Page 63 of Ballads of Lines Blurred

“I get it. Anything can happen. But I can’t sit here and wonder what if because if it was worse, if that guy went to town on him and beat the shit out of him, I wouldn’t be able to hold it together. I’m not used to feeling this way for people outside of my family. I… Fuck, I think I love you two and this shit is cracking me wide open. That doesn’t mean I’m discounting your fear, just that I can’t go there.” I wouldn’t. No way. Not after losing my parents. Not after what Hale and I had been through. This was nothing like that. I understood it but the fear Slater felt right now, I got it.

“Did you just say you loved us?”

The handsome, wide-eyed rock star met my gaze when I turned toward him. “I did, didn’t I?”

“Did you mean it?”

“I don’t say things like that for the hell of it, so yeah, I did.”

“I love you too.”

There were all those fluttery things inside me again, churning me up, putting me off balance. “Really?”

“I don’t say things like that for the hell of it,” he mocked.

“Asshole.” But I smiled stupidly big because hearing him say he loved me was the absolute best.

“You two are idiots,” Cody mumbled. He blinked his eyes open. “Is it my turn?”

“You’ve got something you want to say, honey?” I asked him.

“It’s better than you saying you think you love us.”

“Don’t be a dick,” I joked. “Just because you’re injured doesn’t mean we have to be nice to you.”

“I think it does. By the way, I do love you both.” He met Slater’s eyes then mine.

Slater reached for Cody’s free hand, the one not splinted. “I love you, Cody.”

Tears shimmered in Cody’s eyes. “I never thought we’d get here. You both make me so happy.”

I grinned as a way to fight off the sudden lump in my throat. “See how you feel once the drugs wear off.”

There was a sniffle out in the hallway. I couldn’t see who it was, but I had a guess. “Corbin?” I asked.

“Nope,” Val confessed and poked his head in. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was about to come in when I heard you three talking and didn’t want to interrupt. I only heard the tail end, but it was sweet. We’re so happy for all of you.”

Cody tried to lift his hurt hand but winced in pain. “Get over here, Val.”

Val went to his side and hugged Cody. “I’m proud of you.”

“Even after I broke my hand?”

“Yeah, even then. I won’t get pissed because you protected someone.”

“Thanks.”

Xaiden and Corbin returned, Corbin in his regular clothes this time. We waited for the doctor on shift to discharge Cody, then we all went to Cody’s house where I hung out with them for a bit before I had to drive to Untouchable for my shift. Dexen fussed over me, obviously having heard what happened. He told me the police caught up with Gil and brought him in, although Dana said he had a feeling he wouldn’t be there long, given the powerful friends Gil had. Dexen offered his own attorney. Hopefully, Gil wouldn’t go near Vail ever again.

29

SLATER

It’d been a week since Cody had gotten hurt. Luckily, he was no longer in pain. He still had to wear the splint so his hand healed. It limited him at the gym and doing his own workouts, but he was getting by. He also didn’t regret what he did. Cody was the kind of person who would put himself in harm’s way if it meant saving someone else. I admired him greatly for it.

I’d noticed Milo slowly pulling away though, like he was disconnecting himself from our relationship more each day. Twice this week it was just Cody and me together. I felt Milo’s absence like a hole in my chest. Cody and I would kiss and hug, but we hadn’t gone further. We both missed Milo. We’d invited him along with us, but he gave us an excuse both times.

Cody was working at the gym today and Milo didn’t have to be at the club until tonight. I’d already had Hale’s number since he was in one of the many group chats we had. I reached out to him to ask if he and his partners would be home today. I wanted to stop in and talk to Milo without an audience.

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