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“Did Doc say you could do regular activities?” His brows rose when I mumbled a reply. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that. Was that yes or no?”
“No!” I yelled, feeling like a petulant child being scolded. “But he also didn’t tell me to stay holed up in bed all damn day either. I’m fine, Colt. There’s no pain.” Much, I thought. But hell would freeze over before I admitted that. “And I’m not tired. I just want to go outside and breathe in the fresh air.”
Pushing away from the doorframe, he took my hands in both of his. “I just don’t want you to overdo it,” he said in a quiet, gentle voice. “You’re just getting over being shot, baby. I don’t want you to have a setback.”
“But I’m fine now,” I assured him, melting into him. It felt good to have someone to lean on. Other than the rare occasions when my mom wasn’t stuck up my father’s ass, I hadn’t ever had anyone who cared about my well-being. Now, it seemed I had an entire family, with Colt front and center. Always worrying about how I was feeling, if I needed anything. Loving me.
“All right, let’s go outside for a little while. But then promise me you’ll take it easy the rest of the day.”
I might have actually jumped up and down in excitement if I’d known he wouldn’t send me straight back to bed. I curbed the urge and linked my fingers through his as we walked through the clubhouse.
“Hey, Kelli,” one of the ol’ ladies called when she saw me. “How are you feeling, honey?”
“I’m good.”
“Good to see you up, Kelli,” another said with a warm smile as we passed through the main room.
I returned her smile, but I kept walking, needing to see the outside world, breathe in the fresh air. Our bedroom was starting to smell stale to me, the four walls seeming to close in on me a little more every hour I was stuck in there.
Instead of going out the front, Colt led me through the kitchen, grabbing a paper plate and loading a few sandwiches onto it from one of the platters that always seemed to be set up this time of day. Handing me two waters, he took my hand again and walked out to one of the picnic tables outside.
The back parking lot was like a ghost town. No cars, no motorcycles, and no people scattered around eating or just shooting the shit. The air wasn’t as chilly as it had been lately, but Colt still sat close to me, as if trying to keep me warm with his nearness. Picking up one of the sandwiches, he offered it to me.
“Eat, then we’ll walk around the parking lot a little before you go back to bed.”
I didn’t argue, figuring I would only be wasting my breath if I tried to just yet. Instead, I bit into the turkey and cheese sandwich. I didn’t know if it was the fresh air or if I was just that hungry, but I devoured the meat and bread like I hadn’t eaten in days rather than just a few hours.
Quinn had brought me a tray of oatmeal and toast that morning for breakfast, but she had been too busy helping to watch all the kids running around the clubhouse to have time to keep me company. Flick had come to take the tray a while later once I was finished, but she had been busy too. I knew everyone had responsibilities while we were on lockdown, and I would rather have been helping them out than stuck in that damn room all by myself.
“How is Tanner?” I asked before washing down my last bite with my water.
“Good. Should be coming home in a few days.” He finished off one sandwich and picked up another. “I’ve been meaning to tell you…” He glanced around to double-check no one was nearby, but he still lowered his head to whisper at my ear. “If you see Bates, you need to avoid him as much as possible. Don’t trust anything he tells you or answer any questions he might ask.”
I widened my eyes at the seriousness of his face. “Okay. Not that I would talk to that creep anyway, but why?”
“He’s responsible for what happened to Tanner.”
Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting that. “And he’s still alive?” I asked incredulously.
“For now.” Colt kissed my lips tenderly before lifting his head. “I mean it, Kelli. Turn and walk in the other direction if you see that motherfucker coming. And if you can’t get rid of him, call me. Actually, call me, regardless. I want to know if that bastard is anywhere near you.”
“Yeah, okay. Avoidance is key. Gotcha.” I yawned, but when I saw the way his eyes darkened, I quickly snapped my mouth shut. “No, no, no. I’m fine. I’m allowed to yawn without you freaking out.”
“You’re tiring yourself out, baby. Please go back to our room and take a nap,” he urged, his face full of so much concern, my heart turned to goo.
But I wasn’t about to let his sinful good looks and that loving glaze in his eyes ruin my time outside. The air was crisp, and the sun was shining down on us. I was soaking up the Vitamin D and enjoying the slight breeze that was lifting my hair every few minutes. “I’m sick and tired of napping. I’m fine. Have a little trust in me to know my own limitations.”
“You’re so fucking stubborn,” he grumbled, glaring at me as he took another bite of his sandwich.
Grinning, I kissed his jaw as he chewed. “You love me, though.”
“So fucking much.” Dropping the sandwich on the plate, he turned so one leg was on either side of the bench and pulled me between his thighs. I snuggled against him, pillowing my head on his chest. “I just want to take care of you. Ma
ke sure you’re okay. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I don’t want to risk missing even one day of that. I nearly lost you, Kelli. I can’t go through that shit again.”
I sighed, a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. “Okay, fine. I’ll go back to bed… After you tell me everything that’s been going on lately that I’ve missed.”
He didn’t tell me much unless I made him, and I knew it was because he didn’t want to “stress me out.” But not knowing what was going on around me was stressing me out more than actually knowing, damn it.
