Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
To her surprise, tears filled her eyes. She’d never had anyone backing her up, supporting her, cheering her on for a long time. Not since Joe died. It meant so much that these guys were here for her like that.
Steele brushed her hair off her face, giving her another kiss on the forehead. That was pretty chaste for him. But maybe it was because Brooks was here.
Or perhaps it’s because you’re so fucked in the head that you think you’re paralysed.
And they don’t want you anymore.
Fuck. Fuck. Shit.
She tried to focus on the conversation rather than going into her brain. Looking around, she noticed Grady watching her intently.
Crap.
“Effie needs my help,” Brooks insisted.
“Yep, she does,” Steele agreed. “She needs to know that you’re good. That you’re going to school, keeping up your grades, and staying out of trouble. That’s what she needs from you.”
“But who is going to look after her while I’m at school? She can’t walk.”
“Simple,” Steele replied. “We are.”
49
“I still don’t think this is necessary.” Or a good idea.
They couldn’t possibly want her to stay here with them.
Not when she was completely fucked up.
It was the day after the accident. She’d spent the night in the hospital having additional tests. Betsy and Ink had come to pick up Brooks so he could stay the night with them. Betsy was utterly beautiful. Graceful. Elegant. Kind.
While Ink looked like a tattooed surfer. Slightly scary, although he’d been nothing but kind to her and Brooks.
Today, Raul would pick him up after school and he’d come back here.
To Steele and Grady’s house.
Steele was currently carrying her into the house and up the stairs. He walked into his bedroom with her.
Wait. She was staying in his room?
“You’d rather we all move into your apartment?” Steele asked gruffly as Grady walked in behind them. “Tight squeeze, baby. And doesn’t really make much sense.”
“No, I just . . . I don’t think you guys need to take care of me. You have stuff to do. Work. Lives. You shouldn’t have to play nursemaid to the crazy lady.”
As Steele placed her on the bed, she sensed the mood in the room change.
Glancing up, she took in the thunderous look on his face.
Then, looking over, she saw the way that Grady’s face had grown cold.
Uh-oh.
“Crazy lady?” Steele whispered. He turned to Grady. “Did you hear that shit?”
“Yep. And I didn’t like it.”
“Well, it’s the truth!” she cried. She hadn’t slept last night. And she knew Steele hadn’t either, since he’d watched her like a hawk the entire night. And today, she was exhausted, sore, and so worried she could barely keep herself from throwing up.
Luckily, she didn’t have much in her stomach to throw up if she did.
“It is not the fucking truth. And if you say that again, I’ll turn you over my knee and redden your ass.”
“Steele,” Grady warned.
“Not right now,” Steele added. “Once you’re feeling better.”
“But I’m not actually injured. It’s all in my dumb head. So how do I get better?”
“If you need a therapist, we get you a therapist,” Steele said. “Need a physio, we get that. Nurse, we’re onto it.”
“I don’t want to be an invalid! I don’t want you to have to take care of me. You didn’t sign on for that.” It wasn’t fair to them.
She didn’t want to be a burden.
“Everything, Effie,” Grady told her.
She threw her hands up in the air. “Everything doesn’t include me being bonkers! I can’t . . . I don’t know . . . there’s no happy in me.” She rubbed her chest.
“What?” Steele gave her a confused look.
“I can’t find the happy. There’s no positive about this. Everything seems dark . . . gray . . . black. Where’s the happy gone?”
Steele sat on one side of her, Grady on the other.
“What do I do?” She tugged at her earring.
“What you do is hold on to us,” Steele told her, gently moving her hand away from her ear.
“We know about the dark, Little one,” Grady added. “We’ve lived there for a long time.”
“After my sister died, my whole world went black,” Steele told her. “All that kept me going was Grady. And then along came my ray of sunshine. So sweet that she brought color to my life.”
Dear Lord.
“So. Hold. Onto. Us,” Steele said fiercely.
“I’m scared.” Tears dripped down her face.
“Then you hold on harder,” Grady told her.
“You’ll hold me back?” she asked.
“We will never let you go.” Grady gave her such an intense look that it took her breath away.
“What if I don’t get better?”
“Then we put in an elevator, retrofit for a wheelchair, and figure out everything else you need. Do you really think Grady won’t research the shit out of that? Start making lists? But that won’t happen because you’re going to get better.”
“I can already tell that we’re going to need to keep track of all the spanks she’s owed,” Grady said. “Starting with five for calling herself crazy. And another five for calling herself bonkers.”