Page 81 of Gator

“Do I have to decide right now?”

“Nope, take all the time you need.”

I looked at him and just wanted to pull him into a hug, but I wasn’t sure if physical touch would be a trigger for him. He looked so lost and vulnerable that it made my heart hurt.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked.

“No yet. I went over it all with Agent Kelly again this morning, and that’s enough for today. I know I’ll probably need to talk about it more, but I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Good enough. I’m here if you change your mind. Or Mika, you met him last night. He’s really good at listening.”

“He seemed like he would be. He’s already stopped by this morning and dropped off a freshly baked cinnamon roll on top of all the food he brought me last night.”

“Yeah.” I chuckled. “Food is definitely his love language. Anyway, my number was in that phone they gave you, so if you need to talk or ask any questions or anything, just let me know.”

I went back upstairs and spent the rest of the morning on the phone with my sister and with Migs. I started with Migs because I knew talking with Miranda was going to be exhausting.

I’d managed to keep the call with Migs pretty short. I made sure he knew I was unharmed and that Gator was taking good care of me. I gave him a rundown on what happened and assured him I would be at work on Tuesday like normal.

The call with Miranda hadn’t gone so smoothly. She’d insisted on a video call so she could see for herself I was fine. Once she was sure I was, she chastised me for going with those assholes, then broke down crying, thanking me for being willing to go with them to protect Lainey.

It took some convincing to keep her from rushing over here to see me in person, but I finally managed it by telling her I was tired and thought I would take a nap. I figured a little white lie could be excused if it saved me from half a day of being fussed over. I promised to come over to her house for dinner one night soon, and that seemed to appease her.

After my calls were made, I decided maybe I hadn’t lied to Miranda at all. Gator was still tied up downstairs, and a nap didn’t sound half bad.

Chapter twenty-six

Gator

By the time Julius got up from his nap, the ninth floor was already buzzing. Sunday meant football, snacks, and a ton of trash talk.

I wasn’t sure if Julius would be up for socializing, but he wanted the distraction. He’d put on my jersey again, even though the Saints weren’t playing today, and I still thought it looked way better on him than on me.

Wolfe was sitting in his usual spot at the poker table, Axel and Maddox were arguing over who was winning the fantasy league, and Hawk was pretending he didn’t care about the game while still managing to shout at the refs. It was loud, familiar, and exactly what I needed after the week we’d had.

I leaned against the counter, beer in hand, letting the sound of it all wash over me. For the first time in days, my shoulders didn’t feel like they were carrying the weight of the world. Julius was safe. That’s all that mattered.

“Hey, Gator!” Maddox called. “You in for the pool this week?”

“Depends. Are you tired of me taking your money?”

That got me a chorus of laughter and a middle finger from Maddox.

“Damn it. I don’t even know why I get my hopes up,” Hawk grumbled when the Cowboys threw an interception.

Trixie was sitting on the perch on top of her travel cage, and she chimed in. “How about them boys?” That was followed by a whistle and then, “Cowboys suck worse than Axel.”

I had a feeling I knew where she’d learned that because Maddox was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. When he finally got himself pulled back together, he said, “Maybe we should get her a bigger cage for this room. I like her.”

“You can’t have my bird,” Julius called from over by the snack table.

“But she’s so much fun!” Maddox yelled back.

I watched him as he laughed at something Mika said. It was hard to believe it was only yesterday that I’d been so afraid I’d lost him. He was resilient, though, and I thought he was going to be okay.

He made his way over to me, carrying a plate that was loaded with snacks. He brushed a kiss against my jaw. “You look relaxed, Daddy. I like that.”

“Stick around, and I might even start smiling.”