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I set the ginger ale on the nightstand and then lifted the covers.
He walked over and then slid into bed.
I unscrewed the bottle and held the ginger ale out to him.
It seemed to take all his effort to take a drink. When he was finished, he fell back against the pillows and closed his eyes.
“Do you need anything? Tea? A cool washcloth?”
“No. I just need more sleep. Thanks for taking care of me.”
I gently ran my hand through his hair, made sure he was tucked in, and then headed for the door.
“Love you,” he murmured.
I stopped, my hand on the knob. I turned to look at him, but he was already asleep.
I tiptoed from the room, a huge smile on my face.
Chapter43
A week later,the flu had run its course. Everyone was either already healthy again or getting back to normal—and incredibly irritable.
Kids were antsy, Waverly and Sailor were bored, and there was still no sign of the lockdown ending.
“Something’s got to change,” Willa said as the Old Ladies sat together outside in the backyard.
Heat be damned, we were tired of being cooped up.
“I know,” Joni said. “We can’t live like this much longer. If I have to target practice one more time, I’ll lose my shit.”
“You’re just annoyed I beat you,” I teased.
The club had a shooting range at the other end of the property. We’d all been spending time at target practice. Just in case.
“Nothing’s happening,” Brooklyn said.
“But you know how this goes, don’t you?” Mia asked. “If Colt ends the lockdown, and we all go home, you know that’s when something’s gonna happen.”
“I feel like I’ve been put in a pressure cooker,” Rach said. “I’m ready to blow.”
Though I understood how they all felt—and I, too, was getting ornery from cabin fever—I was preoccupied with Viper’s pronouncement.
Though he’d said it while he was sick and feverish, I didn’t doubt the sincerity of it. Unfortunately, he hadn’t said it since, leading me to believe he didn’t even remember he’d said it at all. I was doing everything in my power to coerce it out of him again. Difference was, I wanted him alert and coherent this time.
“What do you think?” Darcy asked me.
“About what?”
“About getting to the end of our rope,” she said. “With this lockdown.”
“I’m with you. I’m ready for it to end. But if it wasn’t for the lockdown, I never would’ve learned how to cook. Thanks, Brooklyn.”
She grinned. “I think Crow deserves more credit than me.”
“Look at you, nesting and stuff,” Joni teased.
“I’ve never had a chance to nest,” I said. “Feels good.”
