Chapter Twenty-Nine
Adrian
F ollowing the three boys inside, I pull Blake close to my chest, doing my best to not knock her foot around too much. She seems to think I don’t notice her staring at me since I scooped her off the ground, but she’s not exactly subtle either.
Trying to hide my smirk, I bite my lip and glance down at her. I think she’s in shock because she doesn’t even try to look away. “Blake?”
“Hm?” she murmurs.
“You good?” I gently ask for the second time and set her down on the couch.
“Yeah, I really am okay now,” she rasps. There’s a soft pink hue to her face, which is still slightly swollen from crying.
As a boy, I can appreciate a well thought out prank—especially one that goes horribly wrong. But as a man who feels desperately devoted to Blake, it sends a mix of emotions through me. Anger, frustration, concern, sympathy. I’d break my own ankle right now if it meant she’d stop wincing in pain every time she tries to get comfortable.
Without thinking about it, I lean forward and place a kiss on her temple. “It’s going to be okay.”
“ Ew ,” one of the young boys—the middle one, Shawn—yells. “Did you just kiss her?”
Laughing under my breath, I feel relieved when Blake offers a small, genuine smile. “Hey, Mikey?” I call out.
His head pops between us from behind the coach. “Yeah?” he squeaks.
Poor kid .
“We need more ice.” He nods seriously and shoves his youngest brother toward the kitchen. I chuckle as the five-year-old almost trips as he scuttles around the corner.
“What else?” Mikey asks, seeming to know he’s in deep shit.
“Go get a big stack of pillows for her foot. And do you have one of those stretchy Ace wraps by chance?”
Quickly nodding, he grabs his other brother’s hand and runs down the hallway.
Watching the interaction with a rueful smile, Blake whispers, “I’m so sorry.”
“No, you have nothing to apologize for.” She opens her mouth to argue, but I run a hand down the back of her neck and continue first, “I would’ve been pissed if you called someone else—or worse, didn’t call anyone. So don’t you dare be sorry. Although,” I add with a lighter tone, “maybe we should be concerned about how easily the three of them have accepted a strange man into their house.”
Laughing quietly, Blake’s smile turns more genuine. “You’re not a strange man. Besides, they were really worried. Mikey’s been a little prankster since he was old enough to walk, but he’s not a mean kid. I think I’m the first person who’s ever been hurt in the crossfire.”
We hold eye contact as I reach to gently pull out the neon yellow scrunchie that’s barely holding any of her hair up. It cascades in dark waves down her shoulders, and I can’t help running my fingers through it. Relaxing further into the couch, she watches me quietly while we wait for the boys to get back with the materials.
A few minutes later, as we’re both starting to worry about Luke in the kitchen alone, he comes running out with a grocery bag full of ice. “Sorry,” he calls as he lugs it over with both arms wrapped wide to hold it. His little teeth are chattering from how cold it is. “I ha-had to get en-enough.”
Blake quietly snorts but covers it with a fake sneeze. I wink. “Don’t worry, buddy. You got plenty.”
He perks up and eagerly asks, “Buddy? Does that mean we’re friends?”
Grinning wide—both at how adorable he is and how Blake practically melts into the couch as she waits for my answer—I lean forward and ruffle his hair. “Yeah, I think we’ve all bonded after tonight.”
He nods sagely, making both of us chuckle again. “I think so.”
“Go get me a Ziplock bag and some paper towels, though.” He’s quicker this time and is back after only a minute.
Mikey and Shawn finally come barreling down the stairs. Neither of them stops in time so their sock clad feet slide straight by Blake. Scrambling like two cartoon characters, they pull themselves back and plop on the coffee table across from us.
“Pillows!” Shawn shouts and throws the stack at me.
“Here, Blake, let me wra—”
Grabbing the wrap out of Mikey’s hands, I cut him off. “I’ll do that, my man. You go make some popcorn and choose a movie to watch with your brothers. You’re on lockdown for the rest of the night.”
“ Lockdown ?” he spits back at me. His entire body flinches, and he grimaces like he’s never heard of a punishment before. Which you can hardly call a movie night.
“Mikey,” Blake scolds. “I can call your parents and ruin their night out, but you’ll probably only get in more trouble.”
He makes a bratty face in her direction as he turns on his heel to the kitchen. Shawn reluctantly follows him, but Luke climbs into the spot I vacate next to Blake. Sitting across from them while I wrap Blake’s ankle, I’m mesmerized by the sight in front of me. Luke doesn’t hesitate for a second before he nuzzles his way under her arm and looks up at her as if this is a normal occurrence.
We’re both silent as he recaps the earlier events that lead to Mikey’s grand idea. I’m not really paying attention as I get toward the end of the fabric, but Blake’s low, worried question instantly pulls me back.
“Wait… Luke… you guys hid Zippy?”
“Yeah, of course we did. If you saw him, it would’ve ruined the prank.” He shrugs, unconcerned. “I guess you kinda did that anyway though.”
Her sharp eyes cut down to him quickly as I snort in amusement. Except once her eyes meet mine, I know something’s really wrong. All the color has drained from her face, even the pink tint from her pain and embarrassment earlier. “I forgot about the G.D. dog, Adrian.”
