15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Roxie

It’s been three weeks since family dinner, and Ivy and I have been invited every week since. It’s strange to already be so comfortable around the Huttons. But I fucking love it. Ivy is in heaven, and I’m hoping we can stay here long-term. It feels like we belong. And we haven’t belonged somewhere in a long, long time. Maybe I never have.

Lennox has been progressing nicely too. He’s skipped a family dinner, but he’s been putting in a lot of effort on the physical therapy front, and it shows. We’ve stopped locking his brace, so he has mobility now with full weight-bearing.

Today, we’re going to do something new, and I’m excited to see his reaction. Staying cooped up in this cabin, although nice, is making me stir-crazy, so I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. He’s used to being out in the wild every single day, and it’s been months since that’s been his norm.

I’m making coffee when Lennox finally comes out of his room.

“Good morning,” I say brightly. I’ve learned he’s not really a morning person, and I enjoy pushing his buttons a little.

He grunts in reply, and my lips roll inward to stop the laughter.

Handing him a mug, I use my own cup to cover my reactions to him. He’s currently wearing his usual long-steeve shirt and basketball shorts, but covering most of his body does nothing to lessen my natural attraction to him. His scruffy, unkempt beard and too-long curly hair do it for me, and it’s becoming a little bit of a problem. Ever since our impromptu sleep session, it’s been harder and harder to separate my professional thoughts from my libido.

“I have something new planned for today’s session,” I tell him instead of drooling over him like I usually do. He grunts again, and this time, I bark out a laugh. “One day, you’ll be peppy in the morning and won’t be so annoyed with me.”

“I’m not annoyed with you.” His brows furrow. He looks offended I even suggested such a thing.

“Well good, because you’re going to be stuck with me for a little longer today.”

His eyebrows shoot to his hairline, and he looks worried. I almost feel bad for working him up, but I know he needs this.

“We’re going for a walk,” I say happily. And then I wait. And wait. And now I’m nervous.

“A walk.” No inflection, no excitement, just a blank face.

Shit, I may have fucked up.

“A walk. Outside. You’ve been doing well with the weight-bearing, and I feel confident you’ll be good to take a short walk today. We’ll work up to longer walks, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”

His lack of reaction is throwing me for a loop because I really thought he would be excited to get some fresh air and have some normalcy again. My smile wanes the longer he stares at me, but that’s when I see it in his eyes. I’ve seen it once before, the night he knocked on my door desperate for an ounce of comfort. Fear. He’s scared to take this step, and it makes my heart bleed for him .

“I’ll be by your side the entire time,” I offer, hoping it gives him the support he needs.

He nods hesitantly, setting his coffee down. His gaze meets mine, and the same shock I feel every time he looks at me shoots down my body. But it’s the anxiety coursing through him that stops that line of thinking before it really takes off.

He needs help, not for his physical therapist to ogle him every day. He’s been doing so damn well that I took for granted how far he still has to go. It’s not only getting his leg in working shape; it’s helping him move past the block he’s had since Tennison.

“We’re just going to walk around this area, not in town.” I should have done a better job explaining exactly what we are going to do so he’s able to understand I’m not trying to walk him around Main Street and have everybody in his business. I would never shove him in a situation I know for a fact would send him spiraling.

His body slumps in relief, and that ever-present feeling of needing to help him thrums through me.

“I just need to put shoes on,” he says as he slowly walks to the door.

I nod, finishing up my coffee and grabbing his crutches in case he decides to push himself too far, which I’d be shocked if he doesn’t.

We leave the house without saying a word, and it’s only when we’re down his driveway do I speak again. “So, have you and your family always lived in Bluebell Falls?” In the last month we’ve been here, Lennox and I have stayed strictly work-focused—except our one slip-up, but not much talking was had. I haven’t asked him questions, and he hasn’t asked me any either. Apparently, I decided to change that today.

“We have. Most of us left for college, but we always landed back here. My parents passed away when I was in eighth grade, so Ledger and Rina basically stopped their lives to raise Willow and me. I’m not sure any of us ever wanted to leave permanently after that.” He says it so simply and not like he opened up more in three sentences than he has since we came here. And what he shares? More heartbreak. How much does one man have to suffer before the universe decides he’s had enough?

