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  I walked down the stairs and went to her bedroom. I noticed her light was off because it wasn’t shining under the bedroom door. That’s strange, I couldn’t imagine she would be sleeping already. Maybe she went somewhere? I pushed her door open anyway and flipped on the light.

  I heard her squeal and seen the sheets moving around frantically. It took me a minute to realize what I had walked into. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.

  “Tori! Don’t you lock your door? What if I was your brother? Or worse, your parents?” Tori popped up from the sheets.

  “Oh my God, I thought you were my brother.” She hit the body under the sheets next to her. “It’s just Summer.” Casey, Ryan’s friend from the lake, popped up from under the covers.

  “Hey, Summer!” He had a huge grin spread across his face. I wasn’t sure if it was from the relief of it being me walking in on them and not Brent or if it was because he was getting lucky.

  “Hey, Casey.” I waved. I thought this was going to be a lot more awkward than it turned out to be. “Well, I’m going to let you guys get back to…yeah.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.” I didn’t say anything back as I shut off the light and walked backwards out the door, making sure to turn the lock before I closed it.

  Chapter 22

  When I woke up the next morning I was already anticipating the phone call from Nate telling me he had told Cici about us. I felt like as soon as he told her, we could go back to the way things were. Even though he assured me there was nothing going on between them, I still couldn’t help but feel a little…nervous.

  I checked my phone and had a text from Tori:

  Sorry about last night!

  I wasn’t expecting you lol.

  I texted her back:

  If I would’ve known you were seeing

  someone I would’ve knocked.

  You’re lucky it was me and not Brent! LOL.

  She replied back:

  OMG! I know! I’ll call you later.

  I set my phone back down on my nightstand. I was a little surprised Tori hadn’t told me she was hooking up with Casey. She usually tells me everything, and by everything, I mean even the things I would rather go without hearing.

  Our “rules” for hooking up were very different. She believed as long as there was no attachment on both ends, it was fine. I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand how you could hook up with someone without having feelings for them, it’s just so…intimate. I’m not one to go around and hook up with my guy friends. But Tori could do it and it wouldn’t faze her. Most of the time the guys were the ones who wanted a commitment from her and she didn’t want to give it to them.

  I’d only slept with one guy. We dated my freshman year of high school. It was that young, crazy, insecure love that I think everyone has at least once in his or her lifetime. We dated for a year and I didn’t sleep with him until we were six months into our relationship, and when I did, about a month later the shit hit the fan and a few months after that, we broke up.

  I don’t blame it on the fact that we had sex. There were warning signs way before then that we weren’t meant for each other, but of course, being young and stupid, I decided to ignore them. I don’t regret it, the relationship taught me a lot and I’ve learned a lot about what I will and won’t put up with in my future relationships. I think that’s why I’m so sensitive to the fact that Cici is coming around Nate again.

  The guy I dated cheated on me, a lot. I used to think that guys and girls could be friends and could hang out and nothing would happen, because, well, I’ve done it. But I learned very quickly that that’s not the case with all girls, especially when the guy is in a relationship. I think they see it as some kind of a challenge and turn it into a game for themselves.

  The most important lesson I’ve learned from that relationship is if a guy wants to cheat, he’s going to cheat. You can check his phone, email, and social networks all you want, but no matter what, he’ll always find a way to do it. The truth is, if a guy doesn’t want to be with you, you can’t make him, and who wants to try and make someone fall in love with them, anyway? It should be natural, not forced. That’s why I had to tell Nate if he didn’t get this figured out, I was going to have to turn the other way. I didn’t want to go down that road again.

  ***

  I got a text from Nate a few hours later:

  You coming over?

  I answered as I grabbed my purse and headed out the door:

  Be there in 10.

  I didn’t want to waste any more time. I needed to know how things had gone with Cici. When I pulled up to Tori’s they were all sitting outside under a large oak tree.

  “Hey!” Tori yelled as I got out of my car.

  “Hey!” I walked over and kissed Nate on the cheek.

  He pulled me down to sit on his lap. “How’s it going?”

  “Good. But I should be asking you that. How’d it go?”

  “Well, about as good as I had expected it to go, I guess.”

  “Was she pissed?”

  He nodded. “You could say that.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Tori butted in.

  “Nate told Cici about us today,” I told her.

  “Good! She needs to get with the program. Does that mean she won’t be coming over anymore? I don’t like her in my house.”

  “This is Nate’s house, too, now.” Brent was walking towards us with a few cans of soda in his hands. “I don’t like most of the people you bring home, but I don’t say anything…most of the time.” I looked over at Tori and laughed, remembering the “company” she had over the night before.

