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"Where they cut you open," I said. "You had surgery, J.D."
"Right," he mumbled. "Remember that part. Well, the after part. Had an angel sitting there when I woke up." And he smiled right at me.
"And she was worried," Tanner told him. "Lost her shit up on the chutes."
"You were worried too," J.D. said, flopping his hand over in a clear invitation for Tanner to take it. "I saw your shoes."
"I tried..." Tanner breathed.
"He really did," I added. "He almost got run over himself!"
"Don't you do that," J.D. told Tanner. "You gotta take care of our girl, man. I'm used to this part."
"Still my job to keep you safe," Tanner said, leaning in to kiss J.D.'s brow.
Seeing the smile that put on J.D.'s lips? I liked it. Maybe we were still figuring this thing out with the three of us, but it felt like these two were showing me more and more every day. Little things, like that kiss, or the way they cuddled up sometimes.
Yeah, I knew they'd fucked, but I'd never seen it. And maybe we'd shared a bed, but it had only been to sleep. Then again, I'd spent most of the week trying to recover from getting beat up back in Cheyenne, and now J.D. was the one hurt.
But we were more than fucking. We were working in a way I hadn't imagined was possible. Me, Tanner, and J.D. just clicked, and these two men made me feel like it was ok to feel things. All the things - maybe even love.
Because I'd heard what J.D. had said when he'd woken up from anesthesia. He probably didn't remember, but I sure did. I also felt the same way, and while it scared the hell out of me, knowing he loved me back? Maybe that made it ok?
Things with Tanner weren't moving as fast, but at the same time, they made more sense to me. He was a good man. He was sweet, kind, smart, and all the things I thought I should want. He knew how to listen to me and when to speak up. I liked him. Hell, I liked him a whole lot, and that feeling was only growing.
That they liked each other too? That meant this could be real, right? Not just some wild shit while we were on tour, but a real relationship? The kind that might actually go somewhere? Maybe I was dumb to hope for it, but seeing the way they looked at each other, it made me want this thing between the three of us even more.
But the sound of the door opening made me jerk in place. I half expected to see J.D.'s nurse making his way in. Instead, the man who sauntered through the door was one my brain took a little too long to believe was real.
"Daddy?" I breathed.
His eyes jumped over to J.D. and Tanner, then back to me. A smile took over. "Hey, kiddo. How you holding up?"
"What are you doing here?" I asked as I crossed the room to throw myself against his chest in the biggest hug I could manage.
He wrapped me up in a bear hug and then lifted. "Oh, I saw my kids having a bad day so thought I should prove I'm not useless yet." Then he set me down. "How you holding up, Cody? I know it's hard to see a friend get hurt."
"J.D.'s the one the bull ran over!" I reminded him.
Dad scoffed at that. "Wasn't the first time. Damned sure won't be the last. I'm asking about you, kiddo."
"She's stopped freaking out," Tanner said.
Dad glanced at him and chuckled. "Ok, I like the guy. You can keep him, Cody."
I smacked Dad's chest. "You're not helping."
But J.D. was smiling at us. "He kinda is."
My father jerked his chin back. "How you holding up, J.D.?"
"Like shit," J.D. replied. "They cut me open! Fuckers ruined my best jeans, too."
"You'll get over it," Dad said as he moved to the side of the bed. "But serious now, how bad is it?"
"He broke his ribs," I answered while J.D. was still looking grumpy. "He had surgery because of internal bleeding. Sounds like he's bruised all over, but nothing else broken."
"The ribs are enough," Dad pointed out. "How long you out, J.D.?"
