Chapter 17

seventeen

. . .

Walker

I fucking did it. I was heaving for breath, sweating profusely, and thought I might die, but I fucking got out of bed and into my wheelchair by myself. It wasn't a graceful maneuver by any stretch of the imagination. With one bum leg and second-degree burns on my feet, standing was basically impossible. So it was more of a calculated fall into the chair. I was just lucky the fucker had brakes, otherwise I might be stuck doing my turtle impersonation on the floor until the next time someone showed up. I was sure my brother would've loved to see me fail.

Take that, Cross. I can do things on my own.

Was it fair I was blaming him for my current predicament? Probably not. Was it easier than blaming myself? Abso-fucking-lutely.

According to my doctor, my chair days were still a ways off, but I needed to get out of this room, away from the bed that had been my prison for the last week. Fuck, I needed fresh air and sunshine and... River. I wasn't gonna get any of that if I didn't stop feeling sorry for myself.

"Okay, partner, let's get this show on the road," I said to my new ride. "Hi ho, Silver..."

The door opened as I raised my arm gingerly—because my ribs still smarted and my body was still in rough shape—and pretended to slap the chair on its hindquarters.

River let out a surprised giggle while the hulking stranger behind her raised his brows.

"Uh . . . I can explain."

"How medicated are you?"

"Juuuust enough." I jutted my chin at the man accompanying her. "Who the hell is this guy? Did y'all spring for a bulky nurse to replace you as my sexy one? Or have I started hallucinating?"

River's lips twitched before she smiled and took the asshole's hand. What. The. Fuck? Was she collecting us?

I groaned. "Don't tell me there's another one. I just came around to the idea of sharing you with Bishop and Cross. I can't make room for this guy."

Her nose crinkled in disgust. "This is Bear. He's one of my closest friends, and no, we are not sleeping together."

My shoulders relaxed a little at that. "I was one of your closest friends..." I let that hang for a minute.

"Me fucking Bear would be like you fucking Cross."

I shuddered. "Got it."

Bear's low, rumbled laugh got my back up all over again. "Listen, if you were in love with her, you'd understand."

"Oh, I do. She's special to me. Like my little sister. Which means I'll be watching all of you for any reason to kick your ass."

"Do I really look like a threat?" I gestured to my new wheels. "My ass has been thoroughly kicked, I assure you."

"You deserve it?" he asked, surprising me.

"Depends on whose side you're on."

"River's. Always."

"Then no, definitely not."

"You get any hits in?"

"Kinda hard to defend my honor when I'm outnumbered and three sheets to the wind."

"Ah, it was like that," Bear said, nodding. I wasn't sure if it was in understanding or some bizarre sort of approval, but he looked like the kind of guy that had seen his share of barroom brawls. "A little sloppy, don't you think?"

"Drowning your sorrows always is."

River's eyes were cast down when I glanced over at her. Guilt was etched on her face. I hadn't given her that information because I was the idiot who let my guard down. I hadn't wanted her to know I'd been drinking because she'd hurt me.

"Hey, ladybug, look at me," I murmured. "It's not your fault I was stupid."

"Yeah, but?—"

"Nah, no buts." I gave her a lascivious wink. "Unless it's yours in my lap."

She closed the distance between us, leaned down, and feathered her lips over mine, whispering, "As soon as you can handle it, I'll take you up on that."

My dick liked the way she was talking. A fucking lot. Too bad I couldn't do a damn thing to help him out. "Give me a few more days, darlin'."

"Aren't you being a little optimistic?" she teased as she straightened.

"Nah. I've always been competitive. Soon as someone tells me I can't do something, I have to prove them wrong. And you just gave me a heavy dose of motivation."

She shook her head. "You're going to end up hurting yourself worse."

"Then you'll just have to kiss me better."

Bear cleared his throat. Right. We had company.

"So, what do you two have planned today? Any chance it's a jailbreak?"

Backing away, she rested one hand on her hip and gave me a dubious glance. "Stairs."

I gestured at the giant mountain man she had at her side. "Andre the Giant."

"Did I volunteer for something without realizing it?" he asked.

"You were voluntold." I batted my eyelashes. "You afraid of getting too close, big guy?"

He scoffed. "I'm afraid of hurting you and making River mad."

River sighed and stared at me. "Most guys wouldn't be okay asking another man to carry him down the stairs like he was a damsel."

"You say damsel, I say king."

"How do you figure?" she asked.

"Remember those dudes who had to carry the kings around on pillows and shit? That's me. I'm the king. They're the ones doing all the hard work."

"You're really selling this to me," Bear said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"You're sleeping under my roof."

"River's."

Damn.

