Page 24 of Digging Deeper

“They’re from a box, no big deal.” Aiden shrugs and blushes. Because he’s too cute.

“They’re delicious. Thanks for bringing them,” Drix says with a smile.

A laugh bubbles out of me when I focus on Drix’s face again because he’s got a big brownie crumb in the corner of his mouth. I grab a napkin and shove it at him as I laugh. “You’ve got…” I wave my finger in front of his mouth.

He wipes his mouth and completely misses the crumb, which makes me laugh harder, and even he’s holding back a laugh. He smacks my shoulder and says, “Stop! Where is it?”

“Aw, do you need me to wipe your mouth off, Hendrix?” I stick my bottom lip out in a fake pout.

He keeps wiping and laughs out, “Shut it.”

“You got it. Finally. Geez, who taught you how to use a napkin?” I can’t stop grinning at him, and he rolls his eyes at me and shakes his head before I turn to look at the other guys. All three of them are staring at me, but it’s Holds’s face I zoom in on. I can’t make out his expression, but there’s definitely some concern there, so I ask, “What?”

Holds shakes his head and glances down, so I look at Jameson who has a huge grin on his face, but all he does is wink at me. When I look at Aiden, he shrugs.Why are they all being so weird?

After we eat and hang out with Drix as late as we can, the four of us head back to Holden and Jameson’s place. I try to convince Holds that I’m fine at home, but he’s insistant and makes me pick up my dogs to bring them over so I can spend the night. We had my babies meet Peanut at a park the other day, and they love each other. Thank god.

Jameson and Aiden go into the kitchen for beer, so I head to the living room with Holds and the pups in tow.

Holden rests his head against mine and wraps his arm around my shoulders as he whispers, “How are you doing?”

I snuggle into him a little as I shrug. “Alright. Having the dogs helps.”

“They’re adorable. I’m glad they like Peanut and the kittens.”

“Me too.” I pat my leg and Nana hops up on the couch beside me, half in my lap because she thinks she’s a lap dog. I smile at her and give her some good scratches.

“But you’re… really doing okay?”

I know why he asks; since the end of our freshman year of college, he’s been my go-to whenever I’ve been upset or lonely. I spent just as much time at his apartment as mine, and half the time, he’d been with me at my apartment, too. I went from seeing my best friend every day to him moving away and only getting to talk on the phone. I’d been lonely, so damn lonely, and since I’ve moved—followed him, really—to Baltimore as well, I haven’t been around him as much as I used to. I don’t want to invade on his and Jameson’s time together; I don’t want to be a nuisance; I don’t want him or his boyfriend to get sick of me.

And he obviously knows what I’m doing.

I sigh and pull away, putting a little space between us and leaning more into Nana. “Yes, I’m doing okay.”

“You’re supposed to call me or come over all the time now that you’re here, Gav. I feel like I’ve barely seen you lately. I miss you.”

My chest constricts a little, but I nod, unsure of what to say. I miss him, too, but I’d rather have him a little than make him or his boyfriend so sick of me that I can’t have him at all.

Eventually Holds says, “You really think my brother’s doing better?”

“He’s doinga lotbetter. He’s been listening to everyone, doing everything that’s asked of him, and even doing extra things back in his room. His attitude has done a one-eighty…” I trail off with a frown.

“But…?”

“I didn’t say ‘but.’”

“No, but you were thinking it.” He grins at me with a little shrug.

I roll my eyes. “Okay, fine… But I don’t think he’s planning on trying to walk again.”

Holds blinks at me for a long minute. “What? What do you mean?”

“I think… I think he might be planning out a life in that chair.”

He opens and closes his mouth a few times, then jerks his head back with a deep frown before he closes his eyes and sighs. “Fuck. That’s what I was thinking earlier when he was acting like he’ll never be a cop again and… dammit!”

“I know. I don’t know wh—”

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