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Thatcher returned to the bedroom and crawled in next to me. “I’m fine, honey. I’m drinking plenty of fluids and some electrolyte drinks. Baker didn’t kill any of us.” He snuggled closer to my body and kissed my neck. God, I was in heaven.

After finishing my chamomile tea, I slipped into dreamland. When I awoke a bit later, the shower was on in the bathroom. A hot shower sounded good, but when I glanced at the bulky bandage on my hand, I remembered exactly why I couldn’t enjoy it.

My doctor would take off the protective covering and rewrap my hand in something more manageable, so a shower would have to wait.

I got out of bed, glad to be feeling a lot better and much less groggy, and made my way down the hall, surprised to see River sitting with his guitar and notebook on Thatcher’s couch. His eyes were closed as he strummed his guitar. I guessed he was writing music, based on the headphones connected to his guitar.

His mouth was moving, though I couldn’t hear him, so I left him undisturbed and went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. I wasn’t really surprised to see Kit at the table with a tablet.

“Good morning, Kit,” I offered.

He looked up and grinned at me. “How do you feel, JD?”

“Eh, not too bad. You need a refill?” I held up the coffee pot and saw him grin as he scooted his mug closer to the edge of the table. I filled his cup and poured one for myself before I returned the pot to the warmer.

“How’s the hand?” Kit pointed to the bandaged mass.

“Numb. I could stab it with a butcher knife right now and I wouldn’t feel it. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you and River helping us out. I think I need to get Thatcher checked out when we’re at the doctor’s appointment. I know he wants to be all tough, but I don’t want him to suffer unnecessarily.”

Kit smirked. “I get it. While River takes you to your doctor’s appointment, I’ll take him to the clinic attached to the hospital and get him checked out. The poor guy’s been through the wringer.”

I sighed. “Thank you, Kit. You and Riv are a godsend.”

Kit stood and hugged me. I knew he was in love with River and cared about me because River was my dear friend. I was still grateful for him.

“Unhand my friend.”

I turned to see River standing in the doorway of the kitchen with his guitar hanging over his shoulder and an empty coffee cup in his hand. His smile showed no anger.

Kit laughed. “I’m just seeing if I have a shot with JD in case you continue to refuse to make wedding plans.”

“Wait!” I glanced between them. “No wedding plans yet? You told us before the accident that—” I closed my mouth as I considered why River hadn’t moved forward with wedding plans.

River reached up to wipe his eyes. “It’s too soon, JD. I want my wedding to be a happy occasion, but with Hardy gone…” He trailed off, and I immediately felt guilty for being excited that maybe something good was on the horizon for all of us.

I sighed. “Yeah, Riv, I get it, but, honey, when will the right time be to get on with your life? Your future is standing here, waiting for you to grab it. Why do you feel your happiness has to take a pause because of something we couldn’t control?”

Kit cleared his throat as he stared at Riv. “I didn’t tell him to say that.”

Obviously, I’d stumbled into a situation I had no business being in. Kit and River’s wedding plans weren’t my purview, though I hoped maybe I’d be a part of their special day.

“I’ll make plans, I swear. It just seems respectful to wait an appropriate amount of time after the funeral. I mean, our wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion, right? I can’t plan a happy occasion while I’m still grieving my friend.”

With a sweet smile, Kit stepped over to River and pulled him into his arms. “I love you. I’ll happily help you plan our wedding when you’re ready. You’re my future, Riv. I’ll wait for you to be ready as long as it takes.”

“Whoa! What’s up?” Thatcher slid into the kitchen with a worried expression, his gaze going from me to River to Kit and back to me.

Kit chuckled. “It sounds as if my fiancé is thinking about our wedding, which makes me happier than I’ve ever been in my fucking life.”

Without hesitation, Kit rushed River and picked him up, kissing him on both cheeks. I couldn’t hold back the laughter and the tears.

Thatcher stared at me. “What did I miss?”

We all cracked up. Maybe it was time to move forward in our lives.

Chapter Twelve

Thatcher