Page 104 of Unexpected Kisses

I open my eyes slowly and without lifting my head, turn in his direction. “Yeah. I was just listening to Sarah in the kitchen and appreciating her being back where she belongs.”

“Where? In the kitchen?” Dylan jokes. “You’re becoming more and more like your grandfather every day.”

“Piss off.” I huff. “As if. No, I mean home.”

“I knew what you meant. Hopefully, she’s here to stay, right?”

“Hopefully.”

CHAPTER45

–sarah–

My anxiety is finallyquiet since being home with AJ and knowing he’s going to be okay. It’s all I need—well, I wouldn’t mind if my upset stomach finally disappeared—because nothing else is as important as him being safe.

After helping AJ bathe away his hospital stay, I help him to bed. He looks drained after the effort it took to get him upstairs and then showered. I’m also feeling exhausted after a week of the shittiest of shit sleep in the hospital. I’m grateful Eric allowed me to work on a laptop from the hospital and has told me there’s no need to rush back to work. I quickly shower and clean up the bathroom. As I open the bathroom door, my gaze catches on my man, so I lean against the door frame to watch him for a few moments while his eyes are closed. He’s probably already passed out.

“Are you gonna stand there and watch me like a creeper all night?” He smirks and I walk toward him.

“Maybe,” I sass.

“Come here, Cupcake. I need to hold you properly.” A sigh escapes as I climb into bed. God, I’ve missed him. I’m not sure how I thought I’d be able to live without this man. He holds his arm out and I snuggle as close as I can without touching him. We had to swap sleeping sides so I won’t accidentally knock his broken leg during the night. He sighs and drags me closer. “You can touch me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve just had a major fall.”

“You won’t hurt me, Cupcake. Not being able to touch you hurts far worse than any of my injuries. Plus, I’m feeling okay.” I lay my hand on his abs and settle my body so it’s touching every available inch of his. His muscles relax beneath my palm and when I glance up at his face, his lips are raised in a serene smile.

I press a light kiss to his bristly jaw. “Goodnight. I’m so glad you’re home safe. I love you.”

He turns his head, kissing my forehead with a lingering press of his lips. “I love you. Night, Cupcake. Thanks for taking care of me.”

* * *

I leap out of bed before I’m fully awake, careful not to bump AJ, and race into the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach. I drop to my knees, the tiles digging into my flesh, retching into the toilet over and over. A never-ending, gut-wrenching purge that seems to have no end. The room spins when I finally finish, and I flush away the evidence. Closing the lid of the toilet, I fold my arms on top and rest my head on them to catch my breath, noticing some of my hair is covered in vomit—yuck. Geez, that was close. I almost didn’t make it. The sound of the bathroom door opening has me looking up through bleary eyes. God! I don’t want him to see me like this. His worried gaze locks on me.

“Sarah? How can I help you?” He lumbers into the bathroom balancing on his crutches, coming closer and I hold up my hand. He’s getting better at moving around, even though we’ve only been home five days. Tomorrow marks two weeks since his fall and I’m still not over the shock of it all—ugh!

“Please stay away. I’m revolting and I don’t want you to come any closer.”

“Cupcake,” he breathes. “Let me help you.”

“No. I’m okay. I’ll … uh … just have a quick shower. You shouldn’t be up on your feet. Remember. You need to stay off that leg as much as possible.” I point to his cast. “I can manage. Promise.” I implore him with my eyes and he takes a reluctant step back, leaving me in the bathroom with a nod.

“If you need anything, just shout. I’ll help however I can.”

“Thanks. I won’t be long.”

I brush my teeth, then climb into the shower. I let the warm water beat down on me, rinsing the vomit from my hair. With my eyes closed, I let the spray rinse away the past two weeks—a time I’ll never forget. The regret I’m holding onto about my reaction to AJ being my new boss, which sent him out climbing to clear his head and subsequently fall is overwhelming. A sob leaves my throat with the guilt I’m holding on to. Even though Dylan tried to make me feel better and remove some of the blame from my shoulders, it’s really the only place the blame belongs.

The sound of shuffling captures my attention and I open my eyes to find AJ standing naked on the other side of the glass, wearing the waterproof cast we picked up from the drugstore. I open the door and help him inside. As much as I know he shouldn’t be standing unnecessarily, I selfishly want him with me. He pulls me into his body, cupping the back of my head, and my sobbing resumes.

“Shhhh, shhh. It’s okay. Let it out, Cupcake.” His roughened hand glides from the top of my head, down my back, and then starts back at the top, repeating the process again. The action is soothing and makes me feel cherished. Something I’m not sure I deserve after my behavior. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself.

I catch my breath and wipe my eyes, then look up into AJ’s soulful brown orbs. “I’m sorry I’ve kept you at a distance. I was scared and wrong, and I promise I won’t do it anymore. If you’ll still have me, I would really like the opportunity to make things right.”

His eyes flick between mine as he brushes my wet hair out of my face. “I’m not sure how you missed the signs, but there’s never been a question in my mind about us. I’ve wanted to be with you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’ve just been waiting for you to catch up.”

My lips tip up in relief. Somewhere deep inside, I’ve known it all along, but my stupid fear stopped me from seeing it for what it was. I press up on my toes and touch my lips to AJ’s tenderly, aiming to keep it light but AJ wraps his hand around my hair, holding me in place, our lips a hairsbreadth apart.

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