Covering the Carolinas (40 page)

I wake up to the sound of my alarm, and my body
feels as if it has just fallen back asleep. I take a deep breath
before pushing the cover aside and doing what has to be done.

Emmett

Watching Raegan and Mr. Lowery leave in the truck is
rough. I know I’m walking into an empty house and unsure of when
things will return to normal. When I can no longer see the
taillights, I close the door and make my way inside. I don’t bother
going to my room; I just sprawl out on the couch.

As I try to drift off to sleep, my mind wonders to
Cole and how things are going to change in his life. Not being able
to work is gonna be rough on him, but Raegan, I just don’t know if
I can handle seeing her hurt like I did today. It killed me to
watch her in pain. When she hurts, I feel it in my soul. Finally,
when my eyes can no longer stay open, sleep consume me.

Chapter 13

Emmett

As the sun begins to peer through the curtains into
my eyes, I roll over on the couch, feeling like I’ve been sleeping
on a piece of plywood and a transfer truck has run over my body.
It’s no use to try to get comfortable. I look at my phone to see if
I’ve missed anything, but nothing’s there.

Sitting up, I take a moment to rub my eyes, and call
Mom to see how Cole is doing.

“
Hey, Mom. How’s he doin’
this mornin’?” I question
.

“
Better. They hope he’s gonna be able to go
home in a few days, even though he won’t be able to go to work for
at least a week or more. I don’t know how we’re gonna keep him from
the farm,” she says with a hint of laughter in her voice, and
that’s how I know it will all be okay. After telling her I’ll be by
in a little while, we hang up. I toss my phone onto the table and
lie back down, closing my eyes for just a few more
minutes.

Somehow I drift back to sleep, but
wake up to the buzzing of my phone. Still half-asleep, I fumble
around the table, trying to grab it.
Got
it!
I look down to see Raegan’s name, and
I’m suddenly awake and feeling like a million bucks.

Raegan

Grandaddy and I feed the animals and gather the eggs
and once we’re finished we clean-up for breakfast.

“
Rae, are you up to church this mornin’?” he
asks between sips of coffee.

“
Yeah, but after church, I think I might need
a nap,” I say.

“
I’m right there with ya. We can go visit Cole
on our way home from church. Maybe we should take George and Emma
lunch. I think I’ll call and see if that works for
them.”

“
Okay.” We finish breakfast, and I clean the
kitchen before getting ready for church. I want to call Emmett, but
I’m afraid he might be sleeping. I’d hate to wake him if he was, so
I decide to shower and get ready first and then call
him.

As the scalding water runs over my
body, I feel a wave of relief and refreshment. I could stay in this
spot forever, but eventually, I’d turn into a prune. Then, the
relief is replaced with memories of last night. I try to push them
to the side, but I can’t. Closing my eyes, I see Cole lying in the
hospital bed, and when I open them, I can still hear Emmett’s voice
in my head. Tears begin to stream down my face as I try to escape
my current situation. Yet again, someone I love is hurt due to an
accident. I just pray this is
where it ends. I don’t
know if I can be strong much longer, especially if something
happens to Grandaddy. As a sob expels from my lungs, I reach deep
within my soul. I have to be strong. They both need me. I take a
deep breath and hold it as the water pours down my face. As I
exhale the air from
my lungs, I turn off
the water, grab a towel, and dry off quickly before getting ready
for church. Once I’m finished, I pick
up my phone and
text Emmett.

Me: Em, just wanted to let you know you were

on my mind. Call me when you wake up.

Within minutes, my phone rings, and I hear the
raspy, yet tender voice of Emmett on the other side.

“
Mornin’, Rae. Are you okay?” he
asks.

“
I’m okay, but the question is, how are you?”
I hope he can’t sense what I have been feeling all
morning.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment. “I feel like
I’ve been run over, but hearing your voice makes everything
better.” I smile at the thought of my voice making him better.

“
I understand that completely. I’m goin’ with
Grandaddy to church and to see Cole after. Have you heard anything
this mornin’?” I question.

“
Yeah, Mom called and said
he is comfortable and making some improvements. They said they
hoped he would go home in a day or
two if his
improvements continue. I’m goin’ by there in just a
few.”

“
I’ll see you there in a little while then.
We’re bringin’ lunch, too.”

“
Y’all don’t have to do that,” he
says.

“
Yeah, we do. Y’all need to eat, and I’m sure
you can only eat so much hospital food.” We both laugh, and that
feels good.

Relieved that Cole is going to be
okay, Emmett and I talk for a few minutes. I enjoy living in the
present and not thinking about last night. Cole was lucky; I
was
lucky because he’s
the only one that knows the secret, and I can’t make it through
this without him
.

Chapter 14

Raegan

Grandaddy and I enjoy church and are asked a
gazillion questions about Cole. Of course, everyone thinks alcohol
was involved, but it wasn’t. Cole’s smarter than that. I swear,
some people are just idiots.

Once church is over, we pull through KFC for a
family meal and make our way toward the hospital. I sneak a potato
wedge from the bag.

“
I saw that, Sunshine,”
Grandaddy says. “Now, pass one this way.” I smile and hand him
one.
I love him more than life
itself.

Once we arrive at the hospital,
we carry the food inside and head to Cole’s room.
He’s now been moved to a room that will allow more than two
visitors at a time, and he’s sitting up when we enter.

“
Cole!” I exclaim as I drop the food onto the
counter by the sink and rush to hug him.

“
Rae, I’m okay, girl. No need to freak out,”
he says lightly.

“
If you weren’t lying in a hospital bed, I’d
hit you right now!” I say as I put my hands on my hips. He starts
to laugh until it hurts too much.

