by Lex Martin
“Do I want Brady—who’s become a great friend and is totally gorgeous—worshipping at my feet because I can have him there? Because having his attention would be good for my ego? That sounds pretty shitty to me. I may suck at relationships, but at the very least, I can be a decent person, a decent friend.”
“Is he that guy I met? The one with all the tattoos?”
I nod, thinking about how Brady consoled me while those two girls threw themselves all over Jax.
“He seemed really into you.”
Another sigh escapes me. “I know.”
I only wish Brady were the one I wanted.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- Jax -
She’s so fucking cute. I know I shouldn’t be staring at her while she sleeps, but my chair is two inches from her bed, so I blame the layout of the hospital furniture.
Dani’s hair is pulled into a tangled ponytail. The pink streaks make her seem like some ethereal creature rather than a girl. I don’t get how she can look so stunning when my two-ton vehicle plowed into her a few hours ago.
A hand grabs my shoulder, and I flinch. Turning around, I see Nick. “Jesus, you scared me.”
“Sorry, man.” He has the good sense to whisper so he doesn’t wake Dani. Nick grabs another chair and sits next to me. His eyebrows are knitted tight on his forehead. “You’re so lucky that girl said this was her fault.”
“She has a name, dickhead.”
He rolls his eyes. “Well, I told Coach Dani’s version of what happened, and I think you’re going to be okay.”
“Who gives a shit about that? I almost killed her.”
He looks at me like I’m a whack job. “Yeah, I caught that. I was there, remember? Don’t be an idiot and say you don’t care this situation almost got your sorry ass kicked off the soccer team your senior year, right before the championship game.”
I don’t say anything. It’s pointless to argue with Nick. He eats, sleeps and drinks soccer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He doesn’t get why I don’t care about it anymore. But if I’m being honest, I haven’t cared about anything in a long time. Sure, I’ll have great games—I push the fuck out of myself—but it’s all muscle memory, like my body is propelling itself toward this goal because it has nothing else.
“Shit, dude, you could have been arrested,” he says.
Okay, that would have sucked.
Nick runs his hand over the stubble on his chin. “Can we go now? I brought her stuff.”
The reaction in my gut is immediate. “I can’t leave her.”
His expression evolves from shock to frustration. “What about the trip? The guys have already left.”
I shrug. “So go. No one is stopping you.”
“But you paid for it.”
As if I care. “No worries. Enjoy.”
Nick shakes his head at me like I’m some screwup. We sit there for a minute, and I watch the IV drip into Dani’s arm. He motions toward the bed. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah. Nothing is broken. Just a lot of bruising and swelling. Maybe a strained tendon in her knee, and you know that hurts like a bitch. They wanna keep her tonight to make sure the swelling doesn’t get any worse, but it looks like she can go home tomorrow.”
“Okay, so why don’t you join us once they release her?”
I stare at him like he’s a dumbass. “She lives in a four-story walk-up. All of her roommates have gone home for Thanksgiving, and Dani’s from Chicago. I can’t ditch her.”
He raises his hands, his question evident.
“I thought I’d bring her back to our place for a few days until my sister gets back from her trip.”
At that, his eyebrow tilts up.
I huff out a frustrated breath. “Get that fucking look off your face, Nick. She’s a friend. I. Ran. Her. Over. I don’t think looking out for her for a couple of days is that outrageous.”
But this is the strangest part… I get the feeling she’d do the same for me.
* * *
Dani talks in her sleep. It’s more of a mumble, but it’s endearing nonetheless. At one point she opens her eyes, and when she sees me, a huge smile breaks on her face. “I’ve missed you, Jax. I wish you’d remember.” Her eyelashes flutter shut, and she whispers, “You’re so pretty.”
I chuckle as she snuggles back into her covers. Later, she tells me something about visiting with the Cookie Monster. Yeah, the nurse gave her some serious drugs before bedtime.
