Page 125 of Denim & Diamonds

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a ball of stress, Brock. You’re rubbing off on him, which is why he can’t calm down. It’s like a domino effect.”

“Youcalm down when you haven’t had sleep and get pissed on.”

He wriggled his brows. “How do you knowIhaven’t gotten pissed on recently?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t even wanna know…”

Trevor chuckled. “But seriously, you should try to relax.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you get your ass over here once a day so I can shower in peace? I don’t really need much. But ten minutes of quiet goes a long way.”

“I can do that for you, brother. Might not be at the same time every day, but I can do it.”

“I’ll take anything you can give. I’m desperate.”

After Trevor left, I realized it was almost noon, and I hadn’t eaten anything.

My refrigerator was filled with casseroles and other dishes people around town had dropped off. I probably should’ve frozen some of them. My brain didn’t seem to have the capacity to choose what I wanted to eat, so I reached for a random one without even knowing what it was.

Just as I’d closed the fridge, the doorbell rang.

Great.That was gonna wake up Patrick, and I’d never have a chance to eat.

When I opened the door, I nearly fell over at the sight of her.

February.

CHAPTER 32

February

Brock’s eyes widened. “Oh my…God.”

Before he could say anything else, I leapt forward and wrapped myself around him. It felt so amazing to be in his arms, even if the reason my heart raced was a bit different than usual. I was a little scared about what would meet me inside.

And when I pulled back to look into Brock’s eyes, the first thing I noticed were the bags. He was still the most beautiful man in the world, but he looked more worn than I’d ever seen him.

He blinked. “What are you doing here?”

“I changed my flight on the way back from Italy. I couldn’t stay away. I needed to see you. Needed to meet him.” I exhaled. “Is this okay?”

“It’smorethan okay. I just might not be able to give you the time you deser—”

“Brock, never mind me. You need to rest.” I placed my hands on his cheeks.

“I’m okay…” he insisted.

“No, you’re not. I can see that you’re exhausted. You have bags under your eyes. Have you slept?”

He looked down. “Not really.”

I patted his cheek. “Go take a nap.”

“That’s crazy. You just got here. You haven’t even met my son.”

“Well, introduce me so I can watch him while you nap.”

---