“I’d rather do the blood,” Amelia whispered as we all giggled.
“Once you join hands, Carol will offer up the chant.”
The bell to the front door of the dance studio jangled and I froze. I had locked the door before everyone started getting hammered. The only person who had a key was…Jonathon.
“Oh my God! Someone just came in!” I shouted.
“What?” six other voices cried out.
“Waylynn?”
“It’s Jonathon!”
“Waylynn, what’s going on?”
I screamed, “We’re naked! Don’t come in!”
“I wouldn’t mind the boy seeing me naked,” Aunt Vi said with a snicker.
Jonathon looked through the windows to find us completely naked except for the sheer robes. “Holy fuck balls! This can’t be happening!”
Spinning around, Jonathon covered his eyes.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I’m going to get my ass kicked repeatedly!”
He ran out the front door so fast I didn’t have time to stop him.
“Why did he say he was going to get his ass kicked?” Carol asked.
I couldn’t contain my laughter. My boyfriend had just seen my baby sister and two of my brothers’ wives naked.
“Okay, ladies, fun times are over,” I said.
“Wait. Waylynn, we didn’t do the chant.”
Kissing my aunt on the cheek, I replied, “Aunt Vi, I don’t believe in any of that. This was fun, but now it’s time for everyone to get their naked asses dressed.” I pointed to Paxton, Corina, and Amelia. “And you three, go home to your husbands.”
“Party pooper!” Amelia cried out as I walked through the dance studio and collected my clothes. Once I was dressed, I made my way outside to find Jonathon sitting on one of the benches that lined the square.
I sat next to him and bumped his shoulder. “Hey.”
He closed his eyes. “I’m seriously scared for my life.”
“Steed, Mitchell, and Wade don’t even have to know.”
He looked at me. “Oh no? I already know my ass is getting beat. I can’t not tell them what I walked in on. Rather I get it over with quick than go the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering when the secret might come out.”
I chuckled.
Jonathon trembled. “I’m talking about seeing your Aunt Vi and her friends naked! Do you know the redhead flashed me her breasts?”
I covered my mouth and tried not to laugh. “That was Carol. She’s single.”
He shook his head. “What in the hell where y’all doing, Waylynn?”
“Aunt Vi and her friends are like a little mini sex cult, I think.”
“That’s not making this any better, just so you know.”
“They have done some silly chant since they were young to bring good luck. They were trying to do it for the dance studio.”
I hiccupped and covered my mouth again.
“You’re drunk.”
“Yep, maybe just a little bit!”
“And you were naked too. You were going along with this?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t at first, but then it looked kind of fun to be dancing around for Mother Earth.”
“Mother Earth?”
Nodding, I replied, “Yep.”
“I don’t think I want to know anymore. The less I know, the better.”
Pressing my lips together, I tried not to laugh. “You interrupted us before the chant started.”
The front door of the dance studio opened and Aunt Vi, Joyce, and Carol came stumbling out. To say they were loud, drunk-ass women would be an understatement.
A black limo pulled up and a guy in his late twenties got out of the back.
“Who’s that?” Jonathon asked.
Aunt Vi walked up to him and smashed her lips with his. He lifted her up while she wrapped her legs around him and called out, “Come on, girls. Let’s go back to my place.”
“I’m guessing that’s the boy Aunt Vi said would be coming to take them all home safely.”
Jonathon’s jaw hung open.
“Bye, Aunt Vi!” I called out as she waved, laughing as the young guy tossed her into the back seat.
“Vi, we never did the chant! The juju!” Joyce cried out.
Aunt Vi pulled her friend into the limo. “Come on, Joyce, we’ll do it at my house.”
We watched as the young man climbed in after the three women and shut the limo door. It pulled off and headed toward the house Aunt Vi was renting from Amelia and Wade.
Turning to me, Jonathon asked, “Juju?”
“That’s the good luck for the studio.”
“Good Lord. I had no idea your aunt was into that sort of thing.”
The door to the dance studio opened, and Paxton and Amelia staggered out. Corina was walking behind them trying to keep them in line.
“Can y’all help me get these two over to my car? Amelia is about to fall flat on her face.”
Jonathon jumped up and grabbed Amelia before she fell. He carried her over to Corina’s car.
“Paxton,” I cried out. “Stop singing! People are looking this way!”
“Screw them! I’m happy, and I want to sing!”
I glanced around and prayed old lady Hopkins wasn’t around to see any of this.
“Come on. Get in there, Paxton,” I said, softly pushing her into the backseat of Corina’s car.
“I already called Steed and Wade to warn them they had some pretty toasted wives heading their way,” Corina said.
I sighed. “Thanks, Corina.” I was suddenly feeling very sober as I watched Amelia fall over in the backseat and start snoring.
“Be careful driving, Corina,” Jonathon said from beside me.
Waving, she laughed. “I will. It was fun!”
We watched as she pulled out onto Main and headed down the road. I turned to say something to Jonathon, but he was walking into the dance studio. When I looked down the street, Bethany was approaching with Kenzie Lewis.
