Chapter Eighteen
When Blane brought him home on Friday afternoon, Emmett sank down onto the couch gratefully.
"You want me to fetch you a drink before I leave?" Blane asked.
He shook his head slowly. "That's okay, I'll get myself one later."
"Don't give me that shit; just tell me what you want."
Emmett cracked an eye open — they’d drifted closed the minute he rested his head back against the pillow. "Soda, please."
He listened to Blane moving around in the kitchen. He'd only been out on two appointments, and Blane had been with him every step of the way, but he was exhausted. And the pain...
He looked around for the painkillers that Trip had left him — the ones he'd been trying not to take.
Blane came back and handed him the soda before placing the pill bottle in his other hand. "There's no shame in taking them. The girls won't be home until late tonight. Wait — is Harper coming back? You're not gonna be home alone, are you?"
"She'll be here."
One side of Blane's mouth quirked up in a small smile. "I'm glad you can finally get some alone time. Not that you'll be able to do anything with it."
Emmett knocked back the pills and set his glass down, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths before he said, "We'll be able to talk. It's been weird, bud. It's been great having her here. But it's been all about keeping the family running, you know?"
Blane cocked an eyebrow.
"Okay, so you don't know, but I'm telling you. In the mornings, it's getting the girls ready for school. In the afternoons, it's picking them up. In the evenings, it's making the meal, making sure everyone's fed and happy, that the homework's done, and..."
Blane smirked. "This is exactly why I don't know. You know I love the girls, but that's not how I want to spend my evenings."
"No, you'd rather..." Emmett frowned when he realized that he no longer knew how his friend spent his evenings. He hadn't known for years. "What exactly do you do?"
"Whatever the hell I feel like, and not anything I don't. That's the point."
"Yeah, I guess it is."
"But we weren't talking about me, we were talking about you. Are you going to be able to have a chill evening with Harper? Can you guys hang out? Have a drink?" He frowned. "Do you have any beer? Do you need me to get you some? Can you have any with the pills?"
"I don't need any with the pills. And Shelley dropped some wine off for Harper when she came with Trip yesterday."
"Well, that's good then. It's not exactly an ideal Friday night kind of date, but it's better than you've had so far. And don't worry about the girls. We'll have fun."
That made Emmett smile. "I'm not worried about them.
Dinner and whatever else you and Cash decide to get up to with them, I know they'll have fun.
" He smirked at his friend. "And don't worry, they wouldn't be able to convince anyone else that you're the fun uncle even if they wanted to try. Your secret's safe with us."
Blane chuckled. "I wasn't worried."
"You should get going. Harper will be back soon, and I'll be just fine."
"You don't need me to walk you to the bathroom or anything before I go?"
"I'm good, thanks. I think I'm gonna close my eyes for ten minutes while I can."
"For what it's worth — I'm proud of you. You did well out there today. Old man Higgins appreciated the visit."
"Yeah." Emmett paused. "He won't let anyone else near his herd; I'm his vet, and that's the end of it."
"You know the day will come when he doesn't have a choice." Blane caught himself. "Shit, I didn't mean that how it sounded. Not that you aren't gonna be around or anything, but I hope that one day you're gonna retire. Have more time for yourself and the girls."
"Me too."
Emmett hadn't thought about retirement until Deacon mentioned it. But the thought had kept crossing his mind since then.
"What did you say to Janey about letting her friend Hallie come help out?"
Emmett made a face. "She's coming in to work the clinic on Monday morning. The domestic animals. I figured that'd be an easier way to start."
"It might be easier, but it won't give you a read on whether your clients will accept her."
"Maybe not, but I'll think about it on Monday."
Blane took a step toward the door. "Right. I'll see you later then, when we bring the girls home. But don't expect us before about ten o'clock, will you?"
Emmett shook his head with a smile. "I'll be surprised if you're back that early. We both know what Cash is like."
"Yeah, he's a pain in my ass."
"But you wouldn't have him any other way."
Blane chuckled. "Don't know what the hell I'd do without that over-optimistic, manipulating bastard around."
"Exactly. That's how we all feel."
