Page 18

CHAPTER 18

ELI

Monday morning, we’re woken up by Edin’s alarm. He groans when he tries to roll to it, so I reach for his phone and shut it off.

“How do you feel?” I ask, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

“Like my body hates me,” Edin grumps.

I grin. “Now let’s have an answer that might come from a twenty-year-old.”

“Like I was hit by a bus.”

“Edin.”

He hides his smile against my bare chest. “I don’t know,” he admits. “I have to pee again, and it already feels like a chore.”

“I think that’s going to tell us a lot about how you feel,” I say and get up. “Come on, sexy hockey man. On your feet.”

Edin gives me a dubious smile. I let him get up on his own right until he gets to his feet and sways. His hand goes to his head and his body weight sinks into me.

“Dehydrated? Light-headed? Tell me what you’re feeling,” I say.

“Dizzy. Like when you get up too fast and the world spins. Vision gets a little black…”

I nod, holding him against my side. “Got it. Partially dehydrated. Maybe some pain mixed in. You okay now?”

His arm tightens on me, and I decide that’s a no, even as he takes his weight back, so I don’t let him go as we head for the bathroom. I get him to the toilet and back away to the sink. He winces every time he moves even an inch.

Once he leans over the sink to catch his breath, I say, “I think you should skip classes today.”

Edin gives me a tired smile. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yes.” Stepping up behind him, I wrap my arms around him. Edin lets me take his weight again as he meets my eyes in the mirror. “Let me take care of you today.”

“You did that yesterday. And all night.”

“Sleeping in your bed wrapped around you is hardly taking care of you.”

The expression he gives me says I’m very wrong.

“Look at you,” I urge and turn my attention to the nasty bruising all along the left side of his body. It’s deep, dark black and purple in some places but turning a sickly green in others. I swear, the bruising looks like it’s spread. “This isn’t something small, Edin. Don’t push yourself. Especially if you want to play hockey. Do you know why pain is a thing?”

His eyes meet mine in the mirror again.

“Pain happens because it’s your body telling you that you need to stop doing whatever you’re doing so it can heal. It’s a warning, trying to prevent you from causing more injury.”

“Are you making that up?”

“No. I can tell you why your body feels stiff right now, too, if you want. Also, in an effort to keep you from further injuring yourself while your body attempts to heal. Would you like to know the science of it?”

“Are your parents doctors?” he asks, bemused.

I grin. “No. I’m a medical biology major.”

I’ve surprised him. I love that look.

“Stay home,” I urge. “Trust me when I tell you I’m greatly looking forward to playing nurse today.”

He sighs. “I need to get Mo on the bus. Fuck, I need to make her lunch.”

“Let me do that.”

Edin closes his eyes, and I can see the struggle to allow it. I’m not sure why accepting help is such a big deal, but it’s almost a physical battle. Then again, it could be because we barely know each other and I’m asking him to trust me with his daughter.

“Okay,” he says, and it sounds resigned.

“Thank you. Now you’re going back to bed. I’ll make sure Mo says goodbye before we go and then I’ll be right back up. Okay?”

Edin nods.

Mo is standing at his bedroom door when I open the bathroom door. She spins around and her look of relief makes my chest tight. Then her eyes fill with tears when she finally sees the full scope of bruising on Edin’s side. I should have wrapped a robe around him or something.

“I’m fine, MoMo,” Edin promises. “Come here.”

Mo cautiously comes closer and Edin pulls her against him for a hug. He gently places Mo’s hand on the biggest, darkest bruise over his ribs. “Do you know the science of bruises, Eli?” he asks.

I grin. “Yes, but I’m afraid it’s going to sound much worse than it looks. It’s blood vessels that have burst under your skin due to trauma—like being thrown through the air and landing along the blunt edge of a bench. It’s blood pooling beneath the skin.”

Mo looks up at me in horror.

Smiling, I brush a stray curl from her face. “I told you, it sounds worse than it is.”

“I have a question,” Edin says, and I turn my attention to him. “Why does a bruise hurt? It doesn’t feel like broken blood vessels would cause pain.”

Trying to keep my amusement inside, I answer. “It’s not the blood or blood vessels that hurt. The pooling of blood causes swelling of the area and that can be painful. Also, because of the trauma that caused the bruise, you’re likely experiencing inflammation around the injured areas, and that can be painful. Burning and tingling can be caused by nerve irritation, either due to the injury itself or the resulting inflammation in the area.”

“Huh,” he says, and I think he was actually interested. “Didn’t know that.” Edin looks at Mo. “Did you know that?”

Mo narrows her eyes. “No.”

Edin bends down to kiss the top of her head. “Okay, listen to me. I’m going back to bed, which I think you’re going to insist I do, anyway.”

Mo nods intently.

“Do you mind if Eli brings you to the bus today?”

“Eli can bring me,” Mo agrees.

“Thank you. I’ll be there to pick you up from aftercare.”

“Eli can do that,” Mo says. “So you can stay in bed.”

“He can’t, actually. He’s not someone on your approved pickup list.”

Mo frowns. “Fine.”

