Page 95 of Badd Love
I nodded. "I think I'd like to be alone now, Dane," I said.
He sighed, smiled, and nodded, rising to his feet. "Of course. Take all the time you need."
Panic hit like a lightning bolt when he started to walk toward the door. "No!" I scrambled to my feet, lurched across the room, and slammed into him. "I meant with you."
"Oh," he mumbled. "Thank god. Leaving you alone right now would have been—"
"Don't leave me alone!” I protested over him. “Please." I clung to him, fists in his shirtfront. "I need you."
Dru laughed. "I think maybe you two should head over to the bar. I'll keep Dunc and Rune here for a while so you two can have some privacy."
I blushed furiously, but Dane only pulled me against his chest and held me; I let him.
Dru left, then, and Dane snagged his duffel bag.
"I don't know how to feel about your mom knowing why we'd need privacy," I said.
He just laughed. "We're all adults, here, babe."
"I know, it's just weird. She's actively encouraging us."
He laughed again. "Stop thinking about my mom for a minute."
“That's a big ask. That was more mothering in…what? Fifteen minutes? Than my mother ever showed me my whole life."
"That’s fucking pathetic."
I just shrugged. "Not everyone is as lucky as you in the parent department, Dane. I hope you know how incredibly fortunate you are."
"I am, but never more so than right now."
A thought occurred to me. "You're not gonna, like, get jealous if your mom ends up loving me more than you, are you?”
A cackle burst out of him at this. "Tell me you don't understand how love works without telling me you don't understand how love works." Before I could get offended, he laughed again and kissed my temple as he led me back outside toward the garage. "Love is infinite. I love Mom, Dad, my sisters, Dunc, my cousins, my aunts, my uncles…but I never run out. I love Mom in a different way than I love Dad. So, Mom can love me and everyone else and still love you just as much." He snickered. "Besides, I'm her favorite."
"I was kidding about the loving me more. Sort of."
"I know. But the concern behind it was valid. I'm not insecure, Linz. I know my mother will never stop loving me. Her loving you won't take away from how she loves me. The opposite, if anything. She'll see how you love me and how happy I am with you, and she'll love you all the more."
"I'm not sure that's the opposite of the first part of what you said, but I take your meaning," I said. "I guess I have a lot to learn, huh?"
"Maybe," he said. "But you've got all the time in the world."
We arrived back at Badd's Bar and Grille. I stopped at my car and grabbed the suitcase containing my core wardrobe and a smaller duffel bag that had my toiletries and makeup; Dane insisted on carrying them for me.
I resisted at first. "I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own luggage, Dane," I protested.
“Well, of course you are," he said. "That's not the point."
I frowned. "Then what is?"
"I want to do things for you, Linz. I want to take care of you—not because you need help or taking care of, but because I enjoy doing that stuff for you.”
We were on the sidewalk outside my car, a few doors down from the bar's main entrance.
He took my shoulders and held my gaze. "I want to take your car and fill up the gas tank for you. I want to change your oil for you. I want to buy you stuff just because. I want to bring you breakfast in bed. I want to carry your purse for you while you bore me to tears, dragging me around the mall. I want to rub your feet while we watch TV after a long day of work."
Fuck my eyes for getting burny and watery again. "Awww, for fuck's sake, Dane." I hissed, tipped my head back, and sniffled. "What do I do for you?"
