13. Greedy

"Fuck," Levi hisses through his teeth as my Denali hits another bump in the road.

"Careful," Hunter scolds.

Jaw locked tight, I glance at her in the rearview mirror. Her brow is furrowed, and her attention is focused solely on the man beside her in the back seat.

Her "boyfriend," apparently.

I work my molars back and forth and clutch the steering wheel tighter. I have half a mind to tell them both off. This is absurd. We should have at the very least talked about this ahead of time, come up with some sort of plan.

I keep my mouth shut, though, because realistically, this is the best way forward. No amount of preamble or discussion would've changed the outcome.

Hunter and I both heard enough of what Mrs. Moore was going on about inside that hospital room. She was chomping at the bit to get Levi back to her house—back under her control.

Since his daddy's dead, he's no longer at risk of physical harm inside the Moore household, but the amount of emotional trauma and mind-fuckery his mother is capable of is unmatched.

She was so eager to get him out of the hospital and back into her church. She talked about Levi as if he were a project, not a son in need of love and care.

I won't condemn him to being dependent on her. He's better off with us. I know that. I get it. But Hunter could have clued me in to her brilliant idea.

At the very least, we could have come up with a plan that didn't involve her kissing him.

Fuck.

I press down on the gas with more force at the reminder, but then I have to brake harder than usual to get over in time for the South Chapel exit.

"Greedy," Hunter scolds again as the truck slows a little too abruptly.

"Dammit, Tem," I snap back. "It's not like I was expecting to transport a person who was just released from the hospital. We should have brought pillows. A few blankets. If you had given me a heads-up about what you were planning to do—"

"I didn't plan it," she asserts.

I look at her through the mirror again. Hunter has always worn her heart on her sleeve. I don't doubt she's telling the truth. The sincerity in her eyes confirms that when she meets my gaze.

Levi grunts as he sits up straighter. "You didn't plan that?" he asks Hunter. Then, to me, he adds, "It's all good, man. I know you're doing the best you can."

With a deep breath in, I let his genuine appreciation ease the anger bubbling up inside me and make a point to take the next turn slower than I normally would.

Hunter lets out a frustrated sigh. "Before we came into your room, we heard your mom going on about getting you home. About getting you to church. She was going to just wheel you into Sunday service in a few days when you can't even put weight on your leg?" A little shudder racks through her. "We couldn't just leave you with her, Duke."

I hum my agreement.

I may not like her methods, but I sure do like hearing the sound of "we" on Hunter's lips.

Like we're in this together. Like we're a team.

"Besides, this solves more than one problem." Hunter flips her hair over her shoulder. "You have a place to stay. Greedy and I can get you to and from rehab and doctor's appointments." She peers at me through the rearview mirror, her expression questioning.

I nod but tip my chin in warning. "I still have practice—"

"I know," she insists. "I'll do most of the chauffeuring. He's my fake boyfriend, after all." She grins at Levi playfully. "Plus, now your mom can't set you up. She can't force you to go on a date with someone when you're already dating me."

I turn into the driveway a little faster than necessary, bumping over the lip at the end and eliciting an oomph from my back seat passengers.

This whole fake dating idea is already grating on my nerves.

I didn't fight it in the hospital, because it made sense, and I want Levi with us. It really is the best option for his recovery.

I didn't expect either of them to keep up appearances after we left the hospital, though.

"We're home." Thank fuck. I park the car, hop out of the driver's seat, and round the hood so I can help Levi out of the vehicle. "Let's get you inside and situated."

My mom was a musician. Classically trained on cello, piano, and vocals. She spent two years performing with the national tour of RENT before she settled down with my dad. An entire room in our house is dedicated to her music, even now.

It's located across from my bedroom. As a boy, I'd wake to sounds of her softly playing piano on nights when she couldn't sleep, and I'd fall asleep to lullabies about gentrification and Maya Angelou.

She was inimitable, my mom. Loud and loving, sincere and silly. A myriad of contradictions. I've met very few people as spirited or joyful as Nora Ferguson.

The massive elevator that was installed to bring her instruments up and down hasn't been used in years, but my dad's always been good about keeping it serviced. It'll come in handy today.

Hunter takes the lead into the house. I follow, supporting Levi as best as I can as he slowly makes his way inside on crutches. When we pass my dad's study, I realize I haven't even mentioned this to him yet.

I don't expect it to be an issue, seeing as how he's the one who welcomed Hunter back without question when she reappeared out of thin air.

But I still need to give him a courtesy heads-up.

"In the middle room?" Hunter asks without turning.

By "middle room," she means the bedroom that separates her room from mine.

It makes sense to put him in the guest room between us. The bed's already made, and the bathroom should be well-stocked. Even so, I can't help but feel like this is one more thing standing in the way of me making any true progress where Hunter is concerned.

How will Levi's presence affect her? Will I still find her at the foot of my bed once a month? Or will she retreat into her shell, or worse, use Levi as a shield?

They're already standing outside the door, waiting for my confirmation.

"Yeah, that'll work," I finally reply, skirting around them to push the door open.

I help Levi ease onto the bed, then regard him. "This is okay?" I ask, flitting my eyes around the room as he blows out a long breath.

Hunter has already disappeared into the bathroom. Drawers and cabinets open and close, one after another, echoing through the quiet space, as Levi and I regard each other.

Levi swallows thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Yeah, G. This is more than okay. You sure you don't mind me being here?"

The sincerity in his tone surprises me. I pestered him all week to come stay with me, but he rejected the offer over and over again. That is, until Hunter took the reins and didn't give any of us a choice.

"No wrong moves," I remind him, keeping my expression neutral. "I'm glad you're here."

He averts his eyes, looking toward the bathroom to where Hunter disappeared. I take that as my cue.

"I've got to be on campus soon. I'll be home after dinner," I tell him, being sure to speak loud enough that Hunter hears me, too.

Without a backward glance, I show myself out, pulling the door closed behind me.