“Ugh.” Julia waved her hand in front of her face. “Back up. All of you. There’s so much testosterone flying around me right now that I feel like I’m sitting inside a testicle.”
“Is this a bad time?”
The four siblings turned to find Agent Dillan Douglas standing in the doorway. He was dressed in his usual tailored suit. His eyebrows formed two perfect arches above the lenses of his sunglasses before he pulled them off his face and smiled at the gathered group.
“God, no.” Julia shook her head. “Come in. Come in.” She turned to her brothers. “And you three, go away. FBI business and whatnot.”
Patrick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. You’re a big shot. We get it.”
“It’s more like I’m tired of being fussed over. I swear, you guys are worse than Mom.”
Oscar fluffed imaginary hair. “I take that as a compliment. Mom’s the best.”
“Shoo!” She waved them out and waited until they’d lumbered through the door before motioning for her partner to pull up the hard, plastic chair beside the bed.
Dillan scooted close enough to place a hand on her forearm. “You’re being discharged today?”
“So they say.” She winced when she moved her injured arm into a more comfortable position. “Quite honestly, I think they’re kicking me out so my family will stop using this place as a second home.”
Dillan’s lips twitched. “I heard your father nearly came to blows with the head nurse that first night when she tried to force everyone out of your room.”
Julia made a face. “Dad’s been sleeping in that chair.” She hitched her chin toward the uncomfortable-looking armchair pushed into the corner. “And they had to bring in a cot for Mom. As for those three?” She inclined her head toward the empty doorway where her brothers had disappeared. “When they haven’t been on shift, they’ve been here, driving the hospital staff crazy.”
“Not to mention the Black Knights.”
Thathad her blinking at him. “What?”
“Yup.” He nodded. “Those few days, this room was packed to the gills with well-wishers from BKI.” He pointed to all the vases that lined the windowsill and the little table beside her bed. “What? Did you think it was your family who turned this place into a flower shop?”
Honestly? Yeah. Or, rather, she hadn’t really thought about it.
Her eyes scanned the flowers now, and she saw cards attached to little plastic sticks. Were any of them from Britt? And, if so, what had he written?
A little bubble of hope formed in her throat. It made her voice sound full when she said, “I…I had no idea.”
He nodded. “You were pretty out of it. And then when it became clear you were going to make it, your mother, in the nicest way possible, ” he quickly added. “Well, she told those of us who aren’t family to bug off and give you time to heal.” He widened his eyes. “I see where you get it from. She’s terrifying.”
A chuckle burbled in the back of her throat as she imagined her diminutive mother standing with her hands on her hips and issuing decrees like a monarch. Then, she grimaced. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts when I laugh.”
“Right.” He nodded solemnly. “Only serious topics from here on out.”
She wanted to ask him if Britt had been in attendance when the Black Knights visited. She wanted to ask if hehadbeen in attendance if he’d seemed overly worried about her, or just the right amount of worried. You know, like afriendlyamount of worried as opposed to amorethan friendly amount of worried. But she didn’t want to sound desperate.
And considering Britt owed her nothing, and considering she’d only agreed to that one night, it wasn’t worth opening herself up to Dillan’s speculation.
Plus, she needed to stop thinking about Sergeant Britt Rollins. She needed to stop dreaming about him.
For three nights now, she’d been plagued by soft, wonderous fantasies of the two of them making coffee together in the kitchen, putting ornaments on a tree in the living room come Christmas, and snuggling by a fire while her animals lounged around them.
She blamed the illusions on the pain meds. Because the alternative was that it’d only taken one night for her to fall head over heels in love, and she refused to allowthatto be true.
It would be too sad, too…torturous.
It has to be the pain meds,she silently assured herself.And now that I’m done with the meds, it’s back to life, back to reality.
The reality where she ignored thatthingthat existed between her and Britt. The reality where they went back to being strangers.
A hollow feeling blossomed in the center of her chest.
