Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Dax grunted in a kind of grumpy satisfaction and held out painkillers. “Take these.”
I gladly did so with the help of the glass of water I kept on my nightstand.
“A dip in the jacuzzi might help.”
Ooh, good idea. “And wine.”
“Wine and painkillers don’t mix,” he reminded me.
I felt my face fall. “Fuck,” I muttered.
He placed the remote control for the TV on the mattress beside me. “You’re to stay in bed as much as possible,” he stated with all the authority of a medical professional.
I frowned. “That’s not really a viable option, considering I’ll need to scrounge up food here and there.”
“I’ll be doing that for you.”
I blinked twice. “You’re not going to work?”
“No. I’m staying here with you.” His tone said, Obviously. “Don’t tell me you’ll be fine on your own, Addie. I’m not leaving you. End of discussion.”
My belly flipped. That was the second time he’d called me “Addie.” The first time had been while I was mid-orgasm, so I hadn’t thought much on it. And now, well, now I wasn’t sure what—if anything—to think of it.
I swallowed hard. “Okay. Than—”
“Don’t make me bite you.”
I felt my lips curve. “But I kind of like it when you bite me.”
His eyes darkened. “I know. I won’t be doing it again until you’ve recovered, though.” He padded over to his dresser and fished out a tee. “I’ll go make coffee and order breakfast. What are you having?”
“A bagel with cream cheese, please.” I almost sighed in disappointment when he slipped on his tee. Just looking at his abs could improve my mood.
“I’ll be back in a sec.”
Once he’d left the room, I none-too-awkwardly made my way to the bathroom and did my business, wincing and flinching now and then. Whiplash was the devil.
Back in bed, I switched on the TV, intending to find something to watch. By the time Dax returned with a tray of culinary delights, I was a few minutes into a movie.
“What are you watching?” he asked.
“Okay, quick warning: it’s a romcom. But not a cringy or soppy one. You’ll like it.”
I half-expected him to say “count me out” and head to his home office. Instead, he stayed with me. Even after we’d demolished our breakfast, he didn’t leave, though I could tell he wasn’t enjoying the movie quite as much as I was.
When it was over, he looked at me. “You said it wasn’t soppy.”
“It wasn’t,” I lied.
“He gave her a compass as an ‘I love you’ gift. Though how a compass is supposed to convey love, I don’t know.”
“Where you not listening? He was telling her she’s his north, south, east, and west,” I explained. “That she’s his home. The only place he wanted to be. That everything he did would lead him back to her.”
“And you don’t find that soppy?”
Tilting my head, I allowed, “Okay, yes, but it was also a little sweet.”
His snort made it clear what he thought of that.
He vacated the room again but quickly returned—this time carrying his laptop. Without a word, he settled beside me again and … did whatever he needed to do.
My heart—so damn easy for him—did a dreamy little sigh, touched by his determination to stay close. And he really did. The only times he left the room were to grab us food and drink or to answer the front door. I had a string of visitors in the form of my siblings, my grandparents, and also Dax’s brothers.
Both sets of our parents weirdly arrived at the same time. He guided them into the bedroom, and the two couples gathered around the bed.
Blake smiled at me. “Hi, sweetheart, how are you feeling?”
“Never better,” I said, my voice dry.
His lips quirked. “I’m sure.”
“I’m so damn relieved you’re okay.” My mom planted a kiss on my cheek and asked me a billion questions—had I taken pills? Was I hungry? How were my stitches? Did I need another pillow behind my back? On and on it went until, finally, she seemed to feel reassured that I was fine. “I love your Christmas tree, by the way,” she then said.
Dane shot her a droll look. “You would.”
Dax met his gaze. “So Vienna turns six again during the holidays as well?”
“More like five,” replied my dad.
Vienna frowned. “Hey.”
“I’m not wrong, and you know it,” Dane insisted before dropping a quick kiss on my hair. He scrutinized my face. “How bad is the pain?”
“Not so bad I want to cry, so there’s that,” I told him. “I hope it’s worse for Thaddeus.”
Dane slid his attention to Dax. “Has he been found yet?” he asked, a silken threat lacing his voice.
“No, but he will be,” Dax swore.
Coming to my side, Kensey gave my hand a small squeeze. “It’s no coincidence that we’re all here at the same time. The four of us had a chat about something, and now we want to hear what you think.”