Chapter Twenty-One
Jakob
I’ve just gotten back from helping Ally with our beer delivery this morning and immediately notice the bed is empty.
Where did you go?
I have an idea when I see Ryan posted up outside of the movie room. I’d bet my left nut that I’ll find them both in there asleep. He knows that shit isn’t good for his head, but he will do anything his sisters-in-law ask of him. Lelonie could walk in there right now and ask him to run his head through the wall, and he’d do it without a second thought if he thought it’d make her happy. He’s such a fixer, such a caretaker, when really he’s the one who needs taking care of right now.
I’m pleasantly surprised when I walk in and see Declan passed out on a couch with an eye mask on and Lee curled upinto a ball sleeping in the recliner beside him. Not even half a minute later, I hear heavy footsteps stomping towards me. That could be only one person. I meet Kieran at the doorway as he tries to actually walk through me to get to his wife.
“Get out of my goddamn way, Fischer.” He grits out between clenched teeth.
“You shut the hell up and I will. Your brother is in there too, and his fucking head is still killing him.” Kieran’s two inches taller than me, but I’m still standing toe to toe with him. Over Declan? I’ll drop the motherfucker right here.
“It’s a really stupid move to stand between myself and her, you know that?” He’s eerily calm, but I’m just as pissed.
“You know what’s even more stupid? Waking up your brother with your loud ass stomping and expecting me not to fucking light your ass on fire and toss you out the nearest window.” I’m vibrating with rage. Dec hasn’t been sleeping nearly as much as the doctor suggested for how severe his concussion is. I’m not messing around with his health. Especially his brain health.
His lips twitch slightly before he nods. I step out of the way, and he walks as quietly as he can before scooping up his wife like she’s made of the most delicate glass. When he turns back to me, he whispers, “Just for future reference, all you had to say was that she was asleep too. You want to talk about someone not sleeping? Try having your baby try to evict itself ten weeks early. Neither of us sleeps much. We’re too busy worrying about our unborn child. I hope you never have to go through this.” With that, he walks past me and carries his sleeping wife back towards the room he still has here.
Ryan follows behind to take up guard outside of Kieran’s bedroom next. He’s Kieran’s best friend and is as loyal as theycome. I won’t be surprised if they appoint him as the baby’s godfather.
Walking back into the theater room, I turn off the projector, lay behind Declan, and throw my arm over him. He doesn’t wake up, and as it so often does these days, my mind wanders back to that night. Why the hell was he there? I’d text Natasha and ask. That’s how desperate I am to know, but she hasn’t texted me in weeks and I don’t want to remind her I exist.
He didn’t remember anything from that night at first, but I’m starting to realize he’s remembering more and more. Those first four or five days were terrifying. He was asleep more than he was awake, and every time I was petrified he wouldn’t wake up. Concussions are no joke, and ones where you pass out for god knows how long are unpredictable, to say the least. I spent all that time in his room, holding him or running my fingers through his hair. Everything, including Knipe, has taken a backseat.
His brothers never asked me about what we’re doing here, but I’m pretty sure it’s obvious. I’m not leaving him until he asks me to, and even then I’ll probably just tell him to shut the fuck up then ask for a truce later. I’m attached now, not that I ever wasn’t, but now I’m outwardly attached and he’s not going anywhere.
Declan stirs in my arms. “Chaos?”
“Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?” I press my lips to his forehead gently.
I know he’s annoyed that I’m babying him, and typically I wouldn’t, but I thought he was dead. He laid in my lap unconscious and I wasn’t sure he’d wake up. That changes you when you watch the one person you love more than anything in the world hurt like that.
“I don’t want to sleep anymore.” He grumbles but doesn’t make a move to remove the eye mask.
“What do you want to do then?” I ask as my fingers gingerly brush the side of his head. The bruise I spotted when we found him is now dark purple, and just looking at it makes my heart plummet.
“Something you won’t do for me.” He pouts and I can’t help but smile.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” I’m trying so hard to hold back my laugh. I know what he wants, but I also know what the doctor said.
“Fucking kiss me, Jakob.” He growls in frustration. But I love pissing him off, so I press my lips to his cheek. He rips his mask off and glares at me. “Put your lips on my lips. Kiss me or–”
“Orwhat, Declan?” I challenge raising a singular brow.
He fists my shirt and yanks me down so quickly that I barely have time to catch myself before our lips crash together, and it feels like coming home after a long vacation. His tongue slides across the seam of my lips, begging for entry. Smiling into his kiss, I open up for him. We kiss like we’ll never have another chance. Like one of us is going off to war. Pulling back from him, he groans in protest.
“Come back.” He grumbles.
“No, if you’re okay enough to make out with me, you’re okay enough to come have this conversation with me.”
I take his hand and gently help him to his feet before leading us back to his bedroom. I need to know why he was at that theater. I’m also done with the evasiveness about the deal between him and Natasha. We’re laying all our cards out on the table today. We have to so we can fightthis shit together.
I take a seat on the couch, the same one he first kissed me on all those years ago. He sits on the other side, and we both turn to lean against the arms and watch each other. It’s a game of who’s going to break first, and I know damn well it isn’t going to be me. I’ll wait him out all night if I have to, but the way he’s squirming under my watch tells me I won’t have to wait very long.
“What do you want to know, Jake?” He sounds exasperated. Like he doesn’t have time for my questions today. Too bad, I don’t have time for his secrets.
