she told him.
He shrugged and popped his neck. “I’ll be fine. I didn’t want to crowd you with all your injuries.”
It was probably the more cavalier thing anyone had ever done for her, and her heart swelled. Memories of last night came flooding in, and she slowly sat up, hissing through her teeth as parts of her threatened her sanity with excruciating pain. But she could handle it. She’d rather hurt and be alive than the alternative. As she scooted to the edge of the bed, she gazed up at Ethan and asked, “Did you mean what you said last night?”
“About patching over? Of course I did. I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”
She shook her head. “No, not that.” He frowned at her, and she hedged, “You said you loved me.” She didn’t want to probe too much, fearing that his words had been a knee jerk reaction to her attack.
She watched Ethan swallow hard, and then he nodded. “I meant it. I might have fallen in love with you the day I met you. I can’t be sure.”
He looked so vulnerable and uncertain Brett wanted to launch herself at him and wrap her arms around his neck, but she couldn’t make her body cooperate. Instead, she curled her fingers around his, threaded them together, and told him, “I love you, too.” She couldn’t help but return his smile as he beamed at her, as if she’d just shone a ray of sunshine on him after a heavy fog.
He raised their entwined hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “Then, we’ll make this work.” He took a deep breath. “I know you’re probably not up for it today, but the council is meeting and wants to discuss some things with you about patching over. You have a rare invitation to join them for church, as soon as you’re ready.”
She knew the council meetings were typically closed, and this was a huge show of solidarity and respect. She didn’t dare put it off. “If I can get a shower, maybe a change of clothes, and you at my side, I’m ready now.”
He stood and reached under the bed, drawing out the overnight bag they’d packed for her before they’d left her apartment. “All your things are here, and I’ll show you where the bathroom is. Are you sure today is okay?”
“I’m not going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs, Ethan. The last thing I need is to give your guys the chance to change their minds about all this, especially if I intend to push this through on my end. The sooner we act, the more likely I can convince the Suns to accept the offer.”
“Okay. Come on, let me help you.” He held out a hand, easing her to her feet, and walked her to the bathroom. For a clubhouse full of men, it was nice and clean, and she took her time, carefully washing herself off and moving gingerly so she didn’t exacerbate her pain. Maybe another shot of whiskey would be in order before she walked into the council’s meeting room, she thought. Leigh had offered her some pain meds, but she didn’t want to take them. She wanted all her wits about her and couldn’t guarantee she’d have them if she took pills.
Dressing proved more difficult than she liked, but eventually she had on clean clothes with her damp hair hanging loose around her face. When she came out, she found Ethan waiting for her, and he insisted on carrying her bag back to the room for her. “Are you ready for this?” he asked again.
She laughed lightly. “I’m as good as I can be. I think I’d like a cup of coffee.” Caffeine would probably be better than alcohol at this point, she decided.
“We’ll grab it on the way through. We have a few minutes,” he assured her. She was grateful to his attentiveness as he held doors for her and kept a light hand at the small of her back to guide her and assure she was solid on her feet. It gave her strength she didn’t have on her own right now. Despite her bravado, appearing to the council, which was likely full of men who didn’t necessarily look down on women but didn’t welcome them into club business, was nerve racking. And she really did feel weak and achy from the attack. She was just grateful she hadn’t had to ride out here, that Ethan had a car at the ready. She