“Hey there, buddy,” I greet, crouching to his level. “How are you feeling?”
He looks up at me with those big ocean blue eyes and smiles. “Good,” he replies in his soft, raspy voice. “We made you dinner. The pasta you liked so much.” He points at the basket Hunter is holding.
“Thank you, that’s so nice of you,” I tell him, flicking his nose and making him giggle.
Hunter steps forward, a warm smile on his face, way less nervous now he saw how normal I reacted to Lio. “You wouldn’t believe how much better Lio is after just a few days. It’s like a miracle with the right medication. He hardly ever coughs anymore. He’s still a little weak, but I know he’ll be more than fine in a few more days. And it’s all because of you.” He steps even closer, his eyes searching my face. “You rescued him, even when I was a total d…ork. You could have walked away afterhow we treated you, but you chose not to. For Lio. I’ll forever be grateful to you for that.”
“Fucking hope so, brother,” comes from inside the van, and I see Saylor still lounging on my bed in my peripheral vision, listening in.
I can’t help but smile as I hug Lio tightly, whispering in his ear, “I’m so happy you’re feeling better.” And I really am. All of this, the ordeal, the hurt, the heartbreak. Everything that happened. It was worth it to see Lio this healthy.
“But Uncle Hunter said you don’t feel so good and that you have to eat.” Lio looks stern as he points at the basket.
“At least he isn’t wrong there,” Saylor points out.
Are they ganging up on me?
“Wanna try? We made the round ones this time,” Lio shares proudly.
I glance at Hunter before telling Lio, “Sure, would you mind getting me a fork from the kitchen?” Standing, I grab Lio under the arms and lift him into the van.
“You don’t have a kitchen.” He giggles as he looks around.
“There is a fork in one of the drawers over there,” I explain, letting him search the van while I step outside to talk to Hunter. “I’m glad Lio is doing well…” I admit, “… but you two have to go.” I cross my arms over my chest, hoping to look stern, but my insides are mush.
I want nothing more than to be pulled into Hunter’s chest, to have him stroke my back gently while he softly whispers that everything will be all right.
He’s so damn good at calming me down, but what can I do when he’s the one that upset me?
Hunter’s face falls slightly, but he nods. “That’s fair. I just wanted to apologize, too, and bring you some food.” He hands me the basket, and I take it, reaching inside the van to put it on the floor, hearing Lio still rummaging around in my drawers. “Sonow you’ve got the food, there’s still the apology left,” Hunter starts, but I raise an eyebrow, feeling a mixture of confusion and agitation.
What is he thinking?
“You can’t just use Lio like that,” I accuse sharply, not letting him speak.
Hunter’s eyes widen, and he steps back, holding his hands up defensively. “I didn’t mean to use him,” he protests. “We just thought you might not have been eating enough. You look like you lost weight, so we made you something to eat.”
“Oh, did your brothers tell you that after they thought it okay to barge into where I’m working?—”
“They did. And believe me, I would have been there with them too, maybe acting just as stupid because I was out of my mind with worry for you. But I was with Lio in the hospital. I was where I needed to be. You told me you didn’t want me to follow, and I tried hard to do just once what I should and not what I desperately wanted to do.”
My frustration bubbles over, and I snap, “And now that he’s better, you use him to get to me because you know I wouldn’t open the door for you, but for him, I would?”
“Sloan…” He starts, but Lio finally finds the fork and stands beside me again, reaching it out to me.
“Thank you, buddy. I know I will love your pasta,” I tell him as I take the fork and pull him close.
“You should try it now so we know if you do,” Hunter suggests, his eyes sparkling with a glimmer of mischief.
“Yes, try,” Lio encourages, looking at me with hopeful eyes.
I shoot Hunter a glare, but he just smirks. “You accuse me of using him anyway. I’ll at least make sure you eat something today.”
“Evil genius,” Saylor snickers. “But I want you to eat something too, so I’ll let it slide.”
Oh,you will hear an earful when they’re gone.
“I’ll try later, Lio. I’m not hungry right now. But I’ll tell you how good it was when I see you next time.” I try to let him down gently, but Lio’s face falls, and a small pout forms on his lips.
