Page 33 of Under the Texas Sky
“Where’s my medicine bag?” I ask Willow, who currently has a pillow over her head, also fighting off the impending sickness.
“I took it out before we left. I needed your Pepto because I ran out,” she groans out, her voice muffled.
“Did you put it back in here?” I know the answer before I finish my question.
“No, I left it on top so you could repack it. I didn’t know how you had it in there.”
You have to absolutely be joking with me right now.
“I’m sorry, Kian. I’ll run downstairs and get you some medicine,” she says.
I wave her off even though she can’t see me. I love Willow to death, I do. But sometimes, more often lately, it's been a pain to deal with her. She’s fun and she’s always so helpful to people who need it. Yet it’s always me who gets the short end of the stick.
“I’ll be back. Don’t wait up.”
CHAPTER 30
TRENT
“Do you need some medicine, baby?” I rub Hunter’s back soothingly while he dry heaves into the toilet. The marble tile I’m kneeling on is uncomfortable, but I’m not worried about that. It makes me upset to see him so sick.
He sits back on his knees and rests his head in the crook of my neck. With his clammy skin pressed against mine, I can feel the light sheen of sweat on his forehead. I have flashbacks to the last time I had to take care of someone, but I push that thought away.
“Probably,” he says. “I always forget how bad altitude sickness hits me.”
I press my lips against his head, the smooth strands of his hair tickling my face. He stopped shaving it and decided to grow it out. It suits him, and I love running my fingers through it. “Let me help you to bed. I’ll go downstairs and see what they have.”
He groans as I help him to his feet. We hobble to the bed, where I lay him flat, tucking him under the covers. I run back to the bathroom and wet a washcloth, bringing it to him to rest on his forehead while I’m gone.
“Don’t move, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you. I love you,” he mumbles, exhausted.
I press a kiss to his forehead, a silent vow, and leave the room.
His words reverberate in my head.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
It’s not the first time he has said it, but it’s still a punch in the gut every time those three words leave his mouth. I feel so strongly for him, I do. It’s just taking me time to get there. And Hunter, the saint that he is, has been so understanding. He’s never once judged me, pushed me away, or treated me any differently after what I’ve told him about my past.
Mitch adores him. I think it’s mostly because Hunter is an artist, so he made a custom puzzle for Mitch that was a picture of me and him. I had to take a moment to myself so I didn’t cry. It was so thoughtful, but that’s Hunter. He pays so much attention to the people around him.
I dodge families dragging kids around and make it to the store inside the lobby without running over anyone’s child, so I consider that a win in my book.
They have a whole wall filled with different medications, and I grab a few different ones. I double check to make sure at least one of them helps alleviate nausea. There’s a shelf of books right beside it, so I pick out a romance book with a pretty cover to read to Hunter while he rests. It’s one of the ways he loves to spend time together, and it’s encouraged me to read a lot more. It’s a hobby of mine now, to find books we like and read them together.
When I put all of the stuff on the checkout counter, my eyes catch on a bouquet of flowers resting beside it.
“These as well, please,” I say, adding them.
“Lucky woman,” the young girl working says as she scans the items and places them in a plastic bag for me.
“Man, actually,” I correct her.
“Lucky man for sure,” she mumbles, then tells me my total.
I fish the money out of my wallet and set it on the counter. “Keep the change, have a great day.”
