“What’s your fucking problem?” Eric snapped, wiping drops of water off his arm.
“You are now.” That got his attention. “You’re sitting here acting like you did something wrong, when the truth is I don’t know if I’d be here right now if you hadn’t stepped in. Jason told me how bad it was, how the doctors were worried there’d be internal bleeding, brain damage, all that shit. It’s because of you that I’m here.”
“Yeah, so people keep telling me.” Finally, Eric lifted his gaze. I almost regretted snapping on him the way I had, but I didn’t want his pity. “I just keep thinking that if I’d parked closer, I might have been able to stop that asshole before he knocked you to the ground.”
“And if you’d parked closer to the bar, you might have been inside and then you wouldn’t have even known anything happened,” I responded dryly. I raised the head of the bed again so I could get comfortable. I might be stuck in this fucking bed until the doctors signed off saying that I wasn’t going to keel over as soon as I walked outside, but I sure as fuck wasn’t going to look like a damn invalid. “A wise man once told me you can’t do a damn thing about what’s already happened so it’s not worth wishing you could change it.”
Jason laughed as he walked into the room. “Someone mark today on a calendar. Jackson actually admitted that I’m not full of shit.”
“Fuck you,” I scoffed. “I promise, I won’t let it happen again if you’re going to make a big deal over it.”
Jason pantomimed locking his lips before greeting Eric. I might have growled when I saw that his hands were empty. No coffee, no food. “You might want to turn your happy ass around and think about coming back with some food.”
Eric stood and squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they get you something before you bite off someone’s head.”
“At least someone’s looking out for me,” I grumbled. Eric winked on his way out the door, leaving Jason there shaking his head. “What?”
“You two. He’s almost as bad as your mom and you don’t even see it.” Jason scrubbed the back of his neck, still uncomfortable with whatever he thought was going on between Eric and me. “Look, before everyone gets back, there’s something you should know.”
I got the feeling I wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say next. I stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
“I called Bryce,” he admitted. I groaned and fell back against my pillows, flinching at the pain. “You can kick my ass as soon as you’re up to it, but I know both of you. I could tell by the look on your face that you weren’t going to call him and I know he’s stubborn enough he’d keep trying until he got through. So, I called and let him know what’s going on.”
“Great, so now we’re going to start the parade of visitors?” Why was it so hard for everyone to understand that I didn’t want the whole world knowing what happened? I doubted that would be possible for long, but the more people who knew, the more people would want to see me to make sure no one was lying about my condition, and all I wanted was food and a damn nap.
“I told him you’re getting out of here sometime today, but he wants to see you.” Jason kept his tone soft, as though he thought this was going to put me over the edge. He wasn’t entirely wrong. “I told him we were going back to Eric’s whenever they let you out of here and he said he’ll stop by later.”
“Fine. I’m too tired to fight about this,” I conceded. “Just do me a favor.”
“Name it,” Jason said confidently. If I’d pissed him off, he wasn’t showing it. That was good because I had a feeling it was only going to be a matter of days before everyone was sick of my brooding and short temper.
“Ask everyone else to wait until at least tomorrow before swooping in,” I pleaded.
“Deal.”
That’s when Eric walked in, a plate of toast in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. I could have kissed him.
* * *
This was definitely notthe way I planned to start my winter break. I’d planned on having a few drinks with the guys after Jason guilted me into going out with them, coming home, and doing absolutely nothing until we had to head to the clubhouse for meetings. Instead, I was sitting in the back seat of my parents’ SUV, cringing as Dad managed to hit every single pothole and bump in the road.
If there was a part of my body that didn’t hurt, I hadn’t found it yet. Even my hair follicles ached from where the asshole who attacked me fisted his hand against my head before tossing me to the ground. The doctors repeatedly told me how lucky I was that I didn’t have more severe injuries, but I sure as fuck didn’t feel lucky.
Dad let out a low whistle as he pulled into the driveway at Eric’s house. This was the first time I’d seen their reaction to the place I’d called home for over a year. Dad always blamed it on Mom not being a fan of long drives, but I knew it was more that he didn’t trust anyone to take care of the farm long enough for him to take a few days off for a vacation.
“This place is beautiful,” Mom praised. “If I’d known you had so much room, I might have run away from the farm and stayed with you some of the time.”
And wasn’t that a lovely thought. As much as I loved my parents, I shuddered at the thought of having them here more than a day or two. Mom wouldn’t be able to keep herself from hovering, and Dad would start trying to find projects around the house to keep his hands busy.
I really hoped Eric and Jason could figure out a way to convince them to head back to Belmont because I was too worn out to think about anything other than falling into my bed, taking a pain pill and passing out for the day.
“Yeah, I got pretty lucky,” I responded, hissing because just the simple act of breathing hurt. “Eric didn’t want to get rid of the place when he was traded and the house was sitting empty when I came to town.”
Eric’s car and another were in the driveway, and Jason’s truck pulled up before I could get myself situated so my feet were on the ground outside the truck. I looked to the back of the house and saw Eric and Bryce standing at the back door waiting for me.
Now that he was standing only a few yards away from me, I wished I had been dreaming when Jason told me that Bryce was in town and would be here when I got home. He and I had talked a fair bit while I was on the road, and we’d discussed getting together if he was in town again, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to see me like this. My swollen, bruised face and casted arm weren’t exactly the best way to make a good impression on the guy. Fortunately, none of that seemed to faze Bryce. He quickly crossed the lawn and offered an arm to steady me.
“I’ve got it,” I snapped at him, taking a step away. I’d never been good at accepting help, and I sure as shit didn’t want to see pity in his eyes, too. “Why are you here?”
