Left Together (25 page)

“If
you weren’t telling me what to do, it wouldn’t have taken so fucking long. Do
you ever just shut the hell up and do what you’re told?”

“Nope.”
He had to know the answer to his question before asking it. Kacie accepts the
flowers and thanks him. She sets them on the cushion next to her. “I really
appreciate what you did for me,” she says as he sits down on the chair. Jade tells
them to be quiet because the movie is almost over. I pick up the remote and
pause it, making Jade sigh.

“I’d
say you would’ve done the same for me, but one look at all that blood and you
would have lost it,” he teases her.

She doesn’t
deny it. “I would’ve at least dialed 9-1-1 first.”

“Maybe,”
he laughs. “I was just glad to hand your ass over to your brother. You were
really the bitchiest patient to ever take a ride in my ambulance.” I find
myself chuckling.

“Don’t
say that shit in front of Evan,” Kacie says, turning so her eyes meet mine. “He
thinks I’m perfect.”

“You
are
perfect, sweetheart,” I confirm.

“One
of these days, the two of you are going to make me vomit or stab holes in my
eardrums so I can’t hear,” Jade adds, getting up from the sofa. “I need a beer
to stomach this shit. Does anyone want one?” No one else does, but it doesn’t
stop her. I only laugh and head back upstairs until Nate leaves a short time
later.

Not
long after, Noah and Addison come back. It’s close to dinnertime, so Addie and
Jade disappear into the kitchen to heat up some of the food Aunt Grace brought
over. Noah sits with Kacie, checking to see how she’s doing, but trying not to
make it obvious. When I hear him say he wants to talk to her about something, I
know he’s going to tell her about their mother, so I grab Jade and Addison from
the kitchen and we all sit down. Jade sits on the coffee table, and I take my
normal spot next to Kacie.

“It
must be bad if the troops are rolling in,” she sighs, readjusting.

“No.
It’s just something you need to know.” Noah rubs his head as if it hurt. “While
Dr. Harris was trying to explain the severity of your allergic reaction, he
told Mom and Dad how you were having trouble breathing and needed help. Mom
didn’t want you to be hooked up to any of the machines. She told everyone you wouldn’t
want that and to take you off.” Kacie stiffens up and I lay my hand on her
shoulder. “It was a lot more dramatic than it needed to be. You had already
improved with the medication we administered prior to her even hearing about
what was happening. That was my call,” he says, looking to Jade and myself.
“I’m sorry you guys didn’t know sooner, but I figured my mother was going to
cause a scene about something. I thought it was going to be about having to
postpone her trip longer, though.”

“Are
you trying to tell me that, given the choice, my own mother would have let me
die?” Kacie questions.

“We
wouldn’t have let that happen,” I say, wrapping my arms around her.

“I was
ready to beat the bitch if she opened her mouth one more time,” Jade tries to
distract her, but it doesn’t work.

Kacie
turns to her brother, so I loosen my hold on her. “What did I ever do to her?
Why does she hate me so much?” she chokes out. Noah’s crushed. He pulls her
into him and lets her cry.

“I
have no idea what the hell her problem is,” he consoles her. “I wish I did.”
Noah holds her, I rub her back and Jade, who’s beginning to cry herself, holds
her hand. That’s how Jake and Kyle found us when they come through the back
door.

“What
the fuck is going on now?” Jake blurts out. Addie tells him and he immediately comes
over. Wedging himself in between Jade and me, Jake puts his hand on her leg.
“She doesn’t deserve you, Kacie.” He pleads for her to stop the tears. Jake
looks at me, silently asking what we should do. I shrug because I have no
fucking clue how to make this better.

“Um…,”
Kyle nervously starts. “I get that what’s going on here is important, but I
smell food. You guys aren’t going to let it burn, are you? Should I go check on
it or something?”

“Kyle!”
Jade snaps. Jake glares at him, while Noah and I look at each other. Suddenly,
Kacie starts laughing. The girl is mentally and emotionally drained, but she finds
humor in that.

