Page 135 of Embracing the Beat
“How’s Mikey?”
“Tired,” I say with a sigh. “She’s resting as best as she can in a hospital bed.”
He nods. “Been a long night.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Well, get back inside. Find out what’s going on.”
I start to head back inside, but stop, turning to find Sawyer watching me.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For taking care of them for me.”
“Figured you’d pull your head out of your ass eventually,” is all he says, surprising a crack of laughter from me.
“Sorry it took me so long.”
He waves me away, and I head back inside.
Two conversations down.
Now to win back my girl.
??????
“I can walk, you know,” Michaela protests as I carry her from Garrett and Mia’s car toward her house. Sawyer said his goodbyes at the hospital, heading back to his mysterious “job” and promising to call Michaela the next day.
It was nearly two in the morning before the doctor finally cleared her and sent her home with a list of instructions that include drinking more water and resting.
“You’re supposed to be taking it easy,” I remind her. “At least for the next few days.”
Instead of clinging to me as she did when we trekked this path earlier, she harrumphs, folding her arms across her chest. My attention flicks down, more aware of her breasts the way they press against her shirt.
Not the time, I counsel my dick, who hardens against the fly of my shorts.
“We’ll let you guys sleep,” Garrett says, pulling Mia back toward him and their house when she moves to follow us. “Say good night, Ames.”
“But—” She sighs. “Fine. Goodnight, Michaela. I’ll check on you in the morning, but text me if you need anything.”
I don’t miss the warning glare she fires in my direction, and I tighten my hold around Michaela’s knees.
“I will,” Michaela calls over my shoulder. “Night, Mi.”
“Thank you both,” I say, turning around and meeting first Garrett’s gaze and then Mia’s. “I don’t know what we would have done if you weren’t here.”
Mia huffs, but Garrett nods, an unspoken agreement connecting us.
Garrett interlaces his fingers with his wife’s, pulling her toward the house, and I spin, continuing down the path to Michaela’s. The first time I walked up to this door, my shoulders had been tense with uncertainty. Now there’s a sense of rightness, the way Michaela’s warm weight settles against my chest.
“I didn’t lock it,” I say. My only thought had been to get her the help she needed.
She shrugs. “It should be okay. The gate closed when we left, right?”
Garrett and Mia weren’t overly concerned, so I assume so. I was a bit preoccupied at the time.
