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“One where you come home with me.” I hold my breath, waiting to see her reaction. Ever since the phone call with my mom this morning, I’ve been worried about how I would handle both.
My family needs me, but so does Nora.
With her dance schedule, there was no way I could make it home to check on my dad and still be there for Nora. Now things are different. Now she needs a distraction and maybe a trip to my hometown is just the thing.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
I decide to lay it all out there and let her decide what she wants to do. I’ll respect her decision either way, but I hope like hell she agrees to come home with me.
I don’t want to have to call Colin or Donovan to watch her for a few days while I run back home to Sutter Creek. I was torn in two this morning when my mom called, begging me to come home. I didn’t make any promises, but I have to go. I just didn’t want to leave Nora, and now, as fucked up as the situation is, I might not have to.
“My dad isn’t doing so great, and my mom called this morning asking me to come home for a little bit.”
She sits up straighter. “Oh no, SJ. Why didn’t you say anything? What happened?” Her concern for my father warms my heart. Another piece of it falls for this incredible woman.
“He has an auto-immune disorder that causes flare-ups. My mom said this one is bad, and he’s struggling with the day to day at the hardware store the two of them run together. She’s hoping I can come for a bit to ease some of the load. Just long enough for him to get past his flare-up.”
She sighs. “Why does life suck so bad sometimes? I’m sorry you and your family have to deal with that.”
“That’s life, cupcake. You have to take the bad with the good. Most of the time he does really well, but he’s getting older, and his flare-ups are more frequent.”
“You want me to go with you?” she asks with a bit of insecurity in her tone.
“Yes, but only if you want to. I can call Colin or Donavan in to help watch you while I’m gone.”
Even though it tears me up inside to offer that as an option, I want to make sure she knows she has choices. She could go home to her apartment in Queens and recover there while one of the other guys watch out for her.
“Are you sure you want to bring me to meet your family? Isn’t that, like, against company policy or something?”
I laugh at that. We’re so far past what’s appropriate. A prime example is me lying in the damn hospital bed with her, stroking her back and drying her tears.
“Let me worry about that part. What do you say? You coming home with me?”
She scrunches her forehead as she pretends to think about her answer. I know she’s pretending because she’s dramatically tapping her pointer finger on her lips,
“Hmmm, what shall I do? Should I go with SJ or let Colin come protect me?”
Ohhh, she really went there. What a little brat. That’s it. I reach down and tickle her ribs lightly as I watch her squirm in the bed. Her laughter comes out loud and slightly choked.
“Okay, okay, uncle!” she says between huffs of laughter, but I don’t let up.
It takes barely any pressure from me before she bucks on the bed. The pain meds are working well enough she can move more with less pain, but I’m still careful not to push it too far.
“Parakeet! Parakeet!” she hollers out when I didn’t stop at the word uncle.
“Hey, that’s a serious code word, Ms. Reyes. It shall not be used in jest,” I scold as I finally let up on the light tickling session.
“Uncle is the universal code word for mercy, SJ!” she says, affronted.
I simply shrug my shoulders. “You asked for it when you said you would rather have Colin protect you.”
“I said no such thing, big man. You’re the only one I want. Take me home to meet your momma,” she sasses as she curls into my side and her eyelids drift closed. The pain meds and the crash of adrenaline hit her all at once.
I chuckle as I pull her closer to my side and wait for the nurse to show up with her paperwork.
Looks like we’re going to Sutter Creek, and Nora Reyes is going to meet my parents.
Chapter 20
