Page 43 of Gunner

When Gunner let go, I ducked to grab the bag I’d dropped and rushed to get into my car. Aspen could have the remaining coffee. I no longer needed the jolt of caffeine to wake me up.

Chapter Twelve

Haizley

Quietly, I slipped into Aspen’s hospital room, not wanting to wake her if she was still sleeping. When she stepped out of the bathroom and said good morning, I jumped, dropping the bag of pastries for the second time.

“Shit, I’m sorry. This bag is going to have nothing but crumbs by the time we open it.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she whispered.

“You don’t need to be sorry. I have a problem with my situational awareness. Meaning I have none.” I chuckled and was rewarded with a slight grin.

“How are you feeling today?”

Aspen shrugged and climbed back onto the bed, pulling the covers up over her chest. It was a safeguard. I knew this.

I moved about the room, straightening up. That was my safeguard. It was hard to stay professional at times. Empathy was important in a therapist, but it also made it impossible not to feel what your patients felt.

I pulled the rolling table over, so it covered her legs, and placed her coffee in front of her and opened the bag of muffins. Thankfully, I grabbed a handful of napkins. I carefully laid them out on the table and lined up the muffins, allowing her to pick what she wanted.

“There is apple strudel, blueberry, corn, cranberry, chocolate chip, and lemon poppyseed.”

“Did you buy the entire case?” Aspen asked, and my heart lightened with the small laugh she gave.

“Hey, every girl needs options, whether it’s the perfect outfit or the perfect muffin.” I winked and turned to pull the chair over so we could talk.

I caught Aspen looking at the coffee. “That’s yours,” I insisted as I pushed it closer to her.

“What about you?”

I closed my eyes and huffed out a breath. “Mine is currently drying all over the chest of a giant biker.”

Her eyes bugged out, and her hand covered her mouth. “Thegiant biker?”

“He would be the one,” I confirmed.

“Was he mad?” she asked, returning to her quiet voice.

“Oh, he was pissed alright. But he deserved it.”

Aspen choked on her muffin and leaned forward. I gently rubbed her back, unsure at first how she would feel about being touched.

“You threw it on him? On purpose?”

“I sure did. He made me drop the bag the first time. And he was being a caveman.”

Aspen just stared at me, her mouth hanging open.

I slowly brought my finger to her chin and closed her mouth.

“He’s freaking scary.”

Shaking my head, I laughed. “He’s all bark and no bite. Well, maybe he’ll bite.”

I winked at her again.

Her blush and the drop of her eyes had me kicking myself.

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