Page 48

We drive until we find an ice cream parlor. I get out, my arms instantly full of two teenagers hugging me so tight it steals my breath. I hold them tight, the three of us openly crying and I don’t know what exactly I’m feeling, only that I’m doing my best to focus on relief.

“I’ve got you,” I tell them, kissing both of their heads. “You don’t have to worry about anything, okay? I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of you.”

Blaire wipes her tears, looking up at me. “You take care of everyone, Thane. Who’s taking care of you?”

At that, I finally smile. “I have a guy,” I tell her. “Don’t worry about me. I’m taken care of too.”

Chapter Fifteen

Maverick

Today has been the day from hell.

I know I’ve been burning the candle at both ends, but today was truly the straw that broke the camel's back. And in this case, I am the broken camel.

Standing outside, I shiver as the cool air brushes past me. I tighten my jacket, waiting for Thane to pick me up. He was a bit cagey in his texts earlier, but I’m really looking forward to seeing him.

I want to hold him in my arms and remind him of all the things I love about him. I never want him to question my feelings. I never want him questioning his place in the world.

No one should ever be made to feel bad for who they are.

My car pulls in front of the hospital. When Thane stops, I duck into the passenger seat, tossing my bag over the middle console into the back.

“Hi,” I say, giving Thane a kiss.

“Hi,” he says back, a small smile on his face. It’s not his usual smile and I suddenly have warning bells ringing in the back of my head.

The drive back to the house is relatively quiet. Once my car is in the driveway and Thane has turned it off, he turns towards me instead of getting out. I mirror his position, waiting for him to speak.

“Okay,” he says, letting out a long sigh. “I have to tell you something.”

“I’m listening.” My body is utterly exhausted, my mind running around in circles a million miles an hour, but Thane is more important than all of that. He has my full attention.

“As you know, I was with Bax and Blaire today.”

“Did that go okay? Did something happen?”

“Yes and yes,” Thane says, pulling at the end of his braid. “I saw my parents. They signed the paper. The twins are here.”

I open my mouth to respond but Thane just plows ahead.

“Everything is fine right now. They’re already in their room. I think they pretty much passed out the moment their heads hit their pillows. We cried a lot already so that doesn’t really surprise me. I’m so sorry I’m just throwing this at you like this, Maverick.”

“Hey, hey,” I say, calming him and taking his hands in my own. “Everything is gonna be okay, Thane.”

“I have finals coming up. I have to start calling the local high school to see about transferring them here. I have to actually file this paperwork so I’m their legal guardian. Fuck, there’s so much to do and I’m so overwhelmed and that’s without thinking about how many hours you’ve been picking up lately.”

I cut him off by kissing his lips. It’s hard to talk when your lips are otherwise occupied. Thane sinks into the kiss, completely melting in his seat. I hold his face, overwhelmed by how much I love and adore this orc.

“Deep breath,” I murmur against his lips, feeling the way he sucks in a breath. “Good. Very good.”

“Sorry,” he says eventually, looking sheepish.

“I’m going to quit my job at the hospital.”

“What?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while but tonight was the last straw. I had a kid come in who’d been through something really traumatic and it just put a lot of things into perspective. I can’t keep thinning myself out like this. I want to be here for you. I want to be here for the twins. I’ll work at the university during the day. I’ll keep normal hours so that I can be present.”