Page 113 of Heal Me, Love Me

“This car has seen some things.” He chuckled.

I laughed. “Seriously?”

“What? It has.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You love me.”

“I do.”

His hand found mine in the dark, and for a while, we stayed like that, breathing in the heat we’d made.

My flight back to Florida was still waiting at the end of the weekend. Once I got on that plane, I didn’t know when I’d get this again. I didn’t know when I’d get his body against mine, his hand in mine, or a few minutes when neither of us had to pretend the distance didn’t hurt.

So I held on to him while I still could.

19

Keaton

Rowan was tuckedagainst my side as best as he could be, since I had to sleep propped up on a stack of pillows. I stayed still for a moment, staring at the ceiling as morning light peeked through the slats of his blinds.

Thanksgiving had been a little chaotic, but it’d been a lot of fun too. The house had been packed most of the day with his extended family. We ate a ton of food, watched football, and even played charades when his aunt suggested it. However, Frank looked ready to fake a medical emergency to avoid a second round.

Despite enjoying the holiday, I was hopeful today was going to be a chill day. At least after my PT appointment. I was half-tempted to cancel and stay in bed with my boyfriend, but thanks to Marcos, Audrey, my physical therapist, had offered to come in during the holiday weekend to keep up with my recovery schedule, and for my own sanity I needed to stay on track.

Carefully, I pushed the blankets back and eased myself up. I sat on the edge of the bed for a second before standing. Gettingdressed still took longer than I wanted, and when I had my shirt on and the sling adjusted, I was already annoyed. Putting on my sweats only pissed me off more.

My shoulder felt better, though it wasn’t great. One wrong move sent pain radiating down my arm, but I could tell the PT was helping.

“You leaving already?” Rowan’s words were muffled by the pillow.

I turned to look at him. “Yeah. My appointment is in an hour, but who knows how long it’ll take me to drive there with all the holiday shoppers out.”

“True. I bet my mom already dragged Dad to score a few deals.”

“Poor Frank.” I chuckled.

Rowan propped himself up on an elbow. “You’re coming back here after your appointment, right?”

After our argument the first night he was home, we seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement not to waste time fighting, since he was only home for a few days.

“That’s my plan. I figured we could decide what we wanted to do for the rest of the day when I get back.”

“Sounds good. I might take the Ducati for a spin while you’re gone. I’ve missed riding and should probably start making arrangements to get it out to Florida.”

I shoved my feet into my slides, my mood quickly darkening. It wasn’t as if Florida was a new topic. He’d been living in Tampa for over a month, but hearing him talk about shipping his bike there made everything feel a little more permanent. Like he wasn’t just staying across the country anymore, he was building a life there.

“Well, I gotta go,” I said, ignoring the Florida comment.

“You sure you’re okay to drive?”

“I know you drove the other night, and Mason played chauffeur for a couple of days, but I’m fully capable of driving myself,” I replied, hoping I didn’t come off as irritated as I felt.

He nodded, although I noticed a small frown on his face. “Okay.”

Obviously, I’d failed to hide my irritation and was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt. I braced my good hand on the mattress and pressed my lips to his. “Sorry, baby. These past two weeks have been hard, and I really hate how everyone has been hovering over me like I can’t do anything. But I know you’re just trying to help, and I love you for it.”