Turning
her attention to Jade, she says, “Your boyfriend is an asshole and as soon as
my arm feels better, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”

“Honey,
you could do it now with one arm and busted ribs,” Jade tells her. “If you need
me to, I’ll hold him down.”

“Oh,
come on,” Kyle jumps in. “Don’t give me that shit. Every single one of you
would be pissed off if that delicious food goes to waste.”

“I’m
still going to kick your ass,” Kacie mumbles, trying to get up. I know better
than to get involved in an argument with her, so I just help her off the sofa,
keeping my mouth closed.

“Only
because I can’t stand to see people get hurt, I’m going to save you and put you
to work,” Addie says, grabbing Kyle on her way to the kitchen.

***

With
all of the doctor’s appointments Kacie has, plus people dropping by to visit,
the week flies by. My main goal is to get her life back to normal as soon as
possible. Part of that is finding a replacement for the totaled convertible.
Kacie wants the same model and color she had, so it takes numerous phone calls
and some patience to track one down. The second the dealer calls back to say he
was able to locate one, I feel relieved. It has to come from Georgia and will
take a few days, but that’s no big deal. She’s not ready to drive yet anyway. I
just want it in the driveway for her to see when she walks out front. Watching
how upset it makes her every time we go somewhere is wrecking me.

Last
night, I had to go into Skyline for a few hours. Thursdays are payroll days and
it’s my job to make sure it gets done. My uncle has been covering my shifts
since the accident, so it doesn’t feel right asking him to do it when I can
just run in for a little bit. Kacie doesn’t want to come with me, but she’s
promised to be on her best behavior and not do anything she shouldn’t. Keith is
managing the club this weekend, leaving me with a couple more days to get Kacie
settled. No one is at the club when I get there, but as the staff starts
arriving, they all come in to ask how Kacie’s feeling and if we need anything.
My Skyline family is pretty fucking awesome.

By the
time I get home, Kacie’s asleep. She started physical therapy in the morning,
then we stopped by the condo to grab more of my clothes. While we were there, I
handed her the stuffed rabbit and told her to bring it with us because I
wouldn’t be staying there anymore. She got choked up. I don’t think she
believed until then that I was really moving in with her.

Kacie
hasn’t slept late again since her first day home, but it’s okay because she’s
been lying here, waiting for my eyes to open every morning. There’s no better
way to wake up than by seeing my girl’s beautiful face staring at me. For the
rest of my life, I’ll be grateful for this second chance we’ve been given and
never take what we have for granted.

She’s
sitting up against her pillows. “Good morning,” she says softly, closing the
book she’s reading.

“It
sure is,” I tell her, stretching up to tuck a curl behind her ear. “How are you
feeling today?”

“Fine.”
As if I reminded her of a reason she shouldn’t be, Kacie looks down at the scar
that will forever be etched along her arm. “You know how you’re always asking
if I need anything and I usually say no?”

“Yeah…,”
I cautiously respond.

“Well,
there’s something I need you to do for me.”

“And
what’s that?”

Kacie
leans over until her lips close in on mine. At first, I allow my hand to tangle
in her hair, holding her to me as I kiss her back as passionately as she’s
kissing me. Her request becomes clear when she’s sliding her hand down my chest.
“Hold on. We can’t do that.”

“Yes,
we can.”

“No,
Kacie. I really can’t,” I say regretfully, putting my hand on top of hers to
keep it in place.

“What
do you mean you can’t?” she asks, her eyes watering.

“I
can’t,” I repeat, sliding up to a sitting position next to her.

“It’s
because of what I did, isn’t it? You said it wouldn’t bother you, but that’s
exactly what’s going on.”

“What?”
I wonder what she means before the dreaded night comes to mind. She’s assuming
this is because of Jake? “No! Not even close.”

“Then
why won’t you?”

“I’m
afraid,” I admit quietly.

“You
do realize I’m talking about sex, right? You’ve done it plenty of times. What
the hell could you possibly be afraid of?”

