Well, maybe it was for the best. It wasn’t like anything was going to happen between them anyway.
“You were taking a while.”
“Sorry. You didn’t have to wait.” She walked out into the bedroom, keeping her gaze down. Her cheeks were flaming hot.
Why had she said that? She was such a dork.
Looking up, she saw two plates of food sitting on the table along with a pitcher of water and some glasses and cutlery.
“Dinner is ready,” Zander told her. “You need to eat.”
“I don’t know if I can. My mouth is still sore.”
He frowned. “I have some painkillers and antibiotics for you to take.”
“Did everything go okay?”
“Yes, but Lochlan wants to see you in a few days to check on the abscess. And you need to take the full course of antibiotics because of the infection. You’re not supposed to take it on an empty stomach.”
She sighed, staring down at the food. Surprise filled her as she saw there were mashed potatoes and gravy, along with peas, corn and corned beef with mustard.
Someone had already cut the meat up into small chunks and she was guessing she knew who.
She closed her eyes as longing filled her. She wanted to turn and hug him. To have him hold her close and tell her everything was going to be all right.
But she couldn’t do that. Any of it.
No matter what nonsense he spouted off about being her guardian.
He wasn’t.
He wasn’t hers. And she could never be his.
And thinking like that would only just hurt her more in the long run.
“Come on, sit down and try to eat.”
“I don’t want to sit with you,” she forced herself to say.
God, she felt ill inside. As though her insides were being torn up. The very last thing she wanted was to push him away.
“What?”
“I want to be on my own. I don’t want to eat with you or see you.”
“Why not?”
Why wouldn’t he just leave? She geared herself up to be mean. Then she looked into his face.
Massive mistake.
A tear dripped down her cheek. Alarm filled his face.
“Baby girl.” He reached for her and she stepped back.
“Don’t call me that,” she whispered.
“You don’t like that term of endearment?”