Page 38 of Crazy In Love
“It’s okay.” She lays her arm over mine and strokes Hazel’s little chin with the tip of her finger. “I don’t mind. I got Franky’s first ten years, so you can probably have her whole first day and it still wouldn’t be a fair exchange. Besides,” she pushes up straight, arching her back and groaning in response to the loud pops that become audible. Then she turns to Franky but backs up and leans against my chair.
She’s tired.
“We missed breakfast, and the lunch ladies came around a whole hour ago. We made sure Mom ate but forgot about us. You wanna come with me to get something to eat, buddy?”
“No, thanks.” He concentrates on the board, nudging his glasses higher and selecting a pawn to charge forward. “I ate some of Mom’s sandwich, so I’m not hungry anymore.”
True, I’m sure. But what he actually means is he missed the shit out of his mother, and he’s not letting her out of his sight until he has to.
“Thanks, though.”
“Why don’t you go back to the apartment and chill?” Tommy offers. “You’re still wearing yesterday’s clothes, so a shower and a meal will set you up for another night at the house. We’re good here for a while.”
“I suppose.” Thoughtful, she rolls the sleeves of my hoodie up her arms and reaches back to fix her messy ponytail. “Franky, you wanna come to the apartment and?—”
“No, thanks.”
“Leave him here with us,” Alana murmurs, meeting his worried eyes with a playful wink. “Tommy can get us snacks, then we’ll settle in for a quiet afternoon. Ollie said he’ll check on us in a little bit, and I kinda want a nap before then.”
“Family time.” Tommy presses a kiss to Alana’s knuckles. “Sounds perfect.”
“Yeah. Family time.” Fox takes out her phone and stares at the screen like it holds the world’s secrets. But fuck if I don’t see the flickerof hurt passing through her eyes. The ache she won’t verbalize.Family time.Without her. “Heading back to the apartment sounds like a great idea, actually.” She puts her phone back and pats her pockets. “I guess I’ll give credit where credit’s due—” She rearranges her expression, pasting on a fake smile, then she spins and beams for her best friend, “Plainview being so small means I can walk anywhere in a matter of two blocks and five minutes. If I was in New York and forgot my car at home, I’d need two trains and a sacrificial goat.”
“I’ll drive you.” Hugging Hazel to my chest, I stand and earn Fox’s surprised gaze as she swings back around. Then I brush past her and cross the room. “They want family time, and I drove us here in my truck.”
She wrings her hands together and tracks my every step. “Family means you too, Uncle Chris.”
I kiss Hazel’s forehead and gently lay her bundled body in Tommy’s waiting arms. Then, I meet Fox’s eyes and feel a little bad for her.
For the first time ever.
“It means the four of them. Not four and a hanger-on-er.”
“You could stay if you want to,” Alana counters. Explains.Over-explains. “I didn’t mean to push you out. That’s not what I meant?—”
“I don’t feel pushed out.” I cross to her and drop a kiss on her cheek, then I ruffle Franky’s hair and murmur, “Castle to D5. Take his queen and destroy his attack.”
“Chris!” He slaps my hand away. “Don’t tell her how to win! That’s cheating.”
Snickering, Alana moves her castle and decimates her son’s defense.
“Come on.” I turn again and hate how annoyingly pretty Fox is when she’s not the loudest, cockiest rooster in the room. Confidence is sexy, and the fact she’s no pushover is delicious—beneath the irritation, anyway—but when she’s not quite sure where she belongs, hasn’t slept as much as she’d like, and she’s not as perfectly presented as her corporate Barbie preference, she’s vulnerable and cute and bordering on sheepish.
Jesus save me. I don’twantto think of her as anything except untouchable and a little bitchy. Life is safer that way.
I stroll across the room, and grab the hem of her hoodie—my hoodie—and give it a gentle tug. “I’m starving, my body’s eating itself, I haven’t stretched my legs yet today, and you’re looking a little—”adorable“—messy.”
Predictably, her eyes narrow to slits, and her hands fly up to flatten her hair. “I’m not messy. I look fine.”
“You look like you’re doing a walk of shame. Everyone’sthinking it.”
“I’m not doing a walk of shame! You know exactly where I was last night, jackass.” She follows me out of the hospital room, dogging my steps and crashing into my back when I stop and wait for the security doors to let us out. “You poke at me because youwantus to fight, Christian. Youwantme to be mean to you.”
“Do I?” I slip my hands into my pockets and spy her bulldog nose scrunched with viciousness. “I guess I picked that habit up from you. Fighting with you is easy. It might even be fun sometimes.”
“I can walk to the apartment.” Two deep lines cut between her brows, furrowing and frustrated. “I don’t trust myself to be kind when I’m tired, and your feelings are too easily hurt.”
“I think I’m gonna be okay.” I cut left and snag her hoodie, pulling her along with me. “You can have a shower, and I’ll relax in front of the television while I wait. Twenty minutes of quiet would be nice, then we can grab something to eat before I die of starvation.”
