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“Patience is a virtue I don’t fucking have,” Grit growled.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Well, you’re going to fucking have it today, brother. We’ve got a woman and a kid hanging around here now. We can’t be reckless.”
Grit grunted but didn’t say another word. He knew I was right. One wrong move and Lindsey or Eric could get caught in the crossfires of this shit. And that wasn’t an option for us.
Our first priority was protecting them. Everything else came after.
Lindsey set a plate of food in front of me when I took a seat at the bar. “Eat,” she commanded. “You need to take pain pills, and you can’t take them on an empty stomach. You’ll make yourself sick if you do.”
“Where’s the kid?” I asked her as I picked up the fork to stab a green bean. The food smelled damn good, and my stomach was growling.
“Eric,” she said, emphasizing his name and giving me a pointed look, “went to go see if his mom would let him come back home yet.”
My lips twisted into a grimace as I chewed. “Woman deserves a bullet between the eyes for treating her son like a toy she can toss aside whenever she fucking wants,” I gruffly muttered before shoving food into my mouth.
Lindsey sighed. “A boy like Eric has grown up too fast. Seen too much. He runs by his own book, and if he wants to keep trying to take care of her, then there’s nothing we can do to stop him. Doing so runs the risk of him never coming back here when he needs a place to go.” She shrugged. “I’d rather be there for him every time he gets his heart broken than overstep the boundaries he’s put in place.” She sighed. “He needs a father figure, Blink. I’m just asking that you give that boy what he needs.”
I frowned at her. Be a father figure. Jesus Christ, I could barely manage myself most days, and she wanted me to take on a kid in that role?
“Would that make you happy?” I finally asked her.
A small smile tilted her lips. “It would.”
I grunted. Fuck, I was pussy whipped. No doubt about it. I’d do damn near anything to make her happy, and she knew it. “Then I’ll do what I can for him, darlin’. Can’t promise more than that.”
She leaned across the bar and planted a soft kiss on my lips. Her eyes were bright when she pulled back—so fucking pretty. “That’s all I’ll ever ask of you, Blink.”
With that, she walked into the kitchen, and I heard the water turn on a moment later and then the clanking of dishes. I sighed and set my fork down before rubbing at my temple where a headache was forming.
I just had to go and get attached to a woman with a soft heart.
Christ, what was my life coming to?
8
Lindsey
My knuckles were white around the porcelain rim of the toilet as I threw up the little bit of breakfast I’d managed to eat. I hadn’t been feeling well all morning, but I had thought I might’ve just needed to eat something since I tended to get nauseated when I’d gone too long without eating.
But my body was rejecting everything I’d tried giving it this morning.
The bathroom door was shoved open, smacking against the wall, and then Blink was standing there, his eyes narrowed on my kneeling form. With a low growl of displeasure, he kneeled beside me and gently pulled me into the curve of his arm before reaching forward and flushing the toilet.
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling good? I had to fucking hear it from Eric, Lindsey.” His tone was filled with disapproval, his muscles tense beneath where I leaned against him.
I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. “I thought it would pass,” I mumbled.
He curled his other arm beneath my knees and lifted me against his chest before standing from the floor. “You’re going to bed. And you’re going to rest. Clear? I don’t want to see you up and about until I deem you’re ready to do so.”
“So bossy,” I tried teasing, but hell, it sounded weak and tired to my own ears. Probably sounded even worse to his overprotective, grumpy ass.
“If it means you’re taken care of, then fuck yes. I’m bossy.” He gently laid me on the bed before slipping my shoes off and covering me up. Then, he kneeled in front of me and pushed my hair back off my face before pressing a tender kiss to my eyebrow. A small smile tilted my lips despite how horrible I currently felt. “Get some sleep, darlin’. I’ll come up in a little while to check on you.”
I nodded and curled in a ball on my side. Sleep actually didn’t sound half bad at the moment; in fact, it sounded downright amazing.
Blink’s boots softly thumped across the wooden floors as he made his way to the door, and a moment later, I heard it click shut as he left.
I still didn’t feel much better when I woke up. I was groggy despite having slept for four damn hours, and my stomach still felt a little wishy-washy. Sighing, I sat up and rubbed at my gritty eyes. I hadn’t really been around anyone but the guys and Eric, so I couldn’t have caught a stomach bug. And I was damn sure I didn’t have food poisoning—been there, done that before.
