Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PAUL YOUNG, “EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY”
Eve
“Wake up, Eve,” a soft voice whispered above my face.
I was tangled in Kyle’s sheets, hugging his pillow, and I peeled open my eyes.
“Good morning,” I murmured to the smiling face before me.
Josh pulled the pillow away from me and slid under the covers so I’d hug him instead. It was the perfect trade. My poor heart was so invested in Josh and his daddy.
Clifford jumped onto the bed and licked my face.
“Aunt Anne is making breakfast,” Josh said.
“That’s nice of her. Think we should go help?”
He nodded and began to wiggle out of my embrace, but I didn’t let go.
“I need to hug you for ten more seconds.”
“Daddy says I’m his favorite teddy bear.”
I hummed. “I can see why. You’re so cute and cuddly.”
Josh let me steal an extra thirty seconds instead of ten before breaking free and running down the stairs.
After using the bathroom, I shrugged off Kyle’s T-shirt and dressed in the previous day’s clothes.
“Good morning,” Anne said. “Thank you so much for staying.”
I smiled.
“There’s my girl,” Mom said, sipping coffee at the table while Anne pulled cinnamon rolls out of the oven.
“Hey, where’s Dad?” I yawned.
Mom slid Josh’s cup of juice closer to him as he climbed into his booster seat. “He and Gabby headed to church. I thought I’d watch Josh and the dog this morning if you want to go to the hospital with Anne. I figured you’d want to see him.”
“You did?” I said slowly while sitting next to Josh.
“Of course. You’ve been watching Josh for almost two months. I know you’ve become good friends with Kyle.”
Good friends.
With a tight smile, I poured a glass of orange juice and took a sip.
“When do you think you’ll be ready to leave?” Anne asked me, setting the plate of rolls on the table.
I gulped down my orange juice. “I need a quick shower.” I stood. “These look amazing, Anne. I’ll eat one on my way home and be back in less than an hour if that works.”
“No rush, honey,” she said.
There was an enormous rush. I needed to see my guy. My lover.
As we walked through the hallway toward Kyle’s hospital room, nerves quaked throughout my body, and my heart raced. When we walked inside the room, Fred was talking on the phone. He nodded at Anne and smiled.
“How are you doing this morning?” Anne stood beside Kyle’s bed, and rested her hand on his right arm, the good one.
I remained a few feet behind her, wishing I’d stayed home because it hurt too much to see his bandaged arm—scrapes and cuts on one side of his face—and not be able to hug and kiss him and tell him how scared I was yesterday.
“I’m in a little pain,” Kyle whispered with a forced smile. His groggy gaze shifted to me as if he just noticed I was in the room. “Hey,” he said, and his smile changed.
It felt real.
“Hey.” I swallowed my emotions.
“Mom and Dad said they can come stay with you after we leave if you need help,” Fred said, hanging up the phone.
“They don’t need to come. It’s just a broken arm,” Kyle said in a voice that sounded as groggy as his eyes looked.
“You don’t have to decide now. See how you’re feeling when you go home.” Fred tucked in his wrinkled shirt.
“Eve stayed at your place last night because Josh asked her to stay.” Anne glanced back at me and smiled. “Kyle, we’re so glad you decided to buy the place next to the Jacobsons. It’s like living next to family and having nieces to babysit for you and another brother and sister-in-law looking out for you and Josh.”
Kyle hummed, gaze finding me. “A niece. That’s …”
Disturbing.
I cleared my throat. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Kyle silently gazed at me.
Every. Single. Inch.
I was dying to touch him. “I slept in your bed. I hope that was okay. I’ll wash your sheets before you get home. Who wants their sheets smelling like their niece?”
Kyle’s lips twitched.
My nose wrinkled. “And I have a terrible habit of needing to hug something at night, so I hugged one of your pillows. Your whole bed probably smells like my floral perfume and shampoo. Sorry.”
He burned me to the ground with a look. I was so relieved that he would be okay, but I needed to get my greedy hands on him.
“So, no cast?” Anne asked.
“No,” Fred answered for Kyle. “It was an open humerus fracture. They repaired it with a plate and screws. It will stay wrapped and bandaged in the sling while it heals. No cast.”
“You look tired.” Anne said.
“It’s the pain meds,” again, Fred answered for Kyle.
“Have you had breakfast?” Anne narrowed her eyes at Fred.
He shook his head.
“I could use another cup of coffee if you want to go to the cafeteria,” she suggested.
“Okay.”
“Do you want to come with us?” Anne turned, eyeing me.
“I’m uh, good. Thanks.”
“Okay. We won’t be too long. I’m sure you don’t want to spend your day at the hospital.” She smiled while stepping past me to the door.
And then it was just the two of us. We didn’t say a word for a long moment. Maybe he was waiting to make sure they were out the door. I was waiting to find my voice past the lump in my throat.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said. “You can come closer. I won’t break any more than I already have.”
It wasn’t funny, but I smiled as I hesitantly stepped closer to the bed while quickly rubbing my teary eyes. “I was so scared,” I whispered, taking his good hand in mine. “You could have ended up in a wheelchair.”
“But I didn’t.” He pulled my hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to my wrist.
I rested my palm on his stubbly cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too,” he whispered against my wrist. “And don’t you dare wash my sheets.”
Again, I laughed despite the tears in my eyes.
“How did you fall out of the tree?”
“Your dad—” He paused. “You don’t know?”
I shook my head, running my fingers through his messy hair.
His eyes drifted shut. “It doesn’t matter,” he whispered.
“My dad, what?”
His head rolled side to side. “Nothing,” he mumbled.
“I want to tell everyone, and I want it to be okay.”
“Tell what?” His words slurred, and his hand relaxed.
“Kyle?”
He was asleep.
I slowly peppered kisses over his face and whispered, “I want to tell our families that I love you, and I want it to be okay with them. I want them to be happy for us.”