Page 106 of You First
He didn’t add that he would have liked her to stay indefinitely.
“Really?” She eyed him, half amused. The other half, he could see, was concerned, but she tried to hide this. “You used to get so upset about the noise your brother and sister made while you were trying to write.”
He bit off half the biscuit, chewed, and swallowed. “This is different.”
It was such an understatement he almost couldn’t say it with a straight face.
“I’m beginning to see that,” she murmured, smirking. Then she lowered her eyes to the frying pan. “Still, you aren’t worried it’s a little fast?”
Gray stilled. “Clearly, you are.”
Never looking at him, she pressed her lips together and tilted her head in a shrug. “I just wonder if this would be taking place if you were well. You’re so used to having everything just so… having control.” She met his eyes finally. “What if helping your new friend is a way of feeling in control ofsomethingeven in the midst of all the chaos of being sick.”
“If I were well…” Gray began, setting his jaw. “…the only difference would be that I would’ve gone out last night and beaten the life out of that piece of shit who dared to hurt her.”
His mother blinked in surprise. “I see.” She nodded her head, contemplating, a smile playing at her mouth. “I think I should get to know this girl.”
He let go of his tension. “Yeah, you should.”
Just then, Meredith and Oscar entered the kitchen. She was dressed for school, but Oscar still wore his pajamas. At the sight of him, Gray watched his mother beam.
“Hello, there,” she cooed.
Oscar, sleepy-eyed and shy, clung to his mother, giving Gray and Dahlia suspicious stares under his furrowed brow.
Meredith smiled. “Just give him a minute.”
Oscar’s eyes swept the kitchen before he picked up his head and looked from left to right. “Where da bid dogs?”
Gray chuckled. “They’re outside. I’ll go get them.”
He walked away just as his mother offered Meredith a cup of coffee and a plate of breakfast, and Gray was glad to hear it. Dahlia could worry about him if she wanted to, but she had to treat Meredith like royalty. Anything less, and he’d set her straight.
When he returned with the dogs, both women were laughing. He eyed Meredith first.
“Oscar wants to know if Vulcan and Juno will get biscuits and bacon, too.”
The toddler still held his arms plastered around Meredith’s neck, but a shy smile was beginning to peek out from his lips, and as soon as the dogs approached, he squirmed to be set down.
“Bid dogs!”
Vulcan and Juno descended on him with excited licks, sniffing his neck, ears, and diaper until Oscar dissolved in a fit of giggles.
“Oscar, you’re going to stay with the big dogs while I go to school,” Meredith said, filling her voice with excitement. She didn’t need to. Oscar was squealing, but then his giggles gave way to a racking cough, and Meredith grabbed a napkin and scrambled to the floor to cover his mouth.
“He’s not contagious anymore. I swear,” Meredith said, glancing nervously between Gray and his mother.
Gray crouched down beside them. “Honey, it’s fine.” He watched the endearment touch the expressions of both women. Meredith blushed, and Dahlia bit down own her smile.
Oscar looked past Meredith to Gray. “My sick, too,” he said.
“I’msick, too,” Meredith corrected, wiping his face.
“I’m sick, too,” Oscar parroted. Then he cocked his head at Gray. “You better?”
Gray could only smile. “I hope I’ll be better soon.”
“Better soon,” Oscar said, nodding.
