She shivered against my chest. “Cold, baby?” I asked, pulling the blanket tighter around her body. The days were getting warmer and longer, but Westin seemed to always be cold.
“Just a bit,” she whispered.
“Do you want to go inside?”
We were in one of the oversized lounge chairs in the courtyard behind the guesthouse. The gentle lapping of the pool was the only sound breaking the silence. I’d asked her if she wanted to get in the water, but she said she just wanted to be outside. She was already wearing my sweatshirt and one of the thick blankets from the nest, but it didn’t seem to be enough.
I didn’t seem to be enough.
I hadn’t been able to save my mom, had never been good enough for any of the foster families to want to keep me. And now I couldn’t even protect my omega from this suffering.
“No, I like being out here with you,” she said.
I kissed her forehead, running my hand up and down her arm to keep her warm.
92
HENRY
CHEMO DAY 11
“This magic mouthwash is pretty un-magical,” I muttered, throwing the prescription mouthwash back in the fridge. I’d just given Westin another dose to help her chemo-induced mouth sores, but they weren’t getting better. It hurt for her to talk, to eat, to do anything.
Liam, Gray, and Bear were at the kitchen island, finishing up eating lunch.
“I messed up,” Bear said, looking down at his half-finished burger.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I told her I missed kissing her, and she just looked so fucking sad. I didn’t mean it was her fault or anything, but I think that’s how she heard it.”
He looked so fucking dejected. Liam put his arm around his shoulder. “She’s worried she’s disappointing us or some bullshit.”
“She doesn’t want to be a burden,” Gray added quietly, clenching his fist.
My heart felt perpetually broken these days. I was so used to being able to fix everything through the law… and with money. But I couldn’t fix this.
“We need something fun to take her mind off everything,” I said. Westin had come alive at the skating rink and fair. She was wilting away being stuck at the house and the hospital, but she wasn’t strong enough to go anywhere right now.
Liam sat up, his eyes wide. “Shit, I just got an idea.”
“What?” I asked.
“Let me make a quick call to see if it’s possible first,” he said, grabbing the phone and leaving the room.
I raised my eyebrows as I watched him go, desperately hoping his idea would work, whatever it was.
93
GRAY
CHEMO DAY 13
Ipulled a chocolate protein drink out of the fridge, poured it into a tall glass, and added a pink-striped curly straw. I’d bought an entire case of the drinks today, scared of how little Westin was eating. She wasn’t throwing up, but her nausea was so bad it was hard for her to eat anything.
I walked into the living room, where she was curled up with Liam on the couch. They were watching that baking show again. Sometimes Westin would see something she wanted to eat on screen, and we would move quickly to get it for her before the craving passed.
“Here, princess,” I said, crouching in front of her. “It’s a protein drink, but it tastes just like a chocolate milkshake.”
