I raised a brow. “You scolded me for not being in bed, so I’m gonna get in bed.”
Maybe I was still a bit fevered, but I didn’t back down. Eventually, Palmer shimmied all the way over to the other side of the bed and I slipped in. It was warm and infused with the scent of her.
I sighed, not realizing how sore I really was. I turned on my side to face Palmer. She stared at me like she had no idea who I was, and I almost laughed. “Don’t look so shocked.”
She frowned. “How could I not? You’re in my bed.”
That flush crept up her slender neck.
“You have nothing to worry about.” I fought a smile. “Except for getting sick.”
She pursed her lips.
“Now,” I said, my face softening. “Tell me why you don’t sound convinced of your importance here.”
The mood shifted back into something heavier. She stared down at her bandaged hands.
“I-I feel so useless,” she rasped. “My hands…it’ll be a week or more before I can use them properly. I-I don’t know what to do.”
There was a tinge of panic in her voice.
I shifted closer, reaching for her and pushing back a few strands of that golden-blonde hair.
“What are you talking about?” I said in a soothing tone. “You’re going to rest and recover.That’swhat you’re going to do.”
She bit her lip, looking at her hands. “I can’t help with Hailey—”
“Hailey can take care of herself. Let her help you for once. As long as you’re watching her, she can be your hands.” My thumb caressed the thin, soft skin at her temple. “Letmebe your hands.”
I remembered the things she confessed to me last night, every word of what she’d shared about her past. It didn’t make any sense that someone would reject such a bright human like her. It was utterly preposterous that no one had cherished the gift that she was.
“I’m—I’m only here to help you, not the other way around.”
The sadness in her voice sent a bolt of rage through me.
“You’re here because I want you, Palmer.”
She froze.
“Yes, you were hired to help me with Hailey. And you’re excellent at what you do, but—”
My hand cupped the side of her face, and I inhaled the scent of her…something earthy and warm and unmistakably her.
“You’ve become more than that.”
Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath.
“When you were lying out there in the snow…” My jaw clenched. “There are few times in my life where I’ve been that scared.”
She stared at me like she didn’t believe it.
Her breathing turned shallow. There was a question in her eyes, along with a bit of fear.
“You don’t have to earn your place here,” I murmured. “You already have one.”
Her bottom lip trembled. I brushed away a tear from her lashes.
Then, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her forehead.
