“A visitor?” I ask. Everyone I know is here or at home resting.
When Drew ducks through the doorway, I fall out of my chair, a dopey grin on my face when I land on the floor. I hiss through the pain. “Drew, you’re here.”
Dad helps me to my feet. “Charlotte, you need to be careful,” he warns.
Drew’s eyes widen when I stand, briefly casting a glance at Landon, who’s behind me. When our gazes meet, I can’t help but teleport back to the night his hands were on me, his gentle yet rough touch. I lick my lips. “You are so pretty.”
He clears his throat. “Landon rushed out in a hurry and Paisley explained you were in an accident and were here. I came to see if you were okay.”
I step forward, my sore knee causing me to fall forward. Both he and Dad reach for me, but it’s Drew who catches me.
“So big,” I sigh. I fight back the urge to cry out, too soothed by being in his arms. A throat clears, and we awkwardly pull back from one another.
“Are you okay?”
I tilt my head right back, ignoring the pain in my neck. “I nearly died, Drew. I thought about you and—”
“Honey,” Mum interrupts.
“I’ve never been to a nudist beach. I’ve never gone to a moustache competition. And today, I nearly missed my chance,” I blabber.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
I nod solemnly. “Me too. I still have time to be a sex icon now.”
Dad begins to wheeze, clutching the back of the chair.
“Maybe you should lie down,” Mum suggests.
I grin up at Drew, swaying slightly. “Want to go—”
Mum steps up beside me, trying to pry me away from Drew. “Charlotte, you need to rest. Please, come and lie down or at least sit down.”
“I don’t want to lie down,” I tell her, frowning. “I want to go to Disneyland.”
“Why are you here?” Landon asks.
“To check she’s okay.”
“That doesn’t explain what you’re doing here,” Landon grits out.
I narrow my gaze, pointing my finger at Landon. “He’s my friend. Leave him alone.”
Something flickers over Drew’s face before he masks it. “Like I said, I wanted to make sure she’s okay.”
“You could have messaged me,” Landon argues.
“Why?” Drew asks. “I’m capable of coming here to see for myself.”
“Drew, it’s so good of you to come,” Mum steps in, eyeing Landon warily.
Madison’s eyes widen as she steps into the kitchen. “Holy fuck!”
“It’s nice to see you again, Kayla,” he greets.
“Isn’t it lovely, dear,” Mum asks, giving Dad a pointed look, “that Drew came to check on Charlotte?”
“No, seems a little fucking fishy to me.”
I groan when Uncle Max steps into the kitchen, a smug smile on his lips. “Hey, dude.”
“Hi,” Drew replies, staring blankly back.
Max helps himself to a Snickers bar and points it at Drew. “I found out what giants are most scared of.”
Drew crosses his arms over his chest, not in the least bit pissed off. “What’s that?”
“Ceiling fans,” Uncle Max replies.
While everyone continues to bicker back and forth, I’m stuck staring at him. He’s here. He came to check on me.
I’m probably reading too much into it, but I don’t care. The gesture alone is incredibly sweet.
And he is so beautiful.
He would take me to Disneyland.
His gaze flicks to me and he gives me a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”
I don’t need to see it to know my grin is lopsided. “Like you let me into the ring with three of your best trained fighters,” I tease.
His pupils darken. “Who did this? Paisley said it was intentional.”
I open my mouth to answer, but Landon gets there first. “Is there something I should know?”
“Yes,” I tell him, nodding seriously. “You spelled ‘decision’ wrong in your last status.”
Both ignore me, too fixated on each other. Well, weird.
Drew’s jaw clenches, his eyes hard on Landon. “No. Is there something you want to ask?”
“Just remember who she is and what I’d do if you even think of going there.”
“And I think she’s old enough to make her own decisions, and you should know me better than to think I’d ever hurt a woman.”
I lift my hand into the air, waving it around. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
Mum places my arm down at my side. “Not right now,” she whispers.
I lean in, grinning. “Oh. Okay.” I wink before going back to watching the showdown.
Landon shuts up at that, but Dad, not one to stay silent, steps in. “What are you not telling us?”
“Honey, why don’t we give them some space.”
“Fuck that,” Max states before turning to Drew. “Why don’t you have a muffin?”
I groan and stare up at Drew. “I really wouldn’t. But maybe you can take me to get one. We could go dancing, fighting, or to Disneyland, but maybe not take a car. We could bicycle.” I turn to Mum. “Do I have my bike still?”
Mum shakes her head, her eyes sparkling. “No, honey.”
“Damn,” I whisper, before turning back to Drew, my smile slipping. “I’m really sorry. We don’t have a bike.”
“It’s okay. Another time,” he muses.
“I’ll make it up to you when we go to Disneyland,” I tell him, nodding seriously as I think it over. “You could even get us in the parade. I’ve always wanted to be in one but the last time I tried to take part, it didn’t go down so well with Disney. You could be Hercules.”
Dad chokes, whilst others struggle to cover up their laughter.
His lips twitch, like he’s fighting a smile. “I can see you have a houseful so I’ll message you later? We can revisit Disneyland?”
I nod, unable to keep the grin off my face. “We can totally do that.”
He chuckles, bending down to kiss my cheek. “Get better.”
I nod, and he gives everyone a chin lift before leaving the room, a few of them following.
My heart flutters, my eyes never leaving the door as he leaves.
He came to see me.
“He’ll never see me coming being that tall. They are always looking above,” Uncle Max mutters, before grabbing another chocolate bar and following them out.
“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Mum orders, tucking her shoulder under my arm.
“Not until she tells us what’s going on,” Dad argues.
“It’s none of your business,” Hayden argues. “This isn’t a stranger. Not a random guy we’ve never met. Landon works with him and he’s a good guy. Now drop it.”
I giggle at her expression. I hobble over, pulling her in for a hug. She tenses beneath me, but I don’t care. “I love you.”
She winks when I pull back, but then pauses, taking in the rest of the room. She snorts at their expression. “You guys make me laugh thinking you actually have a say.”