“Smartass,”
I groan. “The thought of you going back to the hospital fucking terrifies me.”

“Evan…”

“Don’t
start with me, Kacie. You have no idea how awful it was seeing you in that bed.
I wouldn’t be able to handle it again. If it was because of me…” I close my
eyes and tilt my head back. “If I put you there, it would be even worse.”

“You
aren’t going to hurt me,” she whispers, resting her chin on my chest. How the
fuck am I supposed to tell her no when she looks at me like that?

“I
could,” I whisper back.

“You
won’t.” She sounds so sure of herself. “I’m not asking you to pin me up against
the wall of a dressing room,” she says, biting her lip. “Although…”

“Knock
it off,” I warn, kissing her forehead. Fuck! Now that she has me thinking about
our first time, there’s only one way to get relief. My thumb runs along her
bottom lip and she rolls her tongue over it. That fucking tongue… “If I hurt
you, even just a little, stop me.”

Victory
fills her face. “Whatever,” she mutters excitedly. I start to doubt my decision
when she has trouble moving.

“Kacie,
promise me.” I need to know she’ll do it.

“I
promise.”

Looking
into those amazing hazel eyes, I fall in love with her all over again. How many
times will this happen? I’ll give her anything she wants, anytime she wants it.
Gently, I lean in to finish the kiss she started. She leaves me breathless and hard
as shit every fucking time. The only problem with boxer briefs is how much of a
pain in the ass they are to get off when I’m in a hurry. Kacie effortlessly lifts
her shirt up and over her head, then down the broken arm. I turn to hover over
her, removing the pajama pants and panties she’s wearing. Beginning at her left
knee, my lips trail kisses up the inside of her leg. Just before I get to my
intended target, Kacie stops me. When I peek up, she’s shaking her head.

“This
isn’t about me.”

As
slowly and carefully as I can, I glide along her body until my lips reach hers.
“Sweetheart, it’s always about you.” I kiss the little corner of her mouth.
“Last time…” I run my tongue over her bottom lip, making it quiver. “This time…”
I kiss the opposite corner of her lips. “Next time, and every other time for
the rest of our lives will always be about you. Don’t you ever forget it.”

“Evan…,”
she moans, her eyes begging. Even though I’m expecting her to do it, hearing
her say my name like that makes me fucking harder.

I
can’t take it any longer. For the first time in over two weeks, I’m right where
I want to be and it feels even better than I remember. She breathes out,
scaring me. “Am I hurting you?”

“Shut
up!” she hisses.

“It
feels so damn good to be home,” I groan.

***

Today has
been the easiest day by far to take a shower with Kacie. After a nap and
another “favor”, we finally get out of bed around noon. By the time we come
downstairs, we’ve missed breakfast and lunch. There’s no better way to spend
the first part of the day. It’s a little early for dinner, but we’re starving
so I raid the refrigerator. Kacie insists on having a salad. A plate of green
shit that grows in the ground is not going to be enough for the appetite I’ve
worked up over the last few hours, so I heat up some of the leftovers. I owe my
aunt big time.

We’re
just sitting down to eat when the doorbell chimes. “What the fuck?” I growl.
“Don’t these people understand my girlfriend is a freaking sex addict and I
need time to refuel before she attacks me again?”

“I’m
pretty sure it will be a while before there’ll be any attacking,” she says,
grinning.
Yeah, she totally loves me
.

“Don’t
warn me when you’re ready for that. I want to be surprised,” I tease, standing
up to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be right back.” Whoever it is presses the button
again. “Damn. I’m coming.” Through the window, I can see Noah. He looks upset.

When I
open the door, he practically knocks my ass over. “What the hell’s going on?”
he demands, walking by me. “Is Kacie okay?”

“She’s
fine. Why would you think she isn’t?” I say as he walks toward the kitchen.

“Mary
called and told me I needed to get here. She said she was on her way.”

“Why’s
Mary coming over?” I hear Kacie ask.