AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I walked upstairs and looked through the glass doors, seeing Heath work with the physical therapist who came to his place to help him. His ribs were broken and wrapped tight, and they would heal on their own in time, but he needed to keep moving if he wanted to keep his strength, to minimize the pain.
Heath dropped onto the bench and sat there, taking a break because the pain was too much. With his head bowed, he breathed hard, like he’d picked up a monster truck tire over his head just seconds ago.
The therapist held the resistance bands and waited, giving him a moment to pull himself together.
I felt wrong watching him struggle. I knew he wouldn’t want me to see him like that, not at his full capacity, so I turned away and headed back downstairs. I looked out the large floor-to-ceiling windows and tried to clear my throat, to drain the water that formed in my eyes. Seeing him in pain was unbearable. I tried to focus on his progress rather than his pain, because he was doing so well. Just had to be patient.
My phone lit up with a text message from Anna. Hey, I stopped by your apartment to say hello. You aren’t home?
I guess that meant Damien didn’t discuss me with her much. I’m at Heath’s.
Well, you want to meet for lunch?
I looked up the stairs like I expected Heath to be standing there, but I knew he would be occupied for the next hour. He didn’t need me right now. Sure. Where do you want to go?We shared an appetizer while we waited for the food to come out. We also shared a bottle of wine, even though she had to go back to work when this was over.
“Sofia is gone.” She answered my question about the hotel. “She went on maternity leave a week ago and had the baby. He’s healthy and super cute.”
“Aww, that’s great,” I said. “What’s his name?”
“Demetri.”
“Demetri Lombardi,” I said. “Sounds like a king or something.”
“Well, Sofia and Hades love him like he is,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m happy for them, but I do miss having her in the office.”
“Do you think she’ll come back? She’s got two kids now.”
“I think so. Her mother lives with them, so she watches the kids while Sofia’s at work. She likes working.”
“I used to have a crush on Hades when we were younger.”
“Really?” she asked before she took a drink from her wine.
“Yeah, but this was like…” He’d been in my life a long time, since I was young, because they were so much older than me. “When I was eighteen, nineteen, so a long time ago. Now I just see him as another brother, sorta.”
“Don’t tell Damien I said this, but Hades is hot. And definitely don’t tell Sofia I said that.”
I laughed. “Your secret is safe with me. But I’m sure she already suspects every woman thinks that.” I definitely knew every time Heath went anywhere, every woman was staring at him, wanting to rip off his clothes. “So, how are you guys?”
She didn’t talk about the rift between Damien and me, trying to stay positive so it wouldn’t bring me down. “We’re fine. He’s been a little distracted lately, but he’s getting better with every passing day. What about you?”
I didn’t answer because the waiter brought our food. After setting it down, he walked away. I grabbed my silverware and started to eat my salad. “Honestly, I haven’t been all that great. I’ve been staying at Heath’s to help him… He was in such bad shape.” That was all I could say about it.
Anna had pity in her eyes, but she was also quiet, like she didn’t know what to say. She was loyal to Damien, and she also had a strong attachment to my father. Her feelings were obviously conflicted. “Is he doing better now?”
“Much,” I said quietly. “He’s not the kind of man to let anything defeat him, so he’s working hard to heal.”
“That’s good.” She pushed her salad around with her fork.
I could feel it beginning already, feel the awkwardness that descended on the table when we discussed the man I was sleeping with, the man who had been unanimously ostracized by my family, even Anna, who wasn’t actually married to my brother yet.
“So…you’re going to stay with him, then?” She stabbed her fork into her food, bits of egg, bacon, and cheese, before placing it into her mouth. There was a melancholy tone to her voice, as if what she asked was forbidden.
“I…I don’t know what I’m doing.” I tried not to think about the decision I would have to face since I was falling more in love with him every second I was by his side. He looked at me in a way no one else ever had, like he saw me all the way down to the bone.
