Page 35 of Where We Bloom

“We’re going to cuddle,” he says as he wraps his armaround my shoulders and tugs me against him. “It’s good for you.”

“Cuddling is good for you?”

“Yep.”

“What if I don’t want to?”He knows I want to. My big brother knows that touch is my love language.

“I want to.” He kisses the top of my head. “I want you to know that Connor went above and beyond last night, Bee. Aside from kicking that asshole’s ass, he helped you when you threw up?—”

“Oh God.”

“—and watched you all night. He didn’t sleep, so he could monitor your breathing and make sure you weren’t in distress. It wasn’t just a matter of getting you somewhere safe and letting you sleep it off while he did the same.”

Now I feel like a jerk for kicking him out of here earlier.

“He could have just dropped me off at the ER.”

“He could have,” Blake agrees. “But he didn’t. And I can tell you that when he first called me, he was scared as fuck.”

I turn so I can look up at my brother. “He was?”

“Yeah. And Connor doesn’t exactly strike me as the kind of dude who lets much faze him.”

No. He doesn’t me, either.

“I thought you should know. I don’t have a clue what’s going on with you two. From what I’ve seen, you dance around each other. You look at each other like youwant to devour each other, but I watch you fight it. Both of you.”

“Are you trying to set me up with him?”

“Just telling you what I know and see. I love you.”

I sigh and settle against him. “I love you, too. Stop interfering.”

“I’m not.”

“Not yet.”

“Do you like him?”

I sigh again and feel stupid tears threaten, so I swallow hard. “Yeah, but he doesn’t?—”

“Maybe stop assuming what Connor does or doesn’t think and pay attention to what hedoes. Because like you said, he could have just dumped you off at the ER and washed his hands of the whole situation. Instead, he nursed you through the worst of it, and I’m not lying when I tell you he was afraid.”

“If he was that scared, why didn’t he demand you come over? It’s not like any of you to hold back if you think I’m in trouble.”

In fact, I need to check my cell. There are probably a gazillion messages.I’m honestly surprised they haven’t all landed on my doorstep, including Dani and Skyla.

“I tried. He was … scaredfor you, but confident he could care for you. He listened to everything I said, and when I checked on you early this morning, it was clear he was doing a good job.”

“Huh. I don’t want him to be scared because of me.”

He kisses my hair again. “Just something to thinkabout. Now, hand me the remote. We’re going to watch TV.”

“The bag’s almost empty. You can go home.”

“Nah. I’m hanging out with my best girl.”

“You’re annoying as fuck, Blake.”

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