10 #2
“We’ll bring her back in the morning,” Callie promised.
Tanner said, “Come on, Glory. The last thing you need is to trip over her. She’s young and energetic. Let’s give it a few days.”
Pinched with worry, Addie watched her, and Glory knew the exact moment she settled on a plan. It was there in her shrewd blue
eyes. With all the innocence she could muster, Addie sighed. “If you don’t trust me with her, remember that Callie and Tanner
are in the house, too.”
It cost her, making her ribs aches, but Glory snorted. “Nice try, Addie, but I see right through that ploy.” Giving up seemed to be her easiest option. “I trust all of you, I just don’t want PB to be confused.”
“She’s no longer wandering the woods, she’s tick-free, and she has a full belly. One step at a time, okay?”
Glory nodded. “All right, as long as I get to see her every day.”
“With someone around to run interference so she doesn’t hurt you.” Kam leaned in and put a soft kiss to her cheek.
With Addie, Tanner, and Callie right there, the affectionate gesture made her blush. Trying to brazen her way through it,
she reached up with her right hand to touch her hair. “I don’t know how I’m going to sleep with my hair still so yucky.”
Kam’s mouth twisted. “It’s your ribs and shoulder that concern me, not your hair.”
Callie, who better understood her, quickly said, “One more day for your stitches, and then I can help you shower. Tomorrow,
I’ll try sponging it off again. It is better, Glory. No more blood, so it’s mostly clean, just not styled.”
She wasn’t about to snort again. “I’m wrecked from head to toe, so I guess styling doesn’t matter.” She gave them each a firm
look. “It’s time for everyone to head home. I’m going to feed myself this amazing mac and cheese, and I want to move without
you all gasping, then I need to brush my teeth, figure out how I’m going to sleep, and hopefully tomorrow, I’ll figure out . . .
everything else.” Like her life, her upcoming and overwhelming responsibilities—and the lurking danger.
As carefully as possible, she sat forward. Yes, it hurt, a lot, but the ice pack was starting to drip on her and she had to
pee.
Tanner hastily removed the ice, saying to Kam, “Remember, you need to time it. Fifteen minutes on, then off for a while. Always
put a thin towel or something between her skin and the ice bag.”
“Got it,” he said, and tried to offer her another bite of food.
She wasn’t about to let Kam feed her. “No.”
Sheepish, he put the fork back in the dish.
“I want to snuggle my dog before she’s taken away.”
Hedging, Callie moved closer. “Tomorrow, I need to tell Mom.”
Which meant Liz would make a well-meaning visit. Not something she’d anticipate with gladness, but she’d deal with that, too.
“I understand. Thanks. Just tell her that I’m okay and not to worry. Now, I want to see PB, so she won’t forget me.”
For the most part, Kam controlled the dog. Still, she landed several swipes of her tongue across her chin. Dodging her made
both her shoulder and her ribs thrum with pain, but it was worth it. Glory stroked her, kissed her furry little head, and
felt the softness of her floppy ears. There’d be no way to keep the others from hearing, but she kept her voice low, anyway.
“Thank God I didn’t hurt you, PB.” She kissed her again, already missing her even though she and the dog weren’t well acquainted.
Kam stroked the back of her hair. “Pretty sure she’s some sort of beagle mix.”
Tanner said, “I’ll set up a vet appointment. Until then, Nell could take a look at her. She’s good with animals.”
“Great idea.” Glory really liked Nell and wouldn’t mind having a reason to pay the girl.
Since no one was budging, she gripped the edge of the couch with her right hand, braced herself, and struggled to get to her
feet. Hurt. Like. Hell.
Kam hastily handed the dog over to Callie and helped support Glory until she was fully upright. “What are we doing?”
It took her a second to catch her breath, then she said, “I’m going to the bathroom.
You can see everyone out.” Deliberately, she didn’t make eye contact on her way out of the room.
If she did, she’d get weepy again. Or worse, she’d spill her guts, and she’d already decided that this was one secret she needed to keep for a while.
At least until she’d healed and could think rationally, without all the emotion brought on by the pain and the residual fear from the wreck.
In her bathroom, she closed the door, then locked it for good measure. With a few winces, she removed the towel from under
her left arm and set it on the sink. One glance in the mirror and she almost laughed. Seriously, her hair was the least of
her worries as far as looks went. How any of them could stand to look at her, she didn’t know. The sight certainly turned
her stomach.
