Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Theo
I fully expect Mav to come barreling into the kitchen as soon as the smell of melty cheese and pepperoni hits his nose, but the downstairs stays quiet when I set the pizza boxes on the counter. Soft voices come from upstairs.
I can’t put my finger on exactly what’s going on, but something feels off. Finn must sense it, too, because we both head upstairs.
The sight of Cole on his knees with his arms wrapped around a pajama-clad Mav is all I need to see to confirm my suspicions.
“What happened?” Finn asks as we step closer to them.
Cole lets out a relieved exhale when his eyes connect with us over Mav’s shoulder. He briefly describes what happened, all while keeping his son tucked tightly against his chest.
Panic swells inside of me for both Mav and Riley. Riley. I can see with my own two eyes that Mav is okay, but where is Riley?
My eyes dart from one side of the hallway to the other, hoping I can somehow make her appear out of thin air. Finn seems to be doing the same.
“She’s in my room getting dressed,” Cole says. My eyes zero in on his closed bedroom door. “Why don’t you guys make sure she’s okay? I’m going to get Mav settled downstairs and call Abby.”
We all nod, heading in our separate directions. I haven’t seen Cole carry Mav anywhere in over a year, but he seems unable to let him go, even for the short time it would take to walk down the stairs.
Finn knocks quietly on Cole’s door. “Angel,” he says, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s me and Theo. Can we come in?”
A quiet, “Yeah,” comes from the other side.
She’s perched on the side of Cole’s bed, wearing his clothes. Her wet hair hangs limply around her shoulders.
She looks frailer than I have ever seen her. I want nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and never let go.
I cross the room in a few quick strides. My hands gently cup her face. The look she gives me nearly makes me fall to my knees before her.
“Baby,” I say, pressing a kiss to the gash on her forehead.
She lets out a shattered breath, her head falling against my chest. I hug her to me while she quietly sobs.
Finn crawls on the bed, sliding in until his front is pressed against her back and his thighs sit on either side of hers. We hold her while her body shakes with sobs between us.
Her breathing eventually evens out. I pull back, examining the cut on her head. “I’m going to clean this up, alright?”
She nods with a shaky exhale.
When I return with handfuls of first aid supplies, Finn is combing through her wet hair with his fingers.
She cringes when I clean the cut with peroxide, but she doesn’t protest. When it’s dry, I secure a butterfly bandage over the top to help it heal.
I hand her a few pain relievers and a glass of water. She takes the pills and gulps down all the water.
Finn twines her hair into a braid that falls down the middle of her back. He secures it in place with the hair tie he pulled out of his own hair.
She leans back, resting her head against his shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“Of course, angel,” he says, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.
“How is Mav doing?” she asks.
“He was scared, but he seemed okay,” I tell her, moving all the supplies to Cole’s nightstand.
Her head falls into her hands. “He’s going to hate me. Cole will, too.” She sounds like she’s going to start crying again. “They both should hate me.”
I gently pull her hands away from her face so I can look her in the eye. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I know Riley would never intentionally do anything to put Maverick in danger.
“Neither of them hates you because of this.” I don’t need to know all the details to know if that’s true.
I also saw the worry and reverence in Cole’s voice when he talked about Riley a few minutes ago. He is not mad at her, at least not about this.
I can tell she doesn’t really believe me, but she isn’t going to fight it.
I grab her hand, pulling her to stand. “Let’s go downstairs. You can see him for yourself.”
When we get downstairs, we find Mav sandwiched on the couch between Cole and Abby. She sure got here quick, not that I blame her. Mav isn’t even my kid, but I’m rushing to his side all the same.
Riley stops walking when she sees all of them. Cole glances at us over his shoulder, and his eyes soften when he sees Riley. I’m sure he’s relieved to see her walking on her own after finding her the way he did.
Mav’s head snaps up from Cole’s shoulder. “Riley,” he practically shouts. He throws the blanket off his lap, running around the couch.
Riley crouches down just in time for Mav to run into her arms. Finn presses his palm to Riley’s back to keep her from falling backward.
They hold each other for several long seconds. The weight of what they went through together this afternoon settles over everyone in the room.
Her eyes roam over every inch of him. “I’m so sorry,” she gets out on a choked breath. “Are you okay?”
