“I’d really appreciate it if you’d let me take care of thebill here.”
Bill? Oh. “Fuck, no.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “It’s Nathan’s wishes.”
“I have insurance.”
“I’m sure you do, but we both know it doesn’t cover everything.”
“I didn’t even fucking need an ambulance,” I mutter.
Bryce laughs again. “I know you’re tough and independent, but I’m paying your bill. It’s the least I can do.”
He leaves before I can argue.
I poke my head around the door when I know Nate’s been back for a while.
“Can I come in?”
He nods, not saying anything. He looks so fucking small and fragile in that bed. His cast on top of the sheets, weighing his arm down.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby.”
The baby just slips out. It kills me how much he lights up at it.
“Come here,” he says with a soft smile. He’s probably out of his mind on painkillers right now. But that smile—it kills me.
I sit down and he reaches his cast out because it’s the closest arm.
“Stupid.” I curse myself and shake my head, moving to the other side of the bed so he can reach me. “I just had an interesting talk with your dad.”
“He’s not my dad.”
“Yeah, he is, Nate. He cares about you.”
He drops his gaze to his cast. “What did he say?”
“He’d rather I didn’t see you anymore.”
“He can’t-” he tries to shoot up off the bed and I press my hand gently against his chest.
“Calm down. He said he’drather.But he knows howstubborn you are and that there's nothing he can do to stop you.”
He relaxes a little. “Oh.”
“He said you’re in love with me.”
He bites his lip. “I thought that was obvious.”
“Look what happened to you because of me.”
“It wasn’t because of you.”
“It was. You’d never have run into those guys if it wasn’t for me. I brought them into your life.”
“And I bailed on you when you needed me most. If I’d been around, maybe you wouldn’t have needed them. Maybe things would be different.”
I shake my head. “Maybe. I still fucked things up for you.”