Her own clothes had been ruined, so at some point, while she’d been prodded, stitched, x-rayed, and examined, Tanner had called
Liam. That young man, who was always dependable, had driven to Addie’s and collected the mismatched outfit she now wore. Addie
had put it together based on comfort and ease, and while Glory knew she looked ridiculous in one of Callie’s long elastic-waist
summer skirts with Tanner’s roomy button-up cotton shirt, she was thankful she wouldn’t have to deal with the slacks and form-fitting
shirt she’d worn to work.
Getting on and off the toilet was an ordeal. Who knew simply sitting and then standing could make everything hurt so much?
While she had some privacy, she dampened a washcloth and did a more thorough job of cleaning her face.
If she could count a blessing out of the recent mishaps, it was that her left arm had been injured, and not her right.
Well, and the fact that she now had a dog she already loved.
And . . . the hospital tests had revealed things she might not have known for quite some time. Monumental things. Life-altering
things.
She’d just placed her hand on her midriff when the tentative tap sounded at the door.
“You okay in there?”
Guiltily, she dropped her hand and then winced. “Yes. I’ll be out in a minute.”
She heard a thump that might have been Kam’s head against the door. “I would love to help, Glory. You know that, right?”
It was his tone that really got her. Kam was always so take-charge, but right now, he sounded a little lost.
She opened the door, and wow.
Stark emotion showed on his face. Did he care so much about her? If so, she could definitely build on that.
Hope took root. Dangerous, scary, impossible hope. But what else did she have?
She already loved him; she knew that. Loved him enough that she didn’t want to complicate his life, to impossibly twist it
up with hers. And yet, that’s what she would do.
He wouldn’t object. Kam wasn’t the type to shirk responsibilities ever, plus it was half his fault. Not that she’d think in
terms of “fault.” More like unexpected blessings.
Immediately, he stepped in, cupped her face in his hands, and touched his mouth to hers. “What can I do?”
Darn it, the blasted tears she’d held at bay suddenly welled up and spilled over. When she saw his alarm, she released a shaky
laugh. “I’m fine—no, Kam. I really am. Bruised, sure, and still a little shaken from the wreck, but I’m absolutely okay.”
She glanced at the mirror. “Although, I look like a banged-up clown from a cheap sideshow.”
He kissed her again. “You look like a survivor to me.”
What a sweet thing to say.
“Tell me something I can do.”
Carefully, she allowed herself to slump into him. Though her ribs protested and her shoulder thumped, it felt good to be this
close to him again, to feel his arms slide around her. Against his chest, she asked, “You’re sure you don’t mind? I’m hideous.”
His big hands, warm and gentle, moved over her back. “God, babe, you can’t know.”
“Can’t know what?”
“How it feels to want to fix things for you when I can’t. How fucking awful it is to see you hurt and know there’s nothing
I can do about it.”
She felt his sincerity, and it worked like a balm to her frazzled thoughts. “You’re doing a lot, actually. Being here with
me, suffering my moodiness, handling other people—even people I love.”
He pressed a tender kiss to her ear. “Speaking of people we love . . . do you want to finish up your mac and cheese?”
So he wouldn’t question her love of his brother and Addie? Maybe she could call that progress. “I’m starving, so yes. After
that, I need to change into something that doesn’t look absurd but is still comfortable for sleeping.” She had so much to
think about, but lethargy pulled at her. “I won’t be sleeping in a bed, though.”
“I know. I have an idea.” Using a lot of caution, he eased her away. “But first, food.”
“I guess there’s no reason to hide my scars.” Nervously, Glory shifted.
“No reason at all.” Pretending he hadn’t noticed, Kam continued to unbutton her shirt while emotions bombarded him. That she
allowed him to undress her proved her level of physical discomfort. She’d been so strict about covering parts of herself,
staying in the dark, and yet now, he’d see all of her.
He wanted that. A lot. But not like this. Not from a lack of options.
His breathing was a little too deep, his gaze too intent as he opened the last button.
They stood very close together, both their heads down until their foreheads touched.
“I mean, you’ve seen worse now, right?”
If he could find the words to reassure her, Kam would, but he’d already said everything he felt, everything he knew. Without
her looking at him, it was easier to speak his mind. “You matter to me, Glory. More than you know. A few scars won’t change
that.”
In the silence of her bedroom, he heard her swallow. “It’s silly. I mean, now it is. It’s just that, in my head . . .” She
gave a small gasp, curved her uninjured arm around her middle, and went still.
“I’m sorry.” He was still now, too. The idea of hurting her devastated him. “What did I do?”
“It wasn’t you.” Two more slow easy breaths, and she opened her eyes again. “Sometimes, even a tiny movement just gets me.”
“Ribs or shoulder?”