Page 11 of Fall Into Me

He was about to shift the SUV back into drive, give himself one more try, when an older white pickup truck drove slowly through the intersection ahead of him and then flipped around and pulled up along the curb to his right. The truck’s hazard lights started flashing, and the driver jumped out and jogged confidently toward him, navigating the snow and ice with care but ease.

Some odd feeling of relief and embarrassment rippled through Ash’s chest as the man angled around the front of the SUV and then flashed him a reassuring grin. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing as he let go of the steering wheel and reached over to roll the window down.

“Hey, there!” the stranger greeted, his voice deep and soft and kind. “Looks like you could use a hand?” The man rested his elbow against the top of Ash’s car and smiled at him again—a kind smile, just like the man’s voice and eyes.

Another wave of relief hit Ash, and he nodded weakly. “Uh, y-yeah, I—”

Before Ash could finish his answer, Bri piped in with another of her piercing cries. Ash flinched at the sound and screwed his eyes shut again.

“S-sorry, she’s, well, it’s been a rough morning, and she’s probably hungry, and I know she’s tired, and . . .” Ash trailed off, his face heating up with embarrassment as Bri continued crying from the back seat. He should probably just admit right now that he was likely the worst uncle ever and that he had no idea what he was doing.

But the man seemed to take everything in stride. “Well, let’s see if we can get you off the road so you can get her whatever she needs, huh?”

“I-I don’t know—it’s stuck, I can’t get it to move, and the trailer too,” Ash mumbled. His chest felt tight, and he looked up at the man, who just smiled softly and shook his head.

“I’ve been doing this all morning. Believe me, you’re not the first to get stuck. Although, maybe the first hauling a trailer and with a baby in the car. You’re not from around here?”

Ash laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m . . . I’m supposed to be heading home. To Seattle. My—I—” He reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek as the knot in his stomach tightened. “S-sorry, um . . .”

“Hey, no problem. Everything’s gonna be fine, okay?” The man had leaned over slightly, and Ash felt another of those rushes of relief. “I’ll help you out here, and you’ll be fine. You’re safe, and your daughter’s safe too. Okay?”

Ash sucked in a strangled breath as the throbbing in his head intensified. He didn’t need to correct the man and tell him Bri wasn’t his daughter. But it was a reminder of why he was here. Right now. Driving up from Southern California hauling a trailer. With a four-month-old baby and no clue what the hell he was doing.

“Y-yeah, th-thanks, um . . .”

Ash glanced up at the man again. God, he looked so . . . kind. He was about Ash’s age, maybe a little older, his dark hair mostly hidden by a navy-and-gray beanie with the word Aggies embroidered on the front. A thin layer of rough stubble covered his strong-cut jawline, and his smile and his deep-brown eyes were soft and caring.

The man gave a small nod. “I’ll hook you up to my truck and then get you unstuck, okay? And there are a few hotels right up the road here. Less than half a mile. It’s not far.”

The prospect of having to drive anymore at all made Ash’s insides churn, but he wanted to act strong, and so he just nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

With another grin that somehow lit up his eyes, too, the man hooked a thumb toward his truck. “I’ll just grab the tow strap. Hang tight, okay?” At Ash’s nod, the man started off toward his truck. But he stopped after a step or two and turned back around. “Uh, sorry, I just realized I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Cass.”

Cass. Ash blinked back tears, not entirely sure how to deal with all his emotions right then. Especially the one telling him that this man—Cass—was right, that everything was going to be okay. Because that was something his heart just couldn’t believe. How could it possibly be okay? How could anything ever possibly be okay again? Not with his sister—

He forced his eyes shut, blocking yet more tears. “Ash,” he rasped, his voice sounding hoarse and unfamiliar in some way, as though it didn’t really belong to him. “I’m—I’m Ash.”

“Nice to meet you, Ash,” Cass said in that same reassuring, soft tone. “I’ll be right back.”

Ash pursed his lips and nodded again. “Thank you.” And Bri wailed from the back seat, which earned a silly grin and chuckle from Cass just before he turned and jogged back across the snow and ice to his truck.

The next five minutes or so were a blur. Bri continued screaming from the back seat, clearly ready to not be in the car anymore, as Ash tried his best to follow the instructions Cass gave him while more than mildly panicking the whole time. He nearly cried with relief when the car and trailer finally moved a few feet forward. Once they were unstuck and straight, Cass stopped the truck, his hazard lights still flashing. Then he jumped out and jogged back to Ash’s window.

“See, piece of cake,” Cass declared with another smile. “Now, I’ll just unhook, and you should be able to—”

Bri’s cry cut through the car again, interrupting whatever Cass had been about to say. Ash clenched his jaw and scrunched his eyes closed as the pain in his head intensified, the throbbing ache turning into a sharp stabbing sensation that sliced right through the middle of his skull. Dammit. Why now?

A warm hand covered his on the steering wheel. “Hey, are you okay? The hotel’s just up the road, it’s not far, and . . . Ah, tell you what, how about you sit in the back with your daughter so—”

“She’s my niece. My niece. My—my sister’s daughter.” He was shaking again, his whole body now, and he felt lightheaded and vaguely dizzy. He pulled his hand out from under Cass’s and rubbed his eyes. God, his head hurt. “Th-the hotel is—is where?”

There was a brief pause before Cass answered. “Um, it’s just up the road here. But give me a minute, and I’ll park my truck, then I’ll come back and drive your car there. How does that sound? You can sit in the back with your niece. She probably just, uh, needs you to be with her.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can . . . I mean, I’ll be fine. I-I think.”

There was a light laugh, and when Ash risked a glance up, squinting through the pain of what he was now sure was a burgeoning migraine, he saw Cass grinning at him again, though there was still a softness and an overwhelming empathy in the man’s eyes.

“Are you sure about that? I mean, no offense, but you look like maybe you shouldn’t be driving. Plus, you know, it’s a bit uphill here and then again just before the turn onto Larkspur, so it’s maybe a little tricky with the ice and snow.” Cass reached up and adjusted his beanie, then glanced down the road, his expression tightening. But when he looked back at Ash a moment later, whatever Ash had seen in his expression was gone. “Let me help you?”