I nodded. “I am.”
My eyes fell on Haley, where she was talking to Callie, Wes, and Morgan, and my heart swelled. Iwasin a better headspace. Because of her. And like I told her, I had some healing left to do, but for the first time, I felt content with where things were headed.
The week blurred by as Haley slowly regained her strength—every small win was a victory. Walking without getting too tired was her first hurdle. On day one, she only reached the end of the driveway. Gradually, she was gaining distance. And as she needed less pain medication, she switched to over-the-counter options.
When Sunday rolled around, a week since she’d been discharged, she told me she wanted to go to her mom’s for Sunday dinner. And she asked me to come. So, we killed two birds with one stone.
We drove up to Cliffside Village and went to my parents’ first—I wanted them to know about us, and while slightly surprised by the news, they were unsurprisingly thrilled. They’d known Haley her whole life, knew her family—our moms were both retired doctors and close friends.
And when the time came, we left my parents’ house and walked across the street to her mom’s just as Wes and Morgan pulled in the driveway.
“Man, Sunday dinners just got a hell of a lot more fun,” Wes said with a chuckle as he got out of his car. “Not gonna lie…this is still going to take some getting used to, though. Mybest friendand mysister,” he jokingly sneered. Haley rolled her eyes with a smile as he clapped my shoulder, then looked at her. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m getting there,” Haley replied with a nod.
“Can you drink wine?” Morgan asked before looking at me. “Can she drink wine?”
“She’s not on the narcotics anymore. A small glass wouldn’t hurt.”
“Thanks,doc,” Haley quipped.
Morgan chuckled. “Come on.” She took Haley’s hand, helping her inside.
Wes and I trailed behind them. “Is she really doing okay?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “She’s making good progress and is on the mend.”
“And you?” he asked, looking over at me. “How are you doing?”
I met his gaze. “I’m good.”
And for the first time in a long time, the words feltreal.
Chapter 37
My face was setwith sheer determination as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, brushing out my wet hair after my shower. I set my brush down on the sink, running my fingers through my tresses a couple of times and shaking it out before I turned and stepped out of the bathroom in Blake’s bedroom.
As I paused at the door and let out a breath, I mentally steadied myself.This has to work. He’s just a man. With final determination, I opened the door and stepped out.
I quietly padded down the hallway from his room. When I stepped into the open living area, Blake was sitting on the couch with his back to me, watching sports highlights on the television with Maverick beside him. He waskilling me—before my shower, we took Maverick for a walk, and thisjerkwas shirtless and in sweatpants with a backward ball cap. He wasstillin that state now as he sat on the couch.
I wasconvincedhe knew exactly what the hell he wasdoing.
Well, so did I.
I bit my lip through a smirk as I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to grab some water.
The noise pulled his attention. “You okay, baby girl?” he called out.
“Yeah.” I shut the door and turned my back to him. “Just getting a drink.”
My stomach flipped when I heard his feet hit the ground from where they’d been resting on the table in front of him. Then he stood. He took all but three steps before I heard himfreeze.
“Baby…”
“Yes?”
“You’renaked.”
