"That's not part of the routine."
"Think you can handle breaking routine just this once? Will you be a bad boy, Daddy?"
He turned in my arms, and his smile was teasing. "For you? I can handle a little chaos."
We settled on the couch with a blanket, some cooking show playing quietly on the TV. I curled into Henny's side, his arm around my shoulders, and felt the last of the nightmare's grip fade away.
Thiswashealing, I thought. Not forgetting the past or pretending it didn't happen. I was building something new on top of it. Something stable and safe and full of love.
"Thank you," I murmured as my eyes grew heavy. "For all of this."
"Always, baby. Anything for you.”
For the first time in my life, I believed that always might actually be true.
CHAPTER 18
Henny
I wokeup right on time, my internal alarm more reliable than any device. The first thing I noticed was that Pip hadn't moved.
He was still curled on his side, face half-buried in the pillow, breathing deeper than normal. I propped myself up on one elbow and studied him. His cheeks were flushed, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead despite the cool temperature of the room. When I pressed the back of my hand to his temple, the heat confirmed my suspicion.
Fever.
Pip stirred at the touch, eyes fluttering open. They were glassy, unfocused. "Time is it?"
"Early." I smoothed the hair back from Pip's forehead. "You're burning up."
"M'fine." He tried to sit up and immediately swayed. "Just need coffee."
I gently pushed him back down. "You need to rest. Stay in bed. I'll bring you water and medicine."
"But we have meetings with Dario today." His words were slightly slurred.
I didn’t need a thermometer to know there was no way he’d be in those meetings. My boy had to rest so he could get better.
The fact that Pip remembered my schedule even while sick made my chest warm. "The meeting can wait. You're more important."
"No." Pip grabbed my wrist with surprising strength. "Go. I'll be fine. Just sleeping anyway."
I hesitated. The meeting with Dario was important. Ricardo had been making moves to expand his role in the organization and wanted funding for a new operation that could potentially lead us down a path to expand parts of the resort side of the casino.
As a trusted player in this business, I needed to go over the numbers with Dario, then make the case for or against the investment. It was a job that required more than one set of eyes.
But Pip was sick.
Feverish and vulnerable. There was zero chance of him being able to take care of himself.
"I can reschedule," I said.
"You can't." Pip's eyes were already drifting closed again. "Dario's schedule is packed since he leaves town today. You said so yourself. Go to the meeting. I'll still be here when you get back."
The trust in those words, the certainty that I would come back, made the decision easier. Pip was right. The meeting couldn't be rescheduled. And I'd only be gone a few hours.
"Okay," I agreed. "But you stay in bed. Don't try to work or train or do anything except sleep. Understood?"
"Yes, Daddy," Pip mumbled, and the automatic deference even in his current state sent a thrill through me that I chose not to examine closely.
