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I reached across her and fastened her seatbelt before wrapping my arm around her shoulder, tugging her against me as much as I could. “Then sleep, Ever. I’ve got you.” Turning my head, I brushed my lips to her forehead. “I’ve always got you.”
The only response I got was a quiet sniffle.
Everlee slept the entire flight and all the way home. Instead of waking her when we got back to the ranch, I carried her inside to our room, gently shushing her when she mumbled in protest. Her boots were easy enough to tug off, and not wanting to disturb her any more than I already had, I just covered her up and left her dressed in what she wore home.
Nash was sitting in the living room when I walked in. He looked up at me. “She okay?” he asked me, standing up to follow me into the kitchen.
I shook my head. “Not right now.” I sighed. “But she will be. Ever is strong. Charlie has just been all she’s had for a long time, and this is going to be a major adjustment for her, letter writing available or not.”
Nash nodded in agreement. “We’ll do our best to keep her distracted until she can come to terms with it.” He clapped his hand to my shoulder. “Weston made a casserole and left it in the oven for you two so you wouldn’t have to worry about dinner after the past couple of days you two have had. You just have to warm it up.”
“Cool. Thanks, bro.” I made a mental note to shoot Weston a text later to thank him for the food.
He nodded once at me before leaving my house as quietly as he walked into it.
Thanks for the food, bro.
No biggie. Let me know how she’s doing later.
Ever stepped into the kitchen just as I was pulling a plate of food out of the microwave. Her hair was a mess on her head, and she’d changed into a pair of pumpkin pajama bottoms with a matching long-sleeve shirt. Her eyes were bloodshot and still tired-looking. Bags resided beneath her dark eyes despite how much sleep she’d gotten since we left Miami.
“Hungry?” I asked her.
She nodded. I slid her my plate before making myself another one. She pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I turned my head at the last second, capturing her lips with mine. She made a noise of surprise but easily kissed me back.
“You good, sweetheart?” I gently asked before she moved to sit down.
She cupped my cheek, her other hand holding the plate I’d given her. “I will be.”
I kissed the tip of her nose before letting her sit down and eat.
She was right. She would be okay, and I would make sure of it. It was not only my duty as her husband, but because I loved her.
And I would do anything in the world for the woman I loved.
EPILOGUE
Tripp
For the third time since she woke up four hours ago, Everlee was leaning over the toilet, emptying her already nearly empty stomach. Honestly, I had no idea what she had left to throw up. I was pretty sure it was just stomach acid at this point.
She’d been ill almost all day yesterday, but she and I both put it down to a stomach bug. But she didn’t seem to be getting any better. I knew she didn’t want to go to the doctor, but I was putting my foot down.
I hadn’t played around with her health yet, and I wasn’t about to start now.
I walked to the closet and grabbed her favorite sweater before walking into the bathroom, where she was brushing her teeth. She managed to frown at me through her eyes as she scrubbed the vile taste out of her mouth.
“Why do you have my sweater?” she asked after she’d rinsed the toothpaste out of her mouth.
“I’m taking you to the doctor,” I told her. She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her a look that made her snap her pretty mouth back shut. “I won’t argue about it, Ever.” I helped her into her sweater before clasping her hand in mine. “You’re not getting any better.”
She sighed. “It keeps coming out of nowhere,” she told me. “I don’t have much warning.”
“Which is worrying me even more,” I told her. “And your sugars have been amazing the past few months, but you know as well as I do that not being able to hold anything down is making them wonky. Your body can’t absorb what it needs.”
She slid her feet into her boots. It was cool outside but not cold enough to need a thick jacket. Spring was getting ready to move in, and I knew that while my adorable wife loved the snow, she was ready for some warmer weather. The cold had taken a lot out of her, especially since she was from Miami, where the weather rarely got cold.
I couldn’t wait to take her down to the lake my brothers and I always swam at during the hot, summer months. She was going to love it.
