Hope Unbroken (Unveiled Series Book 3) by Crystal Walton Page A

cell vibrated on the end table. One glance at the screen, and he ignored the call. Same as he’d done five times over the last few days. It was probably Jess, or maybe Nick, hounding him about his contract. He couldn’t keep ignoring them.
    I checked my own cell for any notifications. No new updates since Trey’d called yesterday to let me know he’d gotten rejection notices on some of my grant requests, but he managed to talk our landlord back into the original notice he’d promised us. With how easily Mr. Glyndon seemed to be swayed, I wasn’t inclined to hold my breath. And right now, Riley’s situation was all my heart could handle focusing on, anyway.
    Mrs. Preston rubbed her bare feet on the dog. “And when will you go on tour, dear?”
    It took all my willpower not to shout, “See, even your mom knows you should be on tour!” I drew my legs into the chair with me and tucked my ankles under them, straining to keep the words from spilling out.
    A peanut soared across the room and nailed me in the cheek. Riley’s mischievous grin glowed from the launching pad. Apparently, he’d interpreted my expression. No words necessary.
    My cell vibrated right as I dodged another incoming missile.
    “Hello?” I covered my free ear with my hand to block out the music and conversations carrying on in the Preston’s family room. “Mom, wait. Slow down. I can’t understand you.”
    I ducked into the hallway, away from the noise. “Okay, sorry. What were you saying?”
    A tear-streaked breath shook her pause.
    “Mom?”
    “Emma, honey.” Another shaky inhale. “Austin’s been in an accident.”

chapter twelve
    Perspective
    I clenched the top of my hair. “Riley, you gotta drive faster.” With San Francisco being at least nine hours from his parents’ place, we had to make up time somehow.
    “I don’t think getting a speeding ticket is going to help.” He steadied my antsy knee. “I’m going to get you there. Try to relax.”
    “Relax?” Seriously? I dug my nails into the center console.
    Why hadn’t Austin listened to me when I told him to be careful? We knew plenty of people who’d been injured in skiing accidents. Broken tailbones, arms, legs. One of our friends from high school even ended up paralyzed from the waist down. I boxed out the image of Austin in a wheelchair. “I can’t believe that’s all my mom told me.”
    “I’m sure she told you everything she knew.”
    Did he always have to be so patient and levelheaded?
    I coiled the seatbelt around my finger. “I know. But if anything were to happen to him . . .” I couldn’t even go there. I squeezed my eyes shut. God, please let him be okay.
    “Em, look at me.” Riley pried my hand from the seatbelt and wove his fingers through mine. “Everything’s going to be okay. Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
    Sleep? Wow, levelheaded and insane. How did that work?
    A grin snuck up his cheeks as if he’d heard my thoughts.
    “By the time we get to see him, you’re going to wish you would’ve slept while you had the chance.”
    He was right. Of course. I buried my pillow under my arms, along with the comment I wanted to make, and focused on the pine trees passing along the highway. Sunbeams streaked through the branches and sprawled over my face.
    “Here.” He shimmied off his sunglasses and passed them to me. “The sun won’t be down for another hour. These’ll help you sleep.” He lowered his visor, kissed my hand, and set it in his lap.
    Patient, levelheaded, and sacrificial.
    He squinted down the endless highway ahead of us, and I stared at every reminder of why I was marrying him until that single comfort lulled me to sleep.
     
    His thumb smoothed over the back of my hand. The clock blinked into focus. 2:00 a.m. Between fits of in-and-out sleep, I’d changed a dozen positions, but he hadn’t let go.
    “We’re almost there,” he said.
    I checked my cell. No missed calls. Just a text from a number I didn’t recognize: