by Andria Large
“Goddammit,” I bite out and rake a hand through my hair.
“So you don’t know what his injuries are yet?” Duke asks.
“No,” she croaks, tears slipping down her face.
I pull her into a hug, and she cries softly against my chest. Please let him be okay. I can’t lose him, especially after the way things were left between us. I fight back my own tears as I rub gentle circles on Lizette’s back.
Beau stands and comes over to us.
“Hey, Tucker,” he murmurs and shakes my hand, then introduces himself to Duke. “Hi, I’m Beau.”
“Duke.”
They shake hands.
It’s another half hour before a doctor comes looking for Dennis’s family. He ushers us into a private, little waiting room so he can explain everything that’s going on. Apparently Dennis is extremely lucky, considering the nature of the crash. Usually head-on collisions are more deadly than not. The doctor explains that Dennis received some lacerations on his face from flying glass, he has a concussion, severe bruising on his chest and waist from the seat belt, some bruising on his liver, a broken left ankle, and his prosthetic has been destroyed.
“If he had his leg, it would have been shattered by the engine block,” the doctor says. “So he got lucky in that regard. He’s going to have to spend a few days here so we can keep an eye on him.”
Relief washes over me, knowing that he’s not in terrible shape. I can handle some cuts, bruising, and a broken ankle.
“How long will he be in a cast with his ankle?” I ask, knowing that Dennis is going to have a fit about not being able to use either leg.
“About six weeks. It’s not a horrible break, so it should heal fairly quickly,” the doctor says.
“Can we see him now?” Lizette asks.
“Sure. Let me see if he’s in a room,” he says and leaves.
We all wait in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts. When the doctor comes back, he leads us to Dennis’s room. We stop outside his door.
“Just an FYI, he’s a bit groggy from all the medication we’ve given him, plus the concussion,” he says before leaving us to visit with Dennis.
We walk into the room. Dennis is lying in the bed, which is mostly reclined, but not flat. He’s hooked up to an IV and other monitors. His left foot is propped up outside the covers and bandaged, but not casted yet. The blanket is covering his right leg and is pulled up to his waist. He, of course, is wearing a hospital gown. They have apparently inserted a catheter, judging by the tube and bag hanging from the side of the bed.
His hair is a mess, and his face has a couple of small cuts, but there’s a larger cut on his left cheekbone, which has been stitched. There’s also a stitched cut over his left eyebrow. His eyes are closed at the moment, and his lips are parted as he breathes in a slow, steady pattern.
Lizette is the first to reach his side. She places her hand over his where it rests next to his hip. Denny slowly drags his eyes open. His green eyes are unfocused as he looks around, touching on everyone in the room before settling on Lizette.
“What happened?” he asks, his voice rough.
“You were in a car accident,” Lizette tells him.
His eyes close as his eyebrows furrow. “I was?”
“Yeah, sweetie, a pretty bad one. Your car was totaled,” she says softly.
“Damn,” he mutters, then yawns. “I’m tired.”
“You have a concussion,” Beau says from next to Lizette. “Plus you’re doped up on pain meds.”
“Where’s Tucker?” he asks, much to my delight.
“I’m right here.” I move around to the other side of the bed so I can be next to him without pushing Lizette out of the way.
Dennis flips his hand over on the bed, an obvious invitation for me to take it, so I do. I intertwine my fingers with his.
“Hey,” he breathes.
“Hi.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs.
I frown. “For what?”
“Yelling at you earlier.” He sighs.
“Yeah, well, I’m sorry too. I only did what I thought was right.”
He nods slightly. “I know.”
Dennis’s eyes close, and he starts to drift off. I lean in and kiss his forehead. He sucks in a sharp breath, pulling his eyes open again.
“Go back to sleep, baby,” I whisper and kiss him one more time before moving back.
Dennis hums and almost instantly falls back to sleep.
DENNIS
“UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE,” I bite out and rake a hand through my hair.
Lizette just told me what happened to my prosthetic. I’m so fucking screwed now. I have a broken ankle and no leg. Where does that leave me? Wheelchair-bound. Fucking great!
“I called your insurance company this morning, and they said they’ll cover half of the cost for a new prosthetic. Beau and I will cover the other half. And I swear, if you say one word in protest, I will hurt you.” My darling pregnant sister says it with such conviction that I can’t help but believe her.
I sigh and pull up my big-boy undies. “Who am I to argue with a pregnant woman? Thank you,” I say grudgingly.
She goes to reply, but then her eyes get really big, and she smiles as she places a hand on her very rounded belly. She’s almost seven months now. “The baby just kicked.” She giggles.
I grin. “Come here, let me feel!”
She sits down next to me and places my hand on her belly where she felt the kick. A moment goes by without feeling anything, but then there it is, a bump against my palm.
“Ha! I felt it!” I exclaim before looking over at her in awe. “That’s incredible.”
She nods. “I know. It’s so crazy.”
Another kick has us both laughing. It’s just the two of us in the room at the moment. Beau went to grab a coffee, and Tucker hasn’t gotten here yet.
“Are you and Tucker okay?” Lizette asks gently after our laughter dies down.
