Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
JULIET
Brooks was afraid to leave me home alone today while he went to work. In fact, I’ve been home for two days, and I’m feeling much better, but he still didn’t want to leave me.
He didn’t have to worry.
Because I have people in our house pretty much around the clock, whether he’s home or not. Harper and Ava just left after dropping by with breakfast from my restaurant. They stayed for an hour, chatting and eating with me, making sure I was okay before they left to each go to work.
My crew has been incredible. Noah’s fine with working on the baking side of things for the foreseeable future even though I assured him I’ll be back next week. My staff has basically informed me that they can handle everything for as long as I need them to.
They’re sweet, and I appreciate it, but I’ll be going back to work as soon as the doctor gives me the okay.
I’ve just hobbled out of the bathroom—shit, this leg still hurts like a bitch—when my phone rings with a FaceTime call from Darby.
With a smile, I sit on the couch and accept the call.
“Hey, friend.”
“I hear you’re causing all kinds of trouble over there,” she says with a frown. “Falling through ceilings and having séances and shit.”
I snort at that. “No séances but falling through the ceiling is true enough.” I reach for my water and take a sip. “That wasn’t fun, let me tell you. I assume your sisters filled you in?”
“Yeah, and it scared the shit out of all of us.”
“Same, girl. Same. But I’m going to be okay. I need to rest for about a week, and then I'll be able to return to work. My leg took the worst of it. Bad cut up the outside of my thigh, thanks to a jagged piece of rotten wood.”
“Yikes.” She winces.
“I’ll have a gnarly scar, but as long as I don’t get an infection, it’ll be okay.”
“I have a little concoction that I make for scars. I’ll send you some. It’s just coconut oil and vitamin E and some other stuff, but it really helps.”
“Hey, I’ll take it.” I smile at her. “When do you get to come home for good again?”
“Probably not until the spring,” she replies. “But I’ve applied for several internships, and I’m just waiting to hear if I get hired for any of them. They’re all around that area.”
“You could work with your brother.”
Holden co-owns the biggest cattle ranch in Montana with the Wild family.
“They must have a ton of large animals.”
“They do, but I do not want to work for my brother. Don’t get me wrong, I love him, but he’s stubborn, and I’m stubborn, and I want to continue loving him.”
I laugh and nod in agreement. “I can see that. Did Ava ever get you info for her brother’s ranch?”
“Actually, yes. That’s one that I applied for.”
“Cool. Well, I’m excited to have you home for good. You must be busting your ass because you look tired.”
“I don’t sleep a lot,” she admits. “And yeah, the work is grueling. But I do love it. I was up all night helping a horse have a baby. It’s not the right time of year for that, but here we are.”
“That’s pretty awesome.” My eyes are getting heavy because my pain medicine is kicking in. “I’d better go take a nap.”
“You do that, and I’ll send you the ointment.”
“Thanks, Darby.”
“You bet.”
After I hang up, I don’t even bother going into the bedroom to nap. I just lean my head back on the couch, prop my feet up on the ottoman in front of me, and close my eyes.
“Don’t wake her up.” That’s a whisper shout that makes my lips twitch. “We’ll just leave it and go.”
“I’m awake.” I flutter my eyes open and find Dani and Skyla trying to sneak to the front door. “What are you guys doing?”
“So sorry,” Dani says, turning back to me. “We didn’t know you were sleeping, and the door was unlocked, and—”
“It’s really okay. Honest.” I check the time. “I slept for like two hours. Come on in and chat with me.”
“We brought you lunch.” Skyla holds up a bag to show me before stowing it in my fridge.
“And books,” Dani adds, gesturing to the stack on the ottoman in front of me that I didn’t even notice. “Billie just sent a bunch that she thinks you’ll enjoy. That one on top? The Empress by Michelle Heard? So good. Also, it’s the next book club book.”
“I’ll read it next.” I eye the cover. It’s pretty. “We read a lot of Mafia romance. I’m not mad about it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Skyla says with a laugh as she sits across from me and crosses her legs. “How do you feel?”
“Tired from the medication. Sore. Really fucking sore, but don’t tell Brooks because I kind of told a white lie and insisted that I was fine and he should go to work today.”
“It’s only been a few days,” Dani says with a frown. “It’s okay for him to stay here and take care of you.”
“I can get around just fine.”
Dani shakes her head. “I don’t think you understand. When we couldn’t find you, Brooks was so distraught. I’ve never seen him like that before. He looked—”
“Like one of the unhinged men from our books,” Skyla adds. “It honestly broke my heart.”
My poor husband.
“So maybe it’s not that he thinks he needs to take care of you physically, as much as he just needs to be with you,” Dani finishes. “Just to reassure himself that you’re okay. What you both went through is traumatic, my friend.”
She’s right. It is traumatic. I’m still having some nightmares, and every time I do, Brooks wakes up with me and holds me until I calm down.
“Shit, I might have messed up.”
“Nah, just text him and tell him you want him here with you after all. It’ll make you both feel better.”
Biting my lip, I reach for my phone and open our text thread.
Me: Hey, my love. If you’re not too busy at the garage today, would you mind coming home early to be with me? I might have overestimated my willingness to be without you so soon.
I smile and show them both what I said.
“Aw, that’s perfect,” Skyla says. “Our guys are caretakers. They want to help us.”
“You’re right,” I reply with a nod. “The Blackwell men have always been like that.”
“Always,” Dani confirms. “And they’re so good at it.”
“I guess I felt guilty keeping him home for another day. I know his business is important, and honestly, I’m okay to be alone.”
“But you don’t have to be. Brooks is the boss, and one of the perks is being able to take as much time off as he needs,” Dani replies.
I grin over at them. “Can you believe we all married Blackwell men?”
“Best thing I ever did,” Skyla says. “I couldn’t love anyone more.”
But then she pats her slightly rounded belly.
“Well, maybe I could love someone just as much.”
“Okay, I have a question,” Dani says, looking right at me. “Do you still want to live in that house, after everything that happened?”
I lick my lips and take a deep breath. “Yeah, I do. But Brooks and I discussed it at length yesterday, and rather than trying to do a lot of it ourselves, we’re going to hire a construction company to finish the demo, clear out that attic, and rebuild for us.
It’s not worth someone getting hurt again.
We should leave the construction to the professionals. ”
“That’s a really good idea,” Skyla replies. “And then, once it’s all finished and new, the bad memories will be gone.”
Nodding, I sip my water again. “We’re going to make sure no one can ever use that attic again. Get the rodents out of there, remove the stairway, and close it up. We don’t need it.”
The girls and I chat for another fifteen minutes or so, and I don’t hear back from Brooks, but he’s probably bent over an engine right now, and he’ll reply when he can.
When my friends leave, I grab that new Mafia book and dig in.