I grabbed Turo's hand as his face went thunderous. "Sorry. Thank you. I was trying not to let her know my middle name. Something about her wanting to yell at me using all three." I shook my head. His face cleared as he laughed. He nodded. "Yeah, when she's really pissed she uses all three like Momma does." He leaned in. "I think it's cute, but don't tell her that. She'd just get even more pissed and I like my confectionaries."I chuckled as we let go. "Making her angry is pretty fun."He snorted. "Do it at your own risk. And don't eat anything she makes you after she's been angry." He shuddered. "It won't end well.""Stop snickering about me, you turds." "Speak of the devil," I said. A pillow punched into the back of my head. "Jerk." Her stomach growled again. Loud enough that I heard it from the middle of the room. I turned back to her. "Seriously, do you have a small feral animal who lives inside you?"She flipped me off as she laughed. "Just feed me.""Momma le
Tali held me under the shoulders as I went to the bathroom. I don't think I'd ever been so humiliated in my life. "Just think of it as me holding your wedding dress."I snorted into Tali's shoulder. "Except you're holding me, not my clothes. I feel like an idiot.""It's this or stay in the hospital. From what I heard, Ryker had to pull some strings to get Dr. Sweeten to release you into his care. Technically, you should still be there. I think the stay was about fourteen days? Something like that, anyway. Besides, what's a little pee between best friends slash sisters?"I laughed. "Does that mean you're going to help me go when I'm at Ryker's?" I'd never really thought about the mechanics of personal hygiene before I had to rely on someone else to help me stay upright. We managed it and she only dropped me on the toilet once. We were both in tears from laughing so hard by the end of it, my body was screaming in delicious pain. "It-t-t hurtssss, Tal-l-li. Help me up-p-p,"
Shivers and goosebumps rose along my arms and spine as she scratched her nails against my scalp. How I missed the simple pleasure of that my whole life, I didn't know. But, along with just about everything else about this woman, I was addicted to it. I dipped down so she could get the front door. "Oh, I need my purse," she said. I straightened. "Right. Do you know where it is?" She stiffened a bit, looked over my shoulder. "No. Last I remember having it was in the car at the bakery."I winced even as I appreciated her not stating the fact that I was the reason she was currently forced to be in my arms. I nodded. I would make that up to her. Spend my life making it up to her. "I'll have Baxter go back to the bakery. I think your car is still there. You'll need to get your bank information changed, just in case. What about your driver's license? Social security card? All of that?""In the far corner. Fireproof safe under the desk." She pointed over my shoulder. Careful
I woke up when I heard a female voice calling my man baby. "That better have been your Grams, mister, or you've got some splaining to do." I glared up at Ryker. His smile was gorgeous as he lowered the phone. "Not quite. My mother. And surprise, you're going to meet her today."Only his hand on my rib cage kept me from jackknifing upright in shock. "What the hell, Ryker!" I looked down at my dress. Well, I guess it could be worse. Oh wait! I couldn't even fucking stand on my own and I was going to meet the woman who had to be higher ranking than freaking Wonder Woman in Ryker's eyes. She was going to hate me. Think I was a slob who couldn't be bothered to stand up to meet her. Ryker's sigh was big enough to fell a gigantic tree. "Whatever crap is rolling through your mind, you better get it straightened out before I do. She's going to love you." He opened his mouth again. Seemed to catch himself from saying anything else. He turned, looked out the window, his jaw hard.
I jumped between my mother and Willow, cutting off my mom's view of her. "Don't ever talk to her like that again.""You get stabbed, kill a man, and now you're lying to the police? For her?" She shot to her feet. "You can do so much better than this, baby." She reached out to me. I stepped back. Kept walking backward until I bumped into the couch. I tipped my head to the side. "You just defended her. Threatened a police lieutenant."Mom snorted. "No. I corrected a bad police woman's attitude. I didn't defend Winslow Chase's daughter." She shook her head. The odd glances, the deliberately rude behavior fell into place. "That's what this is about? Making the daughter wear the sins of the father?"My mom jerked back as if I'd slapped her. I spread my arms. "Get to dressing, Mom. We both know Dad's sins. Better start pinning them to my chest.""No! She doesn't get to talk to you like that. Not in front of me she doesn't," Willow said from behind me. My mom snarled. She
Ryker moved to lift me into his arms again. And as much as I wanted to be there, I also wanted to walk. To move under my own steam. To be able to be in charge of my body. I grabbed his hands with mine. "Now, before you deny me out of hand, I want you to listen."He leaned back, hurt on his face. "I always listen to you."I grimaced. Squeezed his fingers. "Sorry. Yes, you do. And I appreciate it. But I want to walk." Clouds of doubt covered his features. His lips pursed as I saw the wheels start turning in his brain. "I'm not saying no. But I am going to ask Jessa." He pressed a kiss to my nose before turning to his bedroom door. He hollered after the pretty doctor. I didn't hear her answer, but I did hear the click, click, click of her shoes as she walked towards his bedroom once again. "She wants to what?" She popped her head through the door, her eyebrows up near her hairline. "You want to walk? Willow, you just had arterial surgery two days ago."I sighed. Pushed b
I paced the living area as Jessa talked to Willow. It killed me that Jessa wanted to talk to Willow alone. That she'd asked I move away from the door even. Jessa didn't ask much, and since it was for Willow...I'd caved."Sit the fuck down, Penn. You're giving me a headache," Nico said as he came back into the room. "The smash, smash, smash of your shoes is like a jackhammer in my brain." He stalked to the seat he'd occupied earlier, eased down into its depths. He slouched down, rested his head on the back. "Sorry." I moved over to the couch Willow had been stretched out on. "How're you feeling?""Like shit," he mumbled. "Are we supposed to share our feelings and braid each other's hair now that Turo let you in the family?"I snarled, held up my hands. "Fine. Sorry. Damn." I was on edge. Tangling with Nico wasn't going to help calm me down either. I drummed my fingers on my thighs. Tried to will the women to hurry up. I wanted Willow in my arms. And I wanted her in my arms w
Cradled in Ryker's arms, I sighed. While I liked being in his arms, it was also starting to piss me off. Both for very different reasons. Hopefully, Jessa would be able to get that CT scan figured out and I'd get an actual recovery date. "Well, it's been real. It's been fun. It just hasn't been real fun. Time for you both to leave," Ryker said to Jessa and Nico.They jerked away from each other as if they'd been having sex on the kitchen island and not just talking. Or arguing, if the red flush in Nico's cheeks was anything to go by. He didn't really ever get red in the face that I'd ever seen. "Chop, chop. Times a'wasting," Ryker prompted. If his hands had been free, I'm sure he would have clapped them at the two people we considered friends. I rolled my eyes. "You're both more than welcome to stay. In fac-""She's lying. We're going to bake. You're not invited. Leave now," Ryker said, cutting me off. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "What the hell, cupcake?""Yo