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“Oh, my God. The fundraiser’s tonight.” Oh, this is bad and keeps getting worse.
“Trust me. We’ve got plenty of time to get you feeling better. You want help in the shower?” He wiggles those eyebrows and then stands to his full height. Murphy’s movement excites Rocky, who manages to get his stocky little legs to climb up and onto the bed, where he nudges my leg and manages to squeeze in between me and the pillows. Then he farts, and I think I’m going to puke again.
I move faster than I knew I was capable of, getting into the bathroom. Then, I sit on the cool tile with my head leaning on the toilet for the rest of the morning.
By the time I make it downstairs for that toast Murphy wants me to eat, I’ve vomited again, showered, nearly cried from trying to comb through my wet hair because my head hurt so badly. I’ve basically sworn off drinking forever.
Murph laid out a pair of cotton boxer shorts with green shamrocks all over them and one of his super-soft hoodies for me to wear. It’s the kind that’s been washed a million times and feels like you’re wrapped up in a hug when you’re wearing it. He takes such good care of me. No way he’s getting this hoodie back.
The idea of putting on my pretty gown later makes me want to cry. I wonder if I could get away with wearing this to the fundraiser. I can see my mom’s head exploding now.
The walk from Murphy’s bedroom down to the kitchen takes more out of me than I’ll ever admit. I sit down at the kitchen table across from Nattie. She’s resting her head in her hands and looks about as good as I feel.
Nat raises her head to look at me, and her face has a green tinge to it. “Fuck Everclear.”
I pull my legs up onto the chair and wrap my arms around them, laying my head on my knees. “Fuck Everclear.”
Murph places a tall glass of orange juice and two pieces of toast on the table in front of me. “Try to eat a little bit and take slow sips. We need to get some carbs and liquids into your system. Let’s even out that blood sugar and rehydrate.”
He runs his hand so softly over my head that I can barely feel it, and yet it still hurts. I moan. “I don’t know if I can eat anything.”
“You gotta try. Then we can go lay down for a little while. You didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Natalie is picking at a dry bagel.
Brady skips down the steps and into the kitchen. He stops, whispers something to Murphy, then kisses Natalie on the top of her head. “I’ve got to go grab a few things. I’ll be back in a bit, sweetheart.”
Nattie doesn’t even look up at him, she just shakes her head and groans. “Tommy’s spending the night tonight while Belles goes to the fundraiser with Dec. Brady’s got a few things to do first. But I’m with you, Brina. Let’s go back to bed.”
“I could definitely be down with you both in my bed.” I squint my eyes, glaring at Murphy, and he smiles back at me. “Yeah. It’s not as funny when Brady isn’t here to get pissy.”
Nattie makes a pathetic attempt to throw a chunk of bagel at him. “I’m practically your sister, Murph.”
Murph picks up the bagel chunk from the table and pops it into his mouth. “Practically, but not actually. Doesn’t matter. The two of you together would still be super-hot.”
I’d like to think the two of us are glaring at him now but glaring hurts too much.
He points from Nat to me. “You should see the looks on your faces. I’m kidding. I’m kidding.”
Sebastian strides into the room, looking well-rested and not at all hungover.
I might hate him a little bit right now.
He nods at Murphy, then turns to us. “The two of you together would be super fucking hot.” When he looks from me to Nat, he raises his hands in front of his body in surrender. “What? I’m not related to either of you. I’m allowed to think that.” Then he disappears into the kitchen.
Nat stands up and leans against the chair for a moment, looking as ungraceful as I’ve ever seen her. “I’m going back to bed. Somebody wake me up when it’s time to babysit.”
I lean my cheek flat against the cold table and close my eyes. It feels so nice, I think I may never move again.
I have no idea how much time has passed when I feel arms slipping under my legs and behind my back. Murphy’s strong arms gently lift me from the chair and tuck me against his chest as he carries me back to his room. He climbs onto his bed, pulls me tight against his chest and pulls the blanket up around us. Rocky moves down by our feet until he’s found a new spot to get comfortable, as I do much the same. Tracing the muscles of the arms wrapped around me, I manage to forget my headache and nausea and just relax.
Just as my eyes begin to close, I feel a whisper of breath against my ear.
“Sleep, Princess. I’ve got you.”
