Picking the fork up with my left hand, I cut the first bit. “I can do this.” The fork wavered as I brought it to my lips, and I hesitated. “I’m going to throw up.”
“No. You won’t,” Quinn said quietly as she moved closer to me. Reaching over, she took the fork and ate the piece off it. “Hmm, I think it needed more pepper,” she said as she cut another bite and held it out to me. “What do you think?”
I took the bite and chewed as I tried to keep my stomach from revolting. “More salt?” I suggested.
“Now, you know I don’t cook with salt,” Quinn replied with a small smile. “Is the spinach wilted enough?”
Taking another bite, I nodded. “It’s really nice. Maybe a bit of cheese,” I added lightly as I took another bite and released her hand.
“Cheese? No,” Quinn scoffed as she beamed at me and watched me eat my omelet at three in the morning. “We’ll relook at your meal plans tomorrow.” She broke the silence. “I must be missing something that your body was craving, and I need to balance that out.” She shifted in her seat as she watched me eat slowly. “What did you eat?”
I finished my food and washed it down with the remaining juice. “Turkey, meatloaf, boiled eggs, four doughnuts, chips, and my little sister’s favorite chocolate milk.”
“Candy bars?”
“Only two,” I admitted.
“Okay, so sugar is an obvious one, the meat . . .” She looked away from me, and I could see her thinking. “I could add some red meat into your weekly plan.”
“It’s higher than chicken or turkey.”
“I know, I think you just need a taste, I’m not suggesting a rib eye,” Quinn joked lightly. “And of course, you played today, your body would be needing sustenance, and your blood sugar would have been low, which is why you went for the candy.”
“And the saltiness of the chips.” I tried to keep my tone light, and Quinn rolled her eyes at me.
“We can fix all of this,” Quinn assured me.
“Can we?” I looked at my watch. “It’s three twenty on a Sunday morning, and I’m sitting here like a loser after binging.”
“Stop it,” Quinn scolded gently as she took my plate and put it and the other dishes in the dishwasher. “You need to sleep. I mean solid sleep. Let your body adjust to tonight.”
“I remember what to do,” I reminded her.
“I know, you can’t stop me from being . . . me.” Quinn gave me a guilty smile, and I reached out for her and wrapped my arms around her.
It was a gamble, considering what we had been through, but she didn’t hesitate and slid her arms around me, returning the hug. We stayed like that for a few minutes, and I took the comfort she was offering as I felt the turmoil that we had been through finally settle around us.
“I missed you,” I admitted as I squeezed her a final time before I stood back.
“I missed you,” Quinn answered. “I needed that, thank you.”
“Don’t tell Gray,” I warned. “You tell him that I give the best hugs, he’ll sulk for a week.”
We were both laughing as we headed up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I paused when I saw that both were sitting on the top step, waiting. Was it overkill, or did I appreciate that they were both waiting for us to come back up the stairs?
“Hey,” I greeted them quietly.
“You manage?” Gray asked me, equally as quiet.
“Ate it all,” I told him as I lingered on the lower step.
“You need to sleep in one of our rooms?” Jett asked as he stood.
“No, I’m okay.” I waited until they both considered me, and then Gray’s gaze shifted to Quinn’s.
“He’s fine, a small hiccup, nothing more,” she said as she squeezed my arm and then climbed the few stairs to Gray, who had remained seated. Like she had with me earlier, she held herhand out. “Come on, you need to sleep.” Gray waited a moment and then shook his head, his eyes on me the whole time.
Jett caught her hand instead as he pulled her into a hug, kissing the side of her head before she passed him and went into Gray’s bedroom. When Gray’s bedroom door closed, I turned my attention back to my cousins. Jett looked between the two of us, and then he murmured a goodnight before he went into his room.
