Cole studies my face for a second.
Then he says, “Where’s your medicine?”
“I’m not dying.”
“Where.”
I lift a finger and point toward the cabinet above the stove.
“Top shelf.”
He opens it without another word, scans the bottles inside, and grabs the pain reliever sitting toward the back. A moment later he fills a glass with water from the sink and sets it on the table in front of me before shaking a couple pills into his palm.
“Take them.”
I squint up at him.
“Are you always this bossy?”
“Yes.”
He drops the pills into my hand.
“Are you always this stubborn?” I ask.
“Yes.”
I sigh dramatically but swallow the pills anyway, chasing them with a drink of water.
When I set the glass down, he’s still standing there watching me.
“What?” I ask.
“Next time,” he says quietly, “you call me before you decide to threaten a crime boss.”
I lean the cold pack more firmly against my cheek. “That ruins the dramatic entrance.”
Cole stares at me for a second.
Then he exhales slowly and drags a hand down his face like he’s reconsidering every life decision that led him to this moment.
lean against the doorframe and watch him for a second before sighing.
“You got me home,” I say, gesturing vaguely toward the front door. “You can leave now.”
Cole doesn’t move.
He’s standing in the middle of my living room like he belongs there, broad shoulders filling half the space while he looks around at the animals wandering through the house. Daisy has already decided he’s acceptable and presses herself against his leg like she’s known him forever. Moose circles him hopefully. Cricket vibrates on the rug like a tiny caffeinated tornado.
Finally he looks back at me.
“No.”
I blink.
“No?”
“No.”
