“Thank you,” Cash said. “Really, this means a lot.”
We stopped in front of Dallas’s room, and I knocked on the door. After a few seconds, Dallas emerged, looking miserable in sweats and a hoodie. His eyes were puffy, and he looked exhausted. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?” He rubbed at his throat, trying to soothe his hoarse voice. His eyes settled on the crockpot, then bounced over to Liv and the mountain of goodies she held. “No way. What’s all this?”
“Chicken and dumplings.” Liv nodded. “And lots of other goodies. I brought enough for all of you and then some.”
The door across from Dallas’s room opened, and Luca stepped out, his head cocked as he looked at us.
I chuckled. “Seriously. We could probably feed the entire hotel staff.”
“You’re a fucking angel.” Dallas sniffled.
Luca gestured at me and Liv. “Something smells good out here.”
Dallas beamed. “Liv made us food.”
“Damn,” Luca said. “You made all this for us?”
Liv nodded, then twisted back toward me. “Shoot. I left the bag with the other stuff in the Jeep.”
“Other stuff?” Luca asked. “There’s more?”
“I brought some paper bowls and plates, that kind of stuff. Dal, I got you some Gatorade and Vitamin C. Oh, and some green tea.”
“I can go grab it,” I offered.
“I’ll run down and get it,” Liv said. “You go plug in the crockpot.”
“Let me at least take these off your hands.” Luca held out his arms, and Liv unloaded the treats on him.
She dug her keys out of the tiny purse that was slung across her body. “I’ll be right back.” She touched my arm before heading back down the hall toward the elevator. My eyes lingered on her as she walked away, my chest swelling with admiration.
“I can’t believe she did all this for us.” Dallas shook his head, opening the door further to let us in.
I found a spot on a table near the door to plug in the crockpot, and Luca placed the other food beside it. Dallas immediately started rifling through the containers. He inhaled deeply. “Wait, is this pumpkin bread? Damn, that woman is amazing.”
Luca grabbed a blueberry muffin and took a bite. “This is delicious. Cash, you want one?” He held the container out toward him.
“Thanks.” Cash plucked one of the muffins from the tin. “That Liv is something else, and damn can she bake.”
“Wait till you try the dumplings.” I crossed the room to one of the chairs, sitting on the arm.
“You better lock that shit down, Jax,” Luca warned.
Dallas rolled his eyes. “Sage words of wisdom from the guy who can’t even get a girlfriend.”
“I canget one,” Luca said. “I just don’twantone, but if I did, I’d want one like Liv.”
I smiled, looking down at my hands. “Trust me, I want her. She’s… incredible.”
Dallas took a bite of his pumpkin bread, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. A sad smile spread across his face. “She reminds me of Carrie.” His eyes widened as though he were shocked by the words that escaped his mouth.
For a second, it felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room. Luca’s eyes darted over to Cash, and I looked over at him tentatively.
“Cash, I’m sorry, brother.” Dallas frowned.
“Don’t be.” Cash waved him off. “You’re right. I was thinking the same thing. This is the kind of thing Carrie would have done.” His gaze fell to the floor, a mournful expression tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Yeah, it is.” Luca’s voice was solemn. “She always made sure we were taken care of.”