In the morning, I wake up half hunched over her bed. I try not to groan as I sit up because I know the sore muscles in my back are nothing compared to what Dani is going through.
That’s when I realize I’ve been sleeping close to her injured leg. My head jerks to look at her. She’s already awake.
“Shit, Dani. I didn’t mean to collapse on your bed like that. Did I hurt you?”
“I’m okay.” She smiles as her eyes pass over me. “You have a waffle pattern on your cheek from my blanket.”
My fingers reach up to find criss-cross indentations on my skin. I grin. “Adds to my charm, no?”
She rolls her eyes at me and laughs.
“How long have you been awake?” I ask as I stretch to try to regain some circulation in my extremities.
“Half an hour maybe.”
The door swings open behind me and a new nurse shuffles in.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Danielle. I’m Carol.”
Dani returns the greeting, but she suddenly looks sad. God, it sucks she’s stuck here. I wish I could get her home.
Carol checks her vitals and rushes in and out of the room a few times. Finally, she returns with a clipboard.
“I have some good news. The doctor is pleased with your recovery so far, and since you had a great night and responded well to the meds, you get to go home today.” She pauses to frown. “You must be a pretty healthy girl to begin with. Are you an athlete? My guess is you’re a runner.”
Dani shakes her head slowly. “I used to be a gymnast, but it’s been a while.”
“Well, you’re in great shape, so I bet you’ll be up and about in no time. That knee of yours might hurt for a little while, but at least you can recover at home. Do you have anyone who can help you? You’ll need a hand to get around.”
“I, uh—”
“Yeah, she’s staying with me. I’ll take care of her.”
Carol’s face squishes around her eyes as she smiles broadly. I turn to look at Dani and notice her mouth is hanging open.
“Jax, I—”
“You’re staying with me over break until your roommates get back.”
“Wonderful,” Carol says, turning back to Dani. “I need to show you how to put on your brace and clean up your cuts.” She shuffles around and brings over some supplies and shows me how to apply the different meds. It’s hard to watch Dani flinch in pain as the brace gets strapped on, but she’s a trooper and never complains.
The nurse taps her pen on Dani’s leg. “Only use this brace if you’re moving around for the first few days. It’s better to keep it off to maintain circulation. So while you’re kicking back on the couch eating some Thanksgiving leftovers tonight, just brace your leg with pillows. Once the swelling goes down, you can keep the brace on longer. And don’t forget that you’ll need to see the doctor in a week.”
Carol turns to me while she clicks her pen. “All right, son, if you’re taking care of her this week, you can get started by getting her dressed while I finish her paperwork.”
Dani’s eyes widen as she stares at me. Guess we’re letting this boyfriend charade go on a little longer. Fine by me.
The nurse leaves, and I walk over to Dani’s luggage.
“Jax, you really don’t have to do this. I know I can’t make it up all those stairs at my place, but I can stay at a hotel for a few—”
“No way.” I place her bag on the edge of her bed. “Don’t argue with me.”
She nibbles her lower lip. “Don’t you have a trip to go on or
something? I thought, I thought you were going with those girls.”
I stop moving, frustrated with myself for being such a royal dick last weekend and trying to make her jealous. Turning toward her, I wait until her eyes meet mine. “The trip isn’t important, and neither are those girls. In fact, I was in the middle of canceling plans with them when our accident happened.” I run my hand through my hair. “Trust me when I say that this is the least I can do after you saved my ass yesterday.” I unzip her bag. “Okay, what do you need? Maybe sweats and a t-shirt? That’s a big brace, so I don’t think you’ll want jeans. You can clean up when we get back to my condo. I have a huge tub, and you can take a long bath.”
She grabs my hand. “Thank you. You’re… so sweet.”
My chest somehow constricts and expands at the same time. I laugh. “Yeah, well, we’ll just let that be our little secret.”
I help scoot her to the edge of the bed. She winces and groans a few times, but we take it slowly until her toes hit the floor.
