Page 66 of Beautifully Broken Control

I pulledthe covers up around Kennedy; she was already out like a light. The ride home, picking up her belongings, even just changing into her pajamas, had taken everything out of her. My hands lingered by her shoulders, holding tight to the blanket. I bent slowly, dipping low, my chest constricting with each minuscule movement. I gently pressed my lips to her forehead and simply breathed her in. The scents of the hospital were already fading, replaced by the hint of rose from her hair, and that thing I still hadn’t been able to name.

I stayed frozen in place, just soaking her in. I needed this. The assurance that life flowed freely through her still. Kennedy would make a full recovery. She would dance and twirl with Lizzie and her students, she would laugh with Anna at her attempts to help in the kitchen. She had a full life ahead of her.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a security alert on the screen. Walker waved at the camera. I hit the button to let him in and headed for the door. I reached the front steps just as he pulled to a stop, Tuck trailing behind him in his truck.

Walker hopped out of my Range Rover as he popped the hatch. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s sleeping. Hopefully, she’ll be doing a lot of that over the next few days.”

“What did the doctor say?” Tuck asked as he climbed out of his own vehicle.

“Mild concussion. No work or strenuous activity for the next week.”

Walker pulled Kennedy’s bike out of the back of my SUV. I scowled at the thing. It had survived the wreck a hell of a lot better than Kennedy had. “You couldn’t throw that thing in a dumpster?”

Walker shook his head. “I took a look at it when I got there. She must’ve ridden through some oil. It was on her front and back tires. That’s why the brakes didn’t work.” I said nothing, just kept scowling. “I already cleaned it off. It’s good as new.”

“Doesn’t matter. She won’t be riding it.”

Walker’s brows rose, a flicker of humor passing over his expression. “She won’t be?”

My hand tightened around my phone. “No. She won’t. If she falls again, she could do serious damage to her brain.”

Tuck groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t buy her a car already.”

I hadn’t. If I thought there was any chance of her accepting it, I would’ve. But if there was one thing I’d learned about Kennedy over the past couple of months, it was that she was stubborn when it came to her beliefs. And she didn’t want a damn car. “I’ll be driving her wherever she needs to go.”

A grin stretched over Tuck’s face. “Can’t wait to hear what she thinks of that. Should we start taking bets on how long it takes for Kennedy to throw his keys in the lake?”

The laughter that escaped from Walker made me want to deck them both. “You can kiss my ass. Both of you.”

That just made them laugh harder. I waited for the words of warning. Similar to what Walker had said that first night I’d met Kennedy. But they didn’t come. Both he and Tuck kept right on wearing those shit-eating grins.

Walker did his best to get his under control. “Okay, okay. In all seriousness. What can we do to help?”

I thought about it for a minute, fought the urge to take care of everything myself. It would mean a lot to Kennedy to know that she had a whole support system behind her. I pulled out my wallet and handed a scrap of paper to Walker. “Could you get that prescription filled? Maybe pick up some ginger ale and crackers in case the meds make Kenz nauseous?”

“You got it. I think Jensen and my mom were baking her cookies, so I’ll bring those over, too.” Walker guided the bike over to the side of the house. “Don’t give in to temptation and throw this in the lake.”

The guy was a damn psychic. That was exactly what I was considering. “Fine.” I’d just hide it from sight. Maybe Kennedy would forget she ever had a bike to begin with.

Walker gave me a chin jerk as he headed for Tuck’s truck. “We’ll be back as soon as we’ve picked everything up.”

“Thank you.” Something tickled the back of my throat as I spoke. A flicker of emotion. Walker and Tuck had been through so much with me. And every time I needed them, they were there. They were my family now. “I mean it,” I said, my gaze focusing on Tuck and then Walker. “Thank you. For everything.”

I wasn’t sure I’d ever properly thanked them for what they’d done for me in college. I’d done so through my actions, always having their backs, but words were important, too. Sometimes, you needed the damn words.

Tuck cleared his throat. “Anytime. You know it.”

I nodded, watching as they climbed into the truck and headed for the gate. When the vehicle disappeared, I turned back to the house and made my way in, fighting the urge to dropkick the bicycle I could still see.

The house was quiet. Still. I walked down the hall and slowly pushed Kennedy’s door open. Chuck raised his head from the foot of her bed, standing guard over his mistress. Kennedy slept peacefully, her mouth falling open just slightly in a way that made me stifle a laugh. She was gorgeous, even banged-up and turning black and blue, she was still so beautiful, it almost stole my breath.

That vise was back, squeezing the life out of my chest. One wrong move, and I could’ve lost her today. She could’ve gone tumbling into traffic instead of that field. Too many close calls. I rubbed the space between my pecs, trying to get the pressure to ease.

I forced myself to look away from her. To leave the room. I had work to do. I headed for my bedroom, going for the safe and keying in the security code. I grabbed my laptop, but my movements stuttered. I lifted a couple of files, searching for the thing I rarely brought out anymore. My fingers hit glossy paper, and I pulled out the photo.

I wandered over to my bed on autopilot and sat. She’d been so beautiful. Gleaming, dark hair, skin that was tan from the summer, and a smile that was so very Kiara. Bright and full of life, with a hint of mischief thrown in.

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