Sin City Baby

“Of course, that’s the plan,” she said. “Why the hell wouldn’t that be the plan?”

“Kyra, the doctor just wants you to take care of yourself,” I said. “You can’t take care of someone else if you’re too tired to do it.”

“I’m not leaving him here,” she said.

“One of us will stay behind,” Chance said. “If that’s what you want.”

“No. What I want is to stay here with my father.”

“Doctor,” Chance said. “We’ll make sure she goes home and rests.”

“Chance, shut up. I’m not leav—”

Before I could protest, Chance reached out and took Kyra’s hand from mine. He tried to lead her down the hallway but, when she fought him, he scooped her up into his arms. Her legs were flailing and I could hear her crying, begging Chance to put her down as he carried her. I tried to follow. I tried to gather her back up in my arms and convince everyone that right now, she needed to be with her father.

But fucking Blake stepped in my way and held me back while I watched Chance leave with a crying Kyra in his arms.

“What the fuck, Blake?” I asked as I pushed him off.

“You know she needs rest,” he said. “You know Chance is just doin’ what’s right by her.”

I was pissed. I could feel my face flushing in anger. I could feel my fists balling up at my side while my entire body hummed with jealousy. But I also knew Blake was right. Kyra needed rest, whether she took it willingly or whether we had to make her do it.

Either way, there was nothing I could do. Chance was gone around the corner with her and I was left with my brothers to stay here.

Suddenly, I didn’t fucking want any doughnuts either.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - CHANCE

Kyra didn’t talk to me for most of the car ride and I couldn’t blame her. The moment she started refusing rest, I knew one of us would have to intervene. If she was going to have the strength to take care of her father like I knew she wanted to, then she was going to have to rest.

We all knew that. We just didn’t like having to make Kyra follow orders.

“I want you staying at our house to rest,” I said. “I want to keep an eye on you.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I don’t wanna be alone anyway.”

“You know I care about you, right?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you know I’m a

lways going to be here for you, right?”

“Of course,” she said.

“I promise, no matter what, I’ll help you take care of Mark. I’ll help your father recover, no matter what it takes on my end.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said breathlessly.

“You didn’t ask.”

I saw her wipe some tears away before her shaking hand landed back into her lap. I wanted to reach out and take it but the way I’d carried her out of the hospital stopped me from touching her. I wasn’t sure how she would react to my skin against hers right now and I wasn’t sure if I could stomach her pulling away from me like that.

We pulled up into the driveway of our house and I moved to get out of the truck. But Kyra’s touch stopped me in my tracks as she grabbed my arm.

I turned back to her, wondering what was wrong. I prepared myself for an argument. I prepared myself for her to try and convince me that I had to take her back to the hospital. I readied my body for the yelling and the tears and the anger but, instead, her hands cupped my cheeks. Before I knew what was happening, she had pulled my face closer to hers and our lips crashed against one another’s in a long, passionate kiss.