“Well, that’s too bad because I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” he said, nothing but affection in his tone. “You love me. And you miss me, whether you want to admit it or not.”
The truth was, I did miss the little asshole. And after the day I’d had, home sounded damn good right now.
* * *
Beck
It wasafter seven by the time I walked into the apartment, Chuck greeting me at the door. She wove in and out of my legs, her tail wagging fast enough I was surprised she didn’t achieve lift-off. I squatted down to give her some love and accepted the puppy kisses, while my focus was elsewhere.
Everly sat in my chair withGossip Girlplaying on the TV, and a bowl of Starbursts sat on the side table next to a glass of wine. Before I even got a good look at her, I knew what I was dealing with.
Her shit day had only gotten shittier.
That was confirmed when she spun the chair around and looked up at me. Her face was clear of makeup, her hair piled in a knot on top of her head. She wore one of my T-shirts and nothing else as far as I could tell. And she looked exhausted.
Chuck jumped up in her lap with the kind of exuberance only a dog could muster, even though she’d probably just been sitting with Everly before I came home.
“Hey,” she said to me as she ran her hand softly down Chuck’s body.
And, yeah, this wasn’t going to do.
I snapped my fingers and pointed to Chuck’s luxury bed in the corner—yeah, it was a little over the top, with its platform feet and tufted cushions, but her house burned down, too, and I wanted her to feel comfortable in my place, so I’d bought it for her. The dog leaped down, trotting over and jumping up to her throne, then she proceeded to walk in four full circles before curling into a ball with a sigh.
Squatting in front of Everly, I rested my hands on the outsides of her bare thighs, thumbs brushing along her soft skin. “Hey.” I studied her eyes, which were usually so bright and full of life. But not now. Now, though they were clear of tears—thank fuck because I wasn’t sure I could handle another crying situation so soon—there was no denying they weren’t as vibrant as they usually were. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted a single shoulder. “I’m… It was just a really long day.”
“Yeah? You want to tell me about it while I eat your pussy?”
That startled a laugh out of her. “Beck.”
“What?”
“I’m pretty sure going down on me isn’t the answer to every problem.”
“But I’m pretty sure it could be the answer tothisone. You think you’ll be able to remember what was so bad when my tongue’s inside you?”
She closed her eyes and breathed out a laugh, shaking her head. “Oh my God.”
I pressed a kiss to her knee. “Tell me how your day went from amazing this morning when I kissed you goodbye to bad enough that you’re watchingGossip Girland mainlining Starbursts and wine.”
She blew out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping. “The house calls were a complete disaster.”
“It was your first day. I’m sure it’ll take some time to iron out the kinks.”
“I hope so, because who knows how long I’m going to be doing this.”
“It won’t be forever. Just until you can get the clinic rebuilt.”
She huffed out a laugh. “Well, that’s the thing. I got a call from the insurance adjuster today, and the amount they quoted will barely cover building a new structure, let alone filling it with all the equipment and furniture and everything else I need to replace. And the real kicker is it’smyfault because I never updated the policy to include all of my belongings and the new equipment I bought for the clinic.”
Her voice grew shaky at the end, and I could sense her panic. And…fuck. I was trying to flip the script and be the sunshine to her gloom, but I didn’t have an answer for this one.
“And then Ash called today, and this house I love is for sale, and he was going on and on about it. And about how Mom and Dad can’t wait for me to move back. And Mom’s already planned out the freakin’ menu for when I do.”
It felt like the entire floor dropped out from under me, my heart leaping into my throat at the same time my stomach dropped out of my ass.
