that he was trying to figure out a way to rush me out of his place. Considering that he’d been the one to initiate the whole ‘spending more time together’ thing, common sense would be that something had happened, but anxiety didn’t always listen to common sense.
Actually, it never did.
I put my hand on his arm, trying to ignore the red lines I’d made all over his torso. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
This time, he saw me, and the pain in his eyes made me flinch. “That was my mom. My nephew’s been taken to the hospital.”
Shit.
All of my selfish thoughts fled.
“Does he live here? In Savannah, I mean.” I mentally cursed myself. I needed to be better than this. “Is it somewhere you can drive, or do you need to get on a plane?”
Okay, that was a little better.
“Drive,” Bradyn said. “My sister and her family live in the city.”
He still looked dazed, and I couldn’t blame him. If I’d just gotten a text from Kaimi that Rose was in the hospital, I wouldn’t be handling it well. And that definitely meant driving would’ve been out.
“Do you need someone to drive you?” I asked. Not for the first time while I was in Georgia, I wished I’d gotten my license.
“No, I can do it myself.” He started toward the door, but I caught his arm before he’d gone more than a couple steps.
“I’m pretty sure they’re not going to let you into a hospital wearing only a pair of pants.” My gaze dropped to the noticeable wet spot on the front of his pants and then realized I probably looked just as bad.
He realized what I was looking at and actually blushed. Under other circumstances, that would’ve made me want to jump him again.
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” I kept my voice calm and even. “I’m going to run back to my cabin and make myself decent. You do the same and meet me by your truck. I’ll go with you to the hospital. Help you stay focused on driving. I can get a ride home from there.”
“Okay.” He ran his hand through his hair, still looking like he had no clue what to do.
I reached up and put my hands on his cheeks, waiting until his eyes met mine. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Get cleaned up, and I’ll meet you at the truck.”
He nodded. When I started to move, though, he grabbed my wrist. “Will you stay with me at the hospital?”
Talk about the definition of not taking things slow. A lot of people fucked early in a relationship, especially if that’s how things started out, but I’d just agreed to spend some time with him while I was in Savannah, and now he was asking me to meet his family, not just at some random thing either, but during a family emergency.
Every instinct I had that worked at protecting myself should have been screaming at me to make some excuse why I could only drop him off, but my head was weirdly quiet. Almost like my mind was waiting to see what sort of decision I would make without all that shit causing chaos.
“I’ll stay as long as you need me,” I said.
The relief on his face told me I’d made the right choice. Even if this blew up in my face, I was glad I’d agreed. I’d gone through too much shit by myself, and I knew from personal experience what it was like to finally have someone to stand by my side when something bad happened. Kaimi and I had been that for each other for more than a decade. Tonight, I’d be there for Bradyn.
“Go.” I gestured toward his bedroom. “It’ll only take a few minutes, and it’ll be worth it.”
I only waited until he took a step in the right direction, and then I hurried back to my cabin. I wished I had enough time to shower, but I made do with a wet washcloth, clean clothes, and pulling my hair back. I didn’t look great, but at least I looked more like someone who’d been working all day rather than someone who’d just been fucked into three orgasms. Maybe four.
Bradyn was waiting by the truck when I got there, but he didn’t look impatient so I assumed that meant he hadn’t been there long. His face still wore that slightly dazed look of someone who’d been caught off guard, but he’d managed to change his clothes, and everything was on the right