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I rested my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He turned the TV on, then handed me the remote. “You pick.”
We spent the afternoon hanging out, watching TV and eating the desserts Cleo had made.
When I struggled to keep my eyes open after taking my painkillers, Gabriel picked me up and carried me upstairs. I knew he couldn’t carry me all the time, but that was a future-me problem. Present me enjoyed Gabriel taking care of me.
He sat me down on the counter in the bathroom, handing me my toothbrush. Standing next to me, he brushed his teeth while making sure I had everything I needed.
After I finished putting cream on my face and hands, he carried me to the bed, then went back into the bathroom. He came back out holding my hairbrush, but instead of handing it to me, he sat down behind me and brushed out my tangled strands.
Placing a featherlight kiss on my earlobe once he’d finished, he put the brush down. “What do you want to wear to bed?”
His question startled me out of the content haze I’d been in. “Just a T-shirt and shorts.”
It was what I usually slept in when I wore clothes, which was something I’d rarely done the last few weeks I was with Gabriel.
He got them for me, then disappeared into the bathroom. Him giving me privacy to get changed felt wrong. He never used to miss an opportunity to watch me undress. I wondered if he still wanted me that way or if we’d never get back what we’d had.
I was dressed and under the covers when he returned, my eyes already closed. After turning out all the lights, he joined me, curving his body around mine. He placed a kiss on my head before drifting off.
I joined him soon after, grateful that the pills I’d taken took the edge off the pain.
* * *
“Gabriel is going to kill you.”
Jude turned his head from where it was resting against the sun lounger and gave me a lazy smile. “Nah. I’m his favorite brother.”
“You can’t honestly believe he’ll be fine with you hanging out with me while we’re both barely dressed.”
He closed his eyes again with a satisfied groan. “I only looked a little.”
I pulled my sunglasses back over my eyes and rested my head on the lounger. “It’s your funeral.”
Jude had shown up over an hour ago, finding me lying by the pool. I had to make the most of the good weather since it could turn in an instant. The pool was heated, so we could go in year-round, but what I loved to do was to soak up the sun.
My bruises had turned an ugly green and yellow, but I was done letting my past get in the way of doing what I wanted. And today I wanted to lie in the sun. My stitches had come out yesterday, and I’d been cleared to start light exercise again.
Gabriel had gone into the office this morning for the first time since I came home ten days ago. The first few mornings, he’d worked from the bedroom to keep me company, not letting me leave his sight.
I’d been feeling stronger every day and started to wander the house. Gabriel had moved to work in his office, checking on me throughout the day.
The gentle way he took care of me and indulged my every whim—even if it included ice cream at two in the morning—had been the best cure.
This morning, nothing had hurt when I’d woken up. It would take a few more weeks before I was fully healed, but I was finally getting better.
I’d made the most of it and looked up colleges. The simple act of browsing the internet had already made me feel more productive. And I had narrowed it down to three, hoping to speak to Gabriel about it tonight when he came home.
Jude’s eyes flitted to Daisy, who was lying on the sun lounger next to me. He’d flinched the few times she’d moved, and I fought hard not to laugh at him. “So, how do you enjoy living with my brother again? Any regrets?”
My sunglasses went back up, and I looked at Jude, whose eyes were still closed. “No regrets at all. I’m lucky to have him. Do you guys have any regrets about giving me a second chance?”
He twirled his hand in the air in a gesture that vaguely resembled a wave. “Absolutely not. You could have done a lot worse things to us. Losing a little shipment was nothing.”
I marveled at his family’s ability to forgive and forget. Sometimes I felt as if I beat myself up worse than they did. And their mantra was “family over anything”. But it seemed that since they’d accepted me into the fold, there wasn’t much that could get me kicked out again.
I was amazed with the loyalty and devotion they showed, something I’d never experienced before. “Thank you. And I hope you know I never wanted to betray you.”
Jude sat up and held out his upturned palm. I put my hand in his, and he squeezed. “We knew your father. He wasn’t someone who took no as an answer, so stop thinking about it. You’re part of our family now, and we know you’d never betray us again.”
