Page 85 of The Confidentiality Clause
“Why didn’t you just take me there?”
“I figured you’d be more comfortable at your house right now.” He digs through one of the paper bags and pulls out a chocolate croissant. “You know, you could just enjoy the gift instead of questioning it.”
I sit back against the couch cushions, holding my coffee in my palms.
“I’m not used to this,” I confess. All of my relationships have been too short-lived for any of them to do something like take care of me when I don’t feel well.
He gives me a soft smile. “This is what you deserve. So, get used to it, because I’m planning on taking care of you for a long time.”
My stomach swoops. I take a sip of my coffee and focus on the taste to distract from the urge to cry again.
“Thank you,” I whisper as he hands me the croissant.
He leans over and presses a gentle kiss to my temple. “You’re welcome.”
We dig into our food and I start to feel better pretty quickly, though the fatigue hits me hard in spite of the caffeine.
Brock notices my eyes drooping and smiles. “Do you want to lay in my lap and see if you can get some rest?”
“Don’t you need to head to work soon?” I ask, but I’m already taking him up on his offer.
He settles a hand in my hair. I’m reminded of the night he soothed me to sleep during the storms. “Work can wait. You justrelax. Is there a show or movie you want to put on while you rest?”
“Hmmm maybeHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days? Sutton and I used to watch that one together all the time.”
He starts flipping through my streaming services to find it. “Speaking of Sutton, have you talked to her?”
His hand in my hair combined with the exhaustion of not sleeping last night makes my mind fuzzy.
“It’s been a few days. I think we’re supposed to paint our nails this weekend. Why?”
“She hasn’t responded to my messages. I’m sure she has a good reason though.”
I scrunch my nose. “That doesn’t sound like her. Do you want to message her from my phone?” I start to sit up.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll try Shaw again later. You rest.”
His fingertips brush over my forehead, then massage my scalp. I hum. Any concerns I have fade away.
My eyes flutter shut. I don’t so much as see the opening credits before I’m asleep.
Chapter thirty-nine
Brock Jones
I smile down at Ariel. She hasn’t stirred for the last two hours, not even when I replaced my leg with an actual pillow so I could clean up from breakfast and check on work. I hadn’t expected to stay here for so long, but one look into her tired eyes changed all of that. Past me would have been anxious to get back to work, and it’s not easy to break up with that feeling. There is a part of me that grapples with the old thoughts and patterns.
You should be working.
You’re getting behind.
All that you’ve worked for is going to disappear if you keep this up.
Ariel says it will go away with time, and I trust her. She hasn’t steered me wrong so far.
I pick my phone up and check my messages. Not for work, though. It’s been days since I both texted and called Sutton telling her I wanted to talk. After everything that was said thelast time we saw each other, I thought she’d answer right away. I can’t help but worry I pushed her and Shaw both too far while I was in LA.
I recall what Ariel said one time during an argument, that it would be easy for me to get on a plane and go see them. Maybe that’s what I’ll do. I’ll see if Ariel wants to come, and I’ll make time to go to Alabama for an in-person apology.
