Chapter 29: Taking Care of Him

I peek around the corner, squinting a bit.

I creep up behind my mom, who’s busy stirring oatmeal, and I reach out, wrapping my arm around her waist in a surprise hug.

“Lord, Addalynn!” she yelps, giving my arm a light smack. I let go as she squirms out of my grip.

“What?” I ask, feigning innocence as I step into her line of sight.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to startle me like that?” she chides, switching off the stove. I hop up onto the kitchen counter.

“Probably a few more times.”

She rolls her eyes at me, and I can’t help but grin back.

“Mom, I don’t want oatmeal,” I say, eyeing the pot on the stove. There’s no way I’m eating that.

“Don’t even start, young lady.” She brushes past me to grab some bowls.

“Why does Dad get to eat pizza?” I grumble, and she freezes in her tracks.

“Your dad is eating ~what~?”

I can’t help but grin at her narrowed eyes. She sets the bowls down on the counter and hurries out of the kitchen. I bounce along behind her.

~I’m not going down alone.~

The door to Dad’s office is slightly ajar, and Mom pushes it open wider before storming in. Dad’s sitting in his chair, chowing down on a slice of margherita pizza, earbuds in.

When she realizes he hasn’t noticed her, she strides over and yanks out his left earbud. Dad practically jumps out of his chair, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

His eyes go wide when he sees her.

“Honey,” he starts, swallowing the mouthful of pizza.

“Don’t ‘honey’ me. Didn’t I tell you we were having oatmeal this morning?” She crosses her arms over her chest.

Dad peeks around Mom to look at me.

“Traitor!” he whispers, and I give him a sheepish smile, scratching the back of my head.

“Hey, none of that. Answer my question!” she insists.

Dad sighs as she blocks his view of me.

“I forgot, but I promise I’ll come down and eat your oatmeal. I’m still hungry.”

“That’s what I thought. Let’s go.”

“Now?” Dad whines, and I slap a hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh.

Unsuccessfully, I might add.

“Now.” Mom grabs his hand and pulls him up, leading him out of the room.

“Freaking traitor!” Dad grumbles at me as they leave.

“Sorry, Dad!” I call after them, half-heartedly. They disappear down the stairs and I start to follow, but then I stop.

I glance at the margherita pizza sitting on Dad’s desk, calling my name.

~Just one slice won’t hurt.~

I walk over to it, the smell teasing my nose.

~It looks so damn good.~

Without thinking, I lick my lips, reaching out to grab a slice.

“Addalynn!” I jerk my hand back when I hear Mom’s voice from downstairs.

“The oatmeal is waiting for you, sweetheart!” Dad calls out.

~Damn it!~

***

I flop down on the couch, turning on the TV. I pile three pillows under me and lie down, flipping through channels.

~Bingo!~

~Tom and Jerry~ starts and I smile, settling in to watch. I yawn, feeling a bit sleepy, when my phone rings. I glance at the caller ID.

~Gabe? Why’s Gabe calling now?~

I answer his call, holding the phone to my ear.

“Addy?”

“Yeah.” My voice is a bit gruff.

“Are you still mad?” He sounds unsure.

“I’ve tried to call you guys a dozen times. No one answered. Why do you even have a phone?” I snap.

“I know, but Addy—” he starts.

“No, no, no!” I shake my head, even though he can’t see me.

“Why did you guys bail on Friday? Would it have been so hard to tell us you were going home? I would have understood. But no, not a word.

“It’s been two days. Why call me now?” I say, crossing one leg over the other.

“You’re really mad…”

“No shit, Sherlock!” I sit up.

“Fuck, you’re not going to like this…”

I furrow my brows. ~What’s he talking about?~

“Not going to like what?”

“Are your parents home?” Gabe sounds uncertain.

“No, they just left for another business trip. They’ll be back in two days, though. Why?”

“Thank God. Look, I’ll call you back later!” He hangs up.