"Yeah, but don't ever say it out loud again. I swear that man has eyes and ears everywhere. The last thing we need is him getting an even bigger head."
"As if that’d be possible. And besides, it's not as though he doesn't already know, is it?"
"I guess not. I'll be on my way then. I said I'd be at his place as soon as I could."
"Okay, thanks, bud. Have fun."
Blane grinned at him before he left. "You know I always have fun with the girls. And you tell me I don't need to, but I want to say again... thanks for all you've done with Brookie over the years."
Emmett met his gaze and held it. "I tell you that you don't need to thank me, because it's always been my pleasure. You know that."
"Sure do. Anyway, I'm out of here before you start getting mushy on me. See you later. I'll give you a call and let you know if we're going to be late, late, or if Cash gets us into any trouble."
Emmett squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm trusting you to keep them out of trouble, Blane."
All he heard was Blane's laughter just before the front door closed.
He lay back against the pillows, closing his eyes again. It'd be easy to drift off. Maybe he should take a nap. A short nap. He was looking forward to spending the evening alone with Harper. The last thing he needed was to drift off while they were talking.
As he lay there, he took stock of his injuries.
His head was fine — well, the lump was going down now. But that was the only lasting effect. The headaches were gone. There was no lingering dizziness or blurriness. And that was a relief.
His shoulder was healing well. Trip had been out to check on the wound again yesterday.
He tugged at the sling to free his arm and hissed through his teeth as he moved it around.
It was fine to have it immobilized while he was out and about, but as far as he was concerned, it was far better to keep it moving as much as he could.
He forced himself to take a few deep breaths.
His ribs still hurt like a bitch, and that was going to last for a while.
He knew that. But every morning when he woke up, he told himself that the pain was a little less.
Whether it was or not was less important than telling himself whatever he needed to get through the day.
He smiled when he heard a vehicle pull up outside.
He might not get a nap, but he was still glad Harper was here.
He listened to a truck door close and then heard footsteps coming up to the front door.
He relaxed a little when she didn't knock before opening the door.
She'd gotten used to coming on in. She didn't wait for anyone to open it for her, but until now, she'd insisted on knocking before she entered.
When he heard the door close, he called out, "Hey, Harper, how was your afternoon? I'm glad you're back."
"Sorry to disappoint you. It's not Harper, it's only me."
Libby came to stand in front of the couch and greeted him with a smile, a basket held in both hands.
"Hey, Lib, it's good to see you. Why would I ever be disappointed to get a visit from you?"
"Well, I was hoping that you'd be disappointed that I'm not Harper."
He let out a short laugh. "I'm not even going to answer that, because either way I'll land myself in trouble, won't I?"
"Aww, Mitty. I'm not trying to make you admit anything. I know you're glad to see me. But I'm hoping that things between you and Harper..." She let her words trail off and raised her eyebrows.
He lifted his left shoulder in as much of a shrug as he could manage. "I'm hoping that they will too, but... the circumstances aren't exactly ideal, are they?"
"I guess not, but I don't think they're too terrible, either. I mean, you being in the state you're in has meant that she can come and stay with you guys. How are things going—with her, with the girls? Do they mind her being here?"
"No. They like it. At least on the surface they do. Tanya loves it, I have no doubt about that. But Alana..."
"It's harder for her. She's a bit older."
"Yeah. But she was the one who suggested that we ask Harper to stay."
"That's good then, isn't it?"
"It is. I want it to be great. But it was Harper who pointed out to me... that just because Alana said she wants her here, doesn't mean she's totally okay with it."
"I knew there was a reason I liked her." Libby looked down at the basket she was carrying. "And I know you like her — that's all I'm going to say about that — so here's my contribution."
Emmett raised his eyebrows.
"Since the girls are with Blane and Cash tonight, and I know Harper's coming back over to hang out with you, I thought it was about time the two of you ate a meal together that one of you didn't have to cook."
"Thanks, Lib."
She shrugged. "I haven't been able to do as much as I'd like for you and the girls these last few years."
"You do plenty," he interrupted.
She held her hand up. "All I'm saying is that I wish I could have done more. But you know how things have been for me."