“Go get ready for school. Show Eli where your drawer is in the fridge and your cabinet in the pantry so he can make your lunch. Okay?”

She nods. “Okay.”

Her arms tighten around Edin. “I love you, Daddy.”

Edin bows his head. “Love you too, baby girl. I only make promises I can keep, don’t I?”

Mo squeezes her eyes shut and nods.

“I promise everything will be fine. Okay?”

She takes a deep breath and nods again. “Okay.”

“Now be good and get ready.”

Mo pulls away and disappears back into her bedroom.

“That’s rough,” I say. “To see the unfiltered emotion on her face.” I shake my head.

Edin takes a breath. “Tell me about it.”

“Back in bed,” I instruct and turn us to the bedroom. I get him settled in bed, leaning against the wall, and throw my clothes from yesterday back on before I head into the hall just as Mo gets there. Her eyes dart back to her father’s bedroom, but she walks down the hall toward the stairs with me trailing her.

She’s silent all the way until we get to the kitchen, where there are half a dozen guys milling about. One of them hands Mo a plate of eggs and sausage, and another places her lunchbox on the counter and gives her a wink.

Mo smiles as she climbs up onto the stool to eat. “Thanks.”

“How’s Daddy?” one asks.

“Eli will be staying here with him today,” Mo announces, her eyes locked on me as if she’s giving me a command. “He’s… fine.”

It’s clear she doesn’t believe that, though she’s trying to trust Edin’s word. It’s also clear that everyone hears her discomfort with said word. Everyone in the kitchen stops what they’re doing to look at me.

“All we know is what the doctor told him. He has no broken bones. Nothing serious . Just a whole lot of bruising that’s causing him some pain,” I tell them.

“Eli can tell you why bruises hurt if you want,” Mo says. I can tell the lesson wouldn’t be appreciated right then. I chuckle, shaking my head.

“Interesting,” one of the guys says. “I’ll keep that in mind. What does Edin need?”

“Breakfast,” I say. “I’m going to bring Mo to the bus stop, and I’ll be back to make sure he eats and feed him more pain meds.”

“And make sure he drinks,” Mo adds. “His pee should be clear.” Mo turns her eyes to the other men in the room. I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone within her sight holds up a bottle of water or a glass of whatever they’re drinking.

I bite my lip to keep from grinning like a fucking clown. Who’s raising who here?

“I’ll leave a couple plates of breakfast here for you,” the man who handed Mo his plate says to me as Mo jumps down from her stool. “Don’t worry about washing them.”

“They just go in the dishwasher,” Mo tells me.

The guy tweaks her hair. It’s then that I realize it’s a little knotted. Crap. Did she even brush her teeth? I’m failing as a caretaker.

Mo hands over her plate and turns to grab her lunchbox. “Ready, Eli?” she asks as she heads for the door.

“Are you bringing her to the bus or is she bringing you?” one of them asks.

“Considering I don’t know where the bus stop is, I’m pretty sure she’s bringing me,” I admit as I follow.

Several chuckles trail behind me. Mo gets her shoes on and stuffs her lunchbox into her backpack before slinging it on her back. I follow her out the door and we’re silent as we walk down the sidewalk.

“You won’t leave Dad today at all?” she asks.

“Promise,” I say. “As soon as I get back, I’ll be on him like a leech.”

Mo gives me a weird smile. “Ew, but okay. Even when he has to go to the bathroom?”

“People like to do that on their own, you know.”

This girl is not eight. Not with the way she looks at me as if she just caught me red-handed with my hand in the cookie jar while I’m actively lying and saying I didn’t take a cookie. “You just came out of the bathroom with him this morning.”

“Yes, okay. Not even when he has to go to the bathroom. I swear.”

“Promise?” she says, stopping and looking up at me. She holds her pinky up. “Promise you’ll take care of my dad?”

I link my pinky with hers. “I will do anything at all to take care of your dad, Mo. Anything.”

She stares into my eyes for a long time. We’re still standing like that when the bus pulls up. “Okay. Bye.”

With that, she’s on the bus. I watch as it pulls away and decide I need to do better about the basic kid necessities with her if I’m going to stand in. Hair and teeth. I need to remember that.

The kitchen is empty when I return, but as promised, there are two plates of food on the counter. I bring them upstairs and find Edin right where I left him.

The rest of the day is much a repeat of yesterday. I make sure Edin eats, then drinks and takes some pills. He passes out and stays that way right up until his alarm goes off. Edin’s groggy when he picks up his head and looks grossly disoriented.

“What’s the alarm for?” I ask from where I’m sitting on the floor against the bed.

Edin looks at me, confused for a minute, before reaching for his phone. “I need to pick up Mo and get to hockey,” he answers.

I don’t argue as he forces himself out of bed. Walking a bit will be good for him. As I promised Mo, I accompany him to the bathroom, which Edin barely notices. He leans heavily on me as we move through his space and then down the stairs.

We make it to aftercare probably twenty minutes later than he usually does. Mo is angry when Edin says they’re going to hockey. I’ve never seen such a look of livid fury in a child’s eyes, but she’s a good kid and doesn’t argue.

