Page 16 of Hollyhocks

“We will have regular Grey’s Anatomy nights. I can’t miss it either.”

The familiar sparkle returns in his eye. “Great. I was worried about that. Wouldn’t want to watch it without you.”

We tried watching the show with Creed but anytime any character did anything he’d say,“Kill them. Slit their throat. Kill them too for being annoying. Why are they on the show? Dead. Kill them.”Eventually, he got mad and walked out the door.

We’ve been watching it without him ever since.

Rhett pulls me in for a quick hug, patting me on the back, and he sniffs me which is then followed by a growl.

“Who is that? I know you told me you met a woman but something about the scent is off. Maybe it isn’t her I’m smelling.”

I pluck the middle of my shirt and bring it to my nose. “What? I’m not wearing cologne.”

“It isn’t cologne.” He buries his nose in my chest, dragging it back and forth as he sniffs.

I lift my hands. “Okay, Rhett? Sniffing me like this is a little weird.”

He stops, realizing what he is doing, and takes a step back. “Sorry. I can’t place the scent. My beasts are grumbling about it. Maybe it’s your laundry detergent.”

I shrug my shoulder. “I don’t know. Nothing has changed. Maybe I brushed up against something you don’t like? The girl I saw, we barely had an interaction. It can’t be her. Sorry, man.”

“It’s okay—” his phone rings and he slides it from his pocket. “It’s Mickey. I have to take this.”

“Hope everything is okay. I’ll be here. Tell her I said hello.”

“How’s my Brave Little Flower?” he answers with a smile but quickly his enthusiasm fades.

My brows lift as I replace the oil filter. Mickey is a great woman. I don’t know a lot about her past life but what I do know is abuse had a heavy hand. That knowledge kills me when I think about it. No man should ever treat a woman that way. I’m glad that bastard is dead, or I’d want to kill him too.

“What do you mean you can’t get up?” Rhett asks, spiraling into anxiety. He begins to pace back and forth. He puts the phone on speaker and immediately a loud sob startles me, and I drop the wrench in my hand.

It lands hard on my foot, and I curse, hop on one leg, and then smack my head against a tire.

“Fucking shit. God—stupid fucking—son-of-a-bitch—mother fuck—” I hop to the bench that is against the wall to take a break. My head is throbbing, and I can’t feel my big toe.

“I’m hungry! I want ice cream with pickles and peanut butter, but I can’t get out of bed. I need to pee.” She sobs even harder, small sniffles coming through the line with every breath she takes.

“I’m on my way, okay? I’ll get you whatever you want. I’ll stop and get the ice cream.”

“Really?” she asks, her sobs slowing, and I smile.

I want that so badly. I want to love someone so much that I can hear the smile in their voice when I can’t see them.

Rhett and Creed are lucky bastards.

He hangs up the phone and runs into the office to grab his keys before coming back outside. “I have to go. Mickey needs me. I might need to take this week off. She’s struggling, and I can’t have her struggle. We could shut down the shop? I don’t want you here alone.”

My head swims from the smack it got from the tire, and yet, I manage to stand. “Go. I have the shop. I can move appointments around or cancel the non-urgent ones. Go to Mickey. Start your paternity leave early. I’ll hold the fort down.”

“Does that mean I have to be here with him?” Creed’s voice comes from the shadows.

Rhett rubs his temples.

“I’ll be fine without him. He can go.”

Please, for the love of all things, fucking go.

“Great. I’ll be stalking my mate.” He leaves. Without a goodbye. Without looking back, he crosses the street to get to the diner.

---