He shook his head. “Not before I see that sunset.” Still, she didn’t move. “Well, if you’re not going up, step aside.”
She sighed and moved off to the side. He gritted his teeth. He hadn’t made it through rehab in record time by wimping out. When he set a goal, he stuck with it. Today would be no different. He would not let Clara feel sorry for him.
He continued concentrating on one step at a time. The muscles of his injured leg protested, but he knew he could do this. He told himself it was mind over matter, though he knew it was a bit more than that. Behind him, he could hear the click of Clara’s heels.
“You don’t have to keep an eye on me.” His voice rumbled, hiding his embarrassment over his flaws. “I’ll be fine.”
“Who says I’m worried about you? I’m going to see the sights is all.”
He didn’t believe her, not for one moment, but he didn’t bother to argue the point. His concentration was on taking the steps one at a time, leading with his strongest leg. He held on to the railing just in case his injured leg decided not to cooperate.
At last, he stood at the top, where Clara joined him. Shoulder to shoulder, they stood looking out at the last of the sun’s rays bouncing over the dark water. It was peaceful and serene, unlike the turmoil of emotions raging inside him.
“Tell me about it.” Clara’s voice was soft and coaxing.
He knew what she was asking. She wanted to know what had turned him into the shell of the man she’d once known. It’d gotten to the point in rehab where he’d been able to talk openly and honestly about it. But he’d been with other guys who’d had similar experiences. They had some idea where he was coming from. Talking to Clara was different.
On his flight to California, Andrew had thought long and hard about what he’d tell her. A brush-off answer? Just hit the highlights? Or the unvarnished truth? He’d decided on just the highlights. No one wanted to hear all of the painful details.
His mouth grew dry and his palms damp. Andrew rested his forearms against the railing and stared off into the darkening sky. “It happened more than nine months ago. I’d been visiting my father’s place, and I was returning to the city.” In actuality he’d been at his father’s cleaning out the house and preparing it for sale. He just wasn’t ready to discuss his father’s death, so he decided to gloss over the subject. “It was late, and I was tired. I could have stayed over, but I wanted to get into the office early on Sunday morning. You know me, never one to pass up a chance to get ahead.”
Clara moved close to him, leaning her side against the white-painted rail. And though he didn’t look at her, he could feel her steady gaze on him.
He cleared his throat. “It was dark that night with no moonlight. Anxious to get some sleep before I headed into the office, I was in a hurry. It was a divided four-lane highway. I’d just crested a rise in the road when I was blinded by oncoming headlights in my lane. I swerved, but it hadn’t been enough to avoid the collision. And what happened next is still a blur.”
A horrified gasp filled the warm evening air. “Oh, Andrew. It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”
“That’s what I’ve told myself many times.” Thanks to Jerry, his physical therapist, knocking some sense into him, he was taking advantage of the second chance he’d been given. He missed his friend, but he was happy to be out of rehab.
Clara reached out to him, but he refused to turn into her embrace. He just couldn’t let himself lean on her. She wasn’t a part of his life anymore.
Instead, her hand landed on his forearm. She squeezed tightly, letting him know she did genuinely care. “I wish you’d gotten in touch. I would have been there for you.”
Not so long ago, he’d longed for her comforting words and touch while he’d been in the hospital undergoing numerous surgeries on his face, arm, and leg. However, he was now glad she hadn’t had to go through the ordeal. If any good had come out of their breakup, it was the fact that she’d been saved the horror of seeing his torn and mangled flesh. But, boy, had he missed her. She’d filled all of his dreams with her sweet voice, gentle touch, and stirring kisses. Thinking of her was what got him through those long, agonizing days.
He cleared his throat. “You were busy building your business. And you’ve done a great job of it. Soon, you’ll be the biggest name in the wedding business.”
“That might be pushing it just a bit.”
“Okay, the biggest name on the West Coast.” He glanced over and caught the pink staining her cheeks. “You were always destined to be great.”
“I think you’re talking about yourself.” She sent him a reassuring smile. “Can you tell me more? About what happened after the accident?”
He could, but he didn’t want to. The bits and pieces he recalled were excruciating and horrific. Then again, maybe it was best if he got it out there. It would remind him that he was there on a mission and not to win back his ex—though that was becoming more tempting with each passing moment they spent together.
Andrew attempted to clear his throat, but this time it didn’t work. When he spoke, his voice was raw and full of emotion. “I learned the driver was drunk and had been going down the wrong side of the highway for a couple of miles before plowing into my car. I was trapped inside for quite a while.” He paused as he gathered his thoughts. “I was in and out of consciousness. More out than in. I don’t have any recollections of this, for which I am grateful. After they used the Jaws of Life to extract me, they found my body was as mangled as the car.”
A horrified gasp came from Clara. He didn’t glance her way. He knew what he’d find in her eyes—sympathy and pity. Two things he just couldn’t stomach. He didn’t want to appear less in her eyes—that would totally do him in.
He continued to stare out at the inky black bay as the moonbeams danced across the swells of the water. “Apparently, after they extracted me from the car, my heart stopped. Once they got it started again, they life-flighted me to the nearest hospital.”
“Your father, he must have been beside himself with worry. I can’t even imagine what either of you went through.”
Andrew intentionally left out the part about his father having passed away before the accident. He didn’t want her to know just how alone he’d been. His family had consisted of him and his father. It had been so different from her vast family, complete with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Andrew didn’t want to but he obliged Clara’s curiosity by opening up to her about the fractures to his face and the multiple injuries to his left arm and leg. The doctors had been doubtful about the amount of mobility he’d regain with his leg, but he’d been determined to get out of the wheelchair. One surgery was followed by another, and yet another, until he was basically pinned together like a toy construction set. Followed by months of rehab.
“If only I’d known, I’d have caught the first flight.”