Page 65 of Rescued
Fuck. Here goes nothing, I guess. I take the pill from him, popping it in my mouth before swallowing it down with a swig of the water.
He takes the glass from me. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Do you think I could take a—” I stop mid-sentence, realization washing over me. I got sent home from the hospital in a pair of sweats and a plain t-shirt. They’re the only clothes I currently own. I want a shower like nothing else in this world, but I’m not even sure I could take one on my own, and even if I did, I’d have nothing to change into.
“A what?” Jasper prompts.
“A shower,” I finish needlessly. “Doesn’t matter, though. Not sure I could do it alone, and even if I could…” I shrug. “No clothes.”
Jasper chuckles lightly. “Baby boy, be serious.”
“Iambeing serious.”
He steps closer. “First off, I can help you in the shower, and second off, I’ll dress you in my clothes.”
That gives me pause. “Your clothes will be huge on me.”
“But you’ll look so adorable in them. I should have thought to have Theo pick you something up. I’m sorry.” Jasper frowns. “I was so focused on the kids. I should have thought about that. That’s on me, baby boy.”
I shake my head. “No. It’s okay. You’ve already done so much for me.”
“I’ll go in the morning. You should probably talk to Luca and Austin tomorrow, anyway. Especially Luca. I think you have a lot to catch up on.”
I drop my eyes to the floor. “They know, don’t they?”
“I think they’ve probably figured it out about the kids, or at least they’ve come up with their own version of events. They definitely know about us. Doesn’t help that I was begging over your body while doing compressions.”
Tears burn my eyes, and I take a tentative step toward him, resting my forehead against his chest. “I’m sorry, baby. That must have been awful. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if it was the other way around. I think I’d still be inconsolable.”
He hums, sinking his fingers into my hair. “I like that.”
I glance up at him. “That I’d be inconsolable?”
Pressing his thumb to my bottom lip, he shakes his head. “No. When you call me baby.”
My eyes widen. I’ve always felt a little weird calling Jasper pet names. I’m baby boy, but I don’t know… I just always felt like maybe he’d find it weird. The number of times I’ve bitten that word off before it comes out of my mouth is wild.
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Don’t you like when I call you baby boy?”
I nod. “You know I do.”
He winks at me. “Exactly. Let’s get you showered. I think a nice, clean body and a long nap are in order. I’ll make dinner.”
“What are you gonna make?” I ask, my stomach growling at just the thought of food that didn’t come from a hospital.
“How about baked potatoes?”
“With bacon and lots of cheese?”
Jasper smiles, then leans down and presses his lips to mine. “Is there any other way?”
“Nope.”
Chuckling lightly, Jasper places his hand on my lower back. “Let’s get you in the shower, baby boy.”
In the bathroom, Jasper works carefully to remove my shirt. It’s slow going and painful. Even though the pain meds have started to kick in, they’re not doing a whole lot to dull the stinging of the burns on my neck and shoulder.