I give her belly a rub. “Yeah, I think so. We both apologized, and now I don’t really have a choice in the matter, so he’s getting what he wants.”
“But he only wants what’s best for you. You know that.”
“I know,” I say quietly.
“He doesn’t like to see you hurting, and neither do I. I can’t believe you didn’t come to me sooner.”
“It’s a lot of money.”
“So? I have plenty to spare. Especially for you,” she coos and pinches my cheek.
I roll my eyes and swat at her hand. “Well, I do appreciate it.”
“I know you do, Denny.”
The door to my room opens, and in walks Beau, followed by Tucker and Duke. “Look who I found wandering the halls,” Beau jokes.
Tucker smiles when he sees I’m awake and alert. Lizette slides off the bed to give him room to lean in to give me a kiss.
“Hi,” he murmurs.
“Hey, babe.”
Duke gives me a fist bump. “Hey, man.”
“Hey.”
Tucker pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket. “I… uh… I looked up a prosthetist for you and made you an appointment for next week. I hope you don’t mind,” he says, hesitancy and worry in his tone.
I reach for the paper, and he hands it to me. “Thank you, Tuck,” I say gratefully, meeting his eyes.
He gives me a small smile. I can tell he’s still not sure if everything is okay between us.
“Can you all give Tucker and me a moment alone?” I ask.
They quickly agree and leave the room. Tucker remains standing next to the bed, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black sweatpants. His long-sleeved, royal-blue T-shirt fits snugly to his chest and biceps. His dark, wavy hair is a mess, as usual, and his face is covered in a couple of days’ worth of stubble. He looks delicious, and if I weren’t in this hospital bed right now with a catheter shoved up my dick, I’d be all over him.
“Come here, love,” I murmur and pat the bed next to me.
“You okay?” I ask quietly.
Tucker nods. “Yeah, I just keep thinking about how differently this could have turned out. You could have died, and our last moments together would have been of us fighting.” He sighs and rubs the side of his face.
“You can’t think like that, Tuck. We’re going to argue and fight. We’re not going to agree on everything. And it’s always possible that something could happen to one of us. It’s like you said, just because we’re fighting doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.”
“Are we okay, though? You’re not still mad at me for going behind your back to Lizette?”
I shake my head. “No, I understand why you did it. I’m sure if the situation was reversed, I would have done the same thing.”
He smiles slightly, staring down at our hands. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Look at me,” I whisper.
He lifts his gorgeous blue eyes to meet mine.
“I’m so fucking in love with you. Don’t ever doubt that for one second, you understand me?” I tell him firmly.
He nods. “I love you too, Denny.” He breathes, then leans in to brush his lips against mine.
The kiss is soft yet passionate. It’s more an exchange of love than anything sexual.
Tucker slowly pulls back. “I’ll go tell everyone to come back in.”
I agree and check out his ass as he walks toward the door.
Chapter Nineteen
DUKE
AFTER A few days in the hospital, Dennis is home. Right now, he’s confined to a wheelchair, which he absolutely despises. But he’s got a cast on his ankle and no prosthetic. He can’t use crutches because he’s not allowed to put weight on his casted ankle. To say he’s a miserable bitch would be an understatement. Currently he and Tucker are in the bathroom trying to give him a shower. I laugh to myself because I can only imagine the scene. I can hear them bickering from the living room.
A knock on the front door has me cocking an eyebrow. I shove to my feet and go to the door. When I pull it open, a gorgeous brunette is standing there. Her long, mahogany hair is in waves over her shoulders. Her eyes are big and a chocolatey brown. Her lips are pouty, bow-shaped, and the prettiest shade of pink I’ve ever seen.
I let my eyes drift down her body. She’s beautifully curvy. Voluptuous—that’s a good word for her. She’s wearing a pretty floral blouse under a gray peacoat. Her dark jeans are formfitting and tucked into a pair of high-heeled, black leather boots that come up to just under her knees.
Her gaze drifts over my naked torso before dropping down to the front of my low-slung jeans, then coming back up to my face. I fold my arms over my chest, lean against the doorframe, and give her a cocky smirk.
“Hey, beautiful. What can I do for you?” I ask.
I’m far from wanting a relationship, but I wouldn’t mind getting into her pants.
She frowns up at me. “I might have the wrong condo. I was looking for Tucker and Dennis.”
“You got the right place. I’m Duke,” I say and hold out my hand.
She shakes it. “Arianna.”
“What do you want with Tucker and Dennis?”
“Well, my brother told me Tucker got his hearing back and Dennis was in a bad car accident. I just wanted to stop by and bring them a little something I made as a congrats and a get well.” She holds up a casserole dish that I hadn’t noticed.
I step aside and wave her into the condo. She walks in, and I shut the door behind her.
“Who’s your brother?”
“Keith Bennett,” she replies as she makes her way toward the kitchen.
“No shit? You’re Bennett’s little sister?” I ask in surprise.
Keith Bennett was one of Tucker and my Marine buddies. I knew he lived in New York, but we were never that close. Tucker was always friendlier with him than I was.