  “What’s so funny?” Nate asked.

  “Nothing,” Tori answered quickly.

  “So anyway…” I looked back at Nate. “What did you tell her?”

  “I just told her what happened, that we kinda got to know each other when we went camping and things just kind of took off from there.”

  “What did she say?” I knew I was asking twenty-one questions but I had to get a feel of where she stood on this whole thing.

  “At first she was really upset but then she came around and told me as long as I’m happy she’s happy and she still wants to be friends.” Oh great, the friend zone, just what I was worried about. “She’s not supposed to have any kind of relationship right now anyway because of that rehab program she’s in. So I think that helped her come around to the idea a little easier.”

  “I don’t know how I feel about the whole being friends thing.”

  “Summer, you gotta give her time. Like I said, she’s been through a lot.” She’s been through a lot? This is coming from a guy who was just in an accident that could’ve cost him his legs, or worse, his life. But that was one thing I loved about him. He was always putting other people before himself, even when he’s had it worse than any of them. “I just dumped this on her. I didn’t want to cut her out completely all in one day. Plus, I think you should meet her. You guys might actually get along.” I almost laughed out loud. He was crazy! That was not going to happen!

  I glanced over at Tori, she looked more shocked than I was that he even pitched the idea. I looked back at Nate. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

  Chapter 23

  A few months have passed and everything is going great. After Nate started going to physical therapy regularly, I decided it was time for me to figure out what I wanted to do, other than helping Nate get better. I ran into a girl I went to school with and she told me the local coffee shop she worked at was looking for some help. I decided I might as well give it a shot and went in for an interview. They hired me on the spot.

  It wasn’t something I wanted to do long term, but I figured for now it was good. The base pay wasn’t great but the tips made up for it. Plus, it worked around Nate’s physical therapy schedule so I got off just in time to pick him up.

  “So how’s Nate doing?” Brittany asked as she topped off a drink with whipped cream.

  �
��He’s good. Still going to physical therapy every other day.” I untied my apron from around my waist and tossed it in my cubby.

  “How’s that going?” she asked.

  “Good, I think. He says the doctor says he’s improving every day and they can’t believe how fast he’s recovering.”

  “Wow! That’s great! Do they…” She paused as if she was regretting starting the question, but I already knew what was coming. “Do they think he’ll ever be able to walk again?”

  “Maybe…we don’t really know, I guess.” I grabbed my purse and pulled my cellphone from the front pocket. “All we can do is stay positive, ya know?”

  “Yeah.” She gave me a sympathetic look and rubbed my shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be walking again in no time.” I knew she was trying to be nice and comfort me, but her statement lacked confidence. I knew she didn’t believe what she was saying.

  I started to hate the “comforting” words people tried to give me. I actually believe in Nate, nobody knows Nate Roberts like I do, because if they did, they wouldn’t have a doubt in their mind about him walking again.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow!” I yelled to Brittany as I walked out the front door.

  “All right! See ya later!”

  I clicked my home button on my phone. My screen lit up and I saw I had a text from Nate:

  I got out of therapy early.

  I’ll meet you at the house.

  I love you.

  I smiled and re-read the last three words in the text. We’ve only started saying we love each other for a couple of weeks now. It amazes me how much joy and excitement three words can bring to me, even if it’s just through a text.

  ***

  When I pulled into my parking spot in the driveway I noticed a big red balloon tied to the wooden post in front of it. My name was written across it in black sharpie, and there was an arrow under it pointing down to the post.

  I got out of the car and walked to the balloon. That’s when I noticed the white piece of folded up paper taped to the pole. What is this? I thought. I opened up the paper and read the note inside:

  Meet me in the barn.

  Love,

  Nate

  I walked down the driveway and made my way to the gravel road that led to the barn. It was a beautiful fall day out. It was a little crisp but the sun was shining and felt warm against my cheeks. I pulled my jacket tighter around me. There was a small breeze but it wouldn’t even be noticeable if it weren’t for the last of the orange leaves on the trees wiggling slightly.

  When I got to the gravel road, I smiled. I leaned down and picked up a red stemmed rose from the ground. I looked ahead of me and noticed they were lined up all the way to the open barn door. Every few steps I took I bent down and picked up another rose, counting them as I went.

  When I got to the barn door I picked up the last rose. Twenty-four. Twenty-four perfectly bloomed red roses. I looked into the barn and saw that the white Christmas lights from the night of the barn party were on. A small table was set for two. On top of it sat an empty vase with a white ribbon tied around it. I walked over and set the roses inside.