“I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s a testament to your parents how close you all are still and how you continue your family dinner tradition.” I smile at him, but he doesn’t return it.

“I guess.” He huffs.

Alrighty, guess we’re not taking compliments today. Still need to work up to that.

“What about you? Where are you from?”

I stiffen, even though I should have seen this question coming. “Umm, originally from Pennsylvania.”

He peeks over at me. “Cryptic.”

I sigh. “My family is … not the greatest. My dad passed away when I was super young, from a heart attack, and my mom passed away from cancer when I was ten. I went to live with my aunt and uncle, and they … never wanted kids.” It’s the best way I can describe the absolutely awful people they are without explicitly saying it. Reliving that time is not something I want to do.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Losing your parents young is hard.”

“It is. Going through school when no one really understands what you’re going through was complicated,” I say.

“Yeah, all my friends were worried about making the varsity team or who was dating the hot girl, and I was trying to be low maintenance so I didn’t add to Ledger’s stress.”

Oh, my heart …

“Totally get that.” I clear my throat, hoping the emotion welling up inside of me doesn’t spill out in my words.

I tried so hard to keep to myself and not cause problems with my aunt and uncle, but it didn’t work out like it did for Lennox, it seems. My melancholy thoughts take over, and I think about all the times I was locked in my room without dinner. How many times I was punished for simply being around.

Lennox clears his throat. “How’s the living arrangement? I haven’t asked you, and that’s a dick move. You and Ivy liking your rooms?” He sounds so unsure it’s sweet.

“It’s great, Lennox, really. Ivy is thrilled to have so much space to herself.”

“And you?” he asks.

I look over at him, and he meets my eye. This Lennox? This shy yet so damn endearing Lennox? He’s so damn dangerous to my heart.

“I know it was a shock for us to show up on your porch, but I’m grateful you haven’t kicked us out yet.” I chuckle, trying to deflect how much this conversation is really getting to me.

“I know I’m kind of an asshole most of the time, but I wouldn’t kick you out. Rina would have my head if I did.” He smirks over at me, and my heart pounds.

Now, playful Lennox is trouble. Geez, I probably need to stop cataloging these different Lennoxes now.

“Seriously, though, the cabin is so…” I try to think of the words to adequately describe how much I love his home. “Peaceful.”

Silence greets me, so I probably overstepped or made things awkward. Peaceful isn’t what he’s had of late, and although it may be for me, that cabin has been the exact opposite for him .

“Alright, time to turn around and walk back,” I change the subject, not ready to break this new openness we have.

Lennox grunts and carefully turns around, hobbling a little. I instinctively grab his arm for support, but he shrugs me off. “I’m fine,” he grates out.

I barely refrain from rolling my eyes. Stubborn Lennox isn’t my favorite.

The walk back is far quieter, and my mood dampens. I enjoyed talking to him about something other than his leg for once, but apparently, we’re done with that.

We make it to the driveway when he slows to a hobble. I hold out his crutches, hoping he’ll take the hint.

He doesn’t, of course.

Instead, he forces himself to finish our walk, and by the time he’s on the front porch, a steady grimace is on his face.

“Okay, tough guy. Tylenol and rest are in order. You did great, though.” I try to keep my tone upbeat, but the withering look he gives me tells me he’s hit his limit. The last time this happened, he had a breakdown in his room, and I still hear echoes of his pained scream in my head.

I watch him struggle to the couch, keeping a careful eye on him to make sure he doesn’t do any damage, but it looks like he’s exhausted more than anything. Thank God. Dropping off his crutches next to him, I go to the kitchen to grab some Tylenol, an ice pack, and a glass of water.

He watches me as I elevate his leg and place the icepack on top. After handing him the glass of water, my hand thrusts the Tylenol at him. He looks at it for a moment before shifting his gaze to me.

“No. ”

I sigh, my shoulders sagging.

“You’re a stubborn man, you know that?”

“I do.”

