Page 48 of A Little More Hope

“I really shouldn’t be staying in his room. Won’t Gabe want to sleep up here in his own bed?”

“Nah, you’re good. We talked, and he’s happy enough for you to stay here, for tonight anyway. I can replace the bedclothes tomorrow, and you can go back downstairs to your own room.”

“Oh, okay, sure.”

I leaned over him pulling the sheets up, covering him to the top of his chest.

“I’m not a child, Mase,” he grumbled. “I can take care of myself.”

Kissing him gently, I eased his annoyance. “Let me. Please? It’ll help my recovery to have someone else to concentrate on and look after. Besides—” I gave him another kiss. “—I kind of like taking care of you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I passed him the painkillers, and his face became troubled as he eyed the small bottle.

“You okay? You don’t hurt too much?”

“Are you still taking your meds?”

His question surprised me. He’d seen me with them once, maybe twice, the whole time I’d known him, so his question baffled me. “Yeah, why?”

He popped the two different sets of pills with a few gulps of the water, handed the glass to me, and snuggled down under the sheets. “I wanted to make sure you hadn’t stopped taking them.”

I didn’t understand.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“No particular reason. They’re an important part of making you well, and I want to ensure you were getting the maximum help you can. I worry, that’s all.”

“Well, don’t. You must have a pretty good grasp of how anal I am. I take them whenever I’m meant to.”

“And no getting drunk anymore while using them?”

My fingers nestled in his hair. “No getting drunk, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now sleep for a while, and I’ll bring you up some food later.”

“Ooh, chicken soup?”

“Don’t push it, sunshine. It’ll be takeout or nothing.”

He mumbled a retort under his breath, but all I caught was meant to and after me. “Sleep,” I ordered and kissed his cheek.

“Whatever.”

I walked to the door. “Brat,” I scolded quietly.

“Hey,” he moaned, eyes already closed. I ignored him, shut the door, and headed downstairs into the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator—well, one shouldn’t hurt—twisted off the caps, and made my way to the deck to join Gabe outside.

He lounged on one of the recliners, his gaze on the sailboats drifting across the bay. “He asleep?” He’d changed into a pair of black shorts and a plain white tee. I should have changed too, as the humidity was a bitch this evening, and my jeans were already adhering to my thighs, making me sticky and uncomfortable.

“Will be any second, I reckon.” I handed him a bottle. He grunted his thanks as we clinked.

“It’s early yet, so I’m gonna wait a while before ordering food. Plus, I really don’t have the energy to move right now.”

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