usually slept. It seemed strange that a man could have such an effect on me after such a short time; nonetheless, he had. I knew how much he cared for Gus, how worried he must’ve been, and it pained me to know that I wasn’t there for him. He’d been so sweet and supportive when I needed someone the most, and I wanted to be able to do the same for him. Sadly, I couldn’t do that unless he’d let me.
It was late and I had to work the following morning, so I tried to force the thoughts about Beckett from my mind in order to fall asleep. I was just starting to drift off when I heard a knock at my door. Hoping it might be him, I tossed the covers back and rushed into the living room. When I opened it, relief washed over me when I found Beckett standing on the porch. He was wearing the same clothes he had on when he left, and with the dark circles under his eyes and his day-old beard, he looked completely exhausted. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”
“Don’t be.” I stepped towards Beckett, wrapped my arms around him, and held him tight. “I’m so glad you came.”
His voice was strained as he whispered, “Gus—”
“I know. Landry told me. I’m so sorry this happened.” I hugged him even tighter as I said, “How’s he doing?”
“It’s hard to tell, but he seems to be hanging in there. It’s gonna take some time before we know for sure.” His eyes were filled with worry as he let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t call or come by sooner. I’ve just been kind of fucked up about this whole thing. Couldn’t leave and wouldn’t have if Samantha hadn’t insisted.”
“I totally understand, Beckett. You were exactly where you needed to be.”
“It’s really good to see you.” He looked down at me as he asked, “Everything okay with you?”
“I was worried there for a bit, but I’m much better now that I know you’re okay.” I reached up and placed my hands on his face. “You look exhausted.”
“That’s because I am.”
I took his hand in mine, then led him into the house. Without any resistance, he followed me into the bathroom and watched as I turned on the shower. He could barely keep his eyes open when I reached for the hem of his shirt and as he bent forward for me, I pulled it over his head. He kicked off his boots, then removed his jeans, socks, and briefs. Damn. The man was unbelievably hot. Under any other circumstance, I might’ve joined him in the shower, but at that moment, I was only interested in taking care of him. I was busy gathering his clothes, when he asked, “Mind handing me my toothbrush?”
“Sure.” I grabbed it, and as I handed it over to him, I said, “I’ll go put these in the wash while you take a shower.”
He nodded, then stepped under the stream of hot water and closed his eyes as he let it run down his head and shoulders. His eyes were still closed when he muttered, “Thank you, Alyssa. I really needed this.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I finished collecting his things, then took everything to the laundry room. After I emptied all his pockets, I tossed his clothes into the washing machine. Thinking it might help to get some real food in his stomach, I went into the kitchen to fix him something to eat. I had some leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes from the night before, so I warmed it up and poured him a glass of sweet tea. As soon as it was ready, I carried it all into the bedroom, but when I walked in, the lights were off and he was already sound asleep. Beckett looked so peaceful, so content, like he was exactly where he was meant to be. I stood there just watching him for several minutes, then returned the tray of food to the kitchen. The washer was still running, so I decided to use the time to clean the dishes and pick things up around the house. When the clothes were finally done, I put them in the dryer and headed back to the bedroom
Being careful not to wake him, I crawled in bed next to Beckett. I inched in a little closer, just enough to feel his body next to mine, and it wasn’t long before he’d rolled towards me, laying his arm