Page 91 of From the Start

“Fine,” I give in. “But we’re stopping by my house to clean it up before we go to your house. I don’t want Henry seeing you bleeding.”

She giggles. “Dad has seen me bleeding plenty. Who do you think taught me how to ride a bike? Or use a hammer? Or a power drill?”

“You know how to use a power drill?”

She slaps my shoulder. “Don’t look so surprised. Who do you think does the repairs atRumrunner?”

“Flynn.” Flynn owns the local construction company. He’s pretty much the handyman for everyone on the island.

She snorts. “I’m not calling Flynn every time the toilets flood at the bar. Do you know how often I have to dig a glass out of a toilet?”

“From now on, you call me.”

“Kai, you don’t have to solve every single problem in my life.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t even know how to answer that question.”

I park her car in my driveway and run around the front to open her door. I try to lift her into my arms but she bats me away.

“There’s nothing wrong with my legs. You’re worse than my mom.”

“What did your mom do?” I ask as I escort her into the house.

“She fainted at the sight of blood.”

“Really?”

“The teeniest tiniest amount of blood and bam! She hit the floor.”

“We would have had massive problems in my house if Mom fainted whenever one of us was bleeding.”

She sighs. “I don’t know how your mom survived having six sons.”

“You don’t want sons?”

She snorts. “Not six.”

“What about two?”

“Will they take after you? Because then one is too many.”

She barely admits I’m her boyfriend, but she’s actually discussing her children resembling me. Progress is happening with my stubborn, grumpy lover.

I glare at her to hide my excitement. “You’re mean.”

“But not wrong.”

We enter my bathroom and I lift her up to set her on the vanity. “Overboard, your name is Kai.”

I dig through my vanity until I find my first aid kit. “If caring for you is going overboard, I plead guilty.”

“You’re supposed to be goofy, not charming.”

“I can be both things.”

I find some antiseptic swipes in the kit. “This is going to hurt a little.”