Page 107 of Choosing Skyler

“Are we going shopping?” I ask hesitantly. I definitely don’t feel up to walking around a craft store, but there’s no way I’ll let her go out alone.

She leans up to kiss the corner of my mouth. “You really would drag yourself out to go with me, wouldn’t you?” She grins and continues before I can answer. “No,weare not going anywhere. I’ll make a list and text it to Julie. She’s going to go pick up what I need when she goes to get your prescriptions from the pharmacy.”

When I let out a relieved sigh Skyler giggles, holding her phone up to me. “I’m torn between these three. Which one do you like best?”

I look at the three blankets she has pinned, and I am instantly drawn to one that has a textured pattern with thick stripes of gold, deep red, light brown, light blue and white. The colors remind me of a combination of Skyler and me.It’s perfect.

“This one,” I tell her. “The same colors as the picture.”

“I think that one’s my favorite, too.” She smiles as Julie comes back in from the kitchen where she’s been cleaning up after breakfast.

“Did you finally pick one?” she asks Skyler.

Skyler nods and turns her phone to show Julie the picture.

“Oh, that’s gorgeous. Make me a list and be specific because I don’t know shit about crafting.” Julie laughs.

Skyler goes to the website for Hobby Lobby and screenshots the brands and colors of yarn she needs as well as the hook she’ll need to make the blanket. She makes a note on each picture with amounts of each color and the size of the hook she needs. Then, she sends them all to Julie before standing from the couch.

“I’ll go grab you my debit card. Just Facetime me if you can’t find anything and I’ll tell you what to get instead,” she says before running upstairs.

As soon as she’s out of earshot I grab my wallet from the table beside me. “Julie, use my credit card for everything,” I tell her, holding the card out to her. “Get her the whole set of hooks, not just the single one, and whatever she tells you to get for the yarn in each color, double it.”

Julie smiles, taking my credit card and sliding it into her back pocket just as Skyler comes running back into the room.

“I’ll be back shortly. You two behave while I’m gone.” Julie giggles.

Chapter 39

Skyler

I spend the next week taking care of Brady as he heals from his surgery and crocheting my new favorite afghan. I almost hate to leave it here, but I made it to be my own addition to our home. I plan to make another smaller one with the extra yarn and some matching covers for the throw pillows.

I was so surprised when Julie came in from the store with my haul. She got a deluxe set of ergonomic crochet hooks in a carrying case and double the yarn I asked for. I’m sure my face paled at the thought that my bank account was probably sitting in the negative with the purchase until Brady lifted my face to his and smiled.

“Julie took my credit card to buy everything. I told her to double the yarn and get the complete set of hooks. That way you have them here when we come home on breaks,” he told me.

“Brady, you didn’t have to do that. I wanted to make something for the house.” I smiled.

“I know, but you’re here, taking care of me. I have more money than I know what to do with and the thing I want to do most is take care of you. Please let me,” he said earnestly.

I smiled and nodded. “I love you, Brady. Thank you.”

“That’s better.” He smirked before kissing me softly.

This week has been tough for Brady. He’s healing and getting stronger every day, but he gets frustrated when he tires too easily or is too sore to do what he wants to do. It’s been a constant battle for all of us to keep him in his seat to rest. It’s been an even tougher battle for me after we’re alone at night.

Our chemistry builds in the air, and it thickens with tension every night when we climb into bed and kiss goodnight. He pushes for more when our kissing becomes heavy, and I have to put the brakes on. That proves to be especially hard because I’m naturally submissive to him, but I will not risk his recovery. As he gets stronger and heals more, his natural dominance breaks through, making it even harder to deny him.

The night before last I actually threatened to sleep in Devon’s old bed across the room if he didn’t behave until he got the “all clear” from the doctors.Thatdid the trick. He kissed my forehead and buried his face in my hair, apologizing.

I smile as I tie on the last tassel and stand to hold up the completed afghan. It’s just in time too. We go back to the hospital for him to have his stitches removed and meet with the doctor in an hour. Then, as long as everything is okay, we’ll get on Timothy’s jet and head back to Thorngrove in the morning.

“What do you think?” I grin over the top of the blanket hanging in front of me to Brady.

“That looks amazing. I can’t believe you made that in just a few days,” he says, his eyes beaming at me in pride.

“Me neither. I cut it pretty close, though. I’m gonna run upstairs and change so we can get to the hospital on time,” I tell him, draping my finished blanket over his lap and giving him a quick peck of a kiss.

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