AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Did it go okay?” I asked.
“Yep, all good. We deal with this kind of thing on every build we do. Not a problem as long as you use the correct materials and stick to the plans given.”
“Stop boring our girl to death, bro. She doesn’t want to hear about that shit,” Tom announced as he walked into the living room with three beers in one hand and a mug in the other.
“Please tell me that’s c-coffee,” I asked as I looked longingly to the mug.
“Of course,” he replied as he smiled and handed me the steaming mug. I looked inside and beamed when I found it black, just how I liked it.
“My hero,” I told him as I took a sip, then set the cup on the table. Tom handed off the beers to the others, keeping one for himself, then turned to me with open arms. I happily stepped into him and soaked up his delicious smell of citrus aftershave. He too had changed into comfortable clothes – his consisting of black sweatshirt material shorts, and a green ‘Phoenix Fitness’ hoody. He had also taken out his contacts and had on his glasses, which I loved. He looked so cute and sexy in the dark plastic frames.
“I missed you so much, babe,” he whispered as he held me.
“You saw me this morning,” I told him. He and Liam had stayed at the hospital with me the night before, and had left to get to their site early that morning when Trent arrived. Since the first moment I awoke the guys had all taken it in turn to stay overnight with me, knowing that I had nightmares and wanting to be there to soothe me. I hadn’t argued, since I was frightened to be in that terrifying hospital alone, and the staff there had given up trying to kick my guys out.
“It’s not the same, seeing you in a hospital bed, as having you here with me.”
“I know what you mean,” I agreed. “And I’m r-really glad I’m out of there too.”
“Here baby. Simon went out to collect your meds earlier,” Grey said as he appeared at my side with a bottle of water and two pills. “Take these for your headache.”
“Headache?” Tom looked to me with worry.
“It’s n-not too bad. The tablets should st-stop it from getting any worse,” I assured him. I thanked Grey as I took the pills from him and threw then back, then gratefully took the water he had opened for me and had a few sips.
“Let’s sit at the table. Nan has cooked a ton of food for dinner,” Liam suggested as he picked up my coffee cup from the table and motioned towards the dining table. Grey took the bottle of water from my trembling hand and followed after him, as Tom wrapped an arm around me and led me that way too.
“There you are, Blake. How are you feeling, sweet girl?” Nan asked as she looked over to me from the kitchen. She was dressed impeccably, as always, in slim fit black trousers that looked as though they were tailored for her, a pretty white broderie blouse, with a red cardigan over it. She had on a string of oversized pearls around her neck and her glasses matched her red cardigan perfectly.
“I’m fine,” I replied, giving her a smile as she brought over a huge serving dish, full of roasted vegetables, to the dining table.
“You look much better,” she told me as she set the dish down, then patted a comforting hand on my shoulder as Tom led me to a seat between him and Dec.
“Did you get any sleep, sweetheart?” Dad asked as he appeared beside me, carrying another serving dish which he set down. Liam wasn’t exaggerating. Nan had cooked way too much food! How many did she think she was feeding? The centre of the huge dining table was completely crammed with serving dishes of all shapes and sizes, filled with delicious looking and smelling foods.
“I did, thanks.”
“Right, that’s everything. Let’s dig in before it gets cold,” Nan declared, and I couldn’t help the small, contented smile that spread across my face as Dad took his place at the head of the table, beside Trent, Nan sat at the other end, and Liam and Tom sat opposite me. My family was all around me and I was so very happy and relaxed.
Everyone started to tuck in, the guys and Trent filling their plates with more food than one person should be capable of consuming in one sitting.
Declan passed me the dishes he knew I liked and I spooned a little of the chicken casserole and vegetables that Nan had prepared, onto my plate. My appetite was still minimal, to say the least, and taking another bang to the head didn’t seem to have helped matters. I was pretty sure the strong pain meds I had just needed to take turned my stomach too.
“Luca,” Dad said, ripping me from where I had been picking at my plate of food. My head shot up and I saw Luca walk through the sliding glass door from the back garden and step into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. “Come and grab a seat. Get something to eat,” Dad offered as he pointed to an empty seat beside Nan, where an extra place had been set that I didn’t even notice.
I had forgotten all about him since I woke up, my thoughts consumed with excitement at being home and back with my family and my guys. Now all of my anxiety from earlier was rushing back to me, and my stomach started to turn violently.
“Are you sure?” Luca asked as he turned to face the table, his dark eyes instantly honing in on mine. He was worried I was going to lose it again, as I had when I met him earlier. It was written all over his face as he hesitated and waited for my reaction.
“You should sit,” I spoke up, through the tight lump in my throat. “About time I f-found out why you’re here, I suppose.”
He ducked his head in a tight nod, then rounded the table to sit between Liam and Nan.
“This all looks great,” he commented as he started to fill his plate up with a little of every dish on offer.
“Nan is a fantastic cook,” Simon told him as the guys all stopped watching me with worry and returned to eating.
I studied Luca as much as I could, without openly staring, while he continued to pile food onto his plate. His skin was dark, like he had a deep suntan, but I suspected that was more from his heritage. His name was very Italian, so I guessed he had Mediterranean colouring. He was so incredibly ripped, even more so than Declan, and the terrifying thought that he could crush me like an ant, spiralled through my mind. He wore a wedding ring on his left hand, a thick gold band that looked a little worn. He’d obviously been married a while.
