She smiles. 揧eah, you can go on in. I抦 sure he抣l love the company.?
I walk her to the door, and once she抯 gone, I retrace my steps and enter Wyatt抯 room. He抯 sitting up in the bed, leaning against the frame, only half as ghost-white as he was a few weeks ago.
I grin. 揟his is the longest I抳e seen you up. Looks like you抣l be running around in no time.?
He looks at me but doesn抰 say anything.
揟he nurse says you抮e doing better. With any luck, you should棓
揕incoln Burns, you are a fucking idiot,?he growls, cutting me off.
I can抰 say I mind the insult. I haven抰 heard him talk smack since before he got sick. If I needed a real sign, here it is.
揋ood morning to you too??I roll my eyes. 揂t least I know you抮e feeling better.?
揑 said you抮e a damn idiot,?he snaps, pulling at his newly trimmed beard.
揑 heard you the first time, pal.?
He holds my gaze.
I fold my arms. 揂m I supposed to ask why you抮e calling me stupid??
揌ow long have you been glued to my side??
揋lued to your side??I don抰 follow.
揟elling me old war stories like I didn抰 live through that shit with you, and bad jokes that are never funny for anyone but you. Can抰 remember the last time I heard something besides your voice.?
揧ou抮e talking about the coma? I didn抰 want to leave you hanging, and I figured if you could hear anything while you were out cold, I thought you抎 appreciate the entertainment.?
揃urns, you have a life to live. You were finally starting to do something besides work.?He huffs out a breath. 揥hat happened to Raven??
揜aven??
揃londie. Worker bee. The chick with the raven tattoo.?
My lips turn up.
揘evermore, you mean.?Then I remember she抯 truly never more and my smile vanishes. 揑梬ell梚t didn抰 work out.?
揥hy not??
Fuck.
I stare at him, unblinking.
揥hy didn抰 it work out??he repeats. 揝he had a husband she forgot to mention? Because anything short of that, and you抮e one dumb bastard.?
揑 ruined it, okay? Are you satisfied??I bite off. 揑t was bringing out the worst in me and I left her in a good place. She抯 in management now.?
I clamp my jaw shut, not telling him I抦 basically out the door. He might have a heart attack if he hears I抦 no longer on the corporate train.
Wyatt chuckles. 揥hat the hell ever. I don抰 doubt you left her better off than you found her. That抯 not the point.?
揥hat is??
揧our voice is almost cracking like a sixteen-year-old kid just talking about her, man. I might be stuck in bed, but shit. If I find out I抦 the reason you dropped that girl, I will beat you to such a fucking pulp you抣l wish like hell I抎 left you buried in Iraq.?
I snort at how ridiculous he sounds.
揧ou抮e a Nevermore fan, huh??
He glares at me. 揑抦 a Burns fan. And you don抰 have many of 抏m who aren抰 interested in your bank account, so it might benefit you to tune in and listen for once, you stubborn cock.?
揟hose drugs make you nicer than usual,?I grumble sarcastically.
揥ithout them, I抎 be dead because I抦 dealing with you. Now tell me what happened with Raven.?
I cross the room and drop down on the window seat next to him.
揑 won抰 deny I miss her. Walking away from her was hard as hell, but it抯 for the best. Trust me.?I shrug quickly. 揑t was going to hurt far worse later, if I抎 let her linger.?
揢h桰抦 the guy on drugs. What kind of hurt you mean??
揟he kind you know,?I say, trying to be gentle and failing. My gaze hardens. 揧ou loved Olivia more than life, way back. She came to the hospital one time while you were sick, and only then because I threatened her with everything I could think of if she didn抰 bring Micha. You loved her so much and she just fucking abandoned you. How can anybody believe in love after that??
揝he saw me three times.?
He抯 confused. I shake my head sharply.
揝he came once, Wyatt.?
揘ah, she came again the next day, before they had to catch a flight. She apologized for everything. For such a brilliant man, you can be one dense motherfucker.?
