But I no sooner let the emotion roll through me than the trees around us begin to sway heavily. Dominic tightens his grip on the steering wheel, shifting in his seat to sit up straighter.
“Christ, the wind—” he mutters.
My eyes widen as I look out into the wooded area. Everything from the trees to the underbrush moves like a hurricane is coming to town.
“That’s no ordinary wind,” I warn, my voice creeping upward into a screech. “Go, Dominic, floor it—”
Ahead of us, the black SUV also picks up speed. They must have noticed the change. Small trees and bushes start to uproot themselves as they get swept up into the angry force that is my dad. A tree branch cracks apart from one of the large oak trees along the right edge of the driveway. It lands feet in front of the SUV, but Blake somehow manages to dodge out of its way, narrowly avoiding it as the SUV off-roads into the grass and keeps going.
My eyes widen in horror as I stare out into the sea of trees literally uprooting themselves.
“Hold on tight,” Dominic says, swerving to avoid a large branch.
The second our tires leave the driveway, a birch tree on the left dislodges itself from the ground and contorts at a strange angle like it’s ready to catch us. Dominic veers us back onto the driveway and floors it.
The SUV hits the road, taking a quick turn to the left. As it disappears from sight, another tree uproots beside us. I don’t even have time to figure out what it is before the branches of it slam into the side of the car, smashing the windows on my side and veering us wildly off course. I dust the glass chunks away from Wade, ignoring the rest of them scattered across the seat and lodged into my hair.
The car careens into the woods, barely managing to miss being smashed by a falling willow. I brace my hand on the ceiling of the car as underbrush, branches, and small trees whip at the edges of the vehicle, smashing against the windshield and windows.
Dominic somehow manages to stay in control, maneuvering us through the chaos with a strange sense of proficiency. We burst through the trees, practically driving on two wheels as we hit the ditch, then make it out onto the road.
The moment we get beyond the border of my property, the wind dies and the trees return to normal.
Exhaling a jagged breath, I lean my head back and close my eyes.
“That was close,” Dominic says. “Remind me to never piss off your family again, would ya?”
My eyes flitter open and I snicker.
The SUV takes a quick left ahead of us and Dominic speeds up.
“Where are they going? Wade needs the doctor—” I cry, my voice squeaking out.
Dominic shakes his head. “I trust them. I go where they go.”
“Oh, now you trust people? That’s just great, Dominic. Wish you would have trusted me before you fucked everything up,” I say, unable to hold back the utter despair surging through me.
Dominic winces, but he stays the course, taking a sharp turn after the others.
Seething, I drop my gaze to Wade. His blood is everywhere; on me, the car. Even Dominic is covered in it. My heart constricts and I run a trembling hand along his face.
Wade’s head rolls to the side and he groans. Relief washes over me as he lifts a hand weakly to the side of his head.
“Oh my god, thank you,” I say, dropping down to him and peppering his face with kisses. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“What haaa—” he mumbles, struggling to open his eyes.
“You’re hurt,” I say, fighting back tears of joy.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he chuckles, grimacing as he tries to sit up.
“Don’t move. You need to keep still,” I say, holding him close so he can’t get up.
He relaxes into my arms. Slowly, some of the color returns to his cheeks, but his lips are still incredibly pale.
“You scared the hell out of me, Wade.”
“What happened?”
“You were trying to reenact my concussion in the woods,” I say, erupting in a relieved half-laugh, half-sob.
“That explains the pounding in my head,” he says, reaching his hand back and staring at the fresh blood on his fingers. His eyes roll slightly at the sight of it, and he drops his hand to his chest. “Excellent. Battered and bloody. Two for two.”
The car rolls to a stop beside the SUV. Glancing up, I see that we’re beside a modest-size home. It’s built in a similar fashion to my own, but not nearly as large.
“We’re at Cat and Colton’s?” I ask, confused.
“We need to regroup. This was the closest,” Dominic says, putting the car in park and shutting off the engine. He opens his door and gets out. Then, the backdoor swings open and he leans in. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty.”
Wade makes a face and gives him the finger.
Dominic just laughs it off. “Think you can manage to get yourself out? Or do you need more assistance?” He extends a hand, not even waiting for an answer.
“I got it,” Wade says, struggling to sit up.
With a little nudge, I help to push him upright. When he’s in a seated position, Dominic helps him out of the vehicle. Twisting to my own door, I try to get it open, but it won’t budge. I even try putting my shoulder into it, but it’s no use. Instead, I scoot across the seat, following Wade.
Once outside of the vehicle, I quickly understand why. Dominic’s Civic is a mess. The entire passenger side looks like it was crumpled by the Hulk.
Dominic sets Wade down on the front steps of the wraparound porch, then walks over to me. He picks a glass chunk from my hair and tosses it into the trees.
“Does this make us even now?” he says, smirking.
I quirk an eyebrow, confused.
“I know you were pretty pissed about your paint job,” he says, scrunching his