Sitting up straight, I ask the kid, “You have a dog?”
“Yeah! Zippy! Mom loves him.”
Nodding, more so to keep myself calm rather than because anything’s actually okay. “Where is Zippy?”
“In the attic.”
“What?” Blake screeches, eyes wide in panic. She moves to get up, but I place a hand on her thigh before she can. “Mikey!” she screams at the same moment he runs back into the room.
“Wha—oh shit !” The memory of his family pet must dawn on him because he runs past us. Blake’s body twists to watch him sprint up the stairs chanting ‘oh shit, oh shit, oh shit’ repeatedly. When she whips back to me, she’s stunned into silence but frantically gestures to the stairs.
“Okay I’ve got it. You three stay here.” Jogging toward the stairs, I call back, “Help Blake elevate her foot!”
“Y ou’re positive he’s okay?” Mrs. Paulson asks for the fourth time. She’s clearly upset about Zippy’s injury, and I was warned how much she loves this dog.
Blake doesn’t seem to mind Erika as much as she does her mom Polly, but I definitely see some similarities between the two women.
Blake and I tried our best to come up with a story for both of their injuries without getting the boys in trouble. Proving that he’s a lot better of a kid than the town seems to give him credit for, Mikey admitted everything to his parents. From hiding Zippy, setting up the skeleton, and how the prank caused Blake to twist her ankle.
He’s grounded for a week, but he scored a few brownie points with me. And from the way Blake smoothed his hair while he was telling his mom about our evening, I’d guess he did with her as well.
“We’re pretty sure we located the spider that bit Zippy while he was in the attic. And there are no signs that it was venomous. He’s just having an allergic reaction. The Benadryl will help, and he’ll be able to get some rest. But if you notice anything , call the vet clinic.”
Blake scrunches her nose but doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to though.
That’s exactly what she was trying to avoid.
Looking down at the dog in Mrs. Paulson’s arms before moving her gaze to her husband, she nods toward the kitchen.
“Okay, boys,” Mr. Paulson says as he tries to round-up the three boys. “Tell Blake and Adrian good night, and we’ll wait for your mom with a snack.”
Each of the boys stop at Blake’s side and give her a big hug, offering another apology as they go. To my surprise, each one pauses for a quick second to give me a squeeze before running after their dad.
We look back at Erika at the same time. “I assume this would cost a couple hundred dollars at least if I take him to get it checked.”
Blake opens her mouth, seeming at a loss for words. It’s clear that Erika would feel the most comfortable with taking him in. And there’s a churning of guilt in my stomach at the realization that we made a somewhat big medical decision about her pet without her consent.
I glance down at Blake, trying to hide the avalanching feelings from her. I don’t want her to feel guilty for a decision we both made. She didn’t force me into anything. I wanted to help this family if I could. Though maybe it was short-sighted.
“It’s hard to say exactly how much it could cost you. For liability reasons, Dr. Miller or whoever examines Zippy will need to run labs before they prescribe anything. That’s where it starts to add up.”
She sniffles and moves her gaze to Blake. With a quiet voice she says, “We can’t afford that… especially with the holidays coming up…”
“I know,” Blake cuts in. “That’s the only reason I told Adrian to give him the allergy medicine. It was me , not hi—”
“Nah,” I say as I take a small step forward, so we’re in line with each other. “If I felt like there was anything more serious going on, I would’ve called Dr. Miller or whoever is on call. No matter what Blake said about it. This was our decision.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see the stunned expression on Blake’s face. It doesn’t surprise me that she tried to take all of the blame. It does unsettle me that she still seems so surprised by me watching out for her .
Erika gives both of us a small, reassuring smile. “I appreciate you both taking into consideration our… situation. And I don’t want to get you in trouble. I think,” she sighs out, “this is the best choice for now. If we can avoid any sort of vet bill, it would be helpful right now.”
“Of course. It’s whatever you feel comfortable with. And if there’s any problems at all, I can leave you with my number, but you have all of the Millers’ and the clinic’s contact information as well.”
She nods and glances at the floor, wincing when she catches sight of Blake’s wrapped ankle. “I’m so sorry, dear. I know I don’t have to tell you how rambunctious they are, but this is another level.”
Blake grabs onto my arm so she can hop closer to Erika. With only a second of hesitation, Blake pulls the woman into her arms, careful not to disturb the sleeping dog.
“It’s okay. I promise I’ll be fine.” Blake pulls away and even though I can’t see her, the smirk in her voice is evident. “They will be writing to Santa for a new babysitter after how strict I’m going to be going forward.”
Erika laughs and looks visibly relieved that Blake isn’t quitting on them. She offers Blake a hand while she hops back to me. “I don’t think you should be driving on that.”
She opens her mouth, probably to argue that it’s only a couple streets away from her house, but I answer before she can. “I’ll drive her. As long as it’s okay if her car gets picked up tomorrow.”
“Oh, of course!” Erika quickly nods. “I’d insist on taking her myself, if it was any sort of problem.”
Glancing down at Blake from the corner of my eye, I bite down a grin before I add, “It’s not at all.”
Blake’s hand flexes around my forearm, and I’d bet just about anything that if I looked down at her, that soft pink flush would be painting her cheeks again.