Page 39 of Hometown Touchdown
His eyes meet mine, steady and warm despite the awkwardness pulsing between us. Then he opens the thermometer box, presses the on button until it beeps, and passes it to me. “Here. We need to see how bad your fever is.”
I eye him warily. “Are you planning to nurse me back to health? Fluff my pillows? Spoon-feed me Jell-O?”
“I was thinking more like forcing you to take medicine and making sure you don’t pass out on the stairs.”
“You have a fabulous bedside manner,” I mumble around the thermometer.
“Shut up and keep it under your tongue.”
When it beeps, he reads it with a frown. “A hundred and two point three. You’re taking these.” He shakes out pills, hands me a water bottle, then pulls out one of the cooling pads from its box.
I let him put one of the cooling pads on my forehead. I let him cover me with a fresh blanket and adjust the pillows so I’m not lying weird. I let him sit on the edge of the coffee table, fidgeting with the corner of a vitamin label like he’s trying not to crawl out of his own skin.
The thing is—he doesn’t owe me any of this.
So when he hands me the bunny last, setting it gently beside me like it’s fragile, I blink at it for a second, then look up at him. “Why?”
Knox exhales, leaning back. “I don’t know. I just…felt like I needed to take care of you.”
I glance down at the bunny, then back at him, and feel something inside me wobble. Henry never cared for me when I was sick. I feel stupid for thinking about that man at this moment because Knox isn’t and never was like Henry.
“You didn’t have to,” I say, voice quiet. “I know I’m a mess, but I would’ve managed.”
He tilts his head, his brow lifting. “You were curled up like a human croissant, under twelve blankets and seemed proud you weren’t dying.”
“Well, I stand by that,” I say, my voice dry but softer now. A small smile pulls at my lips as I glance at him. “You didn’t have to come over or do all this.”
Knox shrugs, like showing up and taking care of me wasn’t even a question. “You looked miserable. I wanted to help. And…maybe I have poor boundaries.”
A quiet laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Checks out.”
The silence that follows isn’t awkward. It settles in gently, filling the space between us. My fingers toy absently with the edge of the blanket, and I glance down at the bunny still tucked into my side.
“I’ve been trying really hard not to need anyone,” I say after a moment, my voice lower now. “Well, other than my parents. After Henry…I guess I convinced myself that depending on people just makes things worse. That if I try to just handle everything myself, I couldn’t be caught off guard again.”
Knox doesn’t say anything right away. He just watches me with that same quiet intensity he always had. Not pushing. Just present.
“That makes sense,” he says finally, his tone gentle. “But not everyone bails when it gets hard, Brynn.”
The words land hard, and something in my chest twists. “I’m sorry I bailed,” I murmur. My voice wavers, and I blink quickly to chase away the sting behind my eyes.
He reaches out and brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his touch light. He exhales, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…it’s okay to let people in. To letsomeone take care of you without it being a warning sign. Don’t let what that idiot did convince you that kindness is a trick.”
“I know.” I let out a breath that feels like it’s been stuck in my chest for days. “And that’s what made this—madeyou—showing up feel so weird. It felt nice. But also kind of terrifying.”
His lips twitch into a crooked smile as he leans in just a little. “You know, for someone who’s terrified, you’re hanging on pretty tight to that rabbit.”
I glance down and realize I’ve been clutching the bunny to my chest like some kind of security blanket. I look back up at him, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m sick and weak,” I say, grinning. “Don’t use that against me.”
“No promises.”
“Don’t push your luck, Dalton.” I shake my head, then glance down at the bunny again. “Seriously though—thank you. For this evening. For not making a big deal about me being…human.”
He smiles, just barely. “I like seeing you human, you know. Even if you’re pale and dramatic.”
“Wow. Be still my heart.”
