Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Suncoast Society #29)(61)

It took her a moment to compose herself. “Are you serious?” Tilly asked from behind her hand.

Eva nodded.

Tilly dropped her hand. “You don’t even know if you’re kinky or not, do you?”

Eva shrugged. “I read those books a couple of months ago. You know, the Fi—”

“Don’t even.” Tilly pointed a finger at her. “Please, I am waaay too exhausted to deal with that topic with any degree of tact or patience right now.” Tilly sighed, exhaustion returning with a vengeance. “Let’s get you guys through this first. Then you and I will sit down and talk. A long talk. And we’ll see what we can do. I have a feeling I’ll be handing you off to June and Eliza because of my schedule. But we take care of our own. And if you want to be part of our ‘family’”—she used air quotes—“then yes, we’ll take you under our collective wing and help you out.”

Then Tilly’s gaze swiveled onto Jesse, her eyes narrowing. “Waaaait a minute—”

“Sorry,” he said, guessing where she was going with that. “I only swing one way, and that’s guys.”

Tilly snapped her fingers. “Dammit. That would have been the simplest answer.”

“Besides, I’m not poly, and neither is Leo.”

“Oh, well.” Tilly shrugged. “Can’t blame a Domme for trying.”





After morning rounds, a doctor came to talk with them and update them on Leo’s condition. There was no change, which was expected. They would do a series of tests on him later in the afternoon to measure brain function and see if there was any neurological damage.

He advised them to go home and get some sleep.

Landry and Cris, with Leah, had returned to the hospital. The last thing Jesse wanted to do was leave Leo there alone, but he had started nodding off sitting up, and knew Tilly couldn’t be much better off.

Which Landry had foreseen. Leah had driven the men. Landry ordered Tilly and Eva both to hand over their car keys. Leah, who’d come prepared for an all-day vigil, would stay and get medical updates and pass them along if there were any changes. Other friends would be coming throughout the day to sit shifts with her, so that Leo was never alone at the hospital.

Eva, Jesse, and Laurel went back in to visit and say good-bye until later. Jesse was so tired, he couldn’t even carry Laurel, so she walked next to him, tightly squeezing his hand.

Eva leaned in first, kissing Leo’s forehead. Then Jesse. He did manage the strength to lift Laurel so she could kiss her daddy’s hand.

They filed back out to the parking lot.

“Cris, you drive Eva’s car. We’ll drop Jesse off first, then we’ll take Eva and Laurel home.”

Eva turned to Jesse, tears in her eyes. “Can you please come back with us to our house? You can take the guest room. Please?”

Laurel tugged on his hand. “Please, Uncle Jesse?”

All he wanted to do was curl up around Leo’s pillow and cry himself to sleep in their bed. While he might be immune to Eva’s charms, he wasn’t to Laurel’s.

“I need clothes and stuff to take a shower. And my phone charger.”

After Jesse made Eva call Laurel’s school to explain why Laurel wasn’t there today, they loaded up and drove off. Everyone waited in the cars as he trudged upstairs to their apartment.

How will I get him home?

There had been mentions of a rehab center. Jesse wasn’t even sure if insurance would pay for all of that. That, right there, was a massive problem. With the hit in income, Jesse knew he couldn’t afford the apartment on his own. Kel still had his apartment vacant. Maybe they could rent from him, but…the stairs.

If Leo had trouble with stairs, it’d be a serious problem.

Fuck.

He grabbed some stuff, clean clothes, a couple of days’ worth, and then his leather play collar. No, he couldn’t wear it around Laurel, but he could tuck it into his pillowcase and have it close for comfort.

He grabbed Leo’s pillow and forced himself not to stand there smelling it, or he knew he’d start crying.

Once he had everything, including his laptop and stuff for his schoolwork, he locked the door and trudged back downstairs.

He didn’t realize he’d dozed off until Laurel, who was riding in the backseat with him, reached over and poked his arm. “Uncle Jesse, we’re home.”

Home. Well, home to her. The only home she’d ever really known, except Leo’s old apartment and now the new one.

At least Laurel will always have a home.

He couldn’t even form a jumbled to-do list in his brain. He’d need to talk to Ed today and find out what was going on. Make sure he’d heard everything correctly the night before. Something-something filings, something-something…whatever.

Landry and Cris helped him get his stuff inside, but Jesse carried Leo’s pillow. After a quick round of hugs, Landry, Cris, and Tilly departed. They would drop Tilly off at home and then return to the hospital to sit with Leah for at least part of the day.

Laurel, subdued but wide awake with a few hours of sleep under her belt, was settled in the living room with the remote control and a bowl of cereal and a sincere promise not to go outside, and especially not to go out onto the lanai near the pool.

Eva turned the light on in the guest room for him. “You know where the bathroom and towels are,” she said. “Please, make yourself at home.” She didn’t move.