“He’s good now, Faye,” Chace said quietly. “Family. Food. Movin’ his fingers and toes. All the books he can want on that thing Silas bought him and to hold in his hands. He’ll be all right.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, leaning into him, her expression clearing.
He dipped his face closer to kiss her nose and when he moved back, he murmured, “I gotta go.”
“Okay.”
“He says he wants somethin’ else, call me and I’ll pick it up when I go out.”
“Okay.”
“See you here later tonight.”
She grinned and whispered, “Okay.”
“Your bed or mine?”
Her face got soft, her body melted into his and she asked back, “Which one do you want?”
His mattress was better. Her sheets were the softest sheets he’d ever felt in his life. Therefore, a tossup.
But her place was closer to La-La Land which meant he had more time with her in her bed and her shower before they headed for coffee.
“Yours,” he answered.
“’Kay,” she breathed and that was so cute, he bent his head and kissed her quick but open-mouthed, sliding his tongue inside to taste her before he broke the kiss and again lifted his lips but this time to kiss her forehead.
Over her head, he saw Malachi watching them from his hospital bed. And, f**k him, Chace would never have guessed, not in a million years, that Malachi would watch Chace holding Faye, talking to her, whispering with her and kissing her and that would buy him what it bought him.
But when his eyes caught the boy’s, it was slight, it was hesitant but it was there.
The kid smiled at him.
Thank f**k.
Chace smiled back.
Then he gave Faye a squeeze and looked down at her. He saw that she was looking over her shoulder into Malachi’s room and she looked back at him, hesitant too but happy, her lips parted, a bit of her cute wonder shining through and then she smiled huge.
Chace smiled back, gave her another squeeze and a, “Later, Faye.”
“Later, honey.”
He glanced at Malachi before he let her go on another smile and walked away.
* * * * *
Chace felt Faye’s hand run lightly down the skin of his side, he blinked sleep away and saw, strangely, the light was on and she was turned to him.
She’d been reading. She read most nights and he loved that. Loved the fact that for years, he saw her, nose in a book and now he had her in bed with him in one of her little nighties, close enough to touch, her nose in a book. The time he spent knowing she was going to be his, the years he spent knowing she never would, he’d not thought of that. Being in bed beside Faye while she read. But having it felt like a gift. It was maybe whacked to think about it like that but he didn’t care.
He liked it.
But she usually turned off the light and settled in. When he felt it, he pulled her into him.
Now the lights were on and she was facing him, her hand on him.
His hands moved so his arms could curve around her and he pulled her to him.