Mav nods several times. “I’m fine. See…” He shakes his arms and legs around to demonstrate just how okay he is.
A barely there smile ghosts over Riley’s face. She follows Mav to the couch when he grabs her hand. Her eyes stay glued to her lap.
“Thank you,” Cole says.
Riley slowly raises her head. I can’t see her face from where I’m standing, but I’m sure she’s nervous to meet his gaze.
Cole pulls Mav into his side. “Thank you for saving his life.” He drags in a deep breath, trying to quash the emotion building inside of him.
Riley’s head jerks back a little. “But…”
Abby stops her from finishing her thought. “It isn’t your fault. We’ve all been out on the ice with him at one point or another.” Tears well in her eyes. “You protected him today above all else, and I will never forget that.” A few tears fell down her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“How are you both not mad right now?” Riley asks, dumbfounded.
Cole kisses the top of Mav’s head. “How can we be mad when you saved our entire world?”
Everyone is silent for several beats before Abby breaks the silence. “Oh, I’m Abby, by the way. Mav’s mom. You’ve probably already figured that out, but…”
“Hi,” Riley says. “I’m—”
“Riley,” Abby finishes for her with a smile. “Believe me, I know.”
She gives Cole a conspiratorial smile. Cole rolls his eyes, returning his gaze to Mav. Abby scoots to the edge of the couch.
“Can I please give you a hug?” she asks Riley.
Riley hesitates for a second before saying, “Sure.”
Both women stand from the couch and embrace, like they’ve known each other for years. Words are whispered that I can’t make out, but when they pull apart, they’re both teary-eyed.
“Can I look at your head?” Abby asks Riley. “Sorry… I’m an ER nurse.”
“Oh… sure,” Riley says, sitting back down.
Abby gently peels back the bandage, looking at the cut. “Doesn’t look like you need stitches, just keep it clean.”
“Does she have a concussion?” Cole asks.
“Did you lose consciousness?” Abby asks.
“I don’t know for sure. It’s all kind of blurry,” Riley says.
“She hit her head really hard on the ice,” Mav says.
Abby asks several more questions and performs a few easy tests, such as having her follow her finger with her eyes. “You might have a mild concussion, but I don’t think you need to rush to the emergency room right now.
Cole lets out a relieved sigh.
“I would go see a doctor tomorrow morning, though, just to make sure you’re okay,” Abby adds.
“We’ll get her to a doctor,” I find myself saying.
Abby smiles in my direction, giving me a nod. She looks back at Riley. “Oh… and I would sleep near someone tonight… just in case.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say I will gladly sleep with her in my arms, but I bite down the words.
“As to who that person or persons is going to be, I’ll let you all figure that out,” Abby says with a devilish grin.
Oh… she knows far more about everything going on here than I thought. I’m an idiot for thinking Cole wouldn’t have confided in her about everything.
Abby gives Mav a big hug before grabbing her coat and leaving. A weighted silence moves over the room when the front door closes.
Cole shocks everyone when he pats the couch on his free side. “Come here, sweetheart.”
I don’t even think he realizes the endearment fell from his lips.
Riley moves over, snuggling into his side. Cole reaches for two blankets, draping one over Mav and the other over Riley. His arms hold both of them protectively against his sides.
“Movie night?” Finn asks as he and I sit on the opposite side of the sectional.
For once, we actually watch a kid’s movie. Mav chooses Moana. Finn whispers something about the warmer water being more appealing, which makes me bite my lip from laughing.
At some point during the movie, Mav and Riley both fall asleep against Cole’s chest. When the credits start rolling across the screen, Cole doesn’t move a muscle.
“Are you going to sleep here?” I ask in a whisper.
Cole nods. “I’m not going to move. They’ve been through enough today.”
Finn lays another blanket over Cole’s lap, since both of his hands are currently occupied.
It takes everything in me to walk up the stairs and into my own room. I change into pajama pants and a T-shirt. But when I go to crawl into bed, I can’t do it.
I would rather get a crappy night’s sleep on the couch than be this far away from them.
Finn swings his bedroom door open at the same time as I do. We exchange a resigned smile before trudging back into the living room.
Cole peeks one eye open when Finn and I grab blankets and try to get comfortable on the couch. It might not be the best place to sleep, but at least we’re all together.