Sassy stays close to Everleigh during the short drive. After we pull into the driveway, I walk around the car and help Everleigh stand. Sassy jumps out and stays next to her. I wrap an arm around Everleigh and guide her to the door.
“Home sweet home.” She sucks in a deep breath and smiles when we walk inside. “I’m so glad to be here.”
“Me too. I hate hospitals,” I say matter-of-factly.
“Then why did you stay with me?”
“Because I love you and wanted to be close to you.”
Everleigh’s face softens.
“You hungry?” I ask.
“I’mstarving. I’ve eaten garbage for days.”
“I’ll go grab the food from the car,” I tell her, then run outside. Once I’m back in the kitchen, I grab two large bowls and spoons. “Geez, she sent enough to feed a small army.” I remove several large containers filled to the brim. “And even then, I could down all of this on my own.” Everleigh chuckles.
There’s at least a gallon of soup here. I glance up at her. “No way.”
“Yeah, I literally become a dumpling afterward.” She snickers.
As I fill our bowls, gigantic dumplings splash liquid on the counter.
“I should’ve warned ya about that,” she says. “They can be messy.”
“Wanna sit on the couch?” I ask, and she nods.
After I microwave our dishes, I I carry them into the living room, then hand hers over once she’s settled with some pillows. Sassy lies on the floor and stares at us with begging eyes.
I taste the first spoonful, and my eyes go wide. “Wow, this is the best soup I’ve ever had.”
“Wait.” Everleigh stops eating. “You’ve never had chicken and dumplings before?”
“Not like this. The ones I’ve had tasted like chicken noodle soup with slivers or something.”
Her jaw nearly falls to the floor. “We’ve got to introduce you to more Southern delicacies. That’s just a travesty.For real.”
I start laughing. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely! Mimi’s dumplings are the world's greatest,” she claims, taking a huge bite out of a fat piece of dough. “Don’t tell Belinda I said that, but hers don’t touch Mimi’s. She gave me the recipe to make my own, but they didn’t turn out the same. I swear she uses a secret ingredient.”
I chuckle. “I’m so relieved you’re home.”
She leans into me. “I’ve missed your warmth.”
“I’ve missed your leg being dead weight on top of mine. And grabbing your ass in the mornings.”
“I’ve missed your cock inside me.”
I nearly choke. “About that...”
“Oh, you better not be breaking it off with me. I’ve been through enough bullshit already,” she warns.
“Never.But it’s another reason you need to take it easy and recover quicker.”
“So you can break me all over again?”
I smirk. “You better believe it, sweetheart. No sex until you recover.”