “If you really want to do this again, I’ll marry you.”
He lifts me off my feet and holds me to him. “Love you, baby.”
“I love you too, you big goof. Now put me down.”
He drops me back to my feet, and my mom and Brandon hug us both. “I’ve always wanted to plan your wedding,” she whispers.
“Small, Mom. Just family and a few friends,” I tell her.
Brandon clears his throat. “Your family is bigger than the average person’s wedding, shortcake.”
“Don’t remind me.”
Easton
I pull Brandon to the side while Lindy’s hugging her mom goodbye. “The only thing I regret about marrying Lindy in Vegas is not asking you for your permission first.”
“She’s her own woman. We both know that. You don’t need my permission, and you’ve had my respect for a long time. There’s no one in this world I’d rather see her spend her life with, Easton. Be good to each other. And be prepared—because you may think you know what being a part of this family means, but you don’t have a clue until you marry one of them.” He pats my back. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The snow falls around us as we walk to the SUV, and when I open her door, Lindy stops and kisses me. “It’s like we’re in the middle of a snow globe.”
“I guess it does, now get in before you get cold.”
“Thank you for making me come here tonight, E. You were right. I needed to do that. I know how much you miss your mom, but I’ve got to believe she’s watching over you, and she’s so incredibly proud of the man you are. I know I am.”
I wrap my hand around her head and press my lips to hers. “I fucking love you, Lindy.”
“Good. Then let’s get home so you can show me just how much.”
“Deal.” She gets in the car, and I close her door and round the front hood. When I look behind us, there’s a man in a sedan one house down. He’s sitting in the car with the headlights off, and something about it feels wrong.
I turn our car on and look in the rearview, but he doesn’t move.
Maybe I’m overreacting. But something just feels off.
“You buckled in, princess?”
Lindy looks at me funny. “Yeah, why?”
“I think that’s a paparazzi behind us. Just being careful.”
“Ugh, when are they going to stop following us? We’re boring.”
“You’re never boring, baby.”
I pull onto the street and watch to see if the sedan follows.
Thankfully, he doesn’t.
Nothing like overreacting.
Stupid fucking tabloids.
Once we pull through the intersection outside of Ashlyn’s neighborhood, a motorcycle flies up next to us—in the fucking snow—and the guy pulls out his camera.
“What the fuck?” Lindy gasps in shock.
“Ignore him. We’re fine,” I tell her, even though I don’t like how close this guy is getting to us.
We pull onto Main Street, and headlights flash behind us.
It looks like the sedan from Ashlyn’s neighborhood is back, and he’s coming toward us at a pretty high speed, considering the snow that’s already fallen tonight. “Is that fucker taking pictures too?” I shout, and Lindy turns to look, just as the motorcycle slides on the ice and veers in front of us.
I slam on my breaks to avoid hitting him, but it’s too late.
He runs into us at my front corner. The bike slides across the hood of our SUV, and the guy collides violently against our windshield, just as the sedan slams into us from behind, sending us spinning into mass chaos.
Metal crunches, and time stops as I realize I have no control over what’s happening.
“Baby.” I look over at Lindy as our car comes to a stop in the middle of the road, and she screams.
I turn my head and am blinded by the oncoming traffic. Headed right toward us.
In a last attempt, I throw my arm across Lindy, helpless to stop what’s happening. I hear a car lay on its horn and see it barreling down on us, trying to break. But I know he won’t be able to stop in time.
Glass shatters, and the impact feels like an explosion as the front of the SUV crumbles.
The airbags explode, and the last thing I hear is my wife’s scream before the silence is deafening.
EASTON
I wake up, disoriented and unsure of where I am before everything suddenly comes hurtling back to me.
The accident.
Lindy.
I bolt up and ignore the pain of whatever just ripped out of my skin. “Lindy,” I call out, and Juliette and Becket come into view. “Where’s Lindy. I need my wife.”
Jules runs a hand over my face. “You need to calm down, Easton. You just ripped out your IV.”
“Where’s my wife?” I ask again, frantic. “Lindy . . .” I yell.
Becks grabs my hand.
The one that’s not splinted.
What the fuck?
“We need you to calm down for a second and hear us, Easton. Take a breath.” Becks refuses to let go of me when I try to wrench free. “Breathe, kid. We need you to calm down for Lindy.”
His words break through to me.
“Why?” I look at him, fucking terrified. “Tell me she’s alive, Becks. I need her to be alive. She has to be alive.”