Page 38 of The Impossible

Mama Carter laughed, nearly choking on her food. “Everything?” she repeated.

I nodded. “Except my bed. The bed we sleep in is like this massive canopy built from the ceiling.”

“Ohh. That sounds nice. You’ve gotta show it to me,” Amethyst said, then something behind me caught her attention.

Mama Carter caught her. “Stop staring, Amethyst. It isn’t polite.”

I glanced around, not knowing what I missed before she began speaking.

“Kolton Curr, eligible bachelor and a complete asshole. Excuse my language, Tete.” Amethyst looked away from the stranger and her eyes landed back on me. “You don’t have to worry about that considering you’re married to one of my favorite assholes.”

I laughed. Amethyst was hilarious and extremely outspoken. If she had a question or comment, she made it, never mind the moment or who was in attendance.

“Speaking of, will your children have brokered marriages too?”

“Brokered marriage,” I repeated. Now it was my time to choke on my food. I was barely wrapping my head around my own, now I had to think about my future kids too.

“Look what you’ve done, Amethyst. You’ve broken her. I’m trying to get grandchildren and you’re asking about marriage arrangements I’m sure she and Hondo have not discussed yet,” Mama Carter responded.

“Well, it’s just a question. Families are only so big, and with Briar only having four main ones since you and Uncle Sterling combined the Bethunes and Carters, I can only ask.”

“Again, Amethyst. There is a time and place for everything. This is not either. How about we change the subject to your idea for the first floor of the project?”

I was grateful for the save because Hondo and I had definitely not talked about brokering marriages for our children. Hell, we didn’t even have kids yet. Though it should have been a conversation, it was a bridge we’d cross when we got there.

We talked and ate for a while longer before it was time to head out. We were walking toward the front when I felt my phone vibrating in my back pocket. When I pulled the phone out, I wasn’t shocked to see it was Hondo. Lately my calls came from either him, his mother, or my sister.

“Hello?” I answered, a smile on its way to my features.

“I’m coming home early. How much longer you gonna be?”

“Um, not long at all. We were headed back that way.” There that smile was because of course I was already becoming obsessed with this man.

“Good. You wanna do something tonight?”

“Something being?” I exited Bistro behind Mama Carter and Amethyst.

“Lemme surprise you. Just tell me yes.”

I grinned, biting into my bottom lip. “You like when I tell you ye—” My sentence was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass and what sounded like a barrage of bullets. Everything happened so fast, and before I knew it, I was shielded by guards as they pulled me low toward the car.

It wasn’t until the shooting stopped that I heard Hondo screaming my name… Not my nickname, but my government.

“Patience! Do you hear me? Patience.”

“I’m here… I’m fine,” I said right before everything around me went dark and every single voice in the car seemed to be moving away, including his.

When I opened my eyes again, we were no longer in the car but instead in a hospital room. The room was dark and the only thing I could see was the skyline of Briar outside the windows. I could tell it wasn’t too dark because the sun was setting.

I glanced around before I felt a tightness on my hand. I looked down and immediately made out Hondo’s head on the blanket while his hand held mine. I had this overwhelming need to pee, so I tried to remove my hand from his, but that had him lifting his head almost instantly.

“Nic, you’re awake,” he asked, his voice hoarse and every nerve in his body affecting mine.

“Yes, I’m awake and I really have to pee.”

He let my hand go and got on his feet immediately. “Lemme help you.”

“Um, no, I got it.” That came out sharper than I intended, but I really did, and I wasn’t fragile.