Page 130 of You First
Gray scowled at his brother.Really? I just had brain surgery, and you’re playing with me?
Shrugging like a clown, Bax turned his hands up. “I just wish I could understand you.”
Gray slapped the mattress with an open palm. This was just like his brother, pushing him into something he didn’t want. And there was nothing within reach he could throw at him. Where were his parents? His mother wouldn’t stand for it. He could call—
“Vuh,” he cursed. “Vuh yuh.”
Bax threw his head back and laughed. “Brilliant. I understood you perfectly.”
“Foh.” Gray growled.
“What?” Bax frowned in earnest this time.
Gray held up his hand by his ear, pinky and thumb outstretched. “Foh, atho.”
Bax’s chin tucked back. “Did you just call me an asshole?”
He glared at his brother in a way that could not be misinterpreted. Bax crossed the small room to a duffle bag that sat on a wood-framed chair. He unzipped the bag, reached in, and pulled out Gray’s phone.
“Last night, after she left, Meredith went back to your place, packed the bag for you, and brought you the phone.” Bax handed it to him, and watched him for a moment. “Do you remember her?”
Gray yanked the device from his brother’s grip.
Gray:I remember meeting her yesterday.
Bax’s phone chimed. He looked down and read the text. His look of disappointment was real this time.
“Sorry, Gray,” he muttered. “She was still pretty broken up when she brought all that stuff. I guess I was hoping you’d wake up and…well, never mind.”
Gray didn’t waste any time.
Gray:How long have we been dating?
At this message, Bax’s brow shot up. “That’s a great question. I’m not sure. I hired her to help you a few weeks ago.”
Gray frowned.
Gray:A few weeks?
Bax’s low chuckle echoed through the room. “Yeah, you moved pretty fast. I hired her. The next thing I knew, you’d had a seizure, Cates freaked out, and you were kissing her in front of the whole family.”
“Whaa?” It was too much to take in. Bax had hired her to helphim?He’d kissed her in front of his family? Gray Blakewood had never done anything like that in his life. It sounded crazy. And out of character.
And pretty damn awesome.
Gray:YOU hired her? Why?
Bax gave him an eye roll. “Because you wouldn’t take your seizure medicine. You couldn’t drive yourself without risking vehicular homicide. I was convinced you’d have a seizure, tumble down the stairs, and without anyone to feed them, Vulcan and Juno would be forced to live off your remains.”
Gray:Dramatic much?
“Anyway, she took the job, and she started cooking for you,” Bax said, his mouth turning up in a smile. “You said you liked that.”
A rush of warmth spread down his chest. Gray was no cook. He either ate out or relied on convenience food. Frozen meals. Sandwiches. Cereal. And when he ate out, he ate well. So his diet consisted of two extremes, the very best and the very worst. One was high-living, the other surviving. Nothing in the middle. The thought of Meredith cooking for him made him feel grounded, centered. A balancing of the teeter-totter life he lived. And even though he could remember none of it, Gray felt grateful.
Gray:What else do you know about her?
Bax read the message and blew out a sigh. “She’s young.” He eyed Gray with concern. “And she has a kid. A son.”
