Chapter 25
—Kasey—
Footsteps entered my room, neither loud nor sneaky, but I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. It wasn’t Simone, she always arrived with a cheery, “How’s my bitch today?”
No, today it was a lengthy, calculated stride of muted boots connecting with the linoleum floor.
His scent hit me first, causing my heart to stutter and my relaxed breathing to snag. My body temperature kicked up a notch when he whispered, “Hey, darlin’,” before pressing a tender kiss to my cheek.
It made me crack. After his noticeable absence yesterday, I’d found myself disappointed and a little hurt that Reed hadn’t shown his face by the end of visiting hours.
“I felt that,” I murmured, my voice like sandpaper.
Reed’s low chuckle opened my eyes. He pulled up a chair and got comfortable, appearing to be here for a while today.
“I knew you were faking being asleep,” he teased.
“Then why’d you kiss me?”
Dark-brown eyes locked with mine and didn’t waver. “Because I love you, and I’ve missed you.” A smirk then cracked through his serious expression. “And making out with a sleeping woman is unacceptable, so I had to settle for a peck on the cheek.”
“Damn right it’s unacceptable; I haven’t brushed my teeth today.” I ran my tongue over them and grimaced at the fuzzy feeling.
Reed shot to his feet. “I can help with that. Are you allowed to get out of bed?”
“Yeah.” Just, but it was doable. “I even had a shower yesterday.”
“That must have felt like heaven. I see the bandages have been removed too.” He rounded the bed on a personal—and highly uninvited—mission. “C’mon. I’ll help you to the bathroom.”
I hedged, super reluctant to accept help from the stranger-not-stranger who knew me intimately. “You don’t need to.”
“I want to.”
Standing with his spine straight and one muscular arm extended, he offered his hand like a tall, handsome, and dare I admit it, sexy Prince Charming.
“I won’t take no for an answer,” he added.
Grumbling while carefully moving the blankets aside, I reluctantly agreed to his offer since my oral hygiene concerns trumped my pride.
I winced as I slowly shifted my legs and readily accepted his steadying hands to help me to sit up. Reed’s tenderness almost took me by surprise. It felt weird and unjustified coming from someone I had no memory of, and the way he consciously and tenderly placed his hands on ‘safe’ areas of my body immediately instilled a sense of trust deep in my chest.
My toes slowly met the floor while Reed guided me with the patience and kindheartedness of a saint. Once I’d found my balance, I released one hand from his forearm to adjust the open back of my hospital gown.
“Don’t look at my ass,” I warned.
A deep chuckle washed over me. “I’ve seen it all before and then some, babe.”
“Yeah, but that was back when I remembered you. This is not my ideal situation for picking up a guy.”
Reed’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “And hitting on me from within a jail cell is?”
I paused mid-hobble, meeting his eyes that shone with amusement. “Fuck, I wish I remembered that. Simone told me about it yesterday. Sounds like my kinda night.”
“Well, it definitely was my kinda night the next—” He cut off and cleared his throat, suddenly hyper-focused on the task of helping me to the small adjoining bathroom. A dirty little smirk tugged one corner of Reed’s mouth as invisible memories ran wild in his head.
Heat pooled between my legs, and I chose sass because of it. “Were you a decent lay?”
Reed’s chin tucked back in shock, then his loud, hearty laughter that I had no idea I’d been missing out on filled the room.
“Babe, you kept coming back for more while singing my praises every damn time, so yeah, I’mma say that I’m a real decent lay.”
I snorted. “Mah, we’ll see.”
I intended it as an off-handed comeback, but Reed’s gaze darkened drastically. “We will.”
My mind grappled with the sense of familiarity about him but failed to create connections.
“Are you two okay over there?” A voice called. My nurse, Sylvie I’d learned her name was, rushed over.
I shook off the eerie feeling and gave her a shaky smile. “I think so.”
“We’re off to the bathroom,” Reed added.
Sylvie made herself busy by opening the door and setting up the stool for me. “In you go, hon. Do you need me to stay with you?”
“Uh... I should be okay.”
“Okay, hit the call button if you need me.”
I shuffled my way into the bathroom with Reed’s hands on my lower back and forearm, gripping his for support and stability. He wasn’t satisfied until I sat on the stool in front of the sink and was holding the front of it.
“Okay.” He glanced around. “Do you need me to brush your teeth for you?”
I scoffed. “Erm, that’s a no.”
His eyes then flicked to the unruly mess on my head. “What about your hair?”
Dammit. He had me there. Between my chest bruising and the stitches low on my belly, it was too painful to lift my arms. Mom had carefully brushed most of it out this morning but stopped when it started hurting.
My eyes met Reed’s through the mirror and narrowed. “I’ll allow it.”
Ignoring his smirk, I self-consciously brushed my teeth with him hovering behind me, then sat still while he gently untangled the tie from my hair.
I watched his expression in fascination at how absorbed he was delicately running the brush through my long hair, glancing up at me each time it snagged a little to gauge my reaction. His long dark lashes fanned out each time he lowered his gaze to return to his task.
“It’s gotten longer,” he murmured as if speaking to himself.
I hummed.
“Can we talk about something, darlin’?”
Reed’s question made my lungs clamp. “Uh, sure. Anything in particular?”
His intense gaze found mine in the reflection. “I’d like to talk about our baby.”
My lumbering heart dropped into my stomach. Fuck. “What about her?”
Reed kept his focus on the long brush strokes. “Have you been to visit her again?”
Guilt swept through me despite having no maternal connection to the baby. “I haven’t.”
Saddened eyes re-met mine. “Do you want to? With me?”
I immediately wanted to escape—to lift my palms and say no fucking way—but I knew in my heart of hearts that it was something I had to do. It could help trigger my missing memories.
I stayed silent for the longest time, and Reed gave me mental space without pressuring for an answer. He simply kept brushing until the bristles ran freely through my hair.
“Do you want it braided?” he offered.
Surprise hit. “You know how to?”
He smirked. “Of course.”
Without another word, he sectioned my hair into three, then worked his way down the braid as if it was his sole duty. Once complete and tied off, he offered his hand, and led me back to the bed. I fussed with the blanket and pillow while he silently stood vigil beside me, then smiled warmly once I settled.
“I don’t want to, but I think I should,” I eventually murmured, twisting my fingers together.
Reed’s fingers snagged mine and squeezed. “You won’t regret it. She’s beautiful, just like you.”
And just like that, Reed Gatlin stole back the first tiniest piece of my heart.