Page 21 of Reign or Shine

“None of that was your fault. Shit happens. And we’re here now. I for one couldn’t be more grateful for the extra time I get with you.”

Her lashes flutter, and a nice rosy stain fills her cheeks, making something unclench from around my heart. With bated breath, I watch as her hand lifts and comes to the side of my face. Thumb scraping along my stubble, she nods, giving me a small grin.

“The extra time is nice,” she whispers.

Having her hands on me feels electrifying. I never want it to end.

But I need to take care of her first. Get her cleaned up and warm.

Covering the hand that is on my face, I beam at her and bring her palm down to my mouth. I gently kiss the center of her hand. She lets out a shaky exhale.

“Good. I’m glad you feel the same, sunshine.” Reluctantly, I place her hand back down in her lap and stand. “Now, let’s see if I can find any extra clothes or blankets that we can use. You need to get warm and staying in those clothes is not an option.”

“What about you?”

I give her a cocky grin, wanting to hear the magic of her laugh again. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy the view.”

My words have the desired effect. She rolls her eyes playfully as a small giggle rings through the cabin.

It takes more time than I care to admit to spot the small closet that holds shelves of linens and bulky sweaters. Everything is packed in sealed bags and seemingly clean.

We both let out little cheers of relief and the tension I was unknowingly holding in my shoulders disappears. We’ll make it through the night without turning into human popsicles now.

Helping Ellie into the small bathroom, I hand her a change of clothes along with two towels. There’s a shower but we’re both unsure of the water situation.

While she’s in there, I make myself useful and begin lighting candles and lamps around the room. The storm is casting a dark shadow through the cabin and soon we’ll lose all light as evening creeps closer.

Needing to get rid of some extra pent-up energy, I go about cleaning up the cabin as I wait for Ellie to appear again. I find a roll of duct tape in a kitchen drawer and cover up the hole in the window. It solves the draft problem for tonight but definitely isn’t a permanent fix.

The small squeak of the bathroom door has me turning to see a refreshed Ellie hopping out.

“Careful, sunshine,” I say, going to her side. She looks insanely hot and ridiculous in the oversize sweater and large sweatpants. Both items are so big on her that she’s rolled them at the wrists and ankles.

“I’m fine, Henry, honestly.”

I give her a grunt, not agreeing. She’ll be better once her ankle is wrapped and I can assure myself it’s not a break like I initially feared. I think I’ll play back her falling down for years to come and still lose my breath every time.

She laughs at me as she twists and sits on the bed.

“I see you’ve made the bed.” Her voice has gone a little husky.

“Figured you’d rather lie in bed than sit in that uncomfortable wooden chair for the rest of the night. Now, let’s see that ankle,” I say as a way to distract her from realizing that I’ll be joining her in this bed shortly too.

Scooting back on the mattress until her back is leaning against the headboard, she pulls up the leg of the sweatpants.

I hiss. Her ankle is swollen and colored with bruises.

“Ellie,” I whisper. “You should have told me it was bad.”

Her tone matches mine, quiet and low. “It’s not bad, I promise. It looks worse than it is.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?”

She bites her lips, a contrite look coming over her face.

“On the way here, it was a solid eight. But after resting and sitting down for bit, I’m sure it will go down to a four now.”

A four gutted me. Hell, I would probably feel like an asshole for not taking better care of her if she was at a two. I hated that she was in any kind of pain.

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