cold water. And then he remembered the bottle of Pepto in the junk drawer and added that to the mix, too. What else? He grabbed a big glass and filled it with crushed ice from the dispenser on the fridge door. Nodding, he surveyed the situation. He needed a way to carry all this up there. He snapped his fingers, opened the cabinet by the stove, and grabbed a cookie sheet. When it was loaded up, he made his way upstairs.
Back in the bedroom, he moved as quietly as he could even though cookie sheets seemed to amplify every fuckin’ little noise. But no matter because Dani was still awake.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey. I brought provisions.” He pushed the clock and lamp on the nightstand to make room for his makeshift tray.
“Did you bake me cookies?” she asked, smirking. Which at least was a sign of her normal self.
Sean arched an eyebrow. “No, ball-buster. I improvised. Now, what would you like?”
Chuckling, Dani propped herself up a little. “Looks like you thought of everything. Let me try the ice and see if that will stay down.” He handed her the cup of ice and a spoon, too. “Aw, you even brought a spoon? That’s so thoughtful.” She looked at the spoon for an oddly long moment before she finally took a bite of the ice.
“I didn’t know if you’d be able to lift your head enough to eat them right out of the cup,” he said, hovering by the side of the bed and wanting to do something more.
“Sit down with me.”
He grabbed the cold washcloth and sat. “I brought this for your forehead. And there’s Pepto if you think that’ll help.”
She situated the folded cloth and took another bite of ice. It was strange seeing Dani down for the count like this, and Sean really hated it. It was so damn wrong.
“That feels good, thanks. Hey, what flavor are the popsicles?”
“Red and orange,” he said.
She laughed weakly. “Red isn’t a flavor.”
He smirked. “Red is too a flavor and it happens to be my second favorite so you should feel honored.”
“What’s your first favorite?” Dani asked around another bite of ice.
“Purple. Grape. Whatev. I ate those first and they were all gone or I would’ve shared.”
“I definitely feel honored.”
“Shut up.”
She softly smacked his leg. “I was being serious.” Her black hair was mussed and her face was flush, but she was smiling up at him like he mattered to her and it made her the most gorgeous woman he’d ever known.
Damn it all to hell he fuckin’ loved her.
The feeling was like a pressure in his chest, one that demanded release. But he wasn’t saying a word right now, not while she wasn’t herself. Because he had no clue how she was going to react. Them joking about ‘Deadpool’ being an “us thing” didn’t mean they were in a relationship, after all.
You can count on me to stand up for you as much as you need from now on…
Her words from last night rang in his head. God, they’d meant so much to him. Still did. Sean almost couldn’t imagine what life would be like to have someone like Daniela England at his side, on his side. And, oh, Jesus, in his fuckin’ bed. The two of them against the world. Yeah, that was a kind of life he’d never even let himself imagine—one he would’ve said he didn’t deserve and couldn’t have anyway ‘cause he’d just fuck it up. But her words had him believing that something else could be possible for him. Her words had him believing in himself for maybe the first time ever.
“What are you thinking about?” Dani asked, shifting to sit up a little.
“You.” When her eyebrows raised, he added, “Just worried about you and want you to feel better.”
She put her hand on his thigh. “You’re really sweet, Sean. Thank you.”
“Yeah, o’course,” he said, feeling sorta awkward and self-conscious. Was that love, too? Because if so it was fuckin’ ridiculous. “Anyway, it’s the least I can do after you took care of me.”
“I never minded,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed hanging out.”
Damn he liked hearing her say that. “Same, D.” They looked at each other, their gazes direct, open, and it felt like something important hung there between them. But Sean wasn’t sure how to broach it. So instead he asked, “Think you can handle a popsicle?”
Dani smiled. “I’m gonna tempt fate and try one. I need something with some flavor in my mouth.”
A smile he couldn’t