“Did you have a little private party that got out of hand, Waylynn?” Bethany asked. “Hopefully that won’t be a common thing in your dance studio after hours.”
“Bethany, knock it off,” Kenzie said as she hugged me. “Hey, how’s it going?”
I forced a smile. “It’s good, thanks.”
“God. You smell of alcohol!”
Leaning forward, I gave Bethany a good smell. “Sorry, sweetheart, that stench is coming from you. Have a good evening, ladies.”
I turned and walked into the dance studio, locking the door behind me. When I spun around, Jonathon was standing there, disappointment etched onto his face.
“What were y’all doing in here, Waylynn? Do you have any idea what it looked like for all those women to stagger out of your place drunk out of their damn minds?”
“I know, Jonathon. Aunt Vi was trying to help, and I have to admit I got caught up in it. It was fun, so just let it go.”
“Let it go? Let’s just hope Bethany didn’t see the little stunt your aunt pulled with the guy young enough to be her son.”
My hands went to my hips. “Excuse me? Are you saying their age difference is a factor here?”
He rolled his eyes. “For goodness sake, Waylynn. Your aunt is old enough to be his mother. We’re not talking about a few years. The last thing you want is bad press about your dance studio.”
“You don’t think I know that? That I haven’t worked my ass off to make all of this happen? It’s not like anyone walked in and saw anything.”
“I walked in.”
“Are you done sitting on top of your high horse?”
He closed his eyes and took in deep breath before looking at me. “I’m sorry I said anything. I only want to see good things happen for you. I’ll keep my mouth shut in the future.”
“That’s not what I want. It’s been a long day, and I’m ready to go home.”
Nodding, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you want me to give you a ride? I’m not
sure how much you drank. You were buzzing when I first got here, but you seem to be okay now.”
“I drank a lot. I don’t want to drive. Do you mind taking me home? I can get Steed or Mitchell to bring me back in the morning if you have things you need to do.”
“No, I arranged to have the day off to be here in case you needed anything.”
My chest tightened at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”
Jonathon smiled and took my hands. “Always.”
Chewing on my lip, I had the overwhelming urge to ask him to take me right then and there, but that was the last thing I needed to do. Instead, I made my way to my office and collected my things and followed him back out to his truck. The sooner I put this crazy evening behind me, the better.
Tomorrow I started a new journey in my life, and I couldn’t wait to see where it would lead me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jonathon
I walked into the dance studio trying to balance all of the coffees. Melanie sprang into action and grabbed one.
“Thanks, Melanie! I was positive I was going to drop them.”
At the front desk, I set them down on the counter. “I hope I got everyone’s order right. Waylynn gave it to me before I left.”
Melanie’s brows pulled down. “Waylynn’s not with you?”
My head pulled back in surprise. “No. She left this morning to get here ahead of everyone, after Cord brought her car back.”
“I opened up this morning,” Maggie said.
“What?” my heart started to pound, and I felt sick to my stomach.
Trying to hide the panic in my voice, I asked, “Has anyone heard from Waylynn?”
John shook his head. “I don’t have my phone, it’s in the truck. Call Steed and see if Waylynn has been back to the ranch.”
I pulled out my phone and hit Steed’s number.
“Hey, how’s it going?” he answered.
“Steed, do you know if Waylynn came back to the ranch this morning? She’s not here at the dance studio.”
“No, she didn’t stop by the house. I can ride over to her place and…”
I heard a commotion on the other end of the line. Someone was yelling.
“Mitchell, I can’t understand you. Slow down,” Steed said.
All I heard were the words accident, Waylynn, and airlifted. I stumbled, and Melanie reached out to keep me from falling.
“Jonathon! What is it?”
“Steed…what’s going on?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“Um, hold on.” He covered the phone and talked to Mitchell. It seemed like an eternity before he came back on the line.
“Jonathon, Waylynn’s been in a car accident.”
Melanie’s cell phone rang, and John took it from her hand. He could tell from the look on my face it wasn’t good news. “Mitchell, talk to me,” John said.
I focused back on Steed. “Wait. What did you say?”
He cleared his throat, and I could tell he was getting in his truck. “Waylynn’s been airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio.”
My entire body went cold. “W-what? Is she…is she…”
“I don’t know. The state trooper who arrived at the accident called Mitchell. He said he tried to call Dad’s cell but there was no answer.”
My head was spinning. “Is she okay?”
“I’m on my way to the dance studio to pick you up.”
“No, I need to go now.”
“Jonathon, don’t drive.”
I stood there, frozen to the spot. Waylynn. Please, God. Please, don’t do this to me.
Someone took my phone out of my hand and guided me out of the dance studio. It seemed like everyone was talking all at once. I heard Melanie on my phone.
“Steed, your father is going to drive. No, we’ll be okay. You just drive safely.”
Then came Maggie, one of the dance instructors. “Samantha and I will take care of everything here. Go. It’s fine.”
John was mumbling about me getting in his truck and that Waylynn was going to be fine.
The next thing I knew, I was staring out the window as John sped toward San Antonio. Melanie had called everyone in the family and was even on the phone with my mother.
