Chapter 8
EIGHT
As I push the shopping cart through the narrow aisles of the small supermarket, I reread the list I made earlier. At the bottom of it energy drinks is written in Nash’s sloppy handwriting.
You wish.
Lio is sitting in the basket, humming a tune. It warms my heart to see him looking healthier and happier now, his blond hair bouncing as he sways in the cart with an energy I’m not used to from him.
Sloan was right. North should have never let him stay alone with me in the hospital while they were looking for her. I had him, of course, and he was in good hands, but still. He can be glad Lio still likes him, that his arms reached for North when he came to pick us up, and he didn’t resent him.
Lio is a real trooper. The medication is working perfectly, and the doctors agreed without a fuss when we told them we wanted to take him home. He would have been released the next day anyway since he was doing amazingly well.
As we round a corner into the candy aisle, his eyes light up. “Uncle Hunt, can I have some sweets, please?” he asks, those big, innocent eyes locking onto a colorful display of chocolates.
I chuckle and ruffle his hair. “Sure thing, bud. Pick out something you like.”
I could use some too. The urge to eat my feelings is heavy.
They said she didn’t look good, that she looked like she was suffering, that she had lost weight.
And it’s because of me.
I promised to be there for her, never push her away, and make sure she was fine. I did all this, fucked her and promised her a home, only to turn around and do just what she feared I would, exactly what she told me she was afraid would happen.
I confirmed her insecurities.
And I fucking hate myself for it.
I wasn’t even there to apologize to her when the others were.
As Lio excitedly examines the chocolates, I notice a familiar figure standing a little farther down the aisle.
Tally. She’s staring at me with an expression that could freeze boiling water.
My heart sinks, and I have to swallow hard but push the cart closer to her, which prompts her to turn to leave.
“Tally, please…” I start. “I just want to apologize for my brothers. They shouldn’t have barged into your restaurant like that. I’m sorry. It wasn’t really thought out.”
Tally’s icy gaze doesn’t soften, but she does respond, “It’s fine, Hunt. I understand. But that doesn’t mean your ban is getting lifted.”
The guys told me about how Tally basically kicked their asses, and I’m a little proud of her. Jessie always said Tally needed to learn to stand up for herself. It looks like she’s standing up for Sloan just fine.
“Hello, Tally,” Lio greets sweetly, waving at her.
She smiles at him and greets, “Hey, Lio,” before her gaze turns to me, icy once more.
“That’s fine. I’m staying away, but I just wanted to apologize. I don’t want this standing between us. I know we haven’t really talked since… Jessie, but I still like you, and I still think of you as a friend.” Tally’s expression softens slightly, and she nods in agreement.
“Same, Hunt.”
I take a deep breath, relieved she’s not entirely closed off. “I would like to be good friends again, not worse. So please don’t hate me for this.”
A small chuckle escapes Tally’s lips. “Yeah, let’s be better friends again. I miss you too. But she will always come first.”
I smile, encouraged by her response. “So, as good friends—”
Before I can finish my sentence, Tally cuts me off with a warning tone. “Hunter.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I just want to know how she is.” I bite my lip. I hate that I can’t ask Sloan herself.
Tally sighs heavily, shaking her head. “How do you think she is?”
Fuck.
“She doesn’t sleep, doesn’t eat. That crap of a van gave out altogether now, and she’s stranded in a place where she thinks the enemy surrounds her.” Tally crosses her arms over her chest, making her very pregnant belly stand out even more.
My voice softens as I say, “We’re not her enemies.”
“I know that,” she admits, frustration creeping into her tone. “But she doesn’t. You’re right. You fucked up, bad.” Tally’s eyes narrow as she continues, “You kicked her to the curb, literally. Called her crazy. Which, by the way, is a trigger for her.”
I raise an eyebrow, puzzled. “A trigger?”
“Just know she’s hurting badly,” Tally replies, her voice tinged with sadness.
“And that’s because she’s so in love with you.
All of you.” I swallow hard, the weight of my actions hitting me like a ton of bricks.
“Do what you want with that information,” Tally adds.
“But freaking do something, Hunter. And not in that dumb as…” she reaches out to stroke over Lio’s head, “… fudge way the guys did Sunday.”
I nod, a sense of determination washing over me. “I will. I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right.”
Now, I only have to find out what that would be.
My cheek prickles, and I scrunch up my nose, trying to shake off the strange sensation. It persists, a gentle tickle that I can’t quite place. I swat at my cheek, desperate to make it go away, but it lingers. A soft chuckle erupts from somewhere beside me, followed by a familiar voice.
