"If you hurt yourself, you'll go back to the hospital or make it so that I can't help you at all."
He frowns at the news but nods. "Guess that means I need you then. Got a minute?"
Madi is in the kitchen getting a drink, and she slams the refrigerator door closed and disappears down the hallway to her room. I want to call her back and ask her to pitch in on dinner, but there's no time before her door shuts with a thud.
I ignore the teen drama and move toward Kace, dragging the wheelchair into position. "Let's go, big guy. Dani, I'll work on dinner after I help your dad. Grab some peanut butter crackers as a snack until then, okay?"
"Okay." At least one of the girls seems happy. For the moment.
Kace sits forward in his chair to shift into the wheelchair, and I position myself to help him balance. Once again, I'm up close and personal with his handsome face and muscular body and can't ignore the fact that, in another lifetime, I would have totally gone out of my way to flirt with him.
But now? Pregnant?
My body feels like it's betraying me by the hour. Falling for the wrong man on top of that feels like one disaster too many.
Chapter
Sixteen
Kace
I am now outnumbered three to one, I realize while eyeing the females sitting across from me at the kitchen table.
Lindsey and I agreed to take the easy way out regarding dinner and ordered pizza and salads to be delivered. Mads had wanted to eat in her room, but I made it clear we were having a family discussion while we ate, and now she's picking at her food like she's suddenly allergic, even though I've seen her devour a pizza slice faster than I can take a bite. "I wanted to talk to you guys last night, but I fell asleep. This isn't a lecture. It's a talk about making sure we all know what the rules are and where we stand."
Dani eyes me before quickly looking away, and while my beautiful baby girl has me twisted around her tiny fingers, it's my job to protect her. Once again, I go over the rules for her riding her bike when she gets it back in two weeks, whether she's with me or anyone else. Dani quickly agrees and says she's sorry, but I ignore her promise to never do it again, followed quickly by her request to get her bike back now. That's not happening.
Not only because of what nearly took place but because it'll take two weeks for my blood pressure to return to normal. And every day that passes without her bike is a reminder of the rule she broke. Hopefully it'll sink in and stick that she can't do whatever she wants.
From there, I move to the rules of the house that apply to both girls.
"I know having another adult in the house might take some getting used to, but Lindsey is here to help, and I will not have any of us taking our bad moods out on her, me included." I stare at Mads, but she refuses to lift her gaze off her plate. I know my words have hit home, though, because of the sour twist of her lips. "No slamming doors. No stomping off in a huff. You got a problem? Open your mouth and talk about it in a reasonable tone so we can work through it and come up with a solution. Got it?"
Dani looks from me to Lindsey and back again, her expression wary and a little uncertain, like she isn't sure why I've said what I've said.
Madi ignores me. And I feel the last of my frayed nerves shredding. "Mads? Listen up."
"I'm listening."
Yeah, there was no attitude in those two words at all. "Okay, then hear me when I say this. You are part of this family now. No one expects you to fend for yourself, and I certainly don't intend to leave you out of any future plans. Whatever happens? We do it as a family. You're one of my girls. Got it?"
The teen's mouth twists harder, and I frown. Does she not believe me?
With a sharp inhale, I realize that's exactly the case. Because why would she? My sister's made lots of promises over the years, but Madi has been left behind anyway. I'm not sure how to get Mads to understand that I don't break my promises, though. I guess time will just have to prove I mean what I say.
Mads remains silent and visibly troubled, and I give up trying to break through the wall she's built.
Time. Patience. Stability. That's what she needs.
Hopefully she'll come to terms with her relatively new living situation with me and adjust, despite the fact her mother abandoned her. I can't imagine what she feels, but I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere.
Even as the thought strikes, I falter. I can make all the plans in the world, but the fact I'm sitting here in a wheelchair proves it's all talk. I could've died in that fire.
A chill rolls through me, and I drag in a breath. I made it out. That's all that matters right at this moment. The rest will work itself out. Eventually. At least that's what I tell myself. I can't make any decisions until I heal up. Then there's the physical and evaluations. One day at a time. That's all I can do.
I clear my throat and force the wave of unease ready to take me down like a riptide and refocus on the moment. "So," I say, bringing us back to the meeting, "as far as Lindsey is concerned, she's my second-in-command. That means if I'm not around to make a decision, you're both expected to listen to her and do as she says."
I stare at the girls, but right now, neither of them will meet my gaze. I know Dani's still upset about losing her bike, but I'm not sure why Mads has an attitude. How do teenage hormones factor in here? Or is it more? Something to do with her mom? With me?
