path into the living room, which held a new couch with a chaise on one end. Several trays of food covered the coffee table, and vanilla-scented candles were placed around the room.
Was I standing in the townhouse living room or a spa?
He stopped in front of the couch. “Please have a seat. What would you like to drink? There’s fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemonade.”
“How about half and half?” I’d always liked that combination.
“Coming right up,” Tristin answered as he made his way into the kitchen.
After I’d not-so-gracefully settled onto the couch, I took a closer look at the spread of food on the coffee table. One of the trays was the charcuterie plate Leo had ordered at the bistro where we had our first pseudo-date, and another was full of peanut butter cookies that appeared to be from different bakeries. Those must have been Tristin’s idea, since he’d somehow remembered they were my favorite from when I was a kid.
“You guys didn’t have to go to so much trouble. I’m not that hungry.” Probably because the smell of hospital still clung to me.
“It was no trouble,” Leo insisted.
Petra hovered in the entryway, looking a little too amused for my liking. “I’ll just go get that ice cream you wanted.”
“No need,” Tristin said as he handed me a glass of orange-juice lemonade. “We have at least six flavors in the freezer.”
At that, Petra grinned. “Well, okay. Why don’t you just call me later, then?”
She was deserting me? I wanted to protest, but logically, I knew I would be fine here with my two “nurses.” And she was only a phone call away.
“Yeah. Thanks for driving me.”
“No problem.”
After Petra disappeared, I just sat there, sipping my drink. I couldn’t seem to make eye contact with either Leo or Tristin, so I stared at the food until my mouth began salivating. Leo must have read my mind, because he piled a little bit of everything on a plate before handing it to me. Meanwhile, Tristin helped me prop my leg up on the couch with a pillow under it.
I might have thought I was dreaming, but I doubted my leg and head would hurt this badly in a dream.
“How are you feeling?” Leo asked, taking a seat on a chair that had been moved to against the wall.
“Tired and sore.”
“Do you need something for the pain?”
“Tylenol, please, if you have any.”
Tristin walked into the kitchen and returned a moment later with an entire basket filled with every over-the-counter pain medication imaginable. Setting it on the end table, he rummaged through it until he found the Tylenol.
After swallowing the pills, I said, “You two don’t need to hover like this. Just say whatever you wanted to say, and then I’ll have Petra take me to her house.”
“We want you to stay here,” Tristin answered.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” For so many reasons.
Leo moved from the chair to the other end of the couch. “Listen, Thea. We could say all the pretty words we could think of, but it wouldn’t mean anything. So, instead, we want to show you how sorry we are. We’re going to work together to take care of you. Anything you need or want, we’ve got you.”
“You’re going to work...together.” My tone was full of doubt, and I didn’t feel even a little bit bad about that. I was one broken leg past trusting that the brothers could get along.
“Yes. We’re both going to stay here and take turns so that you’re never alone. Hayle too.”
I almost laughed. All three Sharpe brothers actually cooperating? That was something I’d like to see.
My gaze slid to Tristin. “What happened to leaving town?”
He squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments before reopening them. Even from feet away, I could see the regret in their aquamarine depths. “I fucked up. I thought leaving was best for everyone, but now I know that I was wrong. I’ve pushed you and my brothers away for too long. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
I longed to take his words at face value. They were all I’d wanted to hear since before he’d told me to leave him the fuck alone. But I’d been burned by him too many times.
“I don’t believe you.”
Well, hello there, bitchy Thea. Welcome back to the land of the living.
He didn’t even flinch. “That’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to. Like Leo said, I’m going to prove it to you by sticking around. If you’ll let me.”