Page 34 of Searching for Bristol
“Good. I’ll go grab your phone so you can check messages and stuff. I’m going to change your sheets this morning. Can you wait a bit for breakfast?”
“Rocky, you don’t have to wait on me,” she protested, even though he actuallydid. It wasn’t as if she could get up and change her own sheets or make her own breakfast. That was part of what was so hard about this. She was an independent person, and it felt weird and uncomfortable having someone else do literally everything for her.
“Believe it or not, I enjoy it,” he said.
Bristol rolled her eyes.
“I do,” he insisted. “It’s been a long time since anyone has needed me.” And with that, he leaned down, kissed the top of her head, and said, “Relax, Punky. I got this.”
She watched him, a little bemused, as he headed for the hallway, probably to grab her phone that was still on the small table next to her bed.
Sure enough, he reappeared a few seconds later with her phone in hand. He gave it to her, then went into the kitchen and poured her a cup of coffee he’d obviously started when she was in the bathroom doing her thing. She held the cup in both hands, loving the warmth seeping into her skin. Her hands were mostly healed and the heat on her palms felt good. She inhaled the steam rising from the cup and smiled up at Rocky. “Vanilla?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yup. You mentioned that you liked flavored coffee, so before Lilly came over yesterday, I asked her to stop and pick some up for you.”
Rocky was constantly trying to find ways to make her recovery more pleasant. “That was nice of you,” she said in lieu of thanking him.
He chuckled and headed back down the hall.
Once again, Bristol watched him go. Lord, the man was built. He was wearing a pair of black sweatpants this morning, which molded to his ass. He was muscular, but he also had some junk in his trunk. She grinned at the thought, and sipped at the coffee in her hands. It was fair to say the longer she was around him, the more he intrigued her and the further he got under her skin.
Which was disconcerting. She lived in Kingsport, and he was here. Once she was back on her feet, she’d return to Tennessee…and then what? She didn’t know. All she knew was that she would miss this small town and the people in it. They’d made her feel more than welcome. From her first meeting with Sandra in the diner, to the way people were constantly stopping by Rocky’s apartment, bringing food, desserts, and staying to talk for a bit just to entertain her. It was surprising, and longing hit Bristol…hard.
What if I stayed?
Bristol blinked at the thought. What if shedidstay? As she’d told Raid, she could work from literally anywhere. She got most of her supplies online, and Fallport had a post office so she could mail out the orders from her online store. She had more than enough money to be able to afford the move.
The longing was the most surprising part. Moving wasn’t really about Rocky…okay, it wasn’tallabout Rocky. But she’d never move for a man after only knowing him for a week. The lure of Fallport itself, however, was hard to resist. She’d never been to a town that was friendlier than this one. Yes, she was well aware there were probably plenty of assholes living here, and she just hadn’t met them yet. There were inconsiderate jerks everywhere in the world. But just thinking about how most of the people she’d met had been worried about her, and genuinely concerned for her well-being, made Bristol want to be a part of this community.
She didn’t even know her neighbors back home very well. They certainly wouldn’t have come over and sat with her in the evenings and taught her how to play Cards Against Humanity. Bristol had felt a little awkward at first, since she was the only woman last night when Drew, Brock, and Talon had come over. The five of them had played the card game and she’d laughed so hard, her stomach was still a little sore this morning.
Recalling her attitude when she’d woken up made her feel a little ashamed. She had nothing—absolutely nothing—to be grumpy about.
Pushing the thought of moving to Fallport to the back of her mind for the moment, Bristol took another sip of coffee. She had it damn good right now, and she knew it. She just needed to be patient. Her leg would heal, and then she could make some decisions about her life.
But she couldn’t help but wonder what Rocky would think about her moving to Fallport. Would he be happy? Or would he feel as if she was expecting something…maybe even get irritated with her?
It was no use speculating on the what-ifs. Not until she actually made a decision.
“You look like you’re thinking really hard over there,” Rocky said as he came back into the room with a handful of sheets from her bed.
Bristol jerked in surprise. She’d been so lost in her head, she hadn’t heard him approaching. Then again, he walked extremely quietly, probably something he’d learned as a Navy SEAL.
“Oh, you know, just trying to solve world peace and all that,” she said breezily.
“Awesome. When you figure it out, let me know and I’ll call the president and set up a meeting between you guys.”
Bristol laughed, then tilted her head as she watched Rocky put the sheets in the washer in a closet off the living room. “Wait, do you know the president?”
He laughed as he turned the dial to start the washer, then glanced at her. “Would you freak out if I said I did?”
“Um…maybe?”
Rocky headed for the kitchen. “Then it’s good you don’t need to freak out. I don’t know the president.”
“Whew,” Bristol teased, pantomiming wiping her brow.
Rocky aimed a look her way and said, “Thispresident. I knew the last one.”
