Kendall laughed and squeezed my hand again.“So be patient.Let Holly and the doctor do their thing.Okay?”
I let out a sigh.“Fine.”
The next few hours felt like forever.Everything in the hospital moved at a glacial pace.I even knew what a glacial pace looked like in reality as I’d hiked on a few of them and witnessed the subtle changes over the years.Hours later, Kendall had a tidy row of stitches, and the doctor and Holly declared her ready to go home.
Meanwhile, there was the question of what to do with Travis.I thought it would be more stressful to take Kendall all the way out to the resort, but Travis was there.I wanted her to be home and resting ASAP.
“Let Tommy be in charge of Travis for the night.He will take that so seriously,” Lincoln added with a brow waggle.“You’ll make his week.”
“Just tell him one cup of food for dinner,” Kendall said.“He knows where to find it in the rescue barn.”
“So I’m dropping you guys off?”Lincoln asked once we were situated in the truck.
“Yes, please,” I said, giving directions to Kendall’s apartment.
In short order, we were upstairs and inside.As soon as the door clicked shut behind us, I pulled her into my arms, tucking my head beside hers in the curve of her neck.I held on tight.She banded her arms around my waist as we breathed each other in.
“I missed you,” I murmured into her hair.
“I missed you.”She leaned her head back.“And, Iamsorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“We had a little hiccup.”Although she didn’t go into details, I knew what she meant—my trip, her having her brother stay, both of us having our own emotional reactions.
“It was a little hiccup,” I agreed.
“We only have little hiccups,” she said, a teasing smile on her lips.
“You’re my best friend.We’re not going to let it become some big drama, or misunderstanding.”
“I felt like I let you down by letting Blake stay here that night.”
“You didn’t,” I insisted.“I was hurt because I was going to be gone for five days, and I’m a little selfish with you.When Lincoln gave me a little hell about my reaction, he reminded me that one of the things I love about you is that you’re always there for the people you love.Family and friends are important to you.I would do the same for one of my brothers, and you know it.”
“I know.”She lifted her hand, trailing her fingertips along the stubbled edge of my jaw.
“And,pleasedon’t go up to the hayloft to fix anything by yourself like that,” I added.
She sighed, a sheepish smile curling her lips.“Okay, that wasn’t the best choice.I didn’t realize how bad it was.But I am going to fix things myself, Jude.I’ll just be careful.”
I felt the rumble of my chuckle in my chest.“Fair.”
She smiled.Then dipped her head to drop a kiss on the side of my neck.Our mouths found each other.Our kiss started soft and brushing, a subtle reconnection.But since that first night with her, this had been the longest we’d gone without spending the night together and being tangled up skin to skin.The moment her tongue glided against mine, I wasgone.
I threaded my hand into her hair, and the kiss became open and messy.We broke apart, gasping for breath.She blinked up at me, eyes wide.
“I missed you,” she rasped.
“You have no fucking idea how much I missed you.”
“I think maybe I do,” she teased.
We were laughing together, and everything felt just soright, the way it always did with her.She got annoyed with me when I tried to be careful about her leg a little later.
“Oh, my God, it’s a cut.”Her tone was exasperated.
“That required stitches,” I pointed out.
