Page 38 of Heart of Stone
“You stay in bed, and I’ll go make some breakfast.”
He was going to cook? He’d gone from telling me to shut up and not talk to him unless I had something to say about work to now declaring he intended to cook me breakfast. If I’d had anystrength in my hands, I might have pinched myself to confirm this was really happening.
“I… I… That would be lovely, Reid. I just… Would you mind if…”
“What is it?”
I licked my lips, feeling hesitant, but ultimately said, “I desperately want to take a shower.”
His eyes roamed over me. Or as much of me as he could see since my lower half was still hidden beneath the blanket. “Okay. I can help you get out of bed and over there, and while you’re doing that, I’ll get the food ready.”
Reid was being so sweet and accommodating. It would’ve been easy for me to get attached to the man he was showing me now, so I needed to recall what happened the last time I thought we were making strides to be friendly acquaintances.
I pushed the blanket back from my body and moved to swing my legs out over the side of the bed. Reid held one hand out to me and brought the other around my back to ease me up to standing. Then he stayed by my side, holding on to me as we crossed the room. When we made it to the bathroom, he said, “If you think you’ll be alright, I’ll go get started on the food.”
I gave him a nod. “Okay.”
His mouth curved into a small smile, his eyes shining like I’d never seen before. “If you need my help at all, just yell for me.”
No matter what happened, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to bring myself to call him for help. Not when I was going to be naked in the shower. “Thanks, Reid.”
“Is there anything I can get you before you hop in?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “No. I think I’m good for now.”
A moment later, he was gone, and I was standing in the bathroom. I could move my body a bit easier than I’d been able to on Friday, so things were heading in the right direction, but it still wasn’t perfect. I still felt plenty of aches and pains, and whenI stripped out of my clothes, which had been no easy feat, there was still a significant amount of bruising to be found. On the bright side, the swelling in my face had gone down substantially. And I could finally see out of both eyes.
With some effort, I managed a shower. It wasn’t lengthy or lavish, but it got the job done, and I hadn’t felt like my legs were going to give out from under me. The best part was that it left me feeling the most revived I had in days. And while that was a great thing in so many ways, I realized it also meant I couldn’t blame being exhausted as a reason not to talk to Reid.
But if what he’d shared was the truth—that he’d been here with me ever since he showed up on Friday afternoon—maybe he really was serious about making amends.
As much as I might have preferred to hide in my bedroom to avoid him, the reality was that I’d need to face him at some point. Now was just as good as any.
So, after getting myself dressed and drying my hair, I made my way to the kitchen. It seemed I had near-perfect timing, because Reid turned toward the table with a plate in each of his hands. Both were piled high with eggs, toast, and fruit. “You weren’t joking about cooking.”
My voice startled him, pulling his attention in my direction. Reid looked me up and down, a smile of approval playing at his lips. He set the plates down on the table. “And I made the eggs your favorite way—over easy.”
Stunned, I asked, “How did you know that?”
He chuckled, the sight and sound of it leaving me stunned. “I asked you about it when you woke once on Friday evening, since I wanted to know what I could make that you’d like for breakfast on Saturday morning.”
I bit down lightly on my bottom lip, wondering what else I had revealed to him.
As though sensing my reason for my reaction, he insisted, “Don’t worry. I didn’t press you for any secrets.”
Well, at least there was that. “Thanks,” I muttered, moving toward the table.
Reid pulled out my chair for me and only sat after he confirmed I was safe and steady in my own seat. “You look a lot better this morning. I can only assume the shower helped.”
“Is that your way of telling me I was hideous before?”
He tipped his head to the side, his eyes roaming over my face. “No. All I meant is that you look refreshed and alert.”
I picked up my fork and dropped my gaze to the plate. “I feel better.”
Reid’s hand covered my free one and gave me a squeeze. “Good. I’m glad.” His hand didn’t linger, and he dove into his own breakfast.
I took a few bites, only then realizing just how hungry I was. At some point, around a mouthful of eggs, I glanced up to see Reid watching me. There was a light in his eyes I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen before. Lifting my hand up to cover my mouth, I said, “What’s wrong?”
