Chapter 8
Since Preston needed a follow-up on his legs, we had to cut our Fiji trip short.
That night I crashed with Paisley, and she was totally hyped up, going on and on about her brother’s most embarrassing moments.
“My brother’s such a stubborn jackass. Total introvert-keeps everything bottled up inside.”
She let out this dramatic sigh and grabbed my hand.
“Riley, I bet my brother told you he messed up his legs in some hiking accident, right?”
I nodded. Paisley cracked up laughing.
‘What a liar!”
But then her face got dead serious.
He got wrecked in a car crash. The night he found out about your mom, he was freaking out about you and drove through the night trying to get back o town. But there was this massive storm and he flipped his car on the freeway.”
A piece of metal rebar went straight through his gut. Doctors said he would’ve bled out if they’d found him ten minutes later.”
I literally had to sit in that hospital room reading him every single love letter he’d written you just to keep him from slipping into a coma.”
his sick feeling twisted in my stomach, and my eyes started stinging.
never knew that’s what really happened. Preston, he…
Love letters?”
caught that detail. Preston, that manipulative little shit, actually wrote love letters?
‘aisley dragged me to Preston’s study.
he walls were covered with dozens of photos of me-all from college days.
oung and carefree.
he started digging through drawers and pulled out this box.
nside were tons of letters, packed tight.
ly hands shook as I opened one.
reston was decent at everything except writing, so he must’ve looked up fancy words and quotes to pull off such poetic love letters.
What are you guys doing?”
reston’s panicked voice came from the doorway.
aisley and I both turned around to see his horrified expression.
When he saw what I was holding, his face went bright red. He walked over and kicked Paisley.
Who, who said you…you could mess with my stuff?”
Paisley dodged and stuck her tongue out.
Bleh! You’re such a chicken. You won’t confess yourself, and now you’re mad I’m helping?”
Chapter
She bolted from the study, leaving Preston and me staring at each other awkwardly.
Preston had just gotten out of the shower, wearing this loose bathrobe. When I looked over, I caught sight of a nasty scar.
Must’ve been from the car crash.
Without thinking, I reached out and touched it.
Tears just started falling.
All this time, someone had loved me this much and I had no clue.
Seeing me cry totally freaked Preston out. He started panicking, trying to comfort me:
“It doesn’t even hurt anymore, don’t worry about it.”
“Preston, you’re such an idiot.”
Preston gave me this helpless smile, his voice soft as silk:
“Getting hurt was worth it just to see you care about me.”
“Riley, I’m crazy about you. Have been since the day we met.”
“So… would you maybe consider giving me a shot?”
These past six months, Preston and I had traveled to over a dozen different coastlines together. Been through so much.
I’d seen how good he was to me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t falling for him.
Besides, it was way past time I started over.
“Yes.”
“Seriously?!”
Preston went nuts with happiness, spinning me around in circles.
I laughed and smacked his shoulder.
“Slow down! Watch your legs-they just healed!”
“I can’t slow down! I’m gonna make you the happiest woman alive!”
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.