“No. It was sherbet, and she said it was her favorite, so I figured she couldn’t be allergic to it.”

“But it could’ve been contaminated,” Addison countered. “Was it the scooped kind or the soft serve?”

“Scooped,’ he said, lifting his hands in front of him. “But, Addison, babe, she said it would be fine—”

“Did she?” Addison asked, raising her voice. “Did she, AJ? Is that why she’s in a coma?

Never in her life did she feel such a mixture of emotion for someone. As much as she loved this man, at the moment she hated him.

“I’m sorry. I thought it’d be okay. I had no idea—”

“No idea?” She was yelling now, but she didn’t care. “You’ve seen the precautions we’ve taken with her from day one. How do you know they didn’t use the same scoop they use for any of the other flavors with nuts? That’s all it takes, AJ, and look!”

She pointed at Clair’s room door just as it opened and her dad stepped out. “What’s going on?”

“He gave her ice cream!” Addison said loudly. “The day of, just before she had the reaction. Scooped ice cream from the theater.”

Her dad glanced at AJ then back at Addison. “Okay, honey, that still doesn’t mean—”

“No!” she said, feeling herself falling apart all over again, then turned to AJ “How could you! You watched me—teased me about cleaning the area so thoroughly—then callously ignored everything I’ve done to protect her!”

“Callously?” AJ said, reaching his hand out to her. “Addison—”

“Don’t touch me!” she said, slapping his hand away. “I don’t want you here anymore. I don’t want you anywhere near me or Clair ever again!”

“Addi, you’re not thinking clearly,” her father said calmly.

“I want him gone!” she screamed now even as her father hugged her.

“Honey, just calm down. It was an honest mistake.”

“No,” AJ said in a strained voice. “I knew it was a risk.”

Addison turned to him and saw his tear-filled eyes, and just as he always had from the beginning, he was incapable of hiding any of his emotions. “I should’ve been more careful. I’m sorry. I’ll keep . . .” His voice broke, so he paused for a moment before continuing. “I’ll keep praying for her. I love you, Addison.”

With that, he turned away, and Addison fell into her father’s arms again. As much as she wanted to blame AJ, she knew this was all her fault. Sure, AJ had been careless about something so serious, but she was the one who left her daughter alone with her boyfriend, a man she’d only known for several short months. He obviously didn’t understand the severity of Clair’s allergic reactions.

This was one of the biggest reasons why she’d held out for so long from bringing someone into Clair’s life. She’d been terrified of the responsibility it carried. She knew she could trust AJ with Clair’s life and hers. The man wore his heart on his sleeve. She’d never once doubted his love for both her and Clair. He was perfect, and now she had to wonder if maybe that wasn’t the reason she hadn’t been more careful. Not once had she thought it, but she wondered now if maybe subconsciously a part of her feared someone as perfect as AJ might think she was too much baggage to deal with. Maybe she’d unintentionally held back from clarifying just how severe Clair’s condition could be.

She’d gone from her dad’s shoulder to her mom’s now as she, too, had come out to see what the fuss was about. “This is all my fault.” Addison wept against her mom’s shoulder.

Her father had since explained to her mother what had happened. “It’s nobody’s fault,” her mother insisted, shushing her crying. “No one should fall into a coma over a little ice cream,” her mom said as she patted Addison’s back. “It’s unfortunate and life isn’t always fair, but I do hope you’ll call AJ once you’ve calmed down and realize there is no way that man would ever do anything to hurt either of you. You can see it in his eyes when he looks at you both. In such a short time, you two seem to mean the world to him, and I’m sure he’s hurting and feeling so guilty. Don’t make him suffer any more than he’s already suffering, Addi.”

Nodding to acquiesce to her mother, Addison knew she’d be doing no such thing. She’d never forgive herself for this. She’d allowed the thrill of her new relationship with AJ to cloud her judgment—distract her—and she’d let her guard down when it came to Clair’s safety. She should’ve stuck with her gut and known allowing herself to become involved in a relationship might distract her from her number-one priority.

If, by the grace of God, Clair made it through this, Addison would never make that same mistake again. And if she didn’t . . . AJ would forever be a reminder of the unforgivable mistake she’d made in her life. So either way, anything more between her and AJ or anyone else was out of the question.

~~~

At her parents urging, Addison was finally making the call she’d been dreading. It’d been two days since AJ walked out of the hospital. He’d since called and texted her several times, and his sister Emi had even left her a message begging her to please just forgive her brother, even if she didn’t want anything to do with him again.

Once again, it had Addison sobbing. It was all she’d done ever since this all started but especially when AJ had confirmed what she suspected. Clair’s allergic reaction had been a direct result of Addison’s carelessness. She’d been crying at the drop of a pin, but Emi’s voicemail was the only one of all the messages she’d listened to. She knew hearing AJ’s voice would be unbearable. Though, she’d been a mess all through Emi’s message as well.

Her parents were right. She should be the one who made this call. He deserved to know, and Addison’s father said he preferred if she made it. He was in Atlanta now, but she knew his game was over. He answered on the first ring.

“Addison?”

Something instantly squeezed her windpipe just as she’d expected from hearing his voice alone. “I don’t blame you,” she said, doing her best to not fall apart. “I’m sorry that I did the day you told me about the ice cream, but I know it wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t blame yourself either.”

He was quiet for a moment. “How is she?”

“She’s awake,” she whispered, the tears already streaming down her face.

“She is?” As usual, the emotion in his voice was undeniable.

“Yes, but she’s not speaking yet. The doctors say it’s normal for that to happen when a patient first wakes.” She took a deep breath before going on. “All her vitals are on target, and she’s been staying awake a little longer every time. Each time there’s improvement too, as far as the stages of recovery go. As usual with Clair, the doctors say she’s actually ahead of the game. She’s already following instructions and doing little things like squeezing our fingers when asked to. My dad flew in Snickers, and she brightened up even more. She’s just not speaking yet, but the doctors are feeling positive about her full recovery. They’re just warning it may take some time.”

She heard him clear his throat, and she thought she heard him sniff. “I’ve been so scared,” he said, and as suspected, there was no hiding the emotion in his voice. “I’ve never been much of a praying man, Addison, and I’ve prayed nonstop for her.”

“Thank you,” Addison whispered. “I’ve had a few angry words with God myself, along with some desperate ones. I’ll have to apologize to him too, I guess.”

“There’s no need to apologize to anyone, baby. You’ve gone through so much; it’s understandable that you’d be so upset you’d want to lash out at the world. God knows I know all about needing to let it out. I’m just so glad she’s awake now. I have a travel day this week. I’ll use it to go see her—”

“AJ,” she said before he could go on. “It’s okay if you wanna come by and see her. She’d probably be happy to see you, but you and I . . .”