“You and me both, brother. I don’t care where we go. Let’s just get the fuck out of here for a few hours.”
“You got it. I’ll let them know we’re heading out. I’ll meet you out front,” he told me as he headed toward the door.
We spent a few hours driving around Chugach State Park. While it was a beautiful place, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I’d rather be at home. I missed my drives along Cape Flattery. I missed the club and my brothers. I missed Cass. When it started to get dark, we headed back to the center. As soon as we got back to the room, Maverick headed out front to call Henley. She’d had a doctor’s appointment earlier, and he still hadn’t heard from her. The room was too damn quiet, and I needed to blow off some steam, so I headed to the gym for an extra workout. I couldn’t get Cass out of my head. I needed to see her, so I could see for myself she was really okay. I felt better knowing the brothers were keeping an eye on her, but it wasn’t the same. It was time to talk to Dr. Clayborn. As soon as I got back to my room, I called his direct line and left him a message, letting him know I wanted to see him as soon as possible. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for him to show up at my door.
“I just finished my rounds and thought I’d stop by on my way home,” he told me as he entered the room.
“I appreciate that,” I told him. “Wanted to tell you I’m heading home.”
“You’ve done well, Mr. Walker. I don’t have a problem with you taking that next step as long as you can assure me you will keep up with your rehab. I’ll put in some calls and get you lined up with a specialist in your area for further checkups. A few more weeks of hard work, and you’ll get rid of that cane.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” I promised.
“I’ll get your release papers ready first thing in the morning.”
“Thanks. I appreciate all you’ve done, doc.”
He smiled and said, “Glad I could help. It’s good to see you back on your feet.”
He shook my hand and headed for the door. I finally felt a sense of relief. I was going home, and once I got there, things were going to change—drastically. I’d made my mistakes, but I wasn’t going to let them destroy what I had with Cass. Come hell or high water, she would be mine again.
By the time I’d gotten home from work, Henley was already gone. She’d promised Dallas she’d look after Dusty for the night, which meant I’d have the apartment to myself if I could just find a way to get rid of Smokey. I’d spotted him following me home from work, so I knew he’d be knocking on my door at any minute. Biding my time, I went to the fridge to grab the pitcher of sweet tea I’d made the night before and was surprised to see it was already gone. Henley didn’t care for sweet tea, so unless her pregnancy completely changed her taste buds, I knew it wasn’t her. That meant Smokey or Clutch had been helping themselves to the contents of my refrigerator again. Assholes. Trying to ignore the empty pitcher of tea that sat in my fridge, I grabbed a bottle of water and headed over to the thermostat. I was freezing, had been all day, and it was only getting worse. I just wanted to lie down for a minute and warm up, so I walked into the living room and set my bottle of water on the coffee table. I reached for the remote before curling up on the sofa with my favorite blanket wrapped around me. I was instantly hit with the strong scent of a man’s cologne. I brought my blanket up to my nose, and sure enough, it smelled like Old Spice and cigarettes. Damn. I couldn’t get away from them. I was just about to get worked up into a real tizzy when there was a knock at the door.
I threw my blanket back and headed for the door. When I opened it, I wasn’t surprised to see Smokey standing there. Before he even had a chance to speak, I stepped forward and poked my finger at his chest as I scolded, “When you drink a gallon of milk or a pitcher of tea, don’t put the empty carton back in the stupid refrigerator.”
“Okay,” he said apprehensively.
I turned and headed back into my apartment. When I heard the door close behind me, I asked, “Are you hungry? We have some leftover pizza in the fridge.”
“Nah, I’m good. I’ve gotta head over to Mom’s in a bit to check on her furnace. I’ll grab something there,” he explained.
I smiled and said, “Can’t blame you there. Your mom is an amazing cook. I’d wait all day for a piece of her lasagna.”
“You want to tag along?” he offered. “She’d love to see you.”
“Thanks, but I can’t tonight. I have to get some laundry done or I won’t have anything to wear to work tomorrow.”
“Not sure I see that as a problem,” Smokey teased. “But I’ll come back later to help you bring it back upstairs.”
“That would be great. Thanks, Smokey.”