Hands shake my shoulders and a paper bag is shoved against my mouth. “Breathe, Aubrey. You need to calm down.”

Gabe’s commanding tone takes me by surprise and I automatically obey him. I hold the bag around my lips and breathe into it. After a few seconds the pressure in my lungs eases up.

Gabe smiles down at me. “That’s a good. You’re going to be all right. Now, tell me what the fuck just happened.”

I shake my head and pull the bag away. “You’re going to make a great doctor.”

He pats my head. “Nice try, little sister. Flattery won’t get you out of telling me.”

I shrug. “Zach came into the restaurant at the worst possible moment. I was telling Brady all about the hard time The Judge has been giving Zach, and how Mom tried her damndest to talk me out of dating him when we went dress shopping.”

“Go on,” he insists.

“Brady sort of reached over and put his hand on top of mine and Zach saw it, flipped the fuck out in the restaurant and made a scene. I was mortified. Then we get here and he won’t talk to me—tells me to get out of the car and he’s done with me.” Another sobs comes. “And now we’re over.”

Gabe sits beside me on the ground and wraps me in a hug. “He didn’t mean it, I know he didn’t. It’s just the grief talking.”

I sniff and pull back to gaze up at his face. “Grief? He told you about his mom and sister?”

Gabe’s brow furrows. “No. He just found out his father died.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“That’s why we were coming to find you. He needs to leave tonight to go identify the body.”

I swallow hard and things instantly start falling into place. I knew those horribly evil things he was saying couldn’t possibly be from the real him. That’s the kind of fucked up shit Riff would say, not my Zach.

He needs me. He came to find me in his biggest time of need and the first thing he saw was another man touching me. The thoughts in his brain can’t be rational right now.

I shove myself up off the concrete and dust my hands off. “Where are Dad’s car keys?”

Gabe stands beside me, concern etched into his face. “Do you think it’s wise to go chasing him down in your current state?”

“If I don’t go after him now, I might lose him forever. I love him and he needs me.” The thought of never seeing his beautiful face again scares the shit out of me.

My brother smiles. “You better go get him then. Dad’s keys are in the drawer in the kitchen.”

I grab my brother’s face and kiss his cheek before I sprint into the house. Most siblings fight like crazy, and while I’m not saying we don’t have our fair share of fights too, we get along like best friends who like to pick on one another. I’m grateful for that.

My parents look up from their lunch when I rush into the large black and white kitchen. I yank open the cabinet drawer that’s closest to the garage without saying a word to them. It’s partly their fault that this is all happening, so I don’t exactly feel the need to ask their permission before I grab the keys to my father’s Cadillac CTS-V. Both of my parents watch me as I allow the door to swing shut and I stalk towards the garage.

“Aubrey, honey, you mind telling us where you’re heading off to in such a panic?” the Judge asks from behind me, effectively stopping me in my tracks.

My lips pull into a tight line as I pivot on my heel. “If you must know I’m going to see Zach.”

My father puckers his lips. It’s the signature move he makes before he hammers out something that he believes to be factual truth. “I don’t think that’s wise. The boy’s no good for you, honey. I know you might not be able to see it now because you think so much with your heart and emotions, but someday, when you’re older, you’ll thank me for helping get rid of him.”

“You helped get rid of him? What the hell does that mean?” My words rush out, almost like a snarl.

“Language, Aubrey Jenson!” Mother scolds with a frown on her face.

Unbelievable! “Fuck my language, Mother. Some help you two are. You’re ruining my life, don’t you get that? If I lose Zach, my world is over.”

“I’m your father. It’s my job to protect you and look out for your future,” Dad says as he wrinkles his brow.

They still don’t get it. I better make this clear for them. “Zach is my future. You two either accept that or you won’t have to worry about seeing me again because I’m never letting him go.”

This time when I head for the door I don’t stop, no matter how loud they yell and order me to come back.

I hop into my Dad’s most prized possession and tear out of the garage the moment the doors open. Heading for the hotel, my brain replays everything that just went down in my parents’ kitchen. I know they’re pissed at me, but they’re going to have to get over it. I love Zach, and nothing is going to change that.

My thoughts drift to Zach and I pray that he’ll hear me out. I want him to see my side of the situation and understand that I did nothing to betray his trust—that he’s my everything.

I shake my head and sigh as I approach a traffic light. In need of a distraction, I reach down and flip on the radio and begin searching the stations for something decent to listen to. Two clicks away from my favorite station a horn blares, and my eyes snap back to the road in front of me. It’s not until it’s too late that I realize the light was red, but I barreled on through anyway. Something hits the car hard on my side and my head jerks right and then left before everything goes black.