Hatch grinned. “There’s my girl.”
“I just want to go home and soak in a bubble bath and curl up with my man.”
“Well, I’m gonna throw a wrench in that plan, sweetheart,” Hatch said.
I frowned. “Why?”
“Because we’re lockin’ you down.”
“What about the clinic? What about my mom and her chemo?”
“Sweetheart, they got to you at your clinic. We can possibly figure out your mom situation, but right now, you’re gonna have to take a few days off.” Hatch cocked his head. “You wanna lock down at the compound or at mine and Maisie’s place?”
“Can I talk to Rooster and figure that out?”
“Yeah.” Hatch turned to Rooster. “Take her home, pack a bag, then text me what you decide. We’ll take care of the kid.”
Rooster nodded, sliding his arm around me. “You got it.”
“Can we go now?” I whispered.
“Yeah, baby,” he said. “I’ll come inside with you while you lock up and grab your shit.”
I nodded, and we did just that, then he drove us home. I waited until we got inside the house to completely melt down, and Rooster grabbed me before I hit the floor.
“Shit, baby, you okay?”
I shook my head, crying so hard I could barely catch my breath.
“They… they…”
“Don’t,” Rooster crooned, lifting me and carrying me to the chair in the living room. “Just cry for now. Let your body get it out. You can tell me about it when enough of the trauma’s exorcized.”
He settled me on his lap and held me while I did just that.
It took a good twenty minutes before my sobs turned into hiccups and then I was able to take a few deep breaths as I burrowed deeper into Rooster’s neck, breathing in his cologne. It was my favorite.
“Are you still wearing Acqua di Giò?”
“You bought it for me, so yeah.”
I sat up so I could meet his eyes. “You’re still using the same bottle?”
He chuckled. “No, baby, I bought more.”
“You’re still wearing the same cologne I bought you for your birthday when we weresixteen years old?” I asked.
“Why does that surprise you?”
“Because I just assumed you left and forgot about me,” I grumbled, flopping back against his chest. “But I’m learning you did not.”
He gave me a squeeze. “I absolutely did not.”
“Didn’t it make things harder to have things that constantly reminded you of me?”
“Sometimes. Mostly, it made me feel closer to you.” He smiled. “But in the midst of all of it, I learned to do hard well.”
“Wow.” I couldn’t stop a quiet gasp. “That’s a mantra if ever I heard one.”