“Gabe? Gabe!” I pull the phone away from my ear. “You guys are so dead on Monday.”

I toss the phone onto the couch, standing up.

~I need ice cream... something to calm me down.~

~Ding dong.~

I glance at the front door. Who could be here at this hour? I roll my eyes in annoyance and go to see who it is.

~I’m really not in the mood for company...~

All I want is to know where Asher is.

I unlock the door and swing it open.

~What?~

~The.~

~Hell.~

A very tired-looking Blake, with a few scratches here and there, is supporting a black-and-blue Asher.

“Shit!” I gasp, never having seen him so beat up before. “What happened?”

I rush over, taking Asher from him. He immediately leans on me for support.

Even in his semi-conscious state, he manages to lean into me, mumbling something I can’t make out into my shoulder.

“Is anyone home?” Blake asks urgently, and I shake my head.

“No. Gabe called and asked the same thing. What’s going on?” I ask as I wrap an arm around Asher, who snuggles into me, giggling. “Is he drunk?”

Blake shakes his head.

“He’s hurting pretty bad. I gave him some painkillers. Listen, Addy, I can’t explain everything right now. Can you just let him stay with you tonight? Asher’s dad is home, and he’ll lose it if Asher comes home like this.”

“You’re joking, right? We need to get him to a hospital!”

Both Blake and Asher shake their heads no. I roll my eyes in frustration.

“Then at least tell me what happened.”

Asher wraps his arms around my waist, and my eyes go wide.

“I’m sorry, Buttercup…”

“He got into a fight, and it didn’t go as planned.”

“That much is obvious.”

“Can you just keep him with you tonight?” Blake’s face is filled with worry as he keeps glancing at his watch.

I nod quickly. “I’ve got him.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

I dismiss him with a wave of my hand.

Blake gives us a quick wave before I nod at him and close the door. I stand there for a moment, still trying to process everything, when I hear a pained groan. My eyes widen as I look at the giant man in my arms.

~Wow, I’m tiny compared to him.~

“Damn, let’s get you inside.” I try to turn us around. “Can you make it up the stairs?”

He nods.

“Alright, let’s go.” I lead him up the stairs. Halfway up, I mutter a few choice words before dragging him the rest of the way to my bathroom.

With some difficulty, I manage to get him seated on the toilet. He starts to slide off, and I push him back on.

“Hey! Stop messing around. I’m still mad at you, and you’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Pouting won’t help you.”

“Achoo!” He sneezes loudly.

“Did you catch a cold too?”

He shakes his head no, and I give him a stern look as he tilts his head up to look at me. Despite the bruised eye and wounds, he’s still incredibly handsome.

“Maybe?” He grins up at me, and I roll my eyes.

“Is it bad?”

He shakes his head no, then nods yes. “It hurts to swallow.”

I move around him. “Stay here.”

I rush downstairs to the kitchen to grab an ice pack. I also grab the first aid kit that I’ve used far too many times from a shelf before hurrying back upstairs.

Asher is still sitting on the edge of the toilet seat when I return. I wrap a cloth around the ice pack and press it against his eye.

“Ouch!” he whines.

“Serves you right. Who told you to get into fights?”

He tries to push me away. I move to the counter and open the kit, pulling out everything I need to clean his wounds.

“Don’t put that on me, it stings like hell!” He points at the bottle in my hand.

“Quiet. I need to clean you up.”

“Yes ma’am.” He salutes me and I can’t help but laugh.

“Spread your legs?”

He raises an eyebrow at me and I groan.

“Stop, you little—”

He raises his hands in surrender. “In my defense, I didn’t say anything.”

“You, you—never mind!” I exclaim, feeling my cheeks heat up.

“I have a better idea.”

“Oh?”

He hooks his hands behind my thighs and pulls me down to sit on his lap, facing him.

“Hey! You’re injured, Asher. Stop messing around.”