“I take it you like pink, huh?”
She giggles, the sound somehow making me feel lighter. “How can you tell?”
“Hmm.” I stare down at her feet, which are remarkably pretty. “Hot pink toenails, pink tips in your hair… and that room of yours looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol exploded.”
She’s wrapped in my arms as I get her to balance against the bed, but she pulls back to look at me.
“When have you seen my room?”
“I’ve only seen it from the living room, but the color is hard to miss.” I just like giving her a hard time. Her room is actually covered in art with graffiti-like pieces everywhere. She’s fucking cool as shit.
I reach down to help her pull up a pair of sweatpants under her gown before I grab a t-shirt. “The Cure?” The fabric is soft, like it’s been worn a million times.
“Don’t you dare give me shit about The Cure.”
She looks so serious that I laugh, making her smile. “All right, Dandelion, why don’t I turn you so that you’re facing the bed? You can brace yourself with your uninjured leg, and that way we can drop your gown and pull on your shirt without me getting an eyeful. Not that I mind, but I’m trying to be a good guy, which, as you know, is not my forté.”
She gets a playful look on her face and nods. I reposition her to face away from me and she shrugs, letting the gown fall. At first, all I can do is stare at that beautiful tattoo, but as my eyes travel across her bare skin, I freeze.
“Jesus.” My hand reaches out to touch her before I even realize what I’m doing. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
Angry purple and black bruises cover her shoulder, back and hip, disappearing under the fabric of her sweats. Her head tilts slowly.
Dani’s voice is soft, reassuring. “Jax… I bruise easily. I’m okay. I might be little, but I’m pretty tough.” She swallows. “Now help me get dressed before I flash an orderly.”
I don’t know how she does this, tries to make me feel better when this was my fault. I clear my throat, needing a minute.
“Trust me, it would make his day,” I say, trying to get my shit together.
She laughs, and I relax a little, enough to admire her lean frame.
I hold the shirt above her head and help her maneuver it on. When she’s dressed, I turn her back to face me and pull her hair out from the collar of her shirt.
She may have just been hit by a car, but fuck, she’s gorgeous. Her face is free from makeup, and she’s got that banging girl-next-door thing going on that has me wishing she weren’t my sister’s roommate.
I start to pull away when she grabs my t-shirt and pulls me to her until her head rests on my chest. My arms automatically go around her, and my nose buries in her hair. She smells like apples, like spring, like possibility. This seems so familiar that I practically choke on the feeling of déjà vu.
Dani whispers, “Thank you,” and I’m struggling to say something when the door swings open, and Carol waltzes back in.
“Aw. Aren’t you two so cute?”
We pull away from each other. I look at Dani and grin, enjoying the pink staining her cheeks.
Yeah, she should definitely stay with me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- Dani -
He called me Dandelion. I don’t know why that nickname melted my heart, but I turned to mush the moment the word left his mouth. No one has called me that since I was a kid.
As Jax wheels me down the hall, a giant blue fuzzball gets my attention. “Look, Cookie Monster! I swear I saw him walking around last night.”
Jax looks down the hall toward the children’s ward and watches the life-sized character for a minute before turning back to me with the strangest expression on his face. I’m about to ask him what’s wrong when his phone rings. After glancing at the caller ID, he groans.
The second he picks up, I hear an angry female voice yelling. At first, my heart sinks as I wonder if this is one of his girlfriends calling to complain about his change of plans. Several minutes later, he releases my wheelchair and leans against a pillar.
“Clem, I told you it was an accident.” He covers the phone and whispers, “She says she’s going to kick my ass for running over one of her friends.”
I wave for him to hand over the call. She’s still yelling when I put the phone to my ear. “Clem? They’re giving me some really good drugs here, so don’t yell at your brother. If I ever wanted a pill addiction, I’m well on my way.”
