Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
And before my driver can move out of the way, the SUV plows straight into the car.
Everything shifts and tumbles.
The car begins to roll.
And then there’s a loud crunching sound.
And everything goes black.
CHAPTER FIVE
DECLAN
I stare at my phone, pacing the room as if willing it to go off will be enough to get Kendall to text or call. It’s been hours since she’s left here. She said she was going to end it with Kyle and get her shit together. Logically, I know that isn’t going to take hours. It could be days or weeks, but fuck, I really should’ve asked for clarification before she left so I wouldn’t be over here, wondering how long is long enough before I can contact her. A part of me knows it’s because I’m scared. Because Kendall is a runner. It’s what she does. She lets men get just close enough to fall for her, and then she runs. Where they all went wrong was when they saw this beautiful, wealthy pop star and didn’t know what to do with her. But I do. I’m going to love the hell out of her, and when she tries to run, I’ll catch her ass and drag her back. Okay, that sounds a little creepy, but you get my point.
My phone rings, and I jump since it’s currently in my hand. The name on the screen says Camden, and I can’t help wondering if maybe Kendall spoke to him and told him about our night together. “Hello,” I say cautiously, preparing for anything.
Well, I think I’m ready for anything until he speaks. “Kendall’s been in an accident. We’re all heading over to the hospital now. New York Medical.”
And with those words, my entire world implodes.
Having zero patience to call for a car, I throw on some clothes and rush downstairs to flag down a taxi. Thankfully, there’s already a car available, so I hop in and tell him I need to get to New York Medical. The twenty-minute ride feels like it takes hours, but finally, he pulls up to the entrance. Camden had texted that the hospital gave them a private room to wait in so they didn’t draw attention. I head straight toward it, finding Simon, one of our bodyguards, standing outside the door.
He nods at me and opens the door to let me in, where I find Kendall’s entire family. Her brother, Camden, and his wife, Layla, their baby daughter, Marianna, and son, Felix, are on the couch huddled together. Her sister, Bailey, and her wife, Cynthia, sit together on another couch. Her other sister, Phoebe, cries softly in the corner with her mom and dad holding her.
And then I lock eyes on the final person in the room: Kyle Sanford. His presence means either she never got a chance to break it off or he cares that much he’s here even though they’re no longer together.
When the door opens and shuts, everyone glances over, expressions hopeful for information, but then shut down when they see it’s only me. Camden texted me on my way over that they don’t know anything yet. Sophia is her emergency contact, so they called her when Kendall was brought in, but the hospital hasn’t given the family any information about what happened yet.
“This can’t be good,” Phoebe cries. “If it weren’t that big of a deal, we would be able to see her. Why can’t we see her?”
“Shh, stop,” Sophia coos. “We don’t know anything. All we can do is think positive thoughts and pray. The nurse said as soon as they’ve finished assessing her, they’ll be back to let us know what’s happened.”
I walk over and give Camden a hug, then go around hugging everyone else, avoiding Kyle, and just as I’m sitting on the couch next to Bailey, Braxton and Kaylee burst through the door. Kaylee hugs everyone while Braxton asks if there’s any news. They tell them the same thing they told me. And then we wait for what feels like hours.
Finally, there’s a knock, and in walks a young man, who looks no more than thirty, wearing a white lab coat, along with a woman in blue scrubs. “Good afternoon, my name is Dr. Babki, and this is Dr. Kerns. We’re the doctors who assessed Miss Blackwood.”
Introductions are quickly made, and then he continues telling us about Kendall. “When the vehicle flipped, she wasn’t wearing her seat belt, and her head hit the ceiling, causing a transient disturbance to her brain, creating a—”
“Doctor,” Easton says gruffly. “Can you please tell us in layman’s terms? Is our little girl okay?”
The doctor winces. “Sorry, this is a teaching hospital, so we tend to use medical terms. When Miss Blackwood hit her head, a blood vessel burst, causing bleeding in her brain. We were able to go in and stop the bleeding before any severe damage occurred. It helped that she was brought in immediately.”