揘ot possible. I barely left the hospital. They came once.?
揧ou must have just missed each other then. I抦 the guy who was laid up with nothing better to do than listen to people talk,?he says, tossing his body back against the pillows.
揑 don抰 believe she apologized. She fought with me like crazy in the hall.?
Somehow, he laughs.
揧ou just have a hard time concealing your venom, and Olivia was never one to take shit.?
I don抰 answer.
Arguing with him won抰 do either of us any good.
揝eeing me so busted must have stroked whatever mouse-sized soul she has left,?he says. 揝he apologized for everything and said as soon as I抦 well, she抣l make sure I see Micha again. We抣l never be best friends or whatever, but I can respect that.?
I stand slowly, pulling at my shirt.
揜espect? After everything she抯 done to you, you抮e going to forgive her? She was crying over a man in a coma. Who knows if she抣l follow through梩hough I hope she will.?
Wyatt looks up at the ceiling and laughs, falling into a brief coughing fit.
揅areful,?I whisper. 揧ou know, it抯 not important棓
揃urns. How have you survived on the planet this long? You really are clueless. Forgiveness is earned. I don抰 want a second chance with Olivia. But for my family抯 sake? Yeah, that apology is the start of something better for everyone.?He pauses, stroking his beard. 揘ow that you抳e burned up my energy, I need to sleep.?
He rolls over and turns his back to me.
Goddamn, this is frustrating, but he抯 also right.
Wyatt isn抰 furious at Olivia anymore. I am.
What if she抯 not his personal Satan?
Maybe I am a certified fool.
What if I抎 tried harder to work through my crap, my constant doubts about love? Would I still have Dakota Poe warming my bed?
I hate that I抣l never know.
I might never stop regretting what I did to her, either.
A Regis roll stares up at me from Mom抯 best china like it抯 a radioactive tumor on a plate.
I don抰 go to Sweeter Grind anymore.
Since I抳e finally got Wyatt expanding his palate beyond pure sugar and it reminds me of Dakota like a knife to the face, there抯 no need.
Thank God.
Ma, on the other hand, still damn near worships the things. She bites her roll in half with an excited smile, chewing as she looks at me.
揂re you okay, Lincoln??she asks after she swallows.
揑抦 peachy.?I抦 just not here.
I抦 still beside a campfire with Dakota in a homeless camp.
I抦 still watching her eyes glisten in the rain.
I抦 still on a moonlit overlook, trying to kiss her, but some jackass who can抰 buy a muffler steals my thunder.
I抦 still driving into her, a gentle hand on her throat, waiting until she looks at me before I unload inside her so hard I see stars.
I抦?
Pulling my head out of the gutter, apparently. Because I抦 having coffee with my mom and pretending to stuff a mess of sugar into my mouth.
揧ou抳e barely touched your cinnamon roll or your coffee. No appetite today??
揑抦 fine, Ma. Just not hungry.?
揑抦 worried about you, Lincoln. You should be learning to unwind without a company to manage. This past month is probably the only time in your life where you haven抰 been workaholicking.?
I look up. 揧ou can抰 make workaholic a verb, Ma.?
揑 just did,?she says, putting her fork down with a decisive clatter.
I shake my head, muttering under my breath.
揙kay. Whatever. It抯 not like this is a vacation. It may be the rest of my life,?I tell her. 揚lus, Wyatt still needs a lot of care.?
Mom nods. 揧ou抮e a good man, Lincoln, which is why I don抰 understand how you could be so horrible to that poor girl.?
Oh, yeah. Here the fuck we go.
揑 told you, I did the best I could. I left her a better job than the one she had. I would have made her a frigging exec if it were up to me, but she doesn抰 have a lot of experience at that level, so I couldn抰 force it.?
揟he job makes her miserable, son. She didn抰 even show a flicker of excitement about the profit share I gave her.?
That grabs my attention.