Taking her with broken ribs might be difficult—for her. It’d be a warning not to waste what little patience he had left. He’d indulged her long enough. Too long.
It was past time for her to come to grips with reality.
Never would he let her go. Not for any reason.
She’d learn her first lesson soon enough.
“I don’t want to leave you.” Kam hadn’t stopped stewing since that fateful call.
Mike was certifiably unhinged, so he’d insisted on calling the local cops. It wasn’t something he did often, not after the way they’d hassled Tanner when he was younger, as if he’d been responsible for his father’s death.
But that was years ago, and now, with a lunatic on the loose, he wouldn’t take chances with Glory’s safety.
Not that they’d been able to help much. They promised to keep an eye out, and someone would attempt to contact Mike, to ask him pertinent questions.
Good luck with that, Kam thought. They hadn’t been able to reach him after the wreck, and odds were they wouldn’t get ahold of him now.
Glory gave Kam a smile. “I’ll be fine.”
If that were true, why did he feel like things were unraveling around him? “I know you wanted less company, but Callie insisted she would be by.” Something he’d encouraged. No way did he want Glory to be alone. He’d prefer she hada houseful of people, but he also understood her need for privacy.
At least Callie would have PB with her. “When they can find the time, Nell and Liam will stop by long enough to get a run set up for the dog.”
“I have it all planned out,” Glory enthused. “I’ll call PB up on the couch with me, hook the leash to the collar, so I don’t have to bend, and then we can step outside for a bit. The fresh air will be nice.”
I love you.The words burned in his throat and in his heart. If she hadn’t harked on yesterday about his apartment, he might have given in and said them.
Then again, he’d spent a long time last night thinking about how to proceed. It seemed to him that he had to show Glory a few things.
First and foremost, he needed her to know he was nothing like his father. He wasn’t abusive, wasn’t lazy, and would definitely pull his own weight.
The only way he knew to do that was to stick to his original plan. He’d fix up his apartment, and once she was better able to get around on her own, he’d move into the damned thing, too—just long enough to show her that he’d rather be with her.
He’d move in, but he wouldn’t stay there. By joining her in the morning for coffee, taking her to dinner—to restaurants and to visit his family—he’d prove to her that he wanted to be with her. Shower alone when he could shower with her? Leave an empty apartment when he could instead kiss her goodbye in the morning?
Hopefully, she’d get the message soon enough.
Sucked that she was trying to find ways to pretty up the place for him when he no longer wanted it. His overall plan had been to rely on no one but himself. And he could—except the thought wasn’t as appealing as it once was.
Sure, he didn’t have the same financial status as the McCallahan family, but he wasn’t destitute, either. He had a good job, a comfortable savings account, not a lot of bills, and a retirement portfolio. He’d never be rich, but he’d ensured his future as much as he could, he had a solid plan, and now he wanted to prove to her... What?
“Kam,” she teased. “You’ve gone awfully quiet, and if you don’t get going, you’ll be late.”
Gently taking her face in his hands, he kissed each bruise that remained, then gave her another of the kisses she enjoyed, putting his whole heart into it.
“Well,” she breathed when he let up. “I know what I’ll be thinking about all day.”
He smiled with her, but the worry remained. “The stitches will dissolve soon.”
“I know. I’ll be glad to be done with them.” Wrinkling her nose in that now familiar way, she said, “They itch.”
God, she was precious to him. “I’d take them for you if I could.”
“Don’t be a martyr.” A peck to his chin, then his throat, followed by a soft nuzzle, took away the insult. “I shouldn’t complain so much. And you shouldn’t be late. Now go on before I get whiny.”
Concerned, he tipped up her face. “Are you feeling whiny?”
Her grin said otherwise. “Not really. I feel pretty good today, and I think it’s because I took action.”
