He got the message, quickly placing my feet back on the concrete—his outstretched hands flying to his face to prove innocence. “Whoa! Whoa! Look, I’m just trying to help. You can’t walk.”
“Icanwalk.”
He narrowed his eyes, the tiniest puff of laughter moving his cheeks before he shook his head in disbelief. “Just admit you need help.”
My gaze found Jesse’s and his soft, green irises pulled me in so quickly I nearly melted into a puddle. I took a quiet inhale then quietly admitted, “I—I don’t like being helped.”
“I can see that.” His eyes narrowed slightly, like I was a puzzle he could solve. “But I’m not leaving you out here. Will you let me carry you?”
I looked at the huge windows surrounding the play place just in time to see Nora and Izzy dart into a tunnel. Cade had his hands in his pockets, boots on. He glanced out the window at us. I swallowed my pride. “Okay.”
Tentatively, he scooped me up again, his arms banding around the back of my thighs and spine. The span of his chest was strong and firm, his hold on me so soft comparatively. He lifted, shifting me up until I accidentally bumped the bottom of his bristly chin with my head. “This okay?”
“Yes, except for the fact that I feel utterly ridiculous.”
He walked. “I felt ridiculous earlier.”
“Youhad a valid reason.” I shot back.
“Need of any kind is valid.”
I would say the same thing if I wasn’t the one taking a hand-out. I was good at managing other people, at meeting needs without being asked, or gauging the emotional temperature of others around me. That was my super power.
Receiving care though? Not so much.
With swift strides, Jesse made itto the first glass door.
“Push it.” He said, his voice just a touch strained.
Our coordination wouldn’t rival a newborn baby’s. He took an awkward step forward as my hand slipped off the door bar, slamming the glass against the top of my head.
“Ouch!” I laughed as I moaned in pain.
“I’m sorry—” Jesse stumbled as his knee cracked against the glass with a loudthud.“Ow—shit. My knee.” A rumble in his chest told me he was laughing, even though I couldn’t see his smile from my angle.
“Are you okay?”
“I knew my kneecaps weren’t safe with you.”
His callback made me scoff out a laugh. “It wasn’tmyfault!”
Scrambling to compensate, he swung the door back with the toe of his boot, turned to let it hit his butt, then side-stepped us into the foyer area. He wheezed in a breath.“I’m—so sorry.”
I cracked up as I rubbed my forehead. “I’m getting beat to a pulp.”
“We’re gonna end up in the ER again.” He fully laughed with me, his movements losing a bit of control. The sound that escaped his throat was…a giggle? I nearly swooned.
He began his struggle with the second door. “Damn. How many doors are there?”
That comment did me in.
My head fell back as I cackled. “You’re dropping me—just put me down. This is embarrassing.”
“I’m finishing this—with my head high.”
I feebly reached out to push at the door, but laughter stole my strength. We probably looked ridiculous, frantically pawing at the glass and laughing our heads off.
With blessed timing, a customer exited and held the door open for us. Jesse’s voice, strained and breathless, thanked the stranger. Once inside, he stopped and shifted me upward again.
