He pointed to the other side of the kitchen Creed shrugged and walked over to where he’d pointed and reached for the kit with ease. Winter’s dislike for the man was back in full force.
Why the hell does he have to be so damn tall? I have to go on my toes just to reach a few things in my own kitchen.
“What’s with that face?”
Winter didn’t realize his facial expression had changed. “Why the hell are you so tall?”
Creed chuckled, and Winter was instantly drawn to the dimples in his cheeks. “Are you always this mean to people you meet?”
“Only ones that are taller than me.”
Creed didn’t say anything as he pulled out a chair and sat in front of him. He opened the first aid kit and took out the gloves, putting them on before reaching for some gauze. Gently he took Winter’s foot and started cleaning up the blood.
“Are you a doctor?” he asked.
“Nope, but when you’ve seen the things I have, you need to learn how to help a wounded friend.”
Winter nodded and stayed silent watching the other man’s facial expression. His eyes looked tired, and he could tell the other man was crying. He resembled Richard in complexion and the color of their eyes, but that was where the similarities stopped.
“They loved each other,” Winter said. “It was the kind of love Caroline and I always talked about. Richard swept her off her feet and showed her how much she meant to him from day one.”
Creed looked up from what he was doing, and his eyes connected with Winter’s. “I don’t doubt that; my brother never did anything half-assed.”
Winter smiled and felt tears pool in his eyes, and he tried to stop them, but it was futile.
“Caroline said he made her laugh the first time they met, and in a sea of beautiful people he knew she belonged to him. I was envious and happy for them at the same time. What’s funny is that Caroline and I have been best friends since childhood, but when Richard came into the picture nothing changed. It was as if he had been a part of us from the beginning of time. I miss them both so much it hurts. And I know Connor is yours by blood, but I can’t…please don’t take him away from me, he’s all I have left of the both of them.”
Winter closed his eyes and let go of the reins holding on to his emotions. Arms wrapped around him and soft, soothing words whispered in his ear.
“We’ll work something out.”
Winter nodded, his fingers grabbed onto the man’s shirt. “I can’t lose him, and I promised her I would take care of him. It was her last wish.”
“I missed so much,” Creed whispered. “I should have been here. I never even got to say goodbye.”
“There’s nothing you could have done,” Winter said leaning back to look at Creed and the tears also staining his cheeks.
“Tell me he wasn’t in any pain.”
Winter closed his eyes and licked his dry, chapped lips. “He…according to the paramedics, he died on impact.”
More tears streamed down Creed’s cheeks, and Winter pulled him back into his arms. They both stayed in that position letting go of their grief for the ones they loved and lost.
They weren’t friends, nor were they enemies, but for the time being, they had each other to lean on. Winter had no idea what was going to happen and summarized that they would figure out the rest later.
* * *
Creed stepped backfrom Winter’s embrace and reached for some tissue to clean off his face. It seemed their emotions got the better of them. Creed had been surprised when the omega showed a different emotion other than anger, which he was realizing was a defense mechanism.
Maybe we’re both using anger to hide our pain for losing the ones we love.
Maybe Winter felt threatened that he was going to lose the last link of a woman he loved dearly.
“I’m sorry,” Creed said.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“It seems we’re going for each other’s throat when we should be trying to figure out what to do about Connor.”
