Page 14 of Wild For You
As Nate practically lifted me onto the porch, bypassing the steps, I could hear the chatter inside the house. The curtains shifted as two little faces disappeared out of view. The seven-year-old twins.
The door swung open wide as he reached for the knob, and I came face-to-face with my stepfather, who looked like he hadn’t slept in days. My mom stood behind him, looking even worse.
“Oh, Andrew,” she whimpered, covering her mouth with her hand.
“I’m okay, Mom.”
“No, you’re not. You’re all battered and bruised, Andrew. You’re anything but okay.”
“Would it make things better if I tell you it could have been worse?”
“No.”
Nash, my stepfather, moved to my other side and gently placed my free arm around his shoulders, mimicking my hold on Nate.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you settled into bed.”
“Thanks,” I grumbled as we moved toward the bedroom. I looked around and saw that someone moved the furniture to give more space around the bed. There were also dressings and medical supplies on top of the dresser. I had quite a few stitches along my head and back that would require cleaning.
I shifted onto the bed, lifting my bad leg first, then sat up more, taking in the crowd that filled the doorway. Eloise and Molly stood in the front, both of them with flushed cheeks that had wet trails running down from their eyes.
“Come here, kiddos,” I said, beckoning them forward. “I’m a little beat up, but I could use a really big twin hug.” Though my back felt like someone was holding a branding iron to it, I held my arms out for my two favorite nieces.
As the two girls slowly made their way to me, I watched my sister, Autumn, swipe away a tear as she rocked her son, Eli, in her arms. Alex rubbed her expanding stomach as she comforted her older sister. I had another niece on the way, and by the way Rory was clinging to Talon, I didn’t think she would be too far behind. Aspen and Owen weren’t standing with the group, and I wondered if Aspen was taking my injury the hardest. Most of the tasks on the farm were inherently going to fall on her, something I wished wasn’t the case. I was the reason she was getting to live her happily ever after, after all, and I hated I was the one to put it on pause.
The girls’ little arms gently wrapped around me, and I felt myself leaning into their warmth even though I knew I probably smelled terrible and looked even worse.
“Momma said you almost died,” Molly claimed as she pulled back slightly.
I glared at Alex, who simply shrugged. “I didn’t almost die. I just… rode a horse that didn’t want a rider; that’s all.”
“Why was the horse so angry?” Eloise asked, her little nose scrunching with curiosity.
“He wasn’t angry. He was just having a bad day, like me.”
“Oh.” I’d been spending some time over the summer teaching the girls how to ride a horse, using a local stable and their smaller breeds. Now I worried Eloise was going to be scared the next time we had a lesson, and the horse would definitely feed off that energy.
“Can I get you anything?” Mom asked as she fiddled with her hands, her eyes darting around the room as the twins moved over to their parents.
“I think I just need to take my meds and get some rest.”
“Oh! I stopped by the pharmacy for you. Let me get you a glass of water.” Rory darted out of the room and returned a minute later with a full glass of water and two pill bottles. She explained that one was a muscle relaxer, and one was a NSAID that offered relief from pain and inflammation. I wasn’t thrilled about the pain medication, but I knew if I wanted to sleep, I’d need it. Luckily, the doctor didn’t prescribe the stronger meds he originally wanted me to take.
Rory helped me delve into the bottles while the group inched farther into the room. As I swallowed the water, I glancedaround, feeling like an animal on display. It was like they were all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It left me… angry. I’d already been motivated to push through this injury and get back to my job of running the farm, but now I was even more motivated. I needed to show them they didn’t need to be disappointed in me. I didn’t need to be the black mark on the family. The wild one.
Once the meds were in my system, Rory grabbed the glass from me and left the room just as a knock sounded at the door.
“Oh, good,” she said as the glass clanked on the kitchen counter, which could all be heard over the silence in the room. Not even the baby was making a noise louder than a suckle as he went to town on a pacifier.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” I heard Rory say. There was another voice off in the distance I didn’t recognize, but it seemed familiar.
“Owen seemed to have perfect timing with that call.”
“I know, right? Anyway, he’s in here.”
My family moved aside and let the newcomer into the room. She was pretty, with dark hair pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head and bangs that parted down the middle, framing her eyes. Rory pulled her farther into the room, right up to where I sat on the bed.
