Love Found in California (The Washington Triplets) Read Online Free PDF Page A

bothering to know the truth or even care, killed me.
     
    Beep. The guy behind me mouths something animatedly at me for slacking on gunning it through the now green light. I roll my eyes through the mirror wanting him to see me, but he’s already looking down into his lap. I continue to stare at the guy through the mirror knowing Ryan would definitely have had more to gesture to the guy.
    Just as I bring my concentration back to the road, it’s too late and I slam right into the back of a pretty little Mercedes with no roof. A bolt of tension shoots through me as my body uncontrollably flies forward and then back. The force that my head hits the steering wheel has my eyes rolling loosely with the red taillights imprinted into my vision. Immediately, I taste blood in my mouth but can’t discern where the bleeding is coming from. Pain travels over me, never really landing in one place, and my sight is tainted with everything spinning.
    As the taste of my salty tears mixes with the blood, I carefully run my fingers over my face trying to feel for the source of the blood. Slowly, I move them past my forehead into my hairline and come up short. Afraid to move too much, I reach for the rearview mirror to angle it in my direction and see that it’s a bloody nose that’s causing the bleeding. My face looks in tact and I take a deeper breath in relief. The feeling of being unbalanced settles some, but I’m still not sure what to do next or how to handle this. That’s until … my door is practically ripped open with a man, who looks to be older than Ryan, but younger than my dad.
    “What the hell were you doing? That’s a brand new car you just hit!” he shouts at me. His face reddens by the second. Then he takes in my face and bends toward me, his bald head revealing a few stray grays. I can’t help flinching in response until his eyes soften when he says, “Oh shit, you’re hurt. Okay, okay, I’m calling for help right now. It’s okay.” Once he connects with someone on the other end, I lean my head back and close my eyes. “Hey, hey, don’t close your eyes. Stay with me … Shit, the corner of Wilshire and 3 rd … Yea, the girl who hit me is hurt ... She’ll need an ambulance.”
    Ambulance, how could that be? Suddenly, I feel lonely. I need Ryan, want him so bad right now. With my eyes now open, I tell the stranger, “I’m, I’m fine.” The redness that was just there has left his face and he looks more worried than angry. He ignores my response and continues to answer questions. One hand is secured on his phone and the other is gripping the inside of my doorframe. I scan his body and feel relieved that he seems to be unharmed. I don’t think I could forgive myself if I hurt someone else because I was in la-la land while I was driving.
    The tears begin to come down heavy and I sob when I think of Ryan. I want Ryan to make this all better. I try to sit myself more upright, but I weakly fall back into my seat. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
    “Mikaela Chambers.” My voice quivers and sounds small, like a child. Then I spot my phone and reach over to the passenger seat to grab it.
    “Do you want me to call someone? Your mom or your dad?” he asks when he sees me trying to search through my phone with teary eyes. “Here, let me.” I easily pass it over to him.
    “My husband, Ryan, Ryan Chambers,” I say, barely audible through my crying. The sounds of a siren begin to come in clearer and closer. I can’t stop crying and I’m not sure if it’s from the accident or because I miss Ryan so badly.
    The man that had started out furious over the damage to his car is now focused on getting me the help I need. “Hi, Ryan, I’m with your wife, Mikaela, at the corner of Wilshire and 3 rd . We were in a car accident and the ambulance is just pulling up. You should head over to the hospital to meet her there … ah, probably Good Samaritan.” I’m crying so hard I can’t even tell him that he’s out of