As I stepped up on the little porch with Shay, River dug out his keys and went ahead to open the door.
“I should get home,” Shay argued feebly. “I don’t belong here.”
“Christ, the boy’s hallucinating already, Riv.”
River snorted softly and let us enter first. “One thing you should know about my brother, Shay. He cracks jokes when he’s worried.”
“Why are you giving away all our secrets?” I shot him a glare and ushered Shay inside. “Okay, grand tour. Kitchen here to the right, the rest is a living room, as you can see, and you’re going straight upstairs to get some rest. I’m gonna bring you some painkillers and water.”
I wasn’t worried. To be honest, I hadn’t entertained the idea, and I rarely stopped to think about how I felt. Feelings got in the way of actions. One might say I was emotionally stunted—in some ways. I was still a born caregiver, though I considered it more of a natural instinct than anything else.
“Who knew I could find log cabins half an hour outside of DC?” Shay mumbled. “Open fire, fur rug, and all things plaid and wood. If I see a reading nook in the window upstairs and twinkle lights in the ceiling, I’m going to suspect you’ve got a Pinterest obsession.”
River found that hilarious.
I did not.
“It was Instagram, and Luke fucking showed it to me,” I said in my defense. The cabins were still new in comparison, only a few years old, and we’d built them ourselves. Well, not Luke. But Colt had definitely helped out, as had others with experience in handiwork and construction. “Anyway. Enough talking, little fighter. Let’s get you upstairs.”
Shay offered a long-suffering sigh but did as told. We crossed the room, and he followed me up the narrow stairs.
“Bathroom right here.” I pointed to the door to the right. The rest of the upstairs was an open space, with the subbie bed located conveniently close to the bathroom. It was a makeshift sofa, but all I had to do was remove the pillows. “This will be your bed.” I gave his shoulder a light squeeze before I cleared the little table at the short end of the bed. River sat here sometimes and read when I watched TV downstairs.
Shay glanced over at the end of the room, where Riv and I had our own bed. There was no reading nook—or fucking twinkle lights—just a triangular window facing the yard, framed by two armoires. Two of the pieces left from our grandmother.
If Shay wanted to watch TV, I could always angle the flat screen that sat on the dresser across from our bed. But right now, he seemed more interested in the fan in the tilted ceiling. Which reminded me… I walked over to the window and bent down to switch on our AC unit. When we weren’t home, we only kept the one downstairs running.
While I was there, I opened a couple drawers in the dresser and grabbed a tee and a pair of boxer shorts for Shay to sleep in.
“Am I really spending the night here?” Shay asked. “I bet it would take me less than ten minutes to catch a ride with someone at the house who’s heading back to the city.”
“It wouldn’t even take you that long. We’re a helpful bunch. But, yes, you’re staying.” I handed him the change of sleepwear and opened the bathroom door. “There should be a few spare toothbrushes under the sink—towels too, if you wanna shower first.” Upon seeing the conflict in his eyes, I cupped his cheek and finally slowed my roll. I knew I could be too no-nonsense sometimes. “I understand you’re uncomfortable, Shay. Neither of us expected this to happen.” As I shifted my hand to his forehead, I thought he was getting warmer. I should take his temperature. “You can view us as strangers if you want, but we’d like to look after you until you’re on your feet again.”
He lowered his gaze and took a step back, and I let my hand fall. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I’m going home tomorrow,” he replied quietly. “I have to get ready for the fight tomorrow night.”
We’d see about that.
While Shay ducked into the bathroom and closed the door, I returned downstairs and found River on the couch watching the news. But when I aimed for the kitchen, he put the TV on mute and followed me there. It was just two counters which created a corner for me to cook—and for River to heat up his damn ramen cups—and then a round table in the middle where we ate. And negotiated with play partners.
“You hungry?” I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water for Shay.
“A little.” Riv leaned back against the sink. “You haven’t brought home strays since we were kids.”