I slowly turn and find that a doctor has come into the room. He’s looking at me, wide-eyed. So are my brothers.
I want to crawl in a hole and die, though the embarrassment may kill me first.
“Hi.” I give the doctor a forced smile. “Just talking about safe sex! You know, normal stuff.”
He frowns. “I gathered that.”
I keep smiling, even when the expression feels more like a grimace.
“I’m here to do my rounds and check on your son.”
“Brother,” we all respond with scary precision.
“Brother.” He nods once. “He’s scheduled for surgery tomorrow at eleven. Is that correct?” He zeroes in on me, brows lifted. “You’ll meet the surgeon in the morning, and they’ll go over the details then.”
He’s finished with his checks in a matter of minutes. In that time, I pray the sex-slash-condom conversation has blown over. I should know better.
“So…” Quinn angles his chair toward us. “You think we need the sex talk?”
I let out a sigh and sink low in my chair. “Listen, you’re probably old enough to be interested in girls, and you might be curious about sex. And I just…” My heart lodges itself in my throat. “Don’t come to me with details, please, but if you have questions, I’m here. And please, for the love of God, be safe. As much as it pains me, if you won’t go buy condoms yourselves, then tell me, and I’ll handle it.”
Quinn snickers, bringing a fist to his mouth. “You look like you swallowed nails.”
“Feels like it too,” I gripe, wanting to sink through the floor. “Just promise me you’ll come talk to me if you need to, okay? Then I’ll never bring this up again.”
“Sure,” Quinn agrees with a shrug.
Case nods and gives me a salute. “Yep, you got it. Safe sex. Great talk, sis.”
Beside me, Caleb watches the entire exchange, his lips curled in amusement.
“Stop smiling,” I groan. “It’s pissing me off.”
His grin only gets bigger. “My smile is making you angry?”
I frown, annoyance rolling through me. “Yes. So, stop it.”
He flattens his lips into a straight line, but it’s no use. In a matter of seconds, they’re twitching again.
“I hate you,” I mutter.
“No, you don’t,” he volleys back.
I shove another bite of food into my mouth to keep from saying more. Because he’s right. I don’t.
I think I’m very much in love with Caleb Thorne.
CHAPTER 32
CALEB
“I’ll be in the waiting area the whole time, and as soon as they give me permission to be in recovery with you, I promise I’ll be there.” Halle smooths Casen’s hair back from his forehead.
I lean against the wall, watching the exchange, my chest aching. It’s all too easy to imagine a much younger Halle caring for her baby brothers.
“Everything’s going to go fine.”
“I know it is,” Casen says. He may be wearing a stoic expression, but there’sno hiding the fear in his eyes.