  “Hey, beautiful.” I turned around and couldn’t believe my eyes. Nate was leaning up against the barn door. Just as he had the night we met. I felt my eyes swelling up with tears. I wanted to say something but I was simply speechless. So I did all I could and went over and kissed him lightly on the lips.

  “You’re standing,” I whispered to him.

  A huge grin spread across his face. “I am.”

  “Can you walk?” I asked.

  “A little.” His smile faded a little. “Not like I used to.”

  “Can I see?” I felt kind of selfish for asking, but this was all so new to me.

  He pushed himself off the barn door and took a few steps toward the table. His legs were shaky and his balance was off but he was walking nonetheless. He put his arm out to reach for something so I ran to his side and grabbed onto his bicep. He looked down at me and I smiled.

  “That’s amazing!” I said. I helped him take a few steps forward until he reached the table. He grabbed onto the arm of the chair and maneuvered his way into it. I helped push his chair in before taking the seat across from him.

  “I still have a long ways to go,” he said, sounding ashamed.

  I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “Look at how far you’ve come!”

  He smiled. “You always know how to make me feel better.”

  “Nate, look how far you walked! I pointed to the barn door. The doctors thought you may never walk again and look how far you’ve come.”

  “I guess you’re right. But I’m not stopping until I’m back to normal.”

  “Of course you’re not, because you’re Nate Roberts and you never give up. And that’s what I love about you.”

  He kissed the top of my hand. “Did you like the roses?”

  “I loved them!” I pulled one out of the vase and held it up to my nose to enjoy the scent. “All twenty-four of them.”

  “Do you know why I chose twenty-four?” It seemed like a silly question. I just figured because it took twenty-four to lead all the way to the barn.

  “Why?”

  “It’s been twenty-four weeks since we met…right here.” I stopped and counted back the weeks in my head. He was right! It’s been twenty-four weeks, which means we’d hit our six-month mark.

  “Wow.” I could feel my eyes start to tear up again. “This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”

  He smiled. “I wish I could’ve done more. You deserve so much more. It takes a special kind of girl to stay by my side through all of this. I know it hasn’t been easy.” I felt a tear fall from my eye and run down my cheek. He reached up and rubbed it away with his thumb. “If this accident has taught me anything, it’s that life may not turn out the way you expect it to, but everything happens for a reason. I believe the reason I was in that accident and survived is so you could be in my life. Without you I don’t know where I would be right now. But I can tell you, if I would’ve continued down the road I was on the night I met you, it wouldn’t have been good, I probably would’ve ended up in rehab like Cici, or worse, I could be dead.”

  Another tear rolled down my cheek. “Nate, don’t think that way.” Listening to what he told me broke my heart.

  “But it’s true, Summer. You saved my life. I owe you the world right now.”

  “You don’t owe me anything. Seeing you walk to this table today was enough for me.” It was true. There was nothing more I wanted right now than to see Nate smile and see him walk again.

  “Well, if that’s the case, I promise you won’t be disappointed.” I leaned across the table and kissed him on the lips.

  “You wanna know the one thing I’ve learned from all of this?”

  “What’s that?” Nate asked.

  “That Nate Roberts is a fighter and he never breaks a promise.” He smiled and pulled me in for another kiss.

  He was right, life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect it to. I never would’ve thought six months ago I would be where I am today. But my life is the way it is for a reason and I couldn’t be happier. I don’t know where I’m going to be in another six months or even a year from now. All I know is I’m happy right here, right now, and that’s all that matters.

  The End

  About the Author

  Jessica Gunhammer recently married her high school sweetheart and they’re lucky to call Hawaii home. She graduated college in May 2012 with a degree in fashion design and quickly realized it was not the right fit for her. So, after spending several years in a fast paced fashion industry, she started looking for something new to keep her busy.

  Reading has always been a passion of hers. However, she put this passion on the back burner, since she had no time to read during college. Soon after, Jessica and her mom started a publishing company. It was while working in the publishing industry that she rediscovered her love for
writing. She’d always known she wanted to write, but never considered making a career out of it. After some feedback and support from her amazing family she decided to pursue her dreams of becoming an author.

  When Jessica has time between reading, writing and running a business, you can find her enjoying all Hawaii has to offer. She likes to spend her time with her husband, family and dog Asia. On the weekends you can find them teeing off at the nearest golf course, playing volleyball on the beach or visiting the local farmer’s market.

  Facebook:

  www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaGunhammer

  Twitter:

  www.twitter.com/JessGunhammer

  Goodreads:

  www.goodreads.com/JessicaGunhammer

  Amazon:

  www.jessicagunhammer.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23