Closing my eyes, I prayed the hardest I’d ever prayed in my life and made a bargain with God that I’d do whatever He needed me to do, if He would only please not take Waylynn from me.
“Jonathon. Jonathon, sweetheart, we’re here.”
My eyes lifted to see Melanie, standing outside the truck, urging me to get out. “We’re at the hospital.”
I was numb, but somehow I managed to follow John and Melanie into the hospital.
“My daughter was brought in by airlift from Oak Springs. Waylynn Parker.”
The nurse nodded. “Yes, she’s in surgery. Let me have Lori bring you to the waiting room. I’ll let the doctor know her parents are here.”
“And her husband,” Melanie added.
My head snapped to look at her.
“Okay, I’ll let him know you’re all here.”
John took my arm and pulled me over to the elevators. “We’ll be on the fourth floor if you’d like to let other family members know.”
Melanie smiled. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Melanie gave me a look that helped explain why she told the nurse I was Waylynn’s husband, so that they would talk to me in case John or Melanie wasn’t there.
We made our way to the waiting room, and Steed jumped up as Melanie rushed over to him. “Have you heard anything?”
He shook his head. “I got here about five minutes before y’all. The nurse said someone would come out and let us know what was going on.”
“Do we know what happened?” I asked, finally finding my voice.
“The state trooper isn’t sure if she swerved to miss a deer, or if someone might have cut her off, but she caught the rough edge of the shoulder and her car ended up off the road. It rolled a few times and went through a fence.”
Melanie covered her mouth and started to cry. “When they got there…” John’s voice stopped.
“Was she breathing, was she awake? Why did they airlift her?” Melanie asked.
Steed shook his head. “I don’t know. That’s all Mitchell knew.”
We sat in the chairs and waited for someone to come out. I went over the entire morning in my head. Why didn’t I drive in with her? If I had been driving maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
Scrubbing my hand down my face, I dropped my forearms to my knees and stared at the floor.
Steed’s voice came from my right. “This isn’t your fault.”
I closed my eyes and forced the tears back. “I should have driven in with her.”
“It was an accident, and we’re not even sure what happened.”
Lifting my head, I stared into his eyes. “She told me she had a surprise later today, and she couldn’t wait to tell me about it.”
Steed placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “She’s going to tell you.”
“God, I hope so.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Parker?”
Melanie and John stood.
The doctor looked at Steed and then me. “I’m Dr. Frank Andes.”
Melanie put her hand on my arm. “This is Waylynn’s husband, Jonathon Turner, and her brother, Steed Parker.”
When my eyes met the doctor’s, I couldn’t help but notice how sad he was.
The doctor reached for my hand and shook it before shaking Steed’s, then John’s.
He took a deep breath before motioning for us to take a seat. He sat too, and looked between each of us. “I’m assisting Dr. Wright in the operating room. He’s the lead surgeon and has asked me to give you an update.”
“Your daughter, as you know, was in a car accident. The vehicle flipped a number of times and went through a fence.”
Melanie tried to contain her emotions, but a sob slipped from her lips.
“She was conscious when the first
responders got there, although no one knows what caused the accident.”
He looked directly at me. “She was airlifted to our hospital because she had major trauma. A piece of the fence crashed into her lower stomach.”
I felt like I was about to be sick. Steed put his hand on my back, and I tried not to let my worst fears come to life.
“We were able to remove the object, but it did major damage.”
Melanie was sobbing.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Turner, but we’ve had to do a hysterectomy with a bilateral oophorectomy on your wife. There was no other way. Even if we hadn’t removed her uterus, the damage would have been so severe she would have never have been able to become pregnant, let alone carry a child. It would have most likely led to other problems further down the road. One of her ovaries was so severely damaged it had to be removed. The other was covered in endometriosis. Dr. Wright had to make the decision to leave the one ovary or remove it. After consulting with a top gynecologist in San Antonio, they both agreed it would be better to do a complete hysterectomy.”
“Would she have been able to still produce eggs had you left it in?” Melanie asked.
He shook his head. “Most likely the endometriosis would have impaired her fertility.”
My entire world stopped. Tears fell freely as I let his words soak in. It was clear he knew I needed a few moments. I dropped my head and took in a few deep breaths as Steed grabbed my shoulder. The pain in my chest was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in my life. I instantly felt the loss of the children we had yet to even have together. When I was finally able to speak, I focused on the doctor.
“Does she…does she know? Does she know about the hysterectomy? Was she told before the surgery?”
“No, she doesn’t know. She has been under for surgery so there was no way to discuss it with her. The decision was made once we saw the extent of the damage.”
Closing my eyes, I forced the bile down my throat.
Melanie’s voice caused me to refocus. “Oh my God, all she’s ever wanted is to have children.”
The doctor gazed sympathetically at Melanie. “There is always adoption, but this is something your daughter is going to need help with, I’m sure.” He looked back at me. “We’ve got some amazing therapists we can recommend.”
Steed placed his hand on my shoulder again. The simple gesture gave me the strength I needed in that moment.