Page 18 of Healing Daddy

She flashed him a bright smile. “It’s fine, but that’s sweet.” She motioned toward the chair. “You know the drill.”

JJ sat and went through the usual blood pressure and temperature checks. She made notes, and then he was left alone to wait. JJ eyed all the posters he had seen a thousand times. Luckily, it only took a couple of minutes for Leary to slip into the room.

JJ lit inside at the sight of him, as if he hadn’t seen him off to work a few hours ago. “Hey.”

Leary’s smile made him look every bit as happy as JJ felt. “Hey. How was the traffic coming in?”

“Oh, you know. Shitty.”

Leary laughed, and JJ’s chest warmed. “Sorry. You know I’d treat you at home, but…” He motioned around.

JJ got it. This part of their lives had to be professional. “It’s okay. This gives me the excuse I need to see you during the day occasionally. How has your day been, by the way?”

Leary checked his arm, turning it from side to side and poking around while he answered. “July texted me earlier. He wants to go together to the club tonight. I told him I’d ask you when you came in if you were up to it.”

“You don’t have to ask me if you want to go somewhere. Just tell me we’re going.”

Leary cut his eyes at JJ. “I’m not doing that. If you’re not up to going, I’m not dragging you out. Plus, if I don’t feel like going, I can use you as an excuse.”

A bark of laughter burst from JJ. “I suppose that’s true.”

Leary let go of his arm and met JJ’s stare. “What about you? How’s your day gone so far?”

JJ shrugged. “I did the laundry.”

Leary huffed. “Stop doing chores. You know I pay people to do all that.”

A smile stretched across JJ’s lips. He had known that would rile Leary. “I’m home all day. What do you think I should be doing?”

“Resting while you still can,” Leary shot back like he didn’t even have to think about it.

JJ’s smile fell. He cleared his throat. “Speaking of that. Henry called this morning.” He saw the way Leary went completely still. Unfortunately, they couldn’t avoid this forever. “He wants to know when I’ll be released back to work. I didn’t tell him I could have returned to work two months ago.”

Leary nodded but didn’t meet his gaze. He moved to his stool and focused on his laptop. “What did you tell him?”

JJ hated this. He didn’t want to go back to Beau’s, working third shift. JJ wanted to stay in Leary’s bed each night where he belonged. “I told him I had an appointment today and should find out then.”

The way Leary’s throat worked let JJ know all he needed to know about Leary’s thoughts. He felt the same way JJ did. This was their life now. He didn’t know how to keep it.

Leary finally met his stare. “What did you learn here today?”

JJ's heart dropped. He didn’t know what to say. He shrugged. “There’s no leaving the family. You can’t know how much I hatethat now. But this is what I signed up for when Beau took me in. Eventually, I’ll have to go back. That doesn’t mean we’re over or anything like that. I’ll always find ways to be with you as often as possible. It just fucking sucks that I won’t get to sleep at your side every night. I don’t want to give that up.”

Leary took a deep breath. He squared his shoulders. “Well, whatever you decide to tell him, I’m not going anywhere. Like you said, we’ll figure it out. You can stay with me on your nights off and whatnot.”

JJ nodded. Fuck, he hated this. He finally had the normal life he had sought for so long. The thought of losing this steady, happy, normal life made him feel sick.

“Maybe I can drag another four to six weeks out of this. I still can’t light the cigarette lighter.”

Leary’s mouth lifted in one corner. He knew exactly what JJ meant. One of his fine motor skills training was flicking a lighter. He hadn’t accomplished it.

“I’ll take every extra second I can get with you. Just don’t get yourself into trouble, okay?”

JJ nodded. He would do what he could. Eventually, things between them would change, but JJ was ready and willing to do whatever it took to hold them together. He would make them work.

Leary spent the entire day fretting over JJ’s job. The worry had been in the back of his mind from the first night JJ stayed with him. He had known this day would come. Leary didn’t know why they hadn’t sat down and talked about it before it became an appointment at his office.

He stared at JJ’s profile as JJ drove them to The PlayPen. July talked nonstop in the back seat. Leary listened with half an ear. July was one of those people who never needed a second party in the conversation. Leary had never quite understood what July did for a living. All he knew was July hated his job and obviously had no one to talk to all day.