They just lie there, not speaking, quietly, gently stroking me. Nothing sexual, just comforting.
“You fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow last night, pretty girl,” Fox soothes.
“Not pretty. Just broken.” I sniffle. God, why can’t I just accept that this is how my life is?
Every time I think I accept it, every time I think I’m getting better and can start to live a little more, this happens and I sink back into feeling sorry for myself.
“Hey, I don’t like it when people talk shit about my girlfriend,” Nitro scolds, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of my head before smoothing my hair.
I snort, “Girlfriend?”
Peeking out of the blankets to be met with Fox’s smile. “Well, yeah, figured you’d freak out at Ol Lady.”
I stiffen, because Ol Lady is a big deal. That’s the equivalent of a wife in the MC world.
“Come on babe, you can’t possibly think we’d tell you we loved you and not make you our Ol Lady,” Nitro adds from behind me.
I lay there, stunned silent, wrapped like a burrito in the Keep Chapter’s clubhouse. “Wow.”
“Yup. Wow. Now, can you feel how everything feels just a teeny bit better?” Fox asks, taking my stiff hand, rubbing his large fingers over my knuckles. The warmth feels nice.
“Yeah,” I whisper back.
Because he’s right. Things feel a teeny bit better. I mean my headache is still here, as is the pain in my joints, but the burden feels lighter at least.
“You just let us know when you’re ready to get up and moving, babe. No hurry.”
“But we’re leaving today,” I murmur.
“We are,” Zane answers, “But that means fuck all to us. We’ll leave when you’re ready. That could be today, could be tomorrow, could be a fucking week away. We’ll move when you’re ready.”
“I love you,” I say to Hayden before meeting Zane’s eyes over my shoulder. “Both of you. And I’ve laid here feeling sorry for myself for way too long.”
I slowly move to sit up, pushing my hair out of my face. Hayden and Zane also move, Zane to stand at the side of the bed, and Hayden not so elegantly, but very carefully crawling over meto stand next to Zane. They share a look, then peel their cuts off, then their shirts.
I give them a confused look then start to giggle when Nitro, my big, serious man, starts gyrating while unzipping his pants.
“What are you doing?”
“You like to shower first thing, babe. We’re going to shower with you, make sure you’re OK.” Hayden shoves his pants to the floor, kicking his boots across the room. “No funny business, though, sweetheart. We need you clean, fed and comfortable.”
“Yup, arms up, babe,” Nitro agrees, peeling his shirt from my body then lifting me in his arms, carrying me to the bathroom as Hayden warms the water.
“You two are crazy, you know that?”
“Crazy for you babe, crazy for you.”
Chapter 23
Fox
Icurse as I finish buttoning up the last of the stupid tiny buttons on Jazz’s shirt. Who the fuck makes buttons and holes on button ups this tiny? If my big ass hands are struggling, then Jazz’s most definitely would have. Her fingers look stiff as hell, knuckles a little pink and I know they have to ache. I share a look with Nitro, letting him know that as soon as Jazz moves in we’ll start phasing out tiny button shirts in favor of shit she can pull straight on.
“Just so you know, I can button my own shirt up,” Jazz says, an adorable grumpy look on her face.
“Of course you can baby, but why would I let you do that when I can do it?” I answer.
“Because it looks like you can’t,” she points out as another tiny fucking button slips through my fingers.
