“I’ll get you more,” Remy says, stepping close. He looks at my hand and then meets my gaze. “Thank you, baby.” He pulls meclose and hugs me. I wrap my other arm around his waist. “But don’t hurt yourself on my behalf again.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” I say.
“Really?”
I tip my head back and see his smirk. “Except then,” I say, licking my lips. “I didn’t think about her being a shifter. I reacted. I’ll try to control myself next time.”
“Appreciate it,” he drawls and eases back. “Heather is waiting to bring in food. I’ll order more mushrooms.” He glances at my hand. “And some ice.”
“We’ll leave you,” Atlas says.
“No. Stay.” Remy opens the door. “I’ll have Heather bring your food in here.”
“Brother?” Hunter nods at him.
“I’m good.” Remy smiles and looks at me. “It will be a hell of a story for our first date.” He walks away shaking his head.
Lawson guides me back to my seat, and everyone follows. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, the throbbing in my hand is increasing.
“I’m impressed,” Sally says, leaning on the table. “Usually, we're in the club when all the excitement happens. What are your thoughts on sharing the story through the group text?”
I laugh.
“Fuck it. Do it.” I wave my hand and remember too late.
“Princess,” Hunter gently takes my hand. “We might need to see if you broke any bones.”
“I didn’t think about that,” Bane rumbles, standing over me in an instant. “Wiggle your fingers.”
“Let me take a look,” Lawson says, leaning over me. “I have some experience with broken bones.”
They continue to fuss over me, and I don’t mention that all the movement of their fussing is causing more pain. Instead, I baskin their concern. I look up, and Sally is staring at me. She smiles softly and winks before returning her attention to her phone.
Despite the horrible woman interrupting, my possibly broken hand, and the cold mushrooms, I couldn’t be happier.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Haven
The good news is I didn’t break my hand, and I convinced my mates to wait to go to the hospital until I ate my mushrooms. Hitting Vivian was not like punching Brian. My hand was still stiff, so it wasn’t the best idea to take on a shifter. Luckily, my hand is just sprained. The doctor wrapped it and recommended ice and elevation. I’ve taken way too much pleasure watching four tough shifters panicking. When I got sick as a child, my mom was there to coddle me. Once she was gone, my father put others in charge of my care. He thought I was weak for letting a cold get me down, so maybe it’s wrong, but I love having someone concerned about my well-being.
The guys have left me alone since Heath called, so they are in the office on the phone with him. I’m wandering my room instead of elevating my hand, contemplating calling my father.He called twenty times today, and if I don’t want him coming here, I have to confront him. I don’t know what kind of connections he has, so it may be easy for him to find Remy. I stare at my phone, stopping in front of my mom’s paintings, wondering why I haven’t blocked his number and moved far away from him. Perhaps I hoped he would change. He’s never shown any signs of doing so, but the little girl from the past who looked to him to guide her after Mom died is still inside me.
“Fuck.” I toss my phone in the air and have to juggle to catch it when it rings. My heart is beating hard as I grip it tight. It’s not father, but William. “Hello.”
“Why are you ignoring Dad?” he asks, briskly.
“I was about to call him back.”
“Do it. He’s worried.”
“When has he ever been worried about me?”
“All the time,” he sighs.
“William, we grew up in different houses. He’s never cared about me or my feelings.” I stare at the beauty on the wall and feel sad. “We used to be friends,” I whisper. I think I stunned him. “William?”
“Haven, you’re my sister.”
