31. Halle
CHAPTER 31
HALLE
E ven as infants, it was nearly impossible to keep my brothers apart. They’d cry any time they were out of sight of one another. Identical twins are like that. They’re still thick as thieves, so it doesn’t surprise me when Quinn insists that he’s staying the night at the hospital and that he has no intention of going to school. He needs to be here while Case is in surgery, and I can’t blame him for that. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere but in this room with my brothers.
Caleb, who’s sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the corner, rubs his jaw. Casen was moved to an overnight room an hour ago, so we have a lot more space.
“You should go home,” I tell him.
“I’m not leaving you.” The words are firm, automatic.
I sigh. This man thinks I’m stubborn, but he’s just as bad.
“How about you pop into the house and grab a few things we might need?” I suggest instead.
This time he nods, his face fixed in a thoughtful frown. He doesn’t do well if he doesn’t have something to do . He always needs to be helping.
“I can do that. I can bring dinner too.”
“Yes, please, God!” Casen cries from the bed. “Don’t subject me to hospital food.”
Caleb laughs. “Text me what you want. I’ll be back.” With that, he heads for the door.
Just as he’s slipping out, I hop up and scurry after him. “Hey,” I say, grasping his wrist.
“Yeah?” He looks me over, his face a mask of concern.
I pop up on my tiptoes and press my mouth to his.
He kisses me back, soft and slow. Sweet.
With a sigh, I let him go. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asks with a scoff. “Picking up a few things?”
“No.” I shake my head. “For being you.”
Caleb Thorne has a heart of gold. I can’t imagine there’s another soul on earth who is as truly good at their core as this man is. If he has a serious flaw, I haven’t come across it yet .
He pulls me in for another quick kiss. “Don’t forget to text me your food order too.”
With that, he turns and heads to the elevator bay.
I watch him until he disappears from my sight, then head back into the room. As the door closes with a soft click, I find two pairs of eyes fixed on me.
Quinn leans back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head, a smirk dancing at his lips. “Did you have fun kissing your boyfriend ?” He sings the last word in a playfully taunting way.
“Shut up,” I grumble, cheeks heating.
“Are you going to marry him?” Casen teases from the bed.
I sigh, eyes narrowed on him. “It’s good to know you’re still capable of taunting me, even with a broken leg.”
Case laughs, his expression much more relaxed than it was when we first settled into the room. Likely because of the second round of pain medicine the nurse brought by about half an hour ago.
“In all seriousness,” Quinn says from his chair. “We’re happy that you’re happy.”
There’s no stopping my smile. I don’t need my little brothers’ approval, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it. “Thank you.”
“Caleb’s a cool guy,” Casen says. “Aside from his taste in women, that is.”
“Hey.” I scoff. “Now is not the time to be ribbing me. I cried over you.”
“Aw, come on, Hal. It’s just?— ”
I point at him in warning. “If you say it’s just a broken leg one more time.”
“All right, all right,” he cajoles, both hands held up in front of him.
“Can I trust you here alone?” I ask Quinn.
He rolls his eyes like my question is the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard.
But I know my brothers. There’s a good chance that if I leave, I’ll return to find all the drawers rifled through and the two of them making balloons out of gloves.
“Yes. I’ll be fine, and it’s not like Casen is going anywhere.”
I take a deep breath—still not fully convinced that I won’t come back to discover some sort of shenanigans have happened in my absence, but I’d give just about anything for a coffee from the snack station the nurse showed me earlier.
Though Casen’s room is equipped with an en suite, I stop by the restroom at the end of the hall. Once I’ve relieved myself and my bladder has thanked me for finally listening to it, I wash up and head to the snack station on the other side of the wing.
I grab a soda for each of the boys and a water and coffee for myself. I even snag a couple of protein bars and bags of chips. Case must be starving. He missed lunch, just like I did.
Juggling the drinks and snacks, I manage to get the door open. Inside, Case and Quinn are discussing a new video game they’re excited about.
With a huff of a breath, I set all my finds on the tray .
“Sweet, is that for me?” Casen asks, pointing at my haul.
“All for you, kid.” I hold out a can of Coke and a protein bar.
“Hey, what about me?” Quinn gripes.
I flick my finger at the assortment of goodies. “Help yourself.”
Quinn snags a protein bar and a Coke for himself while I settle into a chair with my coffee and a bag of Little Bites muffins. I’m so hungry that I could easily be convinced the slightly squished, almost soggy pastries are gourmet.
“What do you want for dinner?” I ask. If I don’t text Caleb soon, he’ll be hounding me for our order, I’m sure.
They each rattle off three or four places, talking over one another.
I shake my head at the blending of their voices. “I got none of that. Discuss among yourselves and let me know what you decide.”
Once they have their orders figured out, I text the extensive list to Caleb.
Tired doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. Exhausted barely scratches the surface. The moment I answered the phone call from the school, my body went into fight-or-flight mode and still hasn’t quite returned to normal.
I sip at the coffee, hoping it gives me the spark of energy I desperately need to make it until Caleb returns and I can change into more comfortable clothing.
