Page 92 of Worth the Risk

“Maybe I should go back to LA,” Landon mused, “You keep hurting yourself worse.”

“I’ve already committed myself to the idea of you staying, so you’re staying.”

“That was a quick flip.”

“Well, unlike you, my friend, I can admit when my initial reaction was the wrong one.” Jack hit the nurse button on the side of his bed and a curly-haired woman was there in seconds.

“How are you doing, Mr. Martin?” she asked, fiddling with one of the bags on the IV cart beside the bed.

“Do you think I could possibly have some more jello?” he asked with a sweet smile.

The nurse glanced at the clock on the wall and then her watch. “I’d have to check. You’re on a limited diet.”

“The night nurse told me all the jello I can eat.” Jack licked his lips and smiled wider. A hot blush crept up the nurse’s throat.

“Maybe one,” she managed to say.

“That’s wonderful. Thank you so much.” Jack clasped his hands together in front of his chest. The nurse backed out of the room, and he dropped the smile, chuckling to himself.

“You’re a cad.”

“I want real food, but they won’t let me have any until tomorrow.”

The nurse slinked back into the room, wearing lipstick this time Landon noticed, and dropped another container of orange jello on the bedside tray.

“That’s a good color on you,” Jack told the nurse with a wink.

She inhaled sharply and fled the room.

“They’re gonna throw you out of here.” Landon laughed.

Jack tore into the jello and spooned a glob of it into his mouth.

“So, the collar,” he said while he chewed.

“What about it?” Landon asked. “You’re already on to me.”

He hated to admit that Jack was right. Landon knew he’d overreacted, but he had still been flying so high from the night before. Gregory had used him, then taken such good care of him, and watched over him while he slept, and then Landon found the stupid collar, and at the time it had seemed like more of a deal.

Even now, twenty-four hours later, he felt embarrassed at how he’d reacted. The things he’d said, ornotsaid, to Gregory had been childish and immature. But he’d left the texts unanswered, and he didn’t know how to apologize. Landon hadn’t ever been good at it. Admitting his fault in the college debacle had been hard enough and taken almost fifteen years.

There was so much more on the line now than there’d been before, it seemed. It was hard for Landon to admit that part of the reason he wanted to stay in New York with Jack was because he was largely terrified of going home to a life that didn’t involve Gregory.

“You’re worth it. Just apologize to the man, Landon,” Jack said, dropping the empty jello container onto the table. He’d either eaten it insanely quick, or Landon had fallen inside his head for longer than he’d realized.

“Is that the best advice you’ve got, Daddy?” Landon asked sarcastically.

Jack raised his eyebrows and inhaled a tired sounding breath.

“I’m gonna wait a bit,” Landon finally conceded.

“Time will just make it worse.”

“Just a little bit of time,” Landon explained.

What if he doesn’t want me?

What if he won’t forgive me?