Page 23 of A Billionaire Rebel

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I understand.”

If this wasn’t the sort of thing she did often – and I was fairly certain I was right that she didn’t – I could see her not wanting to have to explain things to a roommate. I grabbed my shirt, putting it on as I followed her out of the bedroom.

I hadn’t seen much of the apartment last night, and now I realized there wasn’t much to see. It was nice, but small, especially for two people. Then a picture on the wall caught my eye. A kid. One with dark hair who looked enough like Jae for me to assume that he was related. Jamie. Not a roommate then, but a kid. Now her rushing me out made even more sense.

If I’d been dating her, finding out she had a kid would’ve bothered me, but this was just one night. A distraction from everything else that’d been going on in my life. A good one, but still only a distraction. Since she wasn’t asking me to meet her kid or trying to find out when she’d see me again, I felt safe in assuming that she really did understand this was it.

“Have a good day,” I said as I put on my shoes. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “And, again, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She didn’t offer to walk me downstairs, and I didn’t ask.

This was the best way to end things, where all we had were good memories, and I didn’t have to let her down gently when she asked for more.

* * *

If I’d knownI was going to stay the night with Jae, I would’ve taken the bag I kept in my car, if only to have a fresh change of clothes, but it was still early, and I needed a shower, so I went home. I didn’t linger, but I didn’t rush either. The doctors wouldn’t do their rounds for another hour, which meant I most likely wouldn’t learn anything new until then.

By the time I arrived at the hospital, I almost felt normal again. It was amazing what a change of clothes and strong coffee could do.

I went to Hawk’s room first. He was awake already, looking better than he had the last time I’d seen him, smiling as he talked to Kalini. I paused in the doorway, watching them for a moment. They looked good together, and I wondered if the accident would be enough to convince them to stop waiting around.

Before my lurking could become creepy, I gave the door a sharp rap. “Morning.”

“Hey!” Hawk grinned at me, then winced as the scrapes and cuts on his face stretched with the movement. “Damn. I hate that smiling hurts.” His expression darkened. “That was a shitty thing to say. I shouldn’t be smiling.”

Kalini took his hand, the set of her jaw saying that if I said anything about the gesture, she was going to kill me. Slowly.

“You do not get to feel bad because you survived.” Her voice was fierce. “Bair would kick yourassif he knew you were doing this.”

“She’s right,” I agreed, coming farther into the room. “And since he’s not here, I’ll do it for him if you don’t knock it off.”

“I can’t remember it,” he said, the words almost pouring from his mouth. “The accident. I remember getting in the car and then waking up here. Nothing between.”

“That may change.” Dr. Crawford came into the room, looking like he’d stepped out of a soap opera or something. “Or it may not.”

The look the doctor threw Kalini’s way made me grit my teeth, but she’d told me more than once that she didn’t want any of us guys fighting her battles, so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, with the way she was looking at Hawk, Doc Crawford wouldn’t even register on her radar.

“I have good news,” the doctor continued. “Everything has come back with good results, so I think we can start the paperwork to get you discharged today. Now, you’ll still have to take it easy until those ribs heal. Don’t push it.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Kalini said. “I’ll be there as long as he needs me.”

The look on Hawk’s face said it all. He was always going to need her.

“I’m going to go see Otis,” I said, feeling like the odd man out. “Give me a call if either of you need anything at all.”

“We will,” Kalini answered for both of them. “Let Otis know we’ll come see him before we leave.”

“I will.”

As I walked down the hall to the elevator, I knew that I needed to start making plans, calling people, getting questions answered about what came next.

I hadn’t asked Bair’s dad about a funeral or memorial service. Even though Bair had technically moved to Houston, the band traveled enough that I knew he’d still thought of Austin as home. The record label would most likely plan a memorial here, but I wanted to make sure Bair’s family was okay with it before we made any official arrangements.

We’d have to figure out what to do about the band. It wasn’t my primary concern, but I was going to make it my responsibility, not just because I was the one who’d put the band together, but because the others didn’t need to worry about any of that. I’d make sure they were all taken care of.

When I reached the Intensive Care Unit, I stopped at the nurses’ desk to make sure it was okay for me to see Otis. The head nurse said he was awake, but to keep the visit short. He still needed his rest.

“Ready to stop lazing around?” I asked as I walked into his room. “If you wanted a vacation, you could’ve just asked.”

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