Page 39 of Wrecked for the Holidays

Instead of answering, Papa tossed the sheet off and jumped out of bed. He was naked! I mean, I knew he was, but I was still shocked. Before I had time to process, he let out a whoop and dragged me to the bathroom. Our laughterfollowed behind us like a happy trail.

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“Thanks, Papa. I appreciate the ride.” Papa pulled over to a side street so we wouldn’t block traffic when I climbed out of the car. The overcast skies threatened the rain forecasted for later, but fingers crossed, I’d be home before it happened. “Will I sound whiny and needy if I tell you I’ll miss you?”

“Since I was about to tell you that exact thing, I hope it doesn’t.”

Papa’s head rested on the headrest and was angled toward me. He looked ridiculously handsome in his scrubs and fleece jacket. But he looked happy too. Bone-deep happy. I did that. He didn’t look like that when we met. In that sleepwalking kind of way, he looked happy enough. But now? Bone-deep fuc-gah-effing happy. On an impulse, I leaned across the console and kissed his cheek. He chased my mouth back across and pressed a firm kiss to my lips.

“Will you do me a favor?” Papa asked.

“Always.”

“Will you be in my bed when I get home tonight?”

Papa almost sounded unsure of himself when he asked the question. That was silly. Where else would I want to be other than his bed?

“I’ll be there, Papa. I promise.”

“Thank you, love. Have fun with your errands.”

“I will, Papa.”

With one more quick kiss, I reached over to open my door.

“One more thing…” Papa laid his hand on my arm. “Will you please text me when you get home so I know you made it?”

His question warmed my heart. I wasn’t so naive to be unaware some would find his request controlling, but I saw it strictly for what it was from him. Papa needed to ensure I was safe. He wasn’t trying to stop me from anything. It was different and much more welcomed than the control my parents had forced upon me.

“Yes, Papa.” When he opened his mouth, I knew exactly what he would say, so I added, “And if you don’t answer, you’re with a patient, and you will when you’re out of their room.”

Papa and I stared at each other like a pair of loons.

I liked the couple we were becoming.

“Thanks, love. All right, get out of my car before I get in trouble for being late.”

Papa grinned when he said it, but he pulled me back for another kiss when Itried to get out again. We lingered.

When I finally exited, the words on my tongue slipped out, “Love you!”

Before the horror could set in at my words, I slammed the car door shut and hurried inside the closest store.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Chapter 18

Reed

Between our competing schedules and my overtime, I hadn’t spoken to Jakob in person in a few days. I didn’t love this opposite schedule bullshit, but it was mostly around the holidays when it got rough. The ER was never slow between flu and other airborne viruses coupled with the stress of the holidays. This was the first year that it bothered me. Under normal circumstances, no one checked up on me to ensure I was properly eating and not drinking too much caffeinated sludge.

After my shopping day request, Jakob made a point to check in with me. He texted me good morning and night, along with daily updates. With so many people taking off for the holidays, he’d buried himself in the lab where he could work uninterrupted during the day.

I didn’t want to disrupt him, but I had made arrangements for a daily meal delivery. At a minimum, I knew he wouldn’t work through lunch without eating. At home, I’d prepare dinner before I left for work and put it in the refrigerator so he’d have food waiting for him when he got home. For my peace of mind, I didn’t relish the idea of Jakob doing more than heating dinner in the microwave. Jakob and cooking were not a great fit.

Now that my shift was over, I could finally head home and see Jakob. Neither of us mentioned the hastily spoken words that slipped out when I dropped him off for shopping. It wasn’t something to discuss over text or hurriedly mention when I crawled into bed after he’d gone to sleep. By mutual agreement, we’d tabled it until later. Later was now.

I pulled into the driveway but stayed in my car to admire Jakob’s work on the front porch. He’d texted earlier about whether I had any more decorations hiding somewhere in the house. What I had was tucked away in the garage, but I hadn’t pulled them out…maybe ever? My mom dropped them off when I bought the place, and they’d ended up in the corner of the garage to be forgotten for years.

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