I hear Emmett laughing in the
background. My eyes meet his, and I walk to him. His arms open, and
I fall right into them.
I
sur
e hope Grandaddy doesn’t kill
him!
He gives me a light kiss on the top of my head,
and it reminds me of Saturday night. My cheeks start to creep red,
but I try to hide it because I don’t want any questions.

When we pull apart, I walk back to the food. “Y’all
ready to eat?” I ask.

“
Thank you so much, Dover and Raegan. Y’all
didn’t have to do this,” Emma says.

“
Yes, we did,” Grandaddy answers.

Once we eat, Emma and George go
home while we visit. When Cole becomes too tired, we tell him we’ll
see him later, and
the three of us make our way
outside.

“
Sunshine, why don’t you ride with Emmett?
This old man can handle it by himself for a while,” Grandaddy says
as we reach his truck.

I look at Emmett, and he smiles. “Are you sure?” I
question.

“
I’m sure. Go have some fun.”

“
Okay,” I say as I hug him
goodbye, and then I lace my hand in Emmett’s, and we make our way
to his truck. He opens the door for me, and we drive out of the
parking lot. “So, what are we gonna do?” I ask him. He looks at me
and gives me that panty droppin’ smile.
Oh, lawd!

“
Whatcha wanna do?” he banters
back.

“
Doesn’t matter to me, but I
wanna get outta this dress!” I say without thinking about the words
that just left my mouth. Emmett’s mouth drops, and I can see
that
he’s a total guy. It makes me laugh. “Get
that mind outta the gutter! Would you wanna stay in something like
this all day?” He shakes his head no.

“
How ’bout I take you to change, and then we
can do whatever you wanna do?”

“
Works for me,” I say, and Emmett takes me to
the farm. Grandaddy is shocked when we pull up behind him, but it
takes him no time to realize why we are here. Once I change, I tell
him goodbye again and hurry back to Emmett in the truck.

Emmett

When Raegan comes jogging out of
the house in a pair of Daisy Dukes and a tank top with her hair
pulled back through a ball cap, I about lose my shit. Not to
mention, how I almost lost it ten minutes ago, when she told me she
wanted to get out of her dress.
This girl is making me
go crazy, but heck, it’s a good kinda crazy.

As she makes her way to my truck, I lean over and
open the door for her. She smiles and hops inside.

“
What do we do now?” she
questions
with a cute little grin.

“
What’s there to do fun ’round
here?”

“
Well, we could go fishin’, hang out by the
creek, or just cruise out in the country. That’s ’bout
it.”

“
Let’s ride around, and you show me what I’ve
missed since I’ve been gone.”

“
A’ight,” she says. “Can you stop at the
store, so I can grab a Sun Drop real quick?”

“
Sure.” I say as we make our way back to the
main road.

Once we’re at the store, I fill up
with gas, and she goes in to get a drink and snack. “Rae! Don’t you
pay for that!” I yell as she walks inside, acting like she doesn’t
hear me.
Damn
,
I
could watch that ass move all
day.
I leave the gas pumping as I hurry
inside before she pays. Of course, she’s already grabbed me a drink
as well. “Thank ya. Will you check on the gas? I got this,” I tell
her. She wants to argue, but instead, she gives me a quick kiss on
the cheek.

I walk to the counter and pay for
our food and wait until the gas is finished. The clerk looks at me
and shakes
her head. I must look at her with a
confused look.

“
Honey, you’ve got it bad, don’t ya?” I just
smile, but don’t answer. “It’s okay. It happens to the best of ya.
She’s a good one, and her grandaddy is as good as gold.”

“
Yes, he is,” I
agree
before taking the bag and
exiting the store.

Raegan is already waiting in the
passenger seat with her feet propped up on the dash and her arm
hanging out of the window.
Each time I
think she can’t look any hotter, she does.
“Here ya go,” I say as I hand her drink and candy bar to
her.

“
Thanks, Em, but you didn’t have to get it,”
she says.

“
Yes, I did. You’re with me,
and as long as that’s the case, you won’t buy anything.” Shock
covers her face, but it is soon replaced with a smile. She sits up
in her seat, unbuckles, and moves toward the
console to meet me in the driver’s seat. When her lips touch
mine, my hand rises to meet her
neck.
Forgetting where we are, we pull back and laugh when the driver
behind us honks his horn. I pull her in for one more quick kiss,
and then she moves back to her seat. This girl’s got me hook, line,
and sinker. I swear, I’m glad she picked me out of that pond,
’cause every moment I spend with her feels like I just won the
Bassmasters
.

As we cruise around town, Raegan
points out
everything
that has changed since I left, and when she’s not talking,
she’s singing to the music on the radio. When there’s nothing else
to tell, she looks at me
.

“
I’ve got an idea!” she says
excitedly.

“
You’re makin’ me nervous,” I joke with
her.

“
Let’s head to the creek.”

I make a right, and we head to the creek at the edge
of the Lowery’s farm. We pull down the side of the road before I
find a place to park.

Putting the truck into park, I look at her. “Now
what?” I ask.

“
Mr. Bridges, I think it’s
time to do a little creek stompin’!” she says as she jumps outta my
truck and runs to the
creek. I shake my head
and hurry to catch up with her.

Just as she’s about to reach the water, I grab her
and pull her up into my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck and
smiles at me. “Em, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than here with
you.” She kisses me gently as I place her back onto the ground.
“Come on,” she says as she pulls me by the hand and runs into the
water, shoes and all.

We spend the next hour wandering
up the creek, moving from rock to rock, stomping in the water, and
trying to catch fish with our bare hands. I have to say;
this
is the best idea I’ve ever heard from a
girl.

By the time we make it back to where we started, we
are soaking wet, and she is by far the most beautiful person I’ve
ever met— inside and out. As she’s about to head out of the creek,
I call her name, and when she turns around, I hit her with a big
wave of water.