She growls into the phone, “I am fucking killing Jackson the next time I see him. I ask you to do us a favor, and this is how he repays you?”
“He’s been taking good care of me, so don’t be too hard on him.” I try to keep my voice casual. Jax starts to wheel me down the hall as I brace myself for bumps.
“Good. Make him your bitch.” Clem has a way with words.
I snort. “I don’t know about that…” I laugh despite the fact that every turn sends little shockwaves of pain through my body as we head toward the parking garage.
After a brief silence, she sighs. “Dani, do you want me to come home? Gavin would totally understand if—”
“No. Definitely not. Go have fun with your amazing boyfriend and his family. I will not be the reason you come back.” After a quick turn where I find myself gripping the armrest, I ask, “How’s it going over there?”
Clem doesn’t usually confide these sorts of details to me. I’ve gotten to know her because she’ll vent to our other roommates, and I happen to be around when they hang out, so I’m surprised when she answers my question.
She lowers her voice just above a whisper. “It’s fine, but I’m not used to all this getting-to-know-you shit. It makes me uncomfortable. Gavin is so outgoing and great with meeting people, and as we both know, I’m not. It makes me feel like I’m defective.”
She always looks so put-together that you’d never know she struggles with anything.
“Clem, I realize I only met you three months ago, but when you let your guard down, it’s hard not to love you. Let his family see the real you. Don’t be afraid about their judgment. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to relax. I find tequila works wonders. Or apple martinis.”
“Or morphine,” Jax says from behind me. I’m wondering what that means, but I can’t swivel my head around to look at him because my back is too stiff.
Clem sighs into my ear. “Thanks, Dani. Here you’re the one mauled by a car, and you’re giving me the pep talk.”
“If you need to get in a better mood, we could go a few rounds of Out-Skank.”
She blows out a breath. “Don’t get me started with that game. The last thing I need is for the words ‘cock monster’ or ‘cunt muffin’ to come up in a text message while I’m having dinner with Gavin’s family.”
I break out laughing, which makes me catch my breath until the pain subsides. When I get off the phone, Jax is quiet as he wheels me through the long, white corridors of the hospital.
“You okay back there?
” I call out.
“Yeah. Just thinking about how you’re friends with my sister.” Something about the tone of his voice is off. He sounds distant.
“Why do you sound funny?” I might as well really say what’s on my mind.
I think the drugs the doctor gave me have lowered my inhibitions a little because I just want to be myself. I feel stupid for being so uptight around Jax these last few months.
That’s what I realized yesterday as I was crashing into the pavement a few inches from the tires of Jax’s BMW. My mom is right. Life is too short to have regrets. When I talk to her this weekend, I need to tell her that I understand.
Jax ignores my question so he can get the car, which Nick dropped off yesterday. He pulls up in front of me and opens the passenger door. I try to get out of the wheelchair but fail miserably.
“Don’t try to do that alone. Here.” He reaches over around my shoulders. “Are my hands okay here? I don’t want to press anything that’ll hurt.”
“This works,” I say, our faces inches apart.
He nods, his eyes passing over my face. I’m sure I look like hell, but I’m done being weird about him.
“If my morning breath kills you, at least we’re already at a hospital.”
He snickers before he scoops me up and helps me maneuver into his car. Once he’s in the driver’s seat, he turns to me with a grin. “First order of business. Food. Massive, massive amounts of food.”
“Isn’t everything closed? It’s Thanksgiving.”
“I’ve already done a little research and called in an order. I hope you’re hungry.” He pauses. “You’re not a vegetarian or vegan or anything weird, are you?”
Chuckling, I answer, “Hell, no. Bring the meat.”
He laughs. “Great. Because I can’t stand girls who eat a leaf and call it a meal.”
“That makes two of us. Besides, do I look like a girl who eats that way?”
Jax starts to say something but stops himself. I nudge his elbow with mine. “Come on. Don’t be weird. Say what’s on your mind.”