Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
I opened my eyes and her beautiful face was the first thing I saw. Then I saw Braxton standing next to her and frowned.
He smiled. “You look disappointed to see me, Gannon.”
I shifted my gaze back to Adelaide, and the pain nearly did me in. I had one hell of a headache.
“Hey.”
She slowly shook her head. “Hey.”
“I love you, Addie.”
She brought her hand up and placed it on the side of my face. “I love you, Gannon. Don’t ever do that again.”
I grinned. “I don’t plan on it, but to be fair, it wasn’t my fault.”
She closed her eyes and appeared to be counting before she met my gaze again.
“I’m sorry if you were worried,” I said.
She pressed her lips together in a tight line, and I could see she was trying to hold back tears. “I was scared, but I trusted that you and Chip knew what to do to get yourselves back to safety.”
She closed her eyes and one tear, then another, slipped free. I reached up and brushed them away as she looked back at me.
I pressed my hand to her neck and brought her mouth down to mine. When the kiss deepened, I heard Braxton clear his throat.
“Dude, that’s my sister, and I’m still standing here.”
Adelaide let out a little laugh as she pulled slightly away and whispered, “How do you feel?”
“Like someone hit me on the head with a beer bottle.”
Braxton smirked. “Nice to know I’m not the only one who’s experienced that before.”
Turning to face her brother, Adelaide said, “Braxton, get out of here.”
He smiled, glancing from Adelaide to me. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake.”
I would have nodded, but I knew it would hurt too much, so I remained silent until the door clicked shut.
I tried to sit up.
“No,” Adelaide said as she gently put her hand on my chest to stop me. “Don’t get up. You need to rest.”
“Fuck, my head is pounding.”
Her eyes searched my face as if looking for something. She finally asked, “What happened? All I know is Braxton called and said he got a call for a search and rescue. That you and Josh went into the water. Did you fall trying to get on the ship?”
I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. It hurt to even think. “No. The swells were unbelievable. Chip was alongside the cargo ship, and I was making my way to the other side. The ship was lurching and rolling, and I was trying to watch it so I could time my move. I noticed Josh wasn’t tethered. He must have thought he was clipped in before we left, but he wasn’t. I moved closer to help him, and that’s when the cargo ship rolled toward the pilot boat. It hit us in just the right spot, and Josh and I both went in.
“I must have knocked my head on something. Chip did an amazing job of not hitting either of us, or maybe it was pure damn luck. I saw Josh and started to swim to him. I saw a life preserver that Mike must have thrown in. I grabbed onto the rope, told Josh not to let go of my ass, and somehow managed to grab the preserver. I put it on him and wrapped my arm around the rope and tugged. Mike must have felt it or saw us, and he pulled us in.”
“Chip said you wanted to go back and board the cargo ship to pilot it in.”
I gave her a weak smile. “Well, it is my job.”
She closed her eyes, and I knew she was trying to keep calm. She must have been scared shitless.
“The storm?” I asked.
“Gone. There’s some flooding in town but nothing bad. The seawall did its job, that’s for sure. The power is still off in most parts of town though.”
“Are you okay, sweetheart?”
She started to cry again. “Honestly, no. I mean, I’m so thankful you’re okay, but the thought of losing you nearly destroyed me. Before Braxton even headed out on the search and rescue boat, Chip called in to say they had you and Josh. He called me right away to tell me you were safe, but it was the longest thirty minutes of my life. I was so scared, Gannon.”
I reached up and put my hand on the side of her face. “I’m so sorry. You have to know it was a freak accident. I’d already boarded and disembarked another ship before that one, and nothing happened.”
She nodded and brushed away her tears. “I know. I know you’re careful and Chip is careful, but that doesn’t mean I won’t stop worrying every day you go out. Regardless if there’s a storm or not.”
“Will you help me sit up?” I asked.
She quickly got to work, slowly lifting the bed and adjusting the pillows.