Once we’re both comfortable, he drops a kiss on the top of my head. “Go to sleep. I’ll be right here.”
* * *
The next time I wake up, I can already tell Mac’s still asleep by his breathing. Hushed whispers woke me up, but I don’t want anyone to burst our bubble yet. So I lie here and listen to the conversation happening while they think they have privacy.
“Come on. You’re so pissed at me, but have yet to realize I was also played. She was fucking with both of us.”
That’s Jake. He must be talking to Declan. I can tell they want to be best friends again so badly. Friends like them only come around once in a lifetime, and they threw it away over a girl. A girl that, if we’re being completely honest, I don’t think either of them really loved. They’re just prideful.
“If you think this is just about her, you’re more dense than I originally thought.” Declan scoffs.
“Did you tell me, Dec? Because if my memory serves me, you didn’t. I didn’t tell you either. So what? We were supposed to just spontaneously combust with this information?” My big brother acts like such a hard ass most of the time, but when it comes to people he loves, he’s a marshmallow. I don’t know Dec well, but from what I do know, he’s much of the same.
Declan’s the ‘underboss’ of Mac’s family organization. If anything happens to Rowan or he decides to step down, it all falls on Dec. He dresses impeccably most of the time. I would bet if I opened my eyes right now, he’d be in a designer suit, his hair styled perfectly, and his shoes as shiny as the day he bought them. Guaranteed he has multiple meetings today, but he came here before them. Not to check on me, not really, but to check on his baby brother. It’s also why I would bet my life that Jake hasn’t been home from work yet. No doubt he got off at three this morning and came straight up here. They’re both nurturers by design.
“No, okay. No, I didn’t talk to you. But you also didn’t talk to me. You didn’t trust me, and now look at where we are.”
“Trust? You didn’t trust me either. Be fucking serious. You’re infuriating.” Jake tries his hardest to keep his voice down.
“Fuck you, Fischer.” Declan spits out.
“Yeah, fuck you too, asshole. You see your brother, he’s fine. Now get the fuck out of here.”
Okay, this is not productive. I open my eyes to see them in each other’s faces, glaring.
“Kiss or give each other space to breathe.”
I try to hide my laugh. I didn’t realize he was doing the same thing I was. Tilting my head up, I see Mac’s wicked smirk as each of our brothers turn their glare on him. He just shrugsat them. “Don’t wake us up with your bullshit next time.”
He kisses my forehead before gently moving out from under me and making sure I’m comfortable before turning to Declan and scrubbing his hands over his face. I forgot he was in nothing but gym shorts and a tight t-shirt, but my lord does it look good on him.
“What time is it?” He asks Dec.
“It’s time to go. We have business.” He answers cryptically.
“Okay, give me my laptop and I’ll work on it today.”
He tosses a duffle bag at Mac’s face. Thankfully, he catches it right before it hits him. “Go get dressed, MacQuillian.” Where normally I see Mac buck up at anyone who tries to get him to leave my side when I’m not feeling great, this time he nods and walks into the attached bathroom.
My heart drops. If he isn’t saying anything, that must mean whatever they need him for is serious. No one says anything while he’s changing and less than five minutes he comes out of the hospital bathroom looking every bit of the mafioso that he is. He looks like a younger version of his oldest brother. The light in his eyes that’s usually bright when I’m around is now almost completely vacant. He walks over and gives me a chaste kiss.
“I’ll be back soon. Jake will stay here until I get back. Call me if you need me, okay?”
I don’t answer, I just nod in acknowledgment.
“I’ll be back before your dialysis for the day starts, I promise.”
“Truth?” I raise a skeptical brow because for some reason he’s acting like he’ll be gone for a while.
“Truth, Always.” He kisses me again before turning and leaving with Declan.
My eyes water automatically as I look to Jakob for answers. “What was that?”
“That was the head of the BOCG’s sons walking out of the room to go handle business.” He offers me a sad smile. “Most of the time you can forget. They’re just your best friend, or I guess in your case your boyfriend. But then right when you get comfortable in that, business calls and they turn into that.”
“How did you deal with it all those years?” I ask.
“Simple, Kostbarkeit. Dec was my best friend. Mac’s the man you’ll end up marrying. Those feelings can’t even begin to be compared. I wouldn’t know that feeling if it knocked me on my ass.”