Not that it’s necessary. We step inside and Coach takes one look at Edin and shakes his head. “Nope. Uh-uh. Go away until you can walk on your own.”

Edin frowns, then realizes that he’s leaning into my side. Mo looks up at me with a look of triumph and we silently bump fists behind Edin’s back as we lead him back to bed.

Mo brings me through her after school routine, but we stick close to Edin’s bedside as he reclines against his pillows. He’s definitely more lucid than when he originally woke up, for which I’m thankful. I think that level of grogginess would have alarmed Mo even more.

Once again, I get Mo into bed, but this time, I make sure her hair is brushed, as are her teeth, before she climbs into bed. Edin waits until she’s been asleep for a while before telling me he wants a shower.

He’s moving better, though there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s still hurting. The permanent grimace on his face is as telling as the way he moves stiffly. But he’s moving on his own, even if he’s trailing his hand along the wall for added support.

Edin undresses as the water heats and stares at me until I do the same. I don’t mind his silent commands at all. Especially when they lead to me being pressed right against his body. Once again, I wrap him in my arms and hold his weight as he sags into me with a heavy sigh. I love the way he presses his face into my neck as if he’s using me to shield him from the world, which I happily do.

“What do you need?” I ask.

“To wash,” he says. “In a minute.”

I don’t wait for him to gather his strength. Instead, I reach for the soap and squirt some into my hands to rub over his body and into his hair. Edin practically purrs like a cat as I massage his head, back, and down into his glutes. He inhales sharply when I run my fingers through his ass crack.

Bringing the showerhead down, I rinse out his hair as best I can without moving him, then encourage him to turn so I can wash the front of him.

I don’t miss that his dick is hard. It’s pressed against his lower abdomen, staring up at me as I run my hands over his chest and hips and thighs as much as I can reach, being as gentle as I would be with a newborn when I get even remotely close to his bruises.

I wash his neck and arms and pits before finally dropping my hand between his legs and massaging his balls with a super sudsy hand. Edin groans, his hips gently rocking into my hand. Taking a breath, I take my hand away.

“Sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t mean to take advantage?—”

Edin gives me a frustrated huff and grabs my wrist, pulling my hand to his dick and physically wrapping it around. “Touch me,” he insists. “Just fucking touch me, Eli.”

I shiver, wrapping my arm around his torso more tightly so my body is flush to his, and my rigid cock pressed against his ass crack. With him secure in my hold, I stroke him. It’s slick from suds, sloshing and slurping as I go.

His head falls back onto my shoulder as he moans, his ass moving against my dick. I’m not sure if he’s doing that for me or to work his dick in my hand. Either way, heat floods my body as I work his cock. He’s so hard for me. I love the feel of his dick in my hand. I have half a mind to tell him that his dick certainly is heavy in all the best ways, contrary to his argument last night.

Edin’s fingers dig into me. His legs shake. He’s trying to keep his sounds as muffled as he can as he gets closer and closer to orgasm.

“Come, Edin,” I murmur. “Let me make you feel good.”

He turns his face into my neck as he does, his body shuddering in my hold. The pinch of his nails digging into my skin drives my sloppy, somewhat rough thrusts against his ass until I come all over him. The quiet, desperate sounds that he struggles to keep in flood my head with his mouth so close to my ear. I can feel it throughout my entire body, feeding my pleasure and urging it on.

“Might need to wash again,” I tease, still gently rubbing his dick. I’m pretending I’m not panting.

Edin snorts.

I don’t wash us again, but I do rinse us down thoroughly after several minutes. This time in nothing but towels, we brave the hall and slip into his bedroom where I get him into clean underwear. He points me to the drawer with shorts and I slip on a pair.

Climbing back into bed, Edin immediately wraps around me. “Can I have another pain pill?” he asks.

“Mm-hmm.” I let him go to bring him another half and a bottle of water.

“Thanks,” he says, his eyes staring into mine. When he’s done, I bring him into my arms again.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

“For the pill?” I ask since he just said that.

“Yeah, but… for everything. For being here and taking care of Mo. For making her feel better when she can just look at me and think the worst.” He nuzzles his face into my chest. “For taking care of me,” he adds, his voice barely audible.

“Will I freak you out if I tell you I’d rather be here when you need me than anywhere else in the entire universe right now?”

“A little.”

“Then forget I said that. You’re welcome.”

Edin smiles. “Also, a little awkward to say so, but thanks for the orgasm, too.”

I grin. “Any time. I love making you come.”

“Good. I—” His words cut off, and he sighs. “Good.”

“Go to sleep, Edin. If you need to come again tonight, just rub your dick against me. You don’t even have to say anything.”

My grin can’t be helped when he very deliberately rubs his cock against me. Rolling him onto his back, still mindful of his bruises, I cover his mouth with mine and show him the pleasure that can be found in frotting until he passes out. Then I hold him for the rest of the night, his body draped over mine. His steady heartbeat against mine.

I wonder if he knows that my heart beats solely for him.