Page 170 of The Blame Game

“Yeah, baby, I promise.”

“K.” Dom sighed and closed his eyes.

When Dom opened his eyes again, he wasn’t sure if it had been minutes or hours.

A nurse stood beside him, taking his pulse and he could see her badge said Gloria.

“Welcome back,” she said, smiling.

“Where’d he go?” Dom asked, frowning at some hazy memories that made no sense. “Where’s my boyfriend? You said I had a boyfriend.”

“I’m right here,” Shea said and Dom looked at the foot of the bed

“Oooh yeah. That’s my boyfriend,” he told Gloria. “He’s sooo beautiful, isn’t he?”

She smiled. “He sure is.”

Dom smiled, relieved. “He’s so smart too. He’s a PT and he worked with Travis Rogers.”

“Oh, did you now?” She glanced over at Shea.

“Yep. He fixed his knee,” Dom said proudly. “I didn’t like that Travis was flirty with him but Shea likes him so I have to be nice.”

Gloria let out a quiet choking noise.

“You have no reason to be jealous of Travis, baby. He’s only a friend. And I didn’t fix his knee.” Shea laughed. “I just had some thoughts on his recovery.”

“You did fix it. You’re sooo smart.”

“Well, I’m with you, aren’t I?”

Dom frowned, feeling like he was forgetting something. “Are you?”

“Yeah, baby,” Shea said with a little sigh, touching his shin over the blanket. “I am.”

Something was wrong though. Shea was here but he might go after … after something was over. Dom couldn’t remember what but he knew he didn’t want that.

A jaw-cracking yawn interrupted his thoughts, his eyelids growing too heavy to keep open. “I’m so tired.”

“I know. You get some sleep, okay?”

“K. You’ll be here when I get back?” Dom reached out and Shea came around to the other side of the bed and took his hand.

“Yeah, I’ll be here.”

“Okay. Love you.”

Dom stopped fighting sleep and allowed his eyes to close again.

Do not read anything into it, Shea sternly reminded himself as he watched Dom sleep, his mouth a little slack, his face turned toward Shea. He didn’t mean it. He’s just groggy and confused from the anesthesia and pain meds.

Shea knew that as well as anyone else. He’d said some wacky stuff after his surgeries, half of which hadn’t made any sense. He’d talked about riding a unicorn in a candy shop for fuck’s sake.

Emma had teased him about it for years.

But God, the hope Shea felt at Dom’s declaration …

Because no matter how much he tried to view it logically and convince himself that Dom was only muttering nonsense, the sound of the man he loved saying that he loved Shea back was everything he’d ever wanted to hear.

---