“I can give that a try.”
“I trust Chris will keep you under control.”
“You underestimate me.”
Salvatore’s smile was genuine. “You’re probably right. But if you don’t take precautions, you could be looking at an eight-week recovery rather than four to six.”
Four to six?
Would I be living with Christopher and the kids for that long?
“You will likely be without the boot toward the end. And mostly mobile and able to go home. Take it from me, though, the more you stay off it, the faster you’ll heal. So don’t be a stubborn ass; let people take care of you.”
“My reputation really precedes me, huh?”
“Brio may have mentioned you a time or two when I’ve been stitching him up. Now, I’m gonna give you a boot. I want you to use it at least for a week. After that, trust yourself. If you try to walk and it feels really weak or hurts, go back in the boot. If you feel alright, then keep the boot off. Sometimes, this shit is realdramatic for a few days then kinda dies down. But not always, so you’re gonna have to play it by ear.”
“Got it. I can roll around on my chair at work.”
“It’s cute you think they’re gonna let you work.”
“They don’tletme do anything.”
To that, he raised a brow at me.
“Think you underestimate them. I’m just gonna grab a boot that will fit those baby feet of yours.”
“What’s the verdict?” Christopher asked as he came back in.
“A boot. At least for a week. Then I can see how I feel.”
“Not too bad then.”
“Salvatore thinks I’m not going to be allowed to work.”
“That’s probably true.”
“I have a job to do.” And an income I need to earn.
“You have a target on your back. If it’s really important to you to be open, Lorenzo might be willing to swing it with a few guards. And after you’ve taken a couple days off to heal.”
I could deal with that. It wasn’t like I was making a huge amount of money every day anyway. It was more important to be open over the weekend. I could force them to let that happen.
“Are the kids going to be okay with me staying at your place? That’s not too much? After… everything?”
“I think they’re gonna like the company. Especially Charlotte. Hope you don’t have big expectations for your room. I took the smallest one.”
“Of course you did.” His head tilted, brows pinching. “It’s just that kids have this whole world. All their junk they collect and hobbies. We have… work. And if we’re lucky, an hour or two to read a book or watch a show before bed. We don’t need the big rooms.”
“Yeah. I knew I’d have to hit work hard when we got back to the city, so it wasn’t a big deal to lose the space. Miss the primary closet, though. Half of Liam’s shit ends up on the floor anyway.”
“Alright, got the boot,” Salvatore said, coming into the room to slip it carefully on me. Then gave me a bottle of pain meds whose origins I chose not to ask about.
“How is it?” Christopher asked as I took a few tentative steps.
“It’s… sore. But I can—” I lost the rest of that sentence as I was swooped up into his arms.
“Ready to go home?”
