completely impossible to ignore. When the power went out, we’d retreated to this hall, venturing out only when Lilly needed to potty—a byproduct of the constant juice box consumption. Right now she was coloring and eating blueberries and looking at her mom every thirty seconds to make sure she was still there. Lilly was wicked smart and knew something was up, but she was keeping her chill fairly well for a kid her age. It was pretty obvious she got the badass from both her parents. So we gave her juice boxes and praised her lousy coloring because she was holding her shit together better than the rest of us for the most part. I leaned my back on the wall and tried not to think about the winds that tore at the house that could flip Billy’s Jeep or worse.
If things were this bad here, how bad were they on the beach? It frightened me, and I couldn’t bring myself to make conversation. I had given up trying to listen to the weather when all communications went down over an hour ago. I just shut my eyes and tried not to panic. It took all my energy. I heard a phone ring and looked around. Brendan got up to answer it. Confused, I looked at Elise.
“The boys have satellite phones. They’re never out of touch,” she explained. I nodded, thinking how useful that was when phone lines were down and wondered if he’d let me use it to call Billy.
I watched his expression grow grim and saw him pinch the bridge of his nose and nod and hang up. I pressed my hand to my chest because I knew. I got to my feet.
“Billy?” I rasped.
“The pub roof took a hit. Part of it caved in. Billy was caught under it. But Mickey is more than capable of handling any kind of injury. Has he told you the tourniquet story yet? It’s great. He’s the hero, of course. Tommy was just letting us know they’ll move him to the medical center when the weather clears. Everything will be fine. In fact, Tommy said to tell you that Billy was acting like a lovesick fool over you and how much he missed you right before he went out to check on the noise they heard when the roof went. He said, if she’s half as crazy about him as he is about her, we might as well send the wedding invitations now,” Brendan said, trying to ease my panic.
“I have to get to him,” I said in a low voice.
“When the storm moves on, we’ll get to him. Mickey has him stabilized. I know my brothers, Morgan. Just sit down and wait it out. Pray if you’re so inclined,” Brendan said.
He took his seat back by Elise and I shut my eyes again. I’d give anything, literally anything, if he was okay. I’d give up caffeine, the highlights in my hair, and the travel blog. Hell, I’d give up indoor plumbing if it would save him. I was trying to bargain with God, and I didn’t have a lot to offer. What felt like hours later the storm broke and we were left with some rain and wind, but the normal kind that didn’t sound like the end of the world was knocking at the door. Connor picked up a sleeping Lilly, and Elise and Karin put their babies to bed as well. I stretched and went to the bathroom and then hunted down Brendan to beg for more news.
“Have you heard anything else?” I asked hopefully.
“I just got off the phone with Mick. Billy’s stable, but he’s got a head injury. He hasn’t regained consciousness yet,” Brendan said, trying to sound nonchalant for my benefit. But even I could see the way the corner of his left eye twitched ever so slightly.
I grabbed for the kitchen counter so I didn’t collapse right onto the floor. I made a keening sound involuntarily, and Brandi caught me and held me up as I wept. He had gotten me to safety and then been injured himself. He wasn’t waking up. It was my worst fear coming true.
Chapter 30
Billy - Three Months Later
I blinked, but the searing white light made me shut my eyes again instantly. My mouth felt dry, my tongue like sandpaper. I couldn’t ask where I was or why it was so damn bright in here. I had to figure out where I was, get my bearings. The more I