**This has not been edited or proofread.**
MEREDITH
It was a struggle to get Chase to leave my side, but a couple of days later, after being informed I would be released, I got him to go to my apartment and get me some things. I couldn't stay at my own place right now with it being part of a crime scene. Chase assured me it all should be wrapped up by the end of the week, but in all honesty, I had no urge to go back to that apartment anytime soon.
It was already going to be hard enough to return on Monday to open my bookstore again.
Chase stepped into the room and shot a warm smile at me. He was healing nicely, his cuts scabbed over, what little bruises he had already beginning to fade despite only a little bit of time having passed.
Me? I looked like I'd been in a sparring ring.
My entire body was battered and bruised.
I eased into a sitting position and rummaged through my bag, grabbing some toiletries and clothes so I could take a shower and get dressed.
"You sure I don't need to get you a nurse?" Chase asked me.
I shook my head. "I'll be fine," I promised him. "You mind calling your Nana and getting us some food to go?"
He flashed me a grin. "Not a problem, sweetheart."
After showering and getting dressed in the sweatpants and large, long-sleeved shirt Chase had grabbed for me, I slid on the bedroom shoes on the floor by my bed so we could go. I was beyond ready to be out of the hospital.
I stayed in my car while Chase went in to get our food. I didn't feel like walking, and I definitely wasn't ready for all of the questions and stares.
Max pushed very gently against my arm. I turned my head to look at him. "I know, boy," I said softly. "We'll be at Chase's soon, okay?"
I knew Max was getting antsy. I normally took him for long walks in the morning, and he was used to running around with me all day, stuck to my side like glue as I worked. For the past couple of days, he'd been confined to the hospital room for me except when Chase took him out to use the bathroom, so Max was desperate to move around and get some of his energy out.
Chase popped back into the car a minute later. "Nana is worried about you," he told me.
I sighed. "Sorry, I just—"
He cupped the side of my neck and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to my lips. "Easy, sweetheart. I know, and I get it." He laid his hand on my knee, giving it a very small squeeze. "Let's go home, eat some of this greasy food, and then we'll cuddle on my bed and watch a movie. Sound good?"
I smiled at him, relaxing again. It was so easy being with Chase like this.
"Sounds perfect," I told him.
~*~*~
The next day was kind of chaotic.
In a town like this where everyone knew everyone else, you were bound to get visitors. Even I knew that.
But I was used to the visitors being confined to my bookstore, not in the safe place I was calling home for a moment.
"Sis, seriously, I specifically asked you to give us some space," I heard Chase grumble from the kitchen as he opened the front door.
"And I wanted to see my new friend and check on her," Farrah retorted. "And I brought her some books to occupy her mind."
I relaxed, turning slightly on the couch to smile at her. She beamed at me, not even flinching at the bruises on my face. "Hey!" she cheerily greeted. "I don't know if you read erotica and smutty books, but I have a ton here for you to binge on while you're slumming it at my brother's," she teased.
I laughed, unable to help myself. She was so cheery; it was contagious.
"Thanks," I told her, my cheeks burning red at the very first book on the pile she placed on the table. The man's arms were wrapped around a very naked woman, her legs crossed, his hands covering her breasts. "Um, this is very . . ." my voice trailed off. "Thanks?" I choked out.
She burst out laughing. "Chase won't flinch at what you choose to read," she assured me. "He's so used to it by now."
Chase grumbled something in the kitchen I didn't catch, but apparently, Farrah did because she shot him a dark look before aiming her smile back at me. "I'm not staying long," she told me. "I just wanted to check on you and bring you these to read. If you need girl time, though, holler, yeah?"
I nodded, smiling at her. "I will," I told her. "Thanks, Farrah."
She waved at me before kicking her brother in the back of the leg and darting out of the house. He glared after her in annoyance.
"I think she was adopted," he finally grumbled.
I giggled.
~*~*~
The rest of the day followed much the same.
People brought flowers, casseroles, cakes, brownies – you name it, we probably had it sitting somewhere in the kitchen.
Chase was looking a bit alarmed at the amount of food we'd managed to collect. And to say that I was a bit overwhelmed was an understatement.
"All this food," Chase grumbled, "all of these people that have come by today, and not a single soul brought coffee," he muttered.
I laughed at him, his annoyance somehow easing my nerves. He flashed me a crooked grin. "Sorry, sweetheart. Everyone in town knows I hate unexpected visitors, but I guess the boundaries I set go out the window when you're here," he teased. "Someone could have at least brought coffee, though."
"Did I hear someone say coffee?"
Chase spun around, his eyes brightening. "Mom!" He laughed and leaned down to hug her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I didn't expect you to come by."
She handed him a grocery bag as well as a steaming cup of coffee. "I knew everyone in town would be stopping by with Meredith being here, and I knew none of them would remember you like coffee." She smiled at me before striding over to where I was sitting. "How are you feeling, hun?" she asked me, taking a seat on the couch next to me.
I vaguely remembered meeting her while I was in the hospital, but I was pretty sure I was still doped up on quite a bit of medication.
"Tired," I told her honestly. "Coffee was a godsend. Thank you."
She laughed. "Chase can't survive without it. That boy of mine has been a coffee addict for years. And he hates unexpected visitors."
"You're an exception," Chase called out from the kitchen where he was starting a pot of coffee. "Where's Dad?"
"Helping your sister," she told him.
Chase grunted in response. I smiled. "He grunts a lot," I noted.
His mother laughed. "That he does." She gently squeezed my knee before standing. "You make sure my boy of mine takes good care of you, you hear? And if he doesn't, you give me a phone call. I'll straighten him out right quick."
I smiled at her. "I will," I assured her.
She hugged Chase bye before leaving. Chase sighed once the door shut behind her. "I hope that is the last person we have to see today," he grumbled.
"You're so moody," I teased.
He rolled his eyes. "I wanted a quiet day."
"Impossible in this town," I told him. "Even if I don't have a single book sale at the bookstore during the day, I can always count on a coffee sale or a pastry sale because someone is going to need to be in someone's business," I told him.
Chase laughed before sitting beside me with an open bag of Cheetos. "So's the way of life," he hummed. "Cheeto?"
I smiled at him, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Thought you'd never ask."