Arianna glances over her shoulder with a fond smile before putting the casserole dish in the fridge.
“Yep, that’s me.”
“Good to know you don’t look anything like him.” I smirk.
She laughs. “Thanks, I guess. How do you know my brother?”
When she turns to face me, I have to bite back a groan and fight off the hard-on that threatens to embarrass me. Damn, she’s straight-up beautiful.
“I’m a Marine. I was in the same unit as Tucker and Keith.”
She nods in understanding. “So where are Tucker and Dennis?” she asks, looking around.
“Taking a shower,” I reply.
She blinks at me. “What?”
Oh, shit. She doesn’t know they’re together.
“Uh, well, I mean Tucker is helping Dennis take a shower. He really can’t do it on his own right now.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Oookay,” she drawls.
Just then the bathroom door opens, which is at the beginning of the hallway that leads to the bedrooms, and Tucker walks out with Dennis riding piggyback. Both of them are in only their underwear. Of course, Arianna is directly facing them. I roll my lips in to keep from laughing as her mouth drops open. Dennis and Tucker freeze as they stare at her.
A slow smile curls Tucker’s mouth. “Hey, Arianna.”
I cover my mouth to help stifle my laughter. Tucker, that cocky bastard; I knew he would find this amusing. Dennis, on the other hand, appears completely mortified. His face is bright red, but he turns it away so he doesn’t have to look at her.
“Tucker,” Arianna says in greeting. She seems confused as hell, though. She definitely does not know what to make of the scene in front of her.
“Be right back,” Tucker chirps. He hikes Dennis up a little higher on his back before turning and walking down the hall to their bedroom. When the door closes behind them, Arianna looks at me.
“They’re totally together, aren’t they?” she asks, a slight smile curling one side of her mouth.
“Totes.” I chuckle.
She snorts and shakes her head. “How did that happen?”
I shrug. “No idea, really.”
“Are you…?” she asks, eyebrow raised.
I give her an incredulous look. “What? With them too? Fuck no! I’m as straight as they come.”
She gives me a dubious smile but nods.
“I’m serious. I’m completely straight. No dudes for me. Go out with me and I’ll show you,” I offer, because seriously, I want her in my bed.
She holds up her left hand, showing me the giant rock on her finger. “Engaged.”
“Damn, that sucks,” I mutter, honestly disappointed. “We could have had a lot of fun together,” I say, lowering my voice a little, letting her know exactly what my intent had been.
I can’t help but grin at her slight shudder.
“Oh well, too bad for you,” she says a bit snarkily. She’s probably pissed because I apparently have some kind of effect on her.
A dressed Tucker steps out of the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. He goes to Arianna and gives her a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asks.
“I brought over a chicken-and-vegetable casserole for you and Dennis. Congrats on the successful surgery, by the way.”
“Thanks, I’m still getting used to being able to hear everything.”
“How’s Dennis feeling? Is he not coming out?” she asks.
“He’s a bit embarrassed at the moment, but he’s feeling okay.”
She tsks. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“He just feels weird without his prosthetic.”
She hums, then says, “So were you ever going to tell me that you two are together?” She puts her hands on her flared hips and gives him an expectant look.
Tucker shrugs, totally unaffected by her knowing. “I don’t see you that often.”
“You know, I knew something was up with you two when I saw yo
u at that deli a few months back,” she murmurs thoughtfully.
“It was still new then.”
“And now?” she asks.
“We’re in love with each other.”
Arianna smiles softly and gives Tucker’s bicep a squeeze. “That’s great. I’m glad you’ve both found someone.”
Tucker smiles. “Thanks. How’s your fiancé? Everything still going good?”
She smiles brightly. “Yep. We set a date.”
“Awesome. I’m going to be invited, right?”
She rolls her eyes. “We’ll see.”
Tucker chuckles. “Not in the habit of inviting ex-lovers?”
“Yeah, that would be kind of weird, don’t you think?” She snickers.
Tucker laughs. “Yeah, probably.”
“All right, I have to go. I’ll see you later. Just give my dish to my brother when you’re done.”
Tucker nods. “Will do. And thank you for that.”
She smiles prettily. “You’re very welcome.”
She gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning to me. “Duke, it was nice to meet you.”
“You too, Arianna.”
She gives me a cute wave and a smile before going to the door.
After she leaves, I turn to glare at Tucker. He smirks. “What?”
“You hit that beautiful piece of ass?”
“It was a long time ago,” he replies. “We kinda dated for a little while, but she wanted more and I didn’t.”
“Dude!”
“Dennis went on a couple of dates with her too, but didn’t sleep with her,” Tucker says, rubbing it in more.
“Dude!” I huff and throw my arms out. “Thanks for not throwing me a bone, man!”
“I was going to, but she got engaged before I could set you up with her!” he defends himself with a laugh.
“She’s good in bed, isn’t she?”
Tucker grins. “She’s wild.”
“I knew it! Goddammit!”
Chapter Twenty
TUCKER
LIZETTE GOES with Dennis to his prosthetist appointment since I have to work. She wants to make sure he’s getting one of the better ones available and doesn’t try to skimp because of the money.