With narrowed eyes, he nods. Still hesitant. “Then you’ll come with us,” he says to Trevor before directing his attention to me. “Andyoucan follow in the car with your shit.”
I loathe taking orders from this man, but it's a must if I want to be closer to Ashley.
“He’s stable and sleeping,” Trevor says as we enter the den that Junior and his men are waiting in.
Being in this fucking house is a form of torture. It's like my own personal hell knowing this is her home with him.
“So, he’s in the clear?” Junior asks.
“As long as he doesn’t get an infection,” Trevor responds, and I pass Micah a bottle of antibiotics.
“We gave him a dose of vancomycin through the IV to get some antibiotics in his system, but he should be good with the oral tablets for the next ten days,” I explain.
“When will your doctor be back?” Trevor asks.
Junior looks at his phone. “Two more weeks.”
“Okay, well, give us a call if any issues or concerns arise,” Trevor says, passing Junior his card.
He nods in response and, apparently, the prick doesn’t have the words “thank you” in his vocabulary.
“Can someone check Ashley’s ankle? It’s swollen and already bruising,” Micah interjects, since her husband doesn’t seem to care at all. I know he saw her limping and her brother helping her walk into the house, but he still said nothing.
Play it cool. I keep repeating that in my head to keep my expression neutral. I’ll give myself away if I jump to go to her, but thankfully my brother knows the score.
Trevor nods to Junior. “Don’t you have some cuts? I can clean you up and Trent can assess your wife’s ankle.”
Hearing my brother refer to her as Junior’s wife has bile rising in my throat.Play it cool.
“Luca, show him to my wife.”
My wife.Not for much longer, motherfucker.
I follow Luca upstairs. The anticipation of seeing her is almost just as overwhelming as it was earlier tonight.
“She’s sitting in her sewing room area. Micah had her prop the ankle up and put some ice on it.”
“Okay, good,” I say, just as he opens the door to a light pink room full of sewing machines, fabrics, and sketches. In the center is my heart and soul in five-foot-two of human perfection.
“You can wait outside,” I tell Luca, and he gives me that familiar gentle smile.
“Beware of her guard dog.” He smirks before closing the door.
At that exact moment, I’m greeted by the miniature horse himself.
Hey, boy, long time no see.
“What are you doing in here, Trent?” Ashley’s brow furrows as she sits up from her spot on the velvet couch she’s lying on.
“Hello, Ashley. I’m in school to be a doctor, and I’m here to assess your ankle.”
She narrows her eyes at me as her dog rubs his head against my thigh. Knowing what he’s after, I scratch behind his ears.
“What the hell, Nori?” She scoffs, an incredulous look on her face. “He’s never like that with men, especially ones he doesn’t know.”
She named himNori. Micah left that detail out.
“Nice name.” I walk over and sit on the footstool in front of her couch. Ashley chooses to ignore my comment about her dog being named after the place where we fell in love.