“Oh, I’m so relieved,” I exhaled.
“Thank you, Molly,” he said softly. “The doctor also said that if it had gone on for another week, it might have turned serious.”
“I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
“I’m more than okay, baby. I’m…I’m still figuring it out, but I think I’m a lot better already. I have a really huge chunk of memory to tap into and write out tonight, but I feel like after getting through some of the smaller things, I can do this.”
“I know you can, James,” I said. “You’re strong, you’re tough, and you can do anything.”
“Now that I have you, yes I can,” he said, and I could actually hear him smiling. “May I take you out to dinner tomorrow night to thank you?”
“Actually,” I said hesitantly, “What if I brought takeout to your place? That way you could stay off your leg.”
He hesitated.
“I promise not to be this overprotective all the time,” I said quickly, “Just this week while the infection heals. Alright?”
He was silent for a few seconds, and I wondered if he was upset. Then he chuckled a bit. “Sorry, I was nodding. I’m so distracted and all over the place that I forgot you couldn’t see me.”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“Sure, I’ll let you fuss over me for one more week, but that’s it. I’m going to lay down the law,” he said.
“That’s absolutely
fine.”
“All right,” he said, and I heard some shuffling in the background. “I’m going to attack this next section, and get it over with so I can sleep better tonight. I miss you, baby, but I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“Me too. Good night.”
I was so happy that tears pricked my eyes. His voice was still sexy gravel, but it was more expressive. There was more life in it. He was definitely opening up, and even if he never became an emotional guy who spoke about his feelings at great length, at least the door was cracking open.
The next day, after a few quick texts, we agreed that I’d bring Italian food and drop by his house at seven. When I pulled up, James was standing in his doorway, rushing out to help me with the two bags of food.
I bit my tongue, allowing him to help, and hoping that he’d been resting his leg all day yesterday. After we went into his kitchen and set down the bags, he pulled me into the living room.
He was so excited he was almost giddy. It was downright weird seeing him so animated. “Okay, these are very private, and I’m going to lock them away. But I needed to show you that I’m trying, and I’m really working at this.”
I started to comment, then noticed that he was gesturing to the two notebooks I’d given him, and several more. He held up each book, quickly flipping through the pages so that I could see how much he’d written.
“When the drugstore was sending the antibiotics, I had them send those spiral notebooks as well. And this.” He pulled out a huge binder, flipping through so that I could see that he must have filled at least fifty double-sided pages.
Sitting him down on the couch, I took hold of his right wrist and instantly began lightly massaging the area. “I’m not sure what to say,” I said softly. “I’m so impressed. Really.”
James raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that I was right-handed?”
“Only ten percent of the population are lefties. I took a shot,” I smiled. Glancing back at all of the notebooks strewn across his coffee table, I shook my head in admiration. “James, I don’t want to change you. I just want you to be happy and comfortable. This was a ton of work. How do you feel?”
He leaned back, wrapping an arm around me. His lips met mine gently, almost teasingly. My hands wrapped around to the back of his neck, leaning closer. Finally I pulled away, hoping for an answer.
“I’m completely exhausted, but also sort of manic. Wired. I know I’m going to have to read through everything and process some things, but that can wait a week. But I feel like I’m ready to let that darkness go.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I whispered. He looked at me a bit strangely, and I wondered if he’d had enough of the serious talk for now. “Do you want me to set out the food so that we can eat?”
His hands ran up my back. “In a minute. Just let me stare at you a bit longer. I need to snuggle you.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Just let me focus on loving you for a minute.”
“Wha–” I blinked at him in surprise .