“Holland, let the man breathe,” I tell her, the words filled with affection.
“It’s no problem,” he says, his features softer than I’d ever seen them as he walks into the kitchen and sets a plate on the counter.
“You bake?” I ask and Mason snorts, my head whipping to his but not missing the scowl on his brother’s face.
“What?” I ask, looking between the two as Holland peeks under the tinfoil.
“They’re courtesy of Flora Thayer,” Bodhi says, as Mason looks over Holland’s shoulder and fist pumps.
“Yes! Mama Thayer cookies.” He snags one and breaks it in half, my daughter’s eyelids fluttering shut when she takes her first bite. I think they’re being dramatic, but Bodhi just shrugs as Beck comes into the kitchen, Mason handing him a cookie. My kid doesn’t even hesitate, shoving the whole thing in his mouth and reaching for a second.
I smack his hand away and move the plate.
“Y’all are going to ruin your dinner if you keep it up,” I scold the lot of them, not missing the way they’re all smirking as I turn for the cabinet. “Bodhi, can I get you something to drink?”
“Water is fine, thank you.”
Nodding, I grab the glass and turn the water to cold, but before I can put it under the tap, I lose my grip, dropping the glass and it shattering in a million little pieces.
“Shit,” I hiss as blood gushes from where I’d belatedly tried to grab it, only to end up with tiny cuts and one sizable one that has me blinking back tears.
“Lana, are you all right?” Mason asks, shutting off the water and wrapping my hand in a dishtowel as I watch him like I’m having some out-of-body experience. His gaze meets mine and he gives a single nod. “That answers that question.”
“I’ll clean this up; get her to urgent care,” Bodhi says somewhere behind me and I let my eyelids fall shut.
So much for a good impression.
33
LANA
Iexpect it to be quiet when Mason and I finally get home from dealing with my little incident. But laughter trickles out the moment Mason opens the front door. My hand throbs, but I’m happy to no longer be at the hospital and more than a little curious about what’s going on inside.
It’s strange.
Unexpected.
But not at all unwelcome. It could be the pain meds I’m on, but I don’t think so. They didn’t give me anything strong enough for hallucinations.
Not that I remember at least.
Mason leads me inside, the man absolutely unable to stop touching me or asking if I’m all right. I don’t mind. It’s nice to be fawned over.
Doted upon.
And sometimes it’s just nice to have someone take care of you. Tonight, he had. Mason hadn’t panicked when the glass shattered, when I’d stood frozen at the sink and watched as blood mixed with water before running down the drain. Instead, he’d been incredibly cool under pressure—simply assessed thesituation and executed a plan that kept my children safe and calm while I tried not to pass out.
“Who’s winning?” Mason calls, making three sets of eyes whip toward us.
Bodhi smirks. Holland sulks. And Beck just laughs while all three dogs lift their heads, their tails thumping against the floor..
I’m just about to comment when my eyes lock on my daughter. Her hair is done in a very fancy braid that I’ve never been able to master.
“Holland, your hair looks great. Did you do that?” She shakes her head and grins, her smile stretching ear to ear. Bodhi’s cheeks redden, and he dips his head just the slightest bit as she hitches her thumb at him. “Bodhi did it for me.”
“He did? Wow, that’s amazing,” I say to her before moving my gaze to him. “Maybe you can teach me? I’ve had limited success on that one,” I ask, nodding toward Holland and giving him a warm smile. Mason ushers me onto the couch before collapsing down next to me.
“Sure,” Bodhi says quietly.
