Page 76 of Saving You

“So…shit got weird at the hospital,” Ridge eventually said. He told Adele about Darcy and then took a breath and told him what he’d been dying to tell everyone. “Oz and I are official now.”

Adele chuckled quietly under his breath. “Would it annoy you if I told you that I knew it?”

“Nah. I’m not a subtle man,” Ridge admitted. “Never have been, never will be. Part of my charm and all that.”

He could picture Adele grinning. “Neither is Oz. Besides all this, he’s…happy?”

“I want to think so. He’s struggling. He has a mountain of shit to unlearn from his family, and all of it revolves around hating himself because they taught him that was normal.”

“I get it. Kash and I had similar parents. Maybe not as bad, but they sure as shit didn’t show us examples of healthy relationships. Kash still struggles more than I do. If Oz needs someone to talk to?—”

“Yeah, no. I’ll let him know that,” Ridge said. He set his glass down, then shuffled down the hall to peek into the bedroom. Oz hadn’t moved except to roll over, arm out like he was searching for Ridge. His chest ached. “How’s my baby?”

“She’s gaming with Gage,” Adele said.

“Nothing bloody, right?”

“Lucas is here, and they’re trying out his new DnD map and figurines. She’s having the time of her life.”

Ridge had never been more grateful for this little village. He’d always hated that saying—especially when he first adopted Ina. He didn’t want to feel like he needed that help. He wanted to be able to do it on his own.

But she was so much happier this way. She was thriving. And no one was taking his place as her dad. Instead, they were giving her all the love she deserved to have in her life.

“You good?”

Ridge realized he’d been quiet for too long. He felt wiped suddenly, his limbs heavy, his throat a little tight. Shit. Everything was about to come crashing down. “I think today has been a lot.”

“Yeah. It has. Go get some rest, okay? FaceTime me later so I can put Ina on.”

“Sounds good.” Ridge hung up shortly after that and headed back to the bedroom. He slipped back between the covers, and as he curled into Oz, he felt the other man stir.

“Coffee,” Oz muttered aloud.

His eyes were still closed, so Ridge slipped his hand under Oz’s and spelled, ‘YES.’

Oz hummed and breathed in deep. After a short while, he pulled back, eyes heavy-lidded but focused. ‘Hi.’

Ridge smiled and lifted one hand. ‘Hi. Pain?’

Oz shook his head. ‘Surprised, but no.’ He stopped and grimaced. ‘Yes.’ Curling his last two fingers toward his palm, he hooked his first and middle fingers into a claw and tapped the side of his head. ‘CIs?’

‘You want them on?’

Oz nodded. ‘Hurts too much to sign.’

Ridge reached over and fetched them from the nightstand. When Oz tilted his head, Ridge realized he was asking for him to do it. He carefully attached the magnet, then nestled the receiver behind his ear until it felt secure. He did the same when Oz rolled over to his other side, and then he settled on his back, eyes closed.

“Remind me that it’s okay to use these when I need them.”

Ridge leaned in and smudged a kiss over his jaw. “You can use them whenever you want. They’re yours. That’s kind of the point, sweetheart.”

Oz shivered and looked over at him. “It’s nice when you call me that.”

He said it again in ASL, which made Oz’s smile widen.

“Have you talked to anyone?”

“Adele,” Ridge told him. He was fighting to keep his eyes open. He sank against the pillows and took a deep breath, which only made his fatigue worse. “Checked on Ina. And…everyone.”

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