“Fucking adorable.”
Startled, I jerk my eyes open, and Saylor is lying on my bed beside me. He’s grinning from ear to ear, his hand gently stroking my cheek. Relief washes over me. “Casper,” I whisper, the weight on my chest lifting. “Finally.”
Saylor’s eyes darken with a hint of sadness. “Was I gone that long?”
“Just a day and a half,” I admit. “But it felt longer.” His expression turns even sadder, and I quickly add with a smirk, “I thought you’d ghosted me.”
“I ghost people all year round,” he jokes, a playful glint returning to his eyes.
“But I’d never ghost you.” He leans in, cupping my cheek, and his lips meet mine in a soft, tingling kiss.
My chest flutters and I imagine I can feel his breath on my lips when he pulls away.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “What did I miss?”
Where do I start?
“Oh, only North and Nash barging into the restaurant, demanding I forgive them,” I reply with a hint of exasperation. “Tim pushing Nash for touching me, Tally throwing them all out and banning them from the restaurant. Your normal Sunday evening.”
I wish I could be as nonchalant as I sound.
Saylor’s eyes widen, but I just continue, “Then yesterday, I was hanging out at Tally’s making plans and stuff, and Nash came in demanding again that I forgive him. He said he was sorry I felt that way and that I should have told him sooner.”
“Goddamn,” Saylor curses, pinching the ridge of his nose, closing his eyes.
I turn to look over at the radio, which tells me it’s already evening. “And today I just napped, hoping everybody would just leave me the fuck alone.”
“Hmm…” Saylor looks thoughtful. “I can step outside if you—”
I lean in to silence him with a peck on his lips and softly say, “You don’t count, idiot.”
A grin spreads over his lips before he chuckles. “You can tell me more about how I’m an idiot in a minute. But first, how are you?” His gaze falls over me, concern written all over his face.
I take a moment to contemplate it. My chest has been hurting so bad.
My heart physically hurts as if it really was broken into pieces.
Everything feels like it’s too much, and I’m so fucking tired because I can’t seem to close my eyes at night without seeing their ocean blue ones.
The napping during the day, at least, is peaceful since I’m too exhausted to think before I fall asleep.
“Feeling pretty dead inside, to be honest,” I admit.
“I know the feeling,” Saylor jokes, leaning down to kiss the tip of my nose.
Hi, my name is Sloan, and insensitivity is my middle name.
I cringe. “Sorry, that was dumb.”
Saylor shakes his head, a small smile forming. “Oh no, don’t worry. It’s fine. We can be team dead inside. You’re allowed to feel how you feel, and I always want you to tell me the truth about it. I’m just sorry they made you feel like that.”
“I feel much better now you’re here,” I confess, and he grins.
“Do you now?” he asks, his voice growing huskier as he runs his nose up the ridge of mine. “I missed you.”
“I missed you more,” I reply before he leans down for another kiss, and I lay down on the bed, making him follow suit.
The air around us becomes charged with a warmth that seeps into my bones. He draws back just slightly, his gaze holding mine with a tenderness that wraps around my heart like a soothing balm.
“I’m sorry I was gone, but I’m here now.” His fingers trace the contours of my face, mapping a path down my throat.
With him here, the world, with all its chaos, fades to a distant murmur. Here, at this moment, it’s just Saylor and me.
“And here is exactly where I want to be,” I respond, my voice a mere breath, but it sounds like a vow in the stillness.
I’m complete and unbroken with him, even when I feel like I’m falling apart.
His ocean blue eyes lock onto mine, holding me captive in a gaze so intense it sends shivers down my spine.
The pull between us is tangible, drawing us closer, diminishing the space between us until there’s no air left to breathe, only him.
I tilt my head, inviting him closer, and he leans in to kiss up my throat, his hand holding the other side of it, his thumb stroking over my pulse point.
When his lips find mine again, he groans, his hand sliding down my chest to my breast, circling my nipple over the fabric.
My hips move up involuntarily, wanting to press against him, but all I’m met with is the tingling sensation.
More, I need more.
We break apart, and he leans his forehead to mine. I’m panting heavily, squirming underneath him, while he seems to be all in control, but the fire in his eyes tells a different story.
His hand slides between us, moving up and down my pussy over my leggings, and the sensation that spreads is intense, making me gasp. He leans in to kiss the place just below my earlobe, whispering, “How does that feel?”