Huh. He moved toward the back and ran into Jenny in the kitchen.
“Hey, handsome. What’s in the bag?”
He glanced down at the plastic bag in his hand. “Just a few things from the hardware store. I thought I’d replace the door latch.”
She peeked in, then grinned up at him. “You’re cute.”
Batteries, a flashlight, and door latches didn’t exactly say I love you, so he’d added a candy bar. And gum.
Jenny kissed his cheek. “You came at a good time. She had a fall at work and I’m on my way out.”
“What?” He started to step around her.
“It’s nothing serious. Just a bruise, but Mac sent her home. Told her to take off a few days. She’s being stubborn, of course.”
He dropped the bag on the table. He’d wanted time with her, he didn’t want her hurt.
“Hey.” Jenny stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I like you.”
“I’m glad.”
“Don’t make me not like you.”
“I won’t.” He reached her room and found her at her dresser, wearing nothing but a T-shirt that barely reached her navel and underwear. Damn, she was beautiful. “Paige?”
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“I came over to fix the door. What are you doing up?”
“I’m fine.”
He was beside her in three steps and he caught her by the shoulders. He gently ran his hand down her arm, and she hissed in a breath when he got to her elbow. It was dark red, headed toward purple. “Where else are you hurt?”
“I’m not hurt, I’m just—”
“Paige.” He reached for her shirt. If she wouldn’t show him, he’d see for himself.
“Okay. Fine. My hip is bruised but it’s nothing.”
He examined her hip, which was worse than the elbow. “You should lie down with some ice.”
“I do not need to—”
“I can pick you up and put you in bed, but I don’t want to hurt you, so please.”
“Jeez. You’re so bossy.”
Her tone was teasing, but he could see the strain of pain around her eyes and mouth. “I can get way more bossy. Have you taken anything?”
“I took a painkiller at work,” she said, sitting on the side of the bed. “I was about to take another one.”
He pulled the covers back and straightened her pillow. “Come on,” he said, patting the pillow while he waited.
She grinned up at him. “You should have been a nurse.”
When she got to where he wanted her, he pulled the covers up and stood. The fatigue in her eyes and under them bothered him more than the bruise. She was wearing herself into the ground. She’d barely stopped to take a breath since last weekend, like she had to make up for having two days of fun. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
He returned with two more pain tablets he’d found in the bathroom and some water. “Take these.”
“Thanks. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will.” Though if she thought she was going to work tomorrow, she was dead wrong. “That was the last of the pain reliever. I’ll head to the store for a few necessities. I can take Casey.”
“Okay. You’re always taking care of me.”
He sat beside her and watched her take the medicine, then lay back. With his hands on either side of her head, he leaned over her. “I like taking care of you.” He lowered himself to kiss her forehead, then her lips. “You’re so beautiful. I probably don’t tell you enough. I don’t say it every time I think it because”—he laughed softly at himself—“because that would be every damn minute, but God, Paige.”
Uncomfortable with his compliments, she averted her eyes. “I feel like roadkill,” she muttered.
“And still so beautiful it hurts.” He pressed another quick kiss to her forehead and left.
—
He and Casey made quick work at the store, might have gotten a few extras. More than a few. Then they stopped off for a quick swing at a nearby park.
She’d entertained him all morning with stories of talking animals and questions. He enjoyed the quiet, enjoyed being alone, but there was something about listening to what she thought of the world, wracking his brain for answers to her questions, that lifted him.
He walked beside her through the park, fighting the urge to pick her up. She was so far away down there.
“I start kindergarten in thirteen days,” she said, her eyes tracking two boys racing by.
“I know. I saw your countdown on the fridge. Excited?”
She shrugged and he smiled, thinking she was so like Paige. “Do you think I’m going to run fast in kindergarten?”
“Yes.”
“Like the wind?” The boys climbed to the top of the play set.
He took her little hand in his. “Yes.”
They reached the plastic rock wall leading up to the slide entrance and, without hesitating, she started up. “Watch me.”
“Watching.” He fought the urge to hold his hands out and under her, but made sure he was close enough if she needed him.