He tightens his arms around me, pouting when I try to get up.

“But I already feel so much better.”

I hold onto his arms to keep myself steady, even though I know he won’t let me fall.

“You could barely stand earlier, but now you can hold me on your lap? That seems suspicious…” I poke his shoulder.

“Ouch, that hurts!”

“Asher!”

“Okay, okay, fine. Maybe I exaggerated how much I was hurting earlier…heh heh.” He looks away, probably embarrassed.

“Why?” I ask as I tend to his wound, trying to work quickly when I see him wince in pain.

“I wanted you to…”

I stick a few Hello Kitty Band-Aids on his cheeks, patting them lightly before giggling at the sight.

“All done. Now, what were you saying?” I look at him expectantly, feeling more comfortable on his lap than I should.

“I wanted to be in your arms,” he mumbles, avoiding my gaze.

The butterflies.

They’re back, fluttering around in my stomach.

“Oh, okay.” I try to sound casual as I attempt to get off his lap. He doesn’t let me.

“So, are you not mad at me anymore…for standing you up, I mean?” He looks at me again.

“Just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean I’m going to go soft and let it slide.

“I waited for you for so long. Then I got lost and Kaylee had to find me. Do you know how many times I tried to call you?”

“I know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t answer. There was a fight and I had to be there and things got out of hand. Really out of hand. But everything’s okay now, don’t worry.”

“Oh,” is all I can say.

He nods before wrapping his hands around the back of my thighs again, this time standing up. I squeal, clinging to him.

He carries me out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. All the while, I cling to him, secretly enjoying being in his strong arms.

Asher doesn’t seem ready to talk about it, so I decide not to push him. ~He’ll tell me when he’s ready.~

He sets me on the kitchen counter and steps away, heading over to get a glass of water.

“Hand me a cup, a spoon, and the honey!” I demand, pointing in the direction of the honey.

“Why?”

I point again, shooting him a look.

“Where’s the honey?”

“Behind you.”

Asher takes a few gulps of water before fetching the items I requested. He returns, setting everything down next to me before positioning himself between my legs once more.

“What are you planning to whip up?” He gazes at me, full of anticipation.

“Just wait and see.” I grab the honey and pour a generous amount into the cup. Then I reach for the pepper behind me, tossing a hefty amount into the honey.

A whole lot of it.

Asher wrinkles his nose as I pick up the spoon.

“That’s not for me, is it?”

He attempts to back away, but I loop my legs around his waist, ensuring he can’t escape my grip this time.

“Open wide. I promise this will soothe your throat in no time!” He complies, opening his mouth, and I scoop up a large spoonful, pushing it in.

“Good boy?”

He grunts, forcing down the concoction. “This shit is burning!”

“Who told you to chew the pepper? Just swallow it.”

He whines, wrapping both arms around my waist on the counter before opening his mouth again. I feed him the remainder.

“You’ll feel so much better by morning!”

“The things I do for you…”

“This is your penalty for leaving me—homemade remedy.” I tease, wiggling my eyebrows at him.

He chuckles. “Thanks.”

I return his smile before giving him a playful shove.

He releases his hold on me and I hop down.

“You can crash in the guest room if you still want to stay?” I offer.

“Yeah. Got a spare toothbrush?” He rakes a hand through his hair and my heart skips a beat.

“Uh, yeah. Just check in the bathroom. You’ll find it. I’m just going to clean up here first.”

He nods, flashing me a smile, before exiting the kitchen.

I just stand there like a fool, watching him long after he’s disappeared.

~What just went down?~

~OMG, how on earth did I manage to stay so composed?~

~Wow!~

How am I supposed to sleep, knowing the guy I’m crushing on is in the next room?

You’ve really done it this time, Addy.

Quit pretending you’re not absolutely thrilled about this situation.

Oh, I’m definitely thrilled.

With that thought, I dash up the stairs after him, completely forgetting about the kitchen I intended to clean up.