As I take another sip of coffee, I will myself not to panic about Casen’s upcoming surgery. It’s a challenge to keep my knee from bouncing and my breaths from getting shallow. Surgery is a big deal. Getting put under, cut into?—
Blowing out a long breath, I put a stop to my thoughts right then and there. I can’t go down this path. I won’t let myself spiral. Not when I need to be strong for him. He’s the one who has to endure it. My job is to provide support.
After what feels like years, Caleb returns, arms weighed down by supplies and food.
Quinn sits with Casen, using his brother’s hospital bed as a shared table, while Caleb and I sit side by side across the room.
“Thank you for this,” I say quietly. “I’ll give you money for dinner.”
Caleb levels me with a sharp look that stops me cold—not because I’m scared of him, but because it heats my blood. It seems impossible that my libido would stir to life so easily when I’m dead on my feet, yet here I am, practically panting for him.
“You’re not giving me money for dinner.”
Hackles rising, I straighten. “Sure I am. This couldn’t have been cheap. They each got two burgers and?—”
“Let me provide for you, Halle.” He ducks in close, his voice low, vibrating through me. “It gets me hard.”
I snort a laugh. It feels good to find a little humor after such a shit-tastic day. “Providing for me makes you hard?” I mutter. “You’re ridiculous.”
“What? A guy can’t get off knowing that he’s providing for his woman?” He takes a bite of burger.
I arch a brow, fighting a smile. “Oh, and now I’m your woman?”
“Yep.” With his free hand, he picks up his soda. “That’s right.”
Head lowered, I give it a shake. “I think I like this side of you.”
“What side?”
“All…” I wave a hand. “Possessive. It’s very hot.”
“That’s what makes you hot? When I call you mine.”
I bite my lip, heat pooling in my belly. “Yes.”
Thank God my brothers are too busy talking about friends and crocheting with Cynthia and Thelma to be eavesdropping on our conversation. Otherwise, they’d be traumatized. They don’t want to hear about my sex life any more than I’ll want to hear about theirs when they’re older.
That thought stops me cold, and the food I’ve just consumed turns to lead in my stomach.
Did Mom ever give them a proper sex-ed talk? Doubt it. And school only does so much.
The ball of dread in my gut grows. Fuck, fuck, fuck .
I’m going to have to give my teenage brothers the sex talk.
I’d rather be put under the knife in Casen’s place.
“Hey,” I say to Caleb, heart thudding. “Would you give my brothers the sex talk?”
Caleb blinks, his hand paused in midair, fries dangling from his fingers, and bursts into laughter. Casen and Quinn look our way but shake their heads and return to their conversation.
“Oh,” he blurts out when all I can do is stare at him. “You were serious.” He clears his throat and drops the fries back into the bag. “Can I ask why I would need to do that? ”
“B-because… I’m their sister,” I say, stumbling over my words. “That would be the most awkward conversation of my life . I can’t do it.”
“They’re almost fifteen. I’m sure they know?—”
I grab Caleb’s wrist. “Yes, I’m sure they do, but I need to ensure they understand how to be responsible. That if they’re going to have sex, they’ll use condoms, Caleb! They need condoms!”
It’s only when I snap my mouth shut that I realize that the room has gone eerily silent.
Oh, crap.
I slowly turn and find that a doctor has come into the room. He’s looking at me, wide-eyed. So are my brothers.
I want to crawl in a hole and die, though the embarrassment may kill me first.
“Hi.” I give the doctor a forced smile. “Just talking about safe sex! You know, normal stuff.”
He frowns. “I gathered that.”
I keep smiling, even when the expression feels more like a grimace.
“I’m here to do my rounds and check on your son.”
“Brother,” we all respond with scary precision.
“Brother.” He nods once. “He’s scheduled for surgery tomorrow at eleven. Is that correct?” He zeroes in on me, brows lifted. “You’ll meet the surgeon in the morning, and they’ll go over the details then.”
He’s finished with his checks in a matter of minutes. In that time, I pray the sex-slash-condom conversation has blown over. I should know better .
“So…” Quinn angles his chair toward us. “You think we need the sex talk?”
I let out a sigh and sink low in my chair. “Listen, you’re probably old enough to be interested in girls, and you might be curious about sex. And I just…” My heart lodges itself in my throat. “Don’t come to me with details, please, but if you have questions, I’m here. And please, for the love of God, be safe. As much as it pains me, if you won’t go buy condoms yourselves, then tell me, and I’ll handle it.”
Quinn snickers, bringing a fist to his mouth. “You look like you swallowed nails.”
“Feels like it too,” I gripe, wanting to sink through the floor. “Just promise me you’ll come talk to me if you need to, okay? Then I’ll never bring this up again.”
“Sure,” Quinn agrees with a shrug.
Case nods and gives me a salute. “Yep, you got it. Safe sex. Great talk, sis.”
Beside me, Caleb watches the entire exchange, his lips curled in amusement.
“Stop smiling,” I groan. “It’s pissing me off.”
His grin only gets bigger. “My smile is making you angry?”
I frown, annoyance rolling through me. “Yes. So, stop it.”
He flattens his lips into a straight line, but it’s no use. In a matter of seconds, they’re twitching again.
“I hate you,” I mutter.
“No, you don’t,” he volleys back.
I shove another bite of food into my mouth to keep from saying more. Because he’s right. I don’t.
I think I’m very much in love with Caleb Thorne.