Page 87 of The Triple Play

I let out a shaky laugh, turning my face into Griffin’s shoulder.

“Got it,” he manages to say calmly. “Can we both see him now?”

I don’t miss the emphasis he places on the word both, and neither does the nurse. She looks briefly down at our clasped hands, then back up at Griffin’s face before nodding quickly. “Of course. It’s meant to be one person at a time, but we can make an exception.”

I flash her a small smile, then we follow her back through those double doors. The recovery ward feels too bright, seeing as it’s the middle of the night.

Too bright and too loud, with machines beeping everywhere.

Not every bed is full, and I find Denver immediately. He looks small in the bed, wires everywhere, face pale and unfocused. When his eyes finally find mine, hazy but open, my chest loosens. A goofy grin breaks free across his face and I take his hand, squeezing it gently.

“Piiiiiiiixie,” he says, sounding drunk. I choke out a laugh, lifting his hand to my lips and kissing it.

“My favourite girl. My pixie’s here.” He turns his head, flopping it back and forth as he looks for someone. “Hey! My pixie is here. I told you!”

The nurse who let us in walks over with an amused smile. “Alright, Mr. Foxx. Please keep your voice down, okay? You’re not meant to have two visitors at once, and it’s the middle of the night, so I need you to be quiet and discreet.”

Denver lifts his free hand to his mouth in a shushing gesture. At least, he tries to. The problem is, he misses his mouth quite a lot, his finger fumbling around as he makes a shh sound.

Denver blinks owlishly at the nurse. “Got it. Discreet. I won’t kiss her, but I want to.” He looks at me. “I reeeeeally want to, Pix.”

“Okay, maybe later.” I laugh, lifting my hand to brush away tears I hadn’t even noticed falling.

“Heyyyyy, Pixie. Don’t cry. It’s okay,” Denver starts to croon, reaching up and grasping behind my neck to pull me down into him. It’s awkward, and I start to fall onto him before catching myself.

“Denver, your arm.”

“S’okay. You’re more important.” He’s clumsy but strong, and I have to fight not to collapse onto him.

“C’mon Foxxy, let her up,” Griffin says, his arm banding around my waist to hold me off his friend. He sounds far too amused, given the situation, but I’m grateful for the help untangling from Denver, who’s acting more like an octopus with eight limbs than a guy with an injured arm.

Denver pouts, jutting his lower lip out so far, I giggle again. “I don’t wanna. I want Pixie snuggles.” He turns pleading eyes my way. “Please?”

With control this time, I lean down and kiss his forehead. “Not here, Denver. We can’t snuggle here.”

“But we will soon?”

“Sure.” I stroke back a lock of his hair with a smile. Maybe I shouldn’t promise him kisses and snuggles, not when there’s so much we need to talk about. But seeing him in that hospital bed broke something inside of me. Or more accurately, broke something down.

The wall that was around my heart, stopping me from letting them all the way in, has crumbled to dust. It might be selfish, it might be greedy, but they’re mine. Both of them.

I lift my gaze to Griffin, who’s watching me with that affectionate intensity. With his protective nature and steady presence, he is my anchor. Then I glance back down at Denver, who has a lopsided smile on his face. He makes me laugh and makes me feel light, like anything is possible.

Together, they make my life full in ways I never thought were attainable. Tonight I was forced to face what life could be like without them, and it was unbearable.

I can’t let that happen. I won’t.

“’Kay.” His eyes start to droop shut, his voice becoming even more slurred. “Love you, Pix.” A loud snore punctuates that life-changing statement, and his hand falls limp under mine.

“Let’s go.” Griffin’s hand on my lower back is grounding, but not enough to counteract the impact of what Denver said. Still, I let him lead me away from the bed and out of the recovery room doors. We’re back in that empty hallway when he takes me in hand and spins me around to face him, his hands cupping my cheeks.

“He’s not the only one, you know.”

I feel my eyes start to fill with tears. His words are everything and make my heart sing, but I’m so overwhelmed by the events of the last twelve hours, I can’t even begin to process what he’s saying.

What they’re both saying.

Griffin simply smiles softly, then kisses my forehead. “Let’s go get some sleep, then we’ll come back to see Foxxy when he’s a bit more coherent. Just know that whatever good drugs he’s full of right now had nothing to do with what he said. He meant it. We mean it.”