Page 173 of Damaged Protector

Images of Hawk entertaining other women made my stomach roll over on itself, and I had to force out a fake laugh.

“Nope, no entertaining that I’ve seen.”

“All right, good. Remember to call me if any of you need anything.”

“Oh, there is one thing. We left the automatic feeder on for Coconut, but could you or Shiloh go over and check on her? Maybe play with her for a couple minutes?”

“Yeah, we can do that. I’ll take Bella. She’s surprisingly gentle with that kitten.”

“Maybe you should think about getting her one.”

“I might do that,” he said thoughtfully. “Look, I’ve gotta run. My child is being quiet, and that’s not usually a good sign.”

“Good luck with that,” I said with a laugh. “Love you, Camel Toe.”

“Love you too, Marshmallori.”

I returned to the room to find Jennifer awake and chatting with her brother. A few minutes later, a well-dressed woman arrived, bringing a stack of books and some snacks.

“Hey, chick,” she said, setting down her load before kissing Jenn on the cheek and settling into the chair beside her.

“Hey, Hazel,” Jennifer said with a smile. “How was your morning?”

The woman had mocha skin and curly dark-brown hair that skimmed her shoulders. “Ugh. It was exhausting. I was hoping to be here earlier, but every child in North Carolina seemed to develop a rash today.”

“Hazel is a pediatrician,” Jenn explained before introducing us all.

We chatted for a few minutes before a knock sounded at the door. Hawk answered it, and a whirlwind of color entered the room.

“The Hair Queens are here!” one of them announced. They were all dressed in adorably ridiculous tutus in a variety of bright pinks and purples, and each of them wore a rhinestone tiara.

One of them carried a large case under her arm, and another started pulling out plastic champagne glasses and a large green bottle. We all watched in bright-eyed amusement as they took over the room.

“You must be Jennifer,” the apparent ringleader said, shaking the patient’s hand. “We’re here to do a consultation with you in case you need a fabulous wig once you start treatments. I’m Ellie, the manager of The Hair Queens.” She pointed at the other two. “That’s Aurora; she’s a cosmetologist and hair stylist, and the brunette cutie is Mila, our wigmaker.”

They all waved enthusiastically, bringing nothing but love and energy to the room.

“Before we get started, the first rule of Hair Queens Club is…” Mila started.

“That no one talks about Hair Queens Club?” Hawk finished, and everyone laughed.

“Noooo,” Mila continued, pulling a bunch of tiaras from the bag on her shoulder. “It’s that everyone in the room is also a queen.” She walked around the room, putting tiaras on everyone’s head. When she got to Hawk, he shook his head and stood with a chuckle.

“You know what? I’m going to let you queens have your fun while I go check into the hotel room.”

“Your loss,” Aurora said, setting out the champagne glasses. “We were just about to have some bubbly.”

Hawk’s eyes widened, and he hissed at her. “Jenn is on pain medicine. She can’t have champagne.”

The woman gave him a good-natured roll of her blue eyes. “Oh, cool your jets, mister. This ain’t our first rodeo. It’s only ginger ale.”

With a grin, Hawk kissed his sister’s forehead. “I’ll be back in a bit. Thought I’d pick up something for dinner. The nurse said you can try something besides broth tonight.”

“Ummm, what about chicken noodle soup from Jerry’s Deli? You remember where that is?” Her brother nodded, and as he patted her arm and began to leave, she added, “And don’t forget to get me one of those rolls. I’m convinced those things could cure anything.”

“I’ll get you two then,” he said, striding toward where I was standing beside the door. I loved seeing him with his sister. They had a beautiful bond, and he was so sweet to her. Kind of like how he was with me. Does he think of me like a sister now?

Hawk stopped beside me. “Do you want to go with me?” he asked quietly, and I shook my head and lifted the fake champagne someone had handed me.

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