Page 80 of Operation Annulment
“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” After swiping a tear from the corner of my eye, he presses a light kiss against my hair and carries me back to bed.
I should be afraid, but as he lays me back against the pillows and tucks the blankets around my shoulders, I feel like a little kid again—safe, protected, and most of all, loved.
Fat tears spill onto my cheeks as I consider Nate was the last person to make me feel that.
“Nate. Where did Nate go?” I cry, drowning in a sea of grief.
“Nobody’s been here but me.”
I shake my head firmly. “I saw him. Nate. He was here, and he wanted to take care of me.”
“I think you’re hallucinatin’, darlin’.” His jaw tightens, and he climbs into bed, drawing me up against his chest
I’m going mad.
My shoulders shake as I release another anguished sob against his shirt, and his hold tightens. “Which one heard voices? Was that Sylvia Plath or Virginia Woolf?”
He laughs easily. “Well, I think it was Virginia Woolf. In your case,though, I’d blame it on the pneumonia and not any mental break on your end.”
“So, Nate hasn’t been here at all?”
He still thinks I’m a psychopath.
Someone dropped by earlier,” he admits, toeing off his boots before settling against the pillows. “Dressed like a cowboy? You were sleepin’, and I didn’t want to wake you.”
I sigh. “That would be Nate’s brother, Garrett. He must not have heard how insane I am yet.”
“You know, when you were a little girl, you would refuse to go to bed until you’d had a bedtime story. Your mama would offer to read it, and you’d throw a fit—it had to be me. You loved for me to read comics to you?—”
“I think you’re mixing me up with Dakota,” I mumble.
“No, it was you. Dakota wasn’t even around then. You were picky about them, too. You always requested the same comics. They had to be Spider-Man, or they were no good. I once asked you why, and do you know what you told me?”
“Not a clue,” I rasp before going into a coughing fit.
Grey lightly rubs my back until it passes before continuing. “You told me you liked him because he wasn’t perfect. He lost his uncle and the love of his life, but you said somethin’ that day that’s always stuck with me: ‘he’s been through so much, but he just keeps tryin’ to do the right thing—even when it would be easier to give up.’ You’ve always had a soft spot for broken things, Katydid. I can’t imagine that Nate is much different. You were drawn to Peter Parker’s story because it’s your story, too.”
“No, I’m uptight. Rigid. Unyielding—nothing like your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Just Not So Fun Kate. What a terrible superhero I’d make.”
Grey makes a noise that sounds like disapproval. “No matter what life has thrown at you, you’ve taken it all in stride, knowing that with great power comes great responsibility. You were Dakota’s keeper when your mama left, but you don’t need to do that anymore. You’veshouldered that burden for too long—if I had known things were that bad, I would have stepped in a long time ago.”
My eyes grow heavy. “What are you going to do? Shower me in money? Break anyone who crosses me? Because I’ve got quite the list, starting with my grandparents. And then Nate… obviously.”
My head bounces against his chest as it rises and falls with laughter. “I don’t think you’re cut out for this lifestyle, kiddo. Hell, there are days that I don’t think I’m cut out for it. Sleep, Katydid. I’m gonna get you some more medicine.”
I cough until my eyes stream, rasping out, “You know, I’d argue with you, but I feel like dying. I can’t handle one more thing. I’m so tired, Grey. I’m tired of feeling guilty… tired of constantly being pulled in fifteen different directions. If I’m being honest, I’m tired of living this life.”
“Daddy’s here now,” he murmurs, gently rocking me. “Ain’t got much of a plan yet, but I’m gonna get us out of this, Katydid. You just rest and let me take over for a while.”
He leans down to press a kiss against my head, and little drops of water fall onto my face.
It’s raining in my bedroom.
That’s what’s happening here.
Bikers don’t cry, do they?
thirty-one
