Ryder stopped at his door and then dashed in while I practically skipped down the stairs.
I finally met my prince charming. I can’t wait to tell my mother!
“IT’S SO INCREDIBLY beautiful up here,” Jase said as he walked behind me.
“I agree. I’ve never seen the sky look so clear or so blue.”
Liza and Walker brought up the rear, and I knew it was because they wanted to steal a kiss or two along the way. I couldn’t blame them. It was rare for them to not have little Nickolas with them.
“We’re almost to the top. The view is like nothing you’ve ever seen,” Ryder called out as he looked back at me.
My heart raced with excitement as I continued heading up the trail.
“You get you some action last night?” Jase whispered from behind me.
Stopping, I hit him on the chest. “Seriously? Stop acting like a child.”
He lifted his eyebrows and replied, “I’ll take that as a yes you did. No wonder your dad was in an uproar this morning.”
“I’m not talking to you about this, Jase.”
Jase roared with laughter as he walked by and headed closer to Ryder.
Oh. Great. That little bastard lived to make my life hell. Always has.
“Don’t you dare even utter a single word to him, Jase Morris!” I called out as my foot slipped and I lost my balance.
The moment I felt my ankle roll and pop, I knew this wasn’t going to turn out good. The snapping feeling was followed by a shooting pain up my leg that caused me to lose my balance even more. The only thing I heard was my name being called out as I fell to the ground and down a small hill. I thought everything was going to be okay until I picked up a bit of speed and my lower leg hit a boulder. The pain hit me instantly as everything began to spin and I felt sick to my stomach.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” I yelled out as I saw Ryder sliding to a stop and bending over me.
“Ava! Where are you hurt?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I whimpered. “My leg. Hurts like hell.”
“We’ve got to get her down from here and to the hospital,” Walker said as my eyes snapped open.
“What? No! Just give me a few seconds to let the pain go away.”
Ryder and Walker looked at each other before Ryder turned back to me. “Baby, your leg is broken; the pain isn’t going to go away.”
Swallowing hard, the pain felt a thousand times worse than it had five seconds ago.
“W-what?”
Jase stood behind Ryder and Walker. “This is my fault! Shit! Ava, I was just playing around.”
“My ankle rolled, and something snapped.”
I heard my mother and father calling out my name as I turned my attention to Ryder. “Please tell me it’s not broken. I can’t look.”
Ryder’s eyes filled with worry. “Don’t look, but I can’t tell you it’s not broken. It clearly looks broken.”
Snarling my lip, I replied with, “Shit.”
Well that didn’t make me feel any better and only made me want to look at my leg. Taking a quick glance, I saw my leg bent in a way it should not be bent.
“Oh no,” I whispered as I felt lightheaded.
Reaching out for anyone I could find, all I could manage to say was, “Gonna … pass …out.”
Ryder carefully picked me up and started back down the trail as I buried my face into his chest.
“I’ve got you,” Ryder kept repeating every five minutes or so as Walker and Jase led the way down the trail.
Grabbing onto Ryder’s jacket, I pleaded, “Please, you be the one to take me to the hospital, okay?”
Ryder held onto me tighter as his voice cracked. “I promise.”
The pain was getting so unbearable, I prayed like hell I would just pass out.
“Walker, Jase, and I will take her in my truck. Reed, Courtney, you can follow us,” Ryder called out as I felt him walking faster. Peeking my eyes open, I thanked God we were finally off the trail.
“I’ll call them, Ryder, and let them know you’re on your way!” Lucy called out.
Ryder gently placed me in the backseat of his truck as he ran to the other side and jumped in with me as Walker got behind the wheel.
“Just follow Dani and Rich,” Ryder ordered Walker.
“Is Dani okay?” I asked lifting my head to look out the front window.
“She’s fine, buttercup. That trail is nothing to her, even being pregnant.”
The feel of Ryder’s hand brushing against my forehead was calming.
I felt myself slipping into sleep as the pain finally faded away.
“Never going hiking again,” I whispered as sleep took over.
I PACED ACROSS the tile floor as I waited along with everyone else in the waiting room.
“Ryder, please stop pacing and sit down next to me.”
I glanced over toward my mother and gave her a faint smile. “I can’t sit down, Mom.”
“How about a cup of coffee then?” Dani said as she placed her hand on my arm.
My eyes looked up at the clock on the white wall. It had been almost two hours since they brought Ava back for surgery.