Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Aaron
“I’m good,” I assure my mother and Kendall for the tenth time since my father helped me inside. With pillows positioned around me in bed, I relax back and try not to wince when I feel the pinch in my ribs.
Every wince, every groan, the two of them are rushing in, ready to help me. They are both hovering hens and it’s cute on Kendall considering she has never been the type.
“Do you need more pillows?” she asks, putting a small one under my elbow.
“No.” I offer her a wink and then look around the space. “Where did all these pillows come from anyway?” I know a week ago I didn’t have this many.
“I brought some over, your mom too.” Kendall sits down at my side so carefully that I have to laugh. They are acting as if I am made out of glass and they are fearful they will break me.
“Take a nap with me.” I tug on the hem of her shirt and she leans in my direction.
“Your mom and dad are here.” Kendall glances back toward my bedroom door.
“So?” This is an entirely different side of her and I can’t help but feel like we’ve cleared the biggest hurdle that has been holding us back.
It infuriates me to know she went through what she did.
Being young and impressionable, having to face that by herself and dealing with the trauma in the worst way possible.
But here we are and I will do everything I can to ensure that no one ever hurts her again. I understand she doesn’t need me to protect her, but I want to.
“My parents found us sleeping in the hospital bed together and I’m pretty sure they don’t think the two of us are virgins.”
“Shh.” Again she looks back like she is fearful they may hear.
“Babe.” I slide my palm over her thigh to regain her focus. “Quit making me wait and climb into the bed with me. I don’t need all these damn pillows, but I do need you.”
“You think all this sweet talk is going to melt me at your feet don’t you?”
“You like my sweet talk.” I smirk when she narrows her eyes at me. “Plus, right now in the condition I am in, I’m pretty sure you’ll let me get away with about anything so I plan to take full advantage.”
“Oh so we’re pulling the brain bleed, cracked ribs, and fractured ankle card huh?”
“And we can’t forget the spleen repair,” I add and her glare deepens.
“None of this is funny,” she scolds me as she touches my hand still resting on her thigh. “You do realize how lucky you are that those injuries are all you got. I mean all of that is horrible but it truly could have been so much worse.”
“I know.” Flipping my hand over I thread my fingers through hers and bring our joined hands up to place a kiss onto hers.
“So we aren’t going to do stupid things anymore, are we?”
“Now you know I can’t make that promise, babe. That’s like me telling you that you can’t toss attitude anymore.” Her expression softens. “And I think we both know that is impossible.”
“Are you saying I’m mean?”
“Feisty,” I say in correction and she tries to fight the smile it triggers. “And I like you feisty.”
“You didn’t like me a couple weeks ago.”
I stare at her and notice the way she casts her eyes downward like she is lost in thought.
“I may not have liked you in that moment Kendall, but that’s okay, because I love you and no matter what that won’t change.” Immediately she lifts her gaze as if surprised by my words and simply stares at me. I expect her to close off, shut down, and find her best excuse to run. Only she doesn’t.
“You may not want to hear that…”
“I do.” She sits up a little taller, bringing her upper body close to mine. “From you I do.” And with that she kisses me, her body relaxing in to mine a little more. Reaching up I cup the side of her face and hold her close wanting to keep her here for as long as I can.
“Well.” Kendall’s body jerks in reaction to my father’s voice from the doorway. “If that don’t get you healed up and ready to get all better I don’t know what will.” He chuckles and for the first time, I see embarrassment cover my girl’s face.
Curling in, she covers her face and my father’s chuckle deepens.
“Ma and I are gonna head out.” He gives me a little nod.
“You take it easy, let’s not go jumping off the deep end.
I think you need to ease back in to the strenuous stuff.
” When he says this he nods, and I know he’s only picking a little more.
I hear Kendall groan slightly and it’s my turn to laugh.
“Don’t worry Dad, I let her do all the work.”
Kendall pinches me, my dad’s laughter echoes as he walks down the hallway and I run my fingers through her hair, forcing her to look back up at me.
“Now where were we?”
“Taking a nap.” She glares at me. “We were taking a nap.”
“After the sex right?”
“No.” She grabs the blanket and starts to pull it over our bodies. “There will be no sex for you.”
“Are you sure?” I slide the palm of my hand over her arm and along her hip, cupping her ass and without causing too much discomfort I pull closer to me. “We haven’t had that makeup sex yet that comes after a couple has a fight or disagreement.”
“That makeup sex kind of got tossed aside when you decided to fall off scaffolding and cause yourself great bodily harm. Brain surgery trumps makeup sex.”
“Who says?” I ask, still trying to change her mind as I kiss along her jaw and though she wants to fight it, her neck arches and she moves in a little closer.
“I say.” The tone of her voice is not reassuring.
“You still have no idea how badly you scared me,” she whispers and my lips pause on her neck. “How badly we were all scared.”
“Hey.” I turn to her, so that she is again looking up at me. “I’m right here,” I say, assuring her.
“I know.” She takes a calming breath. “And I never thought I’d say these words aloud, but I don’t want to waste another minute. So I am here too, fully. I’m in this and I’m done fighting you and myself.”
Again she takes a shuddering breath.
“I love that you love me.” She smiles. “Because it makes loving you that much more worth it. I’ve heard wanting someone when they don’t want you back is horrible.”
“It is,” I tell her with a smile knowing she is referring to the point in time when I first wanted her and I to give this a shot and she fought me at every turn.
“I wanted you then too, I was just too stupid to realize that no matter how hard I tried I wouldn’t be able to run from it.”
“So no more fighting?”
“Oh there will be fighting,” she smirks, “just not fighting this.” She waves her finger in between us. “You should know by now I can’t help fighting as often as I possibly can. I’m a stubborn hard to live with kind of girl.”
“Yeah you are, baby.” I drag the pad of my thumb along her jaw.
“But I wouldn’t have you any other way. I told you before I don’t want to change a thing about you.
All I want is for you to let me in and know that I’d never hurt you.
I want you to trust me and love me and I want you to allow me to do those same things in return. ”
She nods.
“I love you,” I tell her and she closes her eyes and is silent for a few seconds. Almost like she is committing those words to her memory. “You make it all better.”
“I don’t know about that.” The corners of her mouth tip up in a smile. “I tend to trigger heartaches and heartburn.”
I chuckle then grab my ribs as that familiar ache shoots through me.
“Rest,” Kendall pushes, forcing me to settle back. Curling at my side, silence settles in around us.
Then just as I am about to give in to the effects of my pain meds, I hear her voice. “And I love you too,” she whispers right before she dozes off herself.