First an off-color joke. Then an insult. Then a push against a wall. I watched in amusement. This was clearly a four-man bromance, and I hoped, for RJ’s sake, he made it five. You’d think with all the success these guys had they’d be more guarded in their play. People were watching, after all.
Bodhi shoved Shawn back. “Get off me, dude.”
Seconds earlier Shawn had been trying to lick the remnants of a Snicker’s bar off Bodhi’s cheek.
“In some cultures, grooming each other is a sign of affection,” Shawn said.
“Not cultures—that’s orangutans, you idiot.”
“Hey, Dane,” Shawn called to him, while continuing to taunt Bodhi with his tongue from a safer distance. “Does finding another man attractive mean I’m gay?”
“Yes, it’s the first step on the journey.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dani. I wish I could say they aren’t always like this, but…”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Bodhi stopped him. “Dani, he might look like he’s from the land of Care Bears, but he’s not as innocent as you might think.”
“Compared to the rest of you, I’m a saint.”
“A saint?” Dane challenged, pulling up his pant leg to reveal a sketch from The Jungle Book. “You paid the tattoo artist a thousand dollars extra to give me a tattoo of Mowgli. I asked for wolf eyes.”
Hunter grinned as if the memory was a good one.
I’d been so thoroughly enjoying the show that I didn’t see who was headed our way until I heard Breeze’s hushed voice say, “Guys, she’s coming.”
Silence fell over our group as Heather rapidly approached. Her head was held high, but this was not the same woman who’d expelled me from the hospital days ago. This one had been knocked down to size, making me wonder what had happened in the room when the lawyers brought RJ the papers.
And as she drew closer, Heather headed straight for me. My instinct was to take a step back, but Breeze stopped me from cowering. She was right. I couldn’t take a backseat to the mom, not if I wanted to earn the respect of the son.
Heather came to a halt mere inches from my face. A silence fell over our entire group. I tipped my chin and steadied my gaze. Bring it on.
But Heather hadn’t come to rumble.
She leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I hope, for his sake, you’re worth it.”
And then she walked away.
Of all the people RJ had to choose from, he picked me to be first in line to see him. I thought I was ready, prepared, but the further away I got from Breeze’s pep talk, the more worried I became. RJ and I had shared something profound and life-changing together, but I had no idea what he’d been through since I’d watched Parker close the ambulance doors. Nor did I know what influence Heather could have had on him in his weakened state. It was entirely possible he was calling me in first to cut me loose now that I was no longer needed for his immediate safety.
I winced at my own totally unfair thoughts. He’d sacrificed for me too, willing to die alone so I could live. I truly believed I’d met the real RJ Contreras in the parking garage. Not the superstar. Not the playboy. Not the friend or the foe. I’d met the man, stripped down to his core, all flesh and bone. He’d shown who he was, and I had fallen hard. If that same man was on the other side of this door, then I had nothing to worry about at all.
I couldn’t make myself go in. Why was this so hard? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I’d confessed my love for him after only really knowing him for what, like fifteen hours? My god, the timing.
Dani, why? This is why you can’t have nice things.
Maybe he’d forgotten. Yes, that was highly possible. He’d been delirious after all. And if he did have memories, I’d just gaslight the hell out of him and convince him he was mistaken. Yes. Perfect plan. Gaslight. Okay. I was ready.
My feet wouldn’t move.
Just go in, I told myself. He wants to see you.
I knocked lightly on the door.
“Come in.”
My heart did a happy somersault upon hearing his voice. It was raspier than I remembered, but unmistakably RJ’s.
I pushed the door open ever so slightly and peeked around it.
RJ took in my turtle-emerging-from-its-shell antics, and his eyes flashed with amusement. “Whatcha doing over there, Dani?”
I curved around the door and nudged it shut with my butt.
“Gathering the courage to talk to you,” I replied. Taking a step back, I rested my back against the now closed door.
“Huh. What do you need courage for? I thought we were past all that.”
“Right, except last time I saw you, I told you I loved you, and then I proceeded to cut your foot off. So now I’m feeling a bit awkward.”
“Ah,” he replied, the corner of his lip turning up. “I see where that might be a deal breaker for some guys. But I like it rough.”
My cackle could be heard down in the cafeteria, but with that one quick-witted reply, he’d managed to ease my anxious mind.
RJ beckoned me forward with a finger. “Come here.”
Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I tiptoed toward him.
“Why so bashful? The Dani I know is never shy.”
“Right, but that was before, when I thought you were turd-sniffing Chad Woodcock,” I replied, chasing his smile with my own. “But now that you’re RJ Contreras, superstar—well, that’s just slightly more intimidating.”
“Okay, first, I never sniffed turds as Chad Woodcock, and second, I’m a very humbled version of that superstar you’re referring to. Really, if anyone should be intimidated, it’s me.”
“Oh, okay, sure.”
“I’m not joking. I’m in the presence of greatness.”
“The only thing I’m great at is talking lots and lots.”
RJ’s playful expression faded. “I don’t know how you did it, Dani. I really don’t. You’re bite-sized. How did you drag my six-foot-two body through the rubble?”
The memory of it flashed through my skull, and I had to shake it off to answer him.
“I don’t know,” I said, taking the final steps to his side. I took his hand in mine. “I wanted you to live so bad. I was like one of those moms who lifts a car off her kid. I just… made it happen.”
“Well, I’m your biggest fan.” RJ grabbed my neck and pulled me down, planting a soft, sweet kiss to my lips. I sank into him, the relief making my knees weak. There had been no need for worry. This was the same the guy who’d called me hero and who’d let me shave his face while stuck in a hole. And now I knew he was also a guy who didn’t run away when the going got tough.
I peppered his face with kisses. “Just know, I tried so hard to get to you. Your mother proved harder to move than a mountain.”
“I know. I’m sorry she was such a pain in the ass. She’s been dealt with accordingly.”
“Uh-oh. I hope it wasn’t too bad. She looked upset in the hall.”
“We’ve decided to go our separate ways.”
I gaped, needing more clarity. “Like permanently?”
“Yes, or at least until my memory fades. When does Alzheimer’s set in again?”