Page 93 of Ramshackle
Oh yeah.
Alcohol breath.
“I think so,” I reply honestly. I still feel like I’m missing something incredibly important, but the more I try to remember, the further away it seems. “When did you get back?”
“Now.” Ah. So, right in time to witness my moment of insanity with Kellan. At least he made it in time to save the coffee. Fuck, this man takes care of me more than I deserve.
I grab his hoodie and pull him down for one more kiss.
“All right, come eat. Both of you, since I doubt you’ve eaten anything in the last twelve hours either, Jack,” Kellan interrupts from his seat.
I give Jackson a full smile of appreciation, then take his hand for the brief walk to the table. There’s already a plate made and ready for me, as well as a glass of water and ibuprofen beside it.
“Oh, thanks, Dane.” I take a guess, since Jackson just arrived and Kellan was busy harassing me.
Dane finishes the bite he’s eating and shrugs. “The plate was me, but I didn’t order the food or the medicine.”
Kellan snorts. “I love how there’s only enough medicine for one of us. Is he saying we have to accept whatever hangover we might have? Because joke’s on him. I’m clear.”
Him.
Aiden?
Wait. How would he know I need medicine?
Realization sinks in my gut like a lead weight.
Fuck. Did I go see him last night?
If I did, it can’t be too bad considering he ordered food and medicine for me, right?
I hope I didn’t do anything embarrassing.
Jackson picks up a whole pancake and takes a bite out of it. He’s hardly sitting, just perched on the edge of his seat like he’s ready to move at a second’s notice. He catches me watching him and smiles. “Eat up, little one. There’s a guest waiting to meet you when you’re done, and you’ll need your strength.”
What does that mean?
After the food’s taken away and we take our turns in the bathroom getting ready for the day, Aiden joins us in the room. The light stubble he usually sports is a bit thicker than usual, and his face has lost some of its color. But the rest of him, his perfect suit, his firm stance, his controlled tone…all of that is the same.
When he looks at me, my heart trips beneath his stare, and it feels like he wants to say something.
Is he going to chew me out for last night? Because I’m sure, whatever I did, pissed him off.
His eyes take in my tight jeans and shirt before snapping back to my face. “Are you comfortable?”
What the fuck kind of question is that?
“In my clothes? Yes. With this conversation? Debatable.”
Aiden smirks. “Good enough. Come sit, and I’ll fill you in before he arrives to meet you.”
“He, who?”
“Sit,” he repeats tersely, and I sigh but do as he asked.
Aiden takes the seat opposite me, Dane between us and Kellan and Jackson in their own spots in the room. “His name is Gabriel. He’s here to see if he can fix your knee,” he explains, his voice smooth and nonchalant.
A sting of pain pierces my chest at the reminder. “No one can fix my knee.” I’ve accepted that. I won’t let false hope ruin what I worked hard to accept after it happened.
