Chapter 13 June
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
June
Dallas didn’t ring the bell. I heard a couple soft knocks then the sound of my front door swinging open, the shuffle of his boots on hardwoods and the crinkle of the takeout bag, the scent of barbecue following.
He poked his head around the corner and I held my finger to my lips.
Laura had fallen asleep about twenty minutes ago. Her hand was bandaged and propped up on a pillow and she sprawled out on the Breakdown Couch, her snores soft.
Dallas’s eyes softened and he slipped off his boots before tiptoeing to the kitchen.
There was no need for him to stop by and bring us food. But the fact that he had was a reminder that not even Ethan had come by again to see her. All of my friends had been here for her before him.
Work, therapy, a quick phone call to check on her.
After we took care of payments yesterday, he hugged her at the hospital and left.
His insurance payments had lapsed. Fifteen hundred dollars later, my niece was stitched up, and I was ready to burn down the entire healthcare system and put a hex on my brother for being a shitty dad.
Evie and Avery had slept over last night, but by the time we got home, we’d been too exhausted to debrief. We’d agreed I’d be summoned in a couple days so we could talk about Madi—but until then, I was off the hook.
Slowly, carefully, I wormed my way off the couch without waking Laura. When I got to the kitchen, he’d already made me a plate with my favorites.
I went very still.
I hated it when he was like this.
Too kind. Too thoughtful.
“Hey,” he whispered. “What happened?”
“She was working in the backroom and the scissors slipped.” My throat burned as I leaned against the counter. “It’s my fault.”
Dallas shook his head and slid my plate over. “It’s not.”
“I shouldn’t have had her working. I shouldn’t have left her unsupervised. I was in the cooler when she was calling for me and I didn’t hear her at first. It’s my fault.”
“We were all doing stuff like that at her age,” he murmured. “Accidents happen. And she’ll be okay. Knowing her, she wanted to feel useful.”
I hated that he was right. I glanced toward the living room. The sound of the TV created a gentle noise buffer, letting me breathe just a little more.
“June,” Dallas whispered. His eyes darkened, stormy and brooding. “Where is your brother?”
The question of the century. “Said he’ll come by this evening.
Said he has therapy today and work. Then again, he said yesterday he had work but was asleep when I finally got a hold of him.
” The anger had cooled from burning coals to ash.
I didn’t have the energy for it anymore.
“I don’t know. I thought things were getting better.
Thank god the doctor has a crush on Evie, because they gave us a deal on the bill. ”
Dallas stepped closer. “What?”
My head craned back. “What do you mean what?”
“Why were you paying—”
“The insurance payments haven’t been on time.” I swallowed hard. “For a while, apparently. I don’t think there’s anything that can be done. It is what it is.”
His cheeks turned red as he shook his head and stepped back. The man was visibly stressed for me, and that made me feel just a little better.
I picked up one of the short ribs and bit into it. My eyes shut and I sighed in pure happiness. It wasn’t the meat I wanted, but it would have to do. I snorted to myself and took another bite.
I kept telling myself that it was things like this that were signs I couldn’t be a mom. I hadn’t eaten today yet because of the worry burrowing in deep.
But at some point, I needed to come to terms with the fact that I was a mom. Maybe not on paper, but Laura was mine to love and protect and care for.
“I guess it’s good to know this,” Dallas finally said.
I made a face and reached for a roll. “Why?”
“Because otherwise I’d be putting the son of a bitch in the hospital.”
“Dallas. Please keep the macho hero vibes in check.”
I met his gaze and despite everything, smiled. He leaned back against the sink and crossed his bulky arms. My gaze lingered on his biceps a little too long. His muscles made my mouth water.
And just like that, the silence between us filled with pressure. Tension. Longing. It felt like we’d popped a giant bubble, and all of the months of being careful about my interactions with him were suddenly pointless.
His throat constricted. “Are you going to talk to me about Madi?”
What? I coughed as a piece of meat went down wrong and covered my mouth, trying to recover as he slowly arched a brow.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I managed to get out.
“Yes, you do. She told me about it.”
“What . . . why?”
“Because I’m going on a date with her Friday.”
Oh. Right. I stared at him, those words lingering between us, taunting us.
“She’s coming over to my house. I’m cooking dinner.”
The quiet returned, and this time I couldn’t find a single word to break it.
His expression grew more serious. His eyes darkened, his brows pulling together. “I really want to talk about that night, June.”
I shook my head immediately. My muscles stiffened, my chest erupting with panic like a flock of birds. “Not right now. I can’t do anything right now but take care of Laura. I’m drowning. I can’t—I can’t.”
I hadn’t realized how every word sounded more and more panicked until his broad hand settled on my shoulder gently, the warmth stilling me.
“I know you can’t right now,” he whispered. “But we need to. We can’t keep dancing around this.”
“Around what exactly? Around the fact that it ruined our friendship? That things haven’t been the same since?”
Dallas pressed his lips together, a crease forming between his thick brows. “You keep pushing me away.”
“Why wouldn’t I push you away?” I hissed. “We can’t do this. You’ve never felt anything for me.”
“That’s not true.” Dallas met me with a pained stare. “I don’t know why you won’t let me love you.”
I stepped back from him like I’d been burned. “There’s nothing to love.”
His mouth dropped in horror. “You’re—”
The sound of a couch creaking interrupted him. His expression fell as we looked over and Laura sat up, her hair a wild mess. Her eyes lit up as she looked over at us, realizing not only did we have company, but we also had food.
“Did you bring us lunch?” she asked.
“Yep. I got your peach cobbler,” Dallas called.
“Yay!”
His posture softened as Laura joined us in the kitchen and held up her wrapped mitten-like hand. He grinned at her.
“You look like a superhero.”
“I look stupid,” she said. “It’s so bad.”
“How does your hand feel?” he asked.
“It’s okay,” she sighed. “Stitches hurt, but I did good.”
“You did great,” I praised.
Dallas pulled out a stool for her and patted it. “I’ll make you up a plate.”
Her shoulder bumped me as she slid into it and wiggled her brows.
Demon. A demon sent to torture me. A demon who was far too intuitive for her age.
“Silly goose,” I mumbled.
“What?” she protested. “I’m not a goose or silly.”
“I am,” Dallas announced.
Then he started honking.
My mouth fell open as Laura collapsed into a fit of giggles. Dallas, a grown man with a beard and muscles for days, honked like a goose until she joined him.
This was the part of him that always surprised me. The silly, goofy, unreasonably nerdy part that came out in ways that were devastating because it made me want him more. Before the kiss, it would have been so easy to laugh with them.
They both looked at me expectantly, the corner of his mouth tipped in a smirk.
“Come on,” he said as he slid a bowl of peach cobbler over to me. “Are you not a silly goose, junebug?”
Laura made her best goose honking noise again, alternating with Dallas until I finally gave in and joined them. Our laughter chased away the unanswered questions, and even with the weight of the world on my shoulders—it all felt a little better when Dallas was around.