How can I forget the one thing Liam told me on that hill that dreary day in Lake Starlight fifteen years ago? That we have to be there for them. I’ve stuck by that with my friendship with Juno. Tried to be there for all of them in any way I could.
The day of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey’s funeral comes back to my mind. Juno at thirteen with no tears pouring down her face.
Who am I kidding? She feels for me. Juno feels a lot. She just feels so deeply, it takes her time to come to terms with it.
I pull off the interstate only to pull right back on going the opposite direction, heading back to Lake Starlight. We’ll figure this out, but we’ll do it together. Not by me leaving her.
Miles away from Lake Starlight, traffic slows, and it isn’t until after I’ve crawled along for five miles that I find out why. There’s at least a fifty car pile-up in the northbound side. My hand instinctively goes for my phone to call Juno and let her know that I missed the accident and I’m okay—but then I realize she doesn’t even know I was on this highway.
Traffic slows further as we creep past the blinking red and blue lights. The paramedics and firefighters run through the vehicles as smoke fills the air, metal sprinkled along the pavement. I notice a black truck parked close to the cement barrier on the other side.
I swear it’s Kingston’s truck. Once I get closer, I see the firefighter sticker on the back and I’m sure it’s Kingston’s. Why would he come out to the accident if he weren’t on duty? Why else would his truck be here though? Maybe they needed to call more people in because of how many cars are involved?
The guy behind me honks his horn, but I don’t care.
Kingston is running in one direction, stopping and waving over a paramedic.
I slam on my brakes, the guy behind me nearly rear-ending me. Instead of stopping, I pull off to the side of the road, park, and jump the barrier. Tell me that’s not Juno’s car. Please God, tell me that someone else has the same car. I run toward the car with my heart beating like a bass drum in my ears.
“Juno!” I yell.
Kingston looks up from talking to the driver and puts out his hands. “Colton, dude, you can’t be here.”
“Yes, I can. Is it her? Is Juno in that car?” I try to go around him, but his hands are on my chest and he dodges every attempt. “Kingston.”
He stops and nods. “She’s gotta go to the hospital to get checked out. Meet us there. I’ll keep you updated, okay?”
“Bailey, what the hell?” one of his firefighter friends says. I think his name is Lou. I’ve met him a few times. “It’s your day off.”
“It’s my sister.” He walks away from me, pointing at her car. “Her door is jammed.”
“Shit. Okay.” Lou follows Kingston’s lead.
With their attention away from me, I run over to her car. Juno’s head is bleeding, and her face is pale, but she’s breathing. She’s alive.
Thank God.
“Juno, are you okay?” I go to the door.
“Colton, out of the way,” Kingston says, so I go around the car to the passenger side.
Lou uses a crowbar to pry open the door.
“I’m sorry. I never should’ve given you crap. If you don’t want to marry me, that’s fine. I’d rather just—”
Juno shakes her head, tears spilling down her face. Lou gets the door open, and Kingston undoes her seat belt.
“Slow, Juno,” he says. “Let’s wait for a stretcher.”
She shakes her head. “I’m just a little shaken up. I’m fine.” As she says it, her head lazily goes in a circle and falls to the headrest.
It’s good to have connections because a paramedic comes over, fist-bumps Kingston, and they put Juno on a stretcher right away.
“Wait!” She tries to sit up. “I need my purse.”
I snatch the purse and follow them to the ambulance. “I’m going with you.”
“Your car?” Kingston points toward where I ditched my car.
“Tow it. I’m not leaving her again.”
Juno smiles at me as we climb into the ambulance, Kingston saying he’ll catch up with us.
As the paramedics do her vitals and make sure her injuries aren’t worse, Juno points at her purse hanging off my arm. “Can I have that?”
“No, I got it. Just worry about letting them check you out.” I grab her hand, thankful she’s here and alive and talking to me. Forget marriage, I can deal with cohabitation common law marriage. As soon as I get her to move in, that is.
“Please, Colton, I need something.” I hand it to her, and she smiles at the paramedic. “I swear, I’m good.” She digs through her purse and hands me the ring box, tears in her eyes. “Ask me again.”
“Juno,” I whisper and shake my head.
“Ask me again.” She nudges the box closer to me.
The paramedic smiles and stops working on her.
“If this is because you thought I was leaving, then don’t. I’m not leaving. You’re stuck with me regardless of whether you’ll marry me or not.”
She shakes her head. “No, I realized that I was an idiot and I was ruining our future because I was scared to lose you. But there’s no difference. I love you, and if something bad happens, just because I’m not your wife doesn’t mean my heartache would be less. I guess Grandma Dori is pretty damn wise. But don’t ever tell her I said that.”
A small smile tilts my lips. “So?”
She eyes the box in my hand. “Ask me again.”
I remove the ring and hold it out. “Juno, will you—”
“Yes! I’ll