"Touché. Look, I'm secure enough in my masculinity to ask for help when I need it."

"Tell that to your brother," River shot back. "He had to force you to let him help."

"That's different. He's a dick."

"The dickiest," River agreed, making Bear and me laugh.

"I thought you liked his dick?"

River's mouth dropped open at Bear's dig. "What the hell gave you that idea?"

"I'm new here, not fuckin blind. I saw the way you two looked at each other. You can lie to yourself, cub, but you never could lie to me."

Her cheeks blazed crimson, but she didn't back down. "You don't have a say about whose dick I like, so the point is moot. Wouldn't you agree? Or do you want me weighing in on how often you like to get yours wet with what's-her-tits who works at the corner store?"

I watched their bickering with a wide smile. I'd always known she was amazing, but this was fucking special. The only times she went after people like this was if she felt safe with them. It made me look at Bear with new appreciation. He was one of us. Well, not us as in the us that wanted to dick River down. But family.

I was glad she'd had him in her corner when I couldn't be. She deserved that kind of loyalty and unconditional love.

"I'm not getting any younger here," I said, holding my arms up.

"You can wheel your damn self to the stairs. I'm not carrying you any longer than I have to." Bear turned on his heels and headed out.

River raised her brows in challenge when I didn't follow him. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Ladies first."

Her eyes narrowed. "You just want to stare at my ass."

"Duh."

She gave her hips a little extra sway as she walked, and I knew it was for my benefit. Carefully wheeling myself out of the room and down the hall, I thanked my lucky stars this house had been built with space in mind. Getting around would've been nearly impossible if the halls and doorways weren't so big.

"And on your left, you'll see yet another dead ancestor," I intoned.

Bear gave the walls a cursory once over. "What is it with rich people trying to create their own fucking museums? Do you even care about these dead white dudes?"

"Nope. Some of them have real nice hats, though."

"I'm partial to old Robert there and his walrus mustache," River offered.

"He was the black sheep of the family. No one liked the 'stache."

"Really?"

I laughed. "How the fuck should I know? If I could, I'd take down every one of these portraits and burn them."

"Even the one in your dad's old office?"

"That one would go first," I said with a snort. "Pretentious old fuck." We reached the top of the stairs, and I glanced up at Bear. "How are we doing this? Bridal or fireman?"

His brows lifted into his hairline. "What?"

"You know, the carrying. Are you tossing me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes or cradling me gently?"

"Jesus fucking Christ," he muttered, glaring at River. "I am never visiting you again. First I'm held at gunpoint, and not an hour later I'm schlepping around this asshole. You owe me."

"At least I always pay my debts."

I lifted my arms and made grabby hands. "Come on, Daddy. Pick me up and take me for a ride."

"Now I know you're high," River said with a giggle.

"Oh fuck yeah. There was never any doubt."

She leaned into Bear, one hand on his forearm. "Don't you dare put him over your shoulder. He's got broken ribs."

"There's only one way he's going down these stairs, cub, and that ain't it. Come on, you rodeo clown."

Bear carefully picked me up, and I'm not ashamed to admit I whimpered and had to bite back a cry of agony when my leg began throbbing through the haze of pain meds. But before long, we were on the ground floor, River was opening up my chair, and the sunshine was within reach.

"Ah, tastes like victory," I crowed, even though I was still coated in sweat from the aftershocks of pain. Guess the doc might have been onto something when he said it was too soon for the chair.

We went through the house together, me playing loopy tour guide, them laughing at my antics. Once we reached the back porch and settled in the sun, I let myself relax. I closed my eyes and soaked up the sound of her happy conversation with Bear, the chirping of birds, the whinnies of the horses in the distance. I'd missed this. Being laid up wasn't something I was used to. I fought through injury and illness every time. But this one... this had nearly killed me, so I didn't have much of a choice.

Cracking my eyes open, I slid my focus to the pool, the water still as glass. "And here, you can see the swimming pool where River became a woman."

"What? No! I did not lose my virginity here."

"Did I say that? I meant the time you got your period in front of me and Cross when you were twelve. All over that white towel you were laying out on."

"Don't make me dump you in the pool," she threatened.

"You love me too much."

"These things are not mutually exclusive," she said mulishly, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

Bear laughed. "Consider it your repayment for my efforts."

"Hearing embarrassing stories about me?"

"Fuck yeah."

Sitting up a little straighter, I smirked. "How about the time I caught her with her hand?—"

She threw a pillow at my head in an attempt to shut me up.

She missed.

I kept right on talking.

She'd make me pay for it later, but if that meant I got alone time with her tonight, then the joke was on her. I couldn't fucking wait.