Page 22 of Love Me Back
“How?”
“What?” I asked as he kneeled in front of me to remove my boots.
“How are you gonna lift your ass and push your shorts down?”
“I’ll figure it out; just do as I said.”
Once my boots and socks were gone, I lifted my weight with my arms, and Emerson helped me remove my jeans. When he lifted me from the chair, my body plastered against his as he moved me into the walk-in shower. Another thing I was thankful for. I loved my brother, but I was fucking glad I’d left my boxers between us.
Sitting in the shower chair, I reached for the nozzle and quickly realized just how fucked I was.
“Em!” I shouted, knowing he was sitting on my bed waiting for me to get done.
“Yea?”
“I can’t reach the fucking nozzle,” I growled through gritted teeth.
He swept in and grabbed the nozzle off the holder and handed it to me. I reached over and turned the hot water on and began to clean myself up. Between trying to get my boxers off and washing up, Emerson came in twice more, once to get me the shampoo, and again to replace the nozzle and hand me a towel.
I stayed in the shower until I was completely dry. Then askedfor a pair of sweats. Fuck the boxers and the jeans. If I had to be in this damn thing, I wanted to be comfortable. Plus, the sweats were easier to get off if I needed to take a piss.
“Put me on the bed.”
“No can do. Carson said we’re all eating together tonight. Even Pops is here.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugged. “First night home after you almost died, man. Family dinner.”
I groaned but relented. If whoever shot at me had a better aim, I probably would be dead. The least I could do was have dinner with my family. Family was everything, and I truly loved mine.
Until I wheeled into the kitchen and saw Jessie at the table next to the empty space where my chair used to sit.
“I told you to go home.”
“I don’t work for you,” she argued.
“You’re here to take care of me.”
Before she could answer, Pops smacked me on the back of the head. “Boy, I know your momma taught you better ‘an to be rude to a beautiful woman.”
“Ow, Pops.” I rubbed my head where his hand had made contact.
“That ain’t fuckin’ hurt. But next time I’ll make sure it does. Get on up to the table. Your sister made a fine meal, and listenin’ to yer whinin’ll turn it in my stomach. So if you ain’t got nothin’ nice to say, keep yer damn mouth shut.”
I looked at Jessie and felt the shame Pops aimed to invoke. She didn’t smile in satisfaction the way Addie did, happy that someone had called me out on my shit. She didn’t cough into her hand trying to hide her amusement the way Carson had. And she wasn’t laughing outright like Hudson and Emerson, who took great joy in my disgrace.
She hadn’t even shaken her head in disappointment the way Tyson was. No, she sat in her chair, her back straight, staring straight ahead with no emotion on her face. Seeing her that waywas ten times worse than any humiliation I might have endured.
I rolled up to the table next to her and whispered, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”
“I understand.”
She didn’t accept my apology. It felt more like an acceptance of the way I treated her, and I finally realized how much of an asshole I was being. No matter how hard I’d tried in the past, she hadn’t given me what I wanted.
Namely her.
And now I was taking my frustration in her not wanting me and my anger at being stuck in this chair out on her. It wasn’t fair to her. She had done nothing wrong.