“Two Tylenol. That’s all. You’re going to be so fucking sore, and this will help with the inflammation as well.” This willful man may be the death of me. I’ve never had a client be so damn resistant to some damn Tylenol.

“I’ll be fine. The ice is enough.”

I stare at him in disbelief. I thought we were past this nonsense, but it seems we’re not.

“Great, well, I’m going to get some more work done. Holler if you need anything, and stay put for a while. You put in more work today than you have since you got injured.” I set down the Tylenol on the coffee table to make myself feel better. The annoyance is loud and clear in my tone, but I know it won’t make a difference.

Burying myself in work is the distraction I need. Lennox has so much beneath the surface that he refuses to show anyone, and I feel like I was privy to some of it today. I can’t think about it too much, though, because if I do, I’ll start wondering what he was like before his interaction with the Tennison Strangler. And frankly, I don’t want to know. He’s a different person now, and that’s okay. I want to see him get to a point where he’s actually happy, not necessarily who he was before all that shit went down.

A couple of hours later, I’ve completed some notes I needed to do, as well as a virtual session with my favorite little old lady, Barb.

Lying back on my bed, I let out a sigh. I’m exhausted, and I still need to pick up Ivy. Shuffling from the living room draws my attention when I hear a crash and Lennox cursing .

I shoot up from the bed and rush out to see what happened. I envision the worst, that he’s fallen and re-injured his quad and will need surgery again. But when I get there, he’s leaned over the back of the couch with a pained expression on his face.

“Shit, are you okay?” I rush over to him.

“I… Everything hurts,” he says through clenched teeth.

I help him stand. “Should have taken the damn Tylenol,” I grumble. “I’m going to set you up with an Epsom bath that should help the soreness a lot.” We shuffle to his room, and if I wasn’t so focused on helping him feel better, I might notice how much cleaner his room is compared to the last time I was here.

“Lean against this, keep weight off your leg for now, and I’ll be right back.” I turn on the water for the bathtub before heading back to my bathroom to grab the Epsom salts.

When I come back, Lennox is looking up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths.

“Okay, I’m going to dump a shitload of these in there and then help you in.”

“Umm, no.” His attention refocuses on me. There is fear on his face, but whatever his concern is doesn’t really matter, as long as I can find him some relief. It’s my solitary focus.

“Umm, yes. Strip down to your boxers if you’re able to; if not, I’ll help you. Then we’ll get you settled in the tub before I have to pick up Ivy.” I’m all business right now, and I fail to see him instantly stiffen.

“No.”

“Get in the damn tub, Lennox,” I growl.

“Just take off my shorts. I’ll keep my boxers and shirt on,” he counters, and this time, I do roll my eyes .

“Whatever. Let’s just get you some relief.”

I carefully slide his shorts down his legs, helping him lift his feet with some extra support before I finally have them off.

“Good?” I ask and realize I’m at eye level with an appendage I need to be very far away from before my very lonely mind starts to wander.

“Good.”

Standing, we hobble to the tub, where he uses it as support so I’m able to remove his brace. Getting him into the tub takes more work than I was anticipating, but after a few minutes, he’s finally in.

Sinking in up to his neck, he shows instant relief on his face. A moan sounds from deep within his chest, and my eyes trail down his submerged body. His long-sleeve shirt clings, and his boxers do nothing to hide the bulge.

Shit, I need to get out of here. He’s in fucking pain, and you’re thinking about his bulge.

“I need to go pick up Ivy, but stay in here until I come back. Please don’t try and get out by yourself. Your muscles aren’t used to the activity we did today, and you’re more unstable than you think. I’ll check on you when I’m back, and I can help you out if you’re ready,” I tell him with a soft, pleading voice. I need him to stay here. I’m scared shitless he’s going to attempt to get out by himself and create bigger problems, like slipping and falling.

His bleary eyes open as he turns to face me. “I promise I’ll wait until you’re back.” The sincerity in his voice finally lets me relax. But the look in his eyes has me feeling flustered.

I nod before walking backwards out of the bathroom. This Lennox, I don’t know what to do with. But he might be the scariest one of them all.

This day has played out differently than I thought, but learning more about Lennox was worth the added stress of his headstrong ways. I think .

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