Page 18 of After All

“And she’s right about the bathing,” Angie said to Scott. “That can be uncomfortable for friends and family. We do have home health available and many patients take advantage of that for those more personal things.”

Scott frowned. “I can handle that myself.”

“You won’t be able to shower or get into the tub without protecting the wound,” Angie said. “So it’s easier if you have someone else to help.”

Scott seemed to think about that. Then his gaze slid to Peyton. And for some reason she suddenly got suspicious.

“So a nurse’s aide could come over and help me though?” Scott asked.

“Right,” Angie confirmed.

Suddenly Peyton knewexactlywhat he was doing. One of the girls she’d gone to high school with, Sydney, was a nurse’s aide. Who did home health. And she was really cute. And she had a thing for Scott.

The jealousy card? Really? Well, okay then. He wanted her jealous? She could so do jealous.

She pulled herself up to her full height, put on her bitch-with-an-attitude and said, “Ifanyother woman gets within twenty feet of your front door and she’s not your mother, your sister, ormysister, I’m turning the hose on her,” Peyton told him. “There’s only one girl in Sapphire Falls who’s gonna be soaping your junk, and you’re looking at her.”

Angie looked as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to be here for this conversation, but Scott’s eyes narrowed. And Peyton realized she’d done exactly what he’d wanted her to do.

“You soap me, you eat dinner across the table from me,” Scott said.

She narrowed her eyes right back at him. “Meatloaf for the chance to put my hands all over that big, hard body? Fine.” If he hadn’t been shot and she wasn’t still a little shaken about that, she might have held on to her resolution that sex without meatloaf was better. But fine, she’d try the meatloaf angle. Whatever.

“Fine,” he agreed. If he was surprised by her acquiescence, he didn’t show it.

“And in exchange for taking sweet, gentle care of your dressings, I get a shoulder massage after each dressing change.” Her hands on him? Yes, please. His hands on her? Oh, yeah.

Scott clenched his jaw. Then said, “Fine.”

She grinned.

“But,” he added, “I want to go out to dinner once a week. With you. The two of us, together.”

Negotiating. Interesting. Getting naked with Scott wasn’t a problem at all. She’d been trying to do that for over a year now. It was the other stuff—the hanging out and being “normal” stuff that tripped her up. Because there was no “normal”. People were crazy and relationships were hard and it hurt when people disappointed you. And she’d be damned ifshewould be the one to disappoint Scott Hansen.

She’d made it very clear what he could expect from her and that was what she was sticking with. Come hell or high water, as her grandpa would say. But if he thought eating meatloaf at home and going on a date once in a while would actually change anything, she supposed she would have toshowhim versustellhim.

She shrugged. “Then I get to sleep in your bed every night. I’m not sleeping on the couch, and you shouldn’t either, so don’t be thinking that you’ll just give the bed to me.”

He dragged air in through his nose, then let it out slowly. Finally, he said, “You have to wear pajamas.”

“Deal.” Like pajamas would matter. They could be taken off.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted. But it wasn’t Angie.

Dr. Kyle Ames was standing inside the door. Grinning like an idiot. “Hey, everybody.”

“Hi, Kyle,” Peyton said with a smile.

“Hey,” Scott greeted. Without a smile.

“How’s everything in here?” Kyle asked, crossing to the bedside. He’d directed the question to Angie.

“Just trying to…get everyone on the same page,” she said.

Kyle laughed. “That’s virtually impossible with these two, but I appreciate the effort. And that no one’s yelling.”

“Oh, no yelling,” Peyton said. “I’m going to be Scott’s primary caregiver.”

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