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I felt far from invigorated but ten times better than I had in weeks as Rhett drove us away from the hospital. The process of being discharged had taken hours, and the lunch Skylar had planned for us at home would end up being an early dinner, but I didn’t care.
I still had a few days left of oral antibiotics but no more drugs since the pain had faded from my upper abdomen. The lump on my head had gone down, and I’d been given the green light to finish resting up at home with plans to follow up with my PCP.
A few things in my life needed to change though—no more wine, unfortunately, but I could live without it. Red meat, all things deep-fried, and pastries were also off the list, but Skylar had been over the moon the day before while visiting, sharing dozens of recipes she planned on making. Her excitement and commitment to help eased the sting of losing out on some of my favorite foods and flooded my heart with love.
The doctor assured me that eventually I would feel healthy enough to splurge on occasion, but having suffered through the previous couple of weeks, I had zero wish to put anything inside my mouth that might make me sick again.
“So how are you feeling?” Rhett asked while reaching over to hold my hand atop my thigh.
“Tired. Happy. Relieved. You?”
Rhett didn’t answer right away, and I gave him time to sift through his thoughts. He’d been nothing but candid since my accident, telling me all about his breakdown, his and Sky’s talk to clear the air, and everything he and Skylar had been up to while alone in our house.
The pictures he painted in my head while Sky sat on the other side of my bed, red as a beet, had turned me on. At least pancreatitis hadn’t gotten the best of my dick.
The lack of walls between them while gazing at one another was what did it for me the most though. The openness, the vulnerability in Rhett, the desire for him to fall for Sky as I’d done…it was everything I’d hoped for.
Even if we never had children of our own, I would be happy they’d found something just as special as she and I had.
“Is it wrong for a part of me to grieve over what we used to have even though I’m looking forward to our future together with Skylar?” he finally asked, his focus on the road ahead of us.
I squeezed Rhett’s hand, knowing exactly what he spoke about. “I’m sure there will be moments when I miss having you all to myself too, but Sky wouldn’t ever deny us if we wanted to leave town together for a few days.”
“I don’t think I would be so thrilled about the two of you going off without me,” he admitted with that new candor I expected would catch me off guard for weeks to come.
“Because you’re a possessive asshole who likes to be in control.” I gave him the God’s honest truth.
“And you love me,” he shot back with complete confidence.
I lifted our clasped hands and kissed the back of his. “Without question or condition.”
“It’s the same with me.” Rhett glanced over at me briefly before giving his attention to the road, and the rawness of his gaze stole my breath. “And my feelings have grown for Skylar. She’s not what I thought I wanted—wasn’t what I expected to share in our life.”
“You needed her.”
“Need,” he corrected me. “She shows me how to live to the fullest extent every day, even in the small, mundane things. There’s no hiding, no way for my trained brain to stifle emotions around her. She draws them out of me so damn easily—and strangely, I want to give them to her.”
“Are you in love with her?” I asked, imagining my fingers crossing.
He let out a slow exhale, his cheeks puffing slightly. “Well on my way, yes.”
Lightness rose inside my chest—more than happiness, more than hope. “I’m already there,” I admitted.
“I’ve been aware of that for some time.”
“And you’re okay with sharing my heart?”
“If it means making said heart happy, then I’m all in, Ash—you have to know that.”
Tears clogged my throat—but they didn’t spill until I walked through the garage doorway into the kitchen and a whirlwind of colorful sundress and coconut-scented skin filled my arms.
“You’re home!” Sky squealed and kissed my face all over, giggling and squirming against me like a puppy who hadn’t seen its master for a week.
The chuckle behind us warmed me through.
“I’m home, angel,” I murmured against her hair, breathing her deep into my lungs.
“Are you hungry? You must be starved since Rhett texted me that you didn’t get lunch from the hospital, and it’s almost dinner time.” She stepped back as quickly as she’d thrown herself at me, tugging me toward the island while I swiped my face dry. “I grilled some chicken breasts after Nora left, made some quinoa in chicken bone broth, and roasted a few different veggies—easy ones to digest for you, promise—”