Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(161)

After another quiet moment of contemplation, Mom turned to me. Pointing at Denny with her pinky finger, she asked, “He really loves you, doesn’t he?”

She seemed concerned, like somehow he was a threat to Kellan. I loved that she felt protective of my husband. My lips creeping into a smile, I shook my head. “No, he loves Kellan. He came here for him.” My smile grew as I watched both boys sleeping. “He told Kellan they were still brothers . . . even after everything.”

Mom’s eyes widened as she took another sip of coffee. “That is a very forgiving friend that you both have. I hope you and Kellan realize how rare that is.”

I nodded, my eyes stinging. I did. We did. And we’d never do anything to hurt him again.

The boys slept for another hour; we’d all been up late talking, and they had still been whispering when I drifted off to sleep. I think Kellan would have slept longer, but a nurse arrived to check on him and woke him up. The nurse asked him how he was feeling, how his pain was, if he was hungry, if he’d gotten up, if he’d gone to the bathroom; all the personal stuff that nurses don’t seem to mind asking in mixed company. Kellan didn’t seem embarrassed as he sleepily answered her, though. He actually seemed content.

Gavin, his children, and my father arrived at the hospital while Kellan was eating a watery-looking omelet for breakfast; it was the first thing I’d seen him eat since the accident. When Dad and Gavin walked into the room, they were having a lively discussion about the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds. I couldn’t stop grinning as the two men went back and forth about which baseball team was better. No topic bonded my father faster to someone than sports. And my parents becoming friends with Kellan’s parent was a very good thing.

Abby, Anna, and the D-Bags showed up with Justin mid-morning. That was still on the early side for the band members, and most of them were yawning when they raised their hands in greeting. Gibson wasn’t in the room two seconds before Mom stole the bundle of pink out of Griffin’s arms. He frowned at Mom, but he let his daughter go. Tossing an arm around me, Anna laughed and said, “No one else is going to get to hold her the entire time Mom’s visiting.”

I watched Mom rock Gibson as a thought struck me. “How long are you staying, Mom? I mean, Thanksgiving is coming up. Aren’t you expecting company back home?”

Her eyes never leaving her granddaughter, Mom shook her head. “We canceled. We’re staying here for Thanksgiving.” She finally peeked up at me. “We’ll fly back when Kellan is well enough to leave with you.” She turned her smile to him. “Family sticks together.”

I wasn’t too surprised by Mom’s news, but it was wonderful to hear. Hopeful, I looked over at Gavin. He pointed over at Riley playing a video game and Hailey flipping through a gossip magazine. The photo of Kellan and I kissing in the graveyard was on the cover. “The kids are on break from school, and I already told work there was a family emergency and that I wasn’t coming back until Monday.” His warm smile outshone his son’s. “You’re stuck with me until then.”

Kellan grinned and looked down. “That means a lot to me. Thank you.”

From the expression on the D-Bags’ faces, I knew they were all sticking close to Kellan during the holiday, so I didn’t even ask. I wasn’t sure about Justin’s schedule, though; I couldn’t remember where his band was at. After I asked him, he told me, “We’ve got one more gig tonight, then we’re free ’til next week.” Leaning over, he asked Hailey and Riley, “Hey, you guys wanna see Avoiding Redemption tonight? Maybe hang backstage with some rock stars?” Gavin cleared his throat, and Justin snapped his head to him. “With your permission, of course.”

Since Hailey and Riley were begging and bouncing up and down in their seats, Gavin really didn’t have a choice but to say yes. Pointing at Hailey, he added, “You keep an eye on your brother. And no drinking.”

Hailey rolled her eyes, then turned to Kellan. “See what I have to put up with.”

Kellan gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah, he’s a real brute.” I raised my eyebrow at Kellan’s comment, but his expression was amused, not pained, so I felt okay to laugh.

While light chuckles went around the room, my gaze shifted to Denny and Abby. “What about you two? When are you heading back?”

Denny put his arm around Abby, pulling her in close. “Well, this is Abby’s first Thanksgiving in the states, and she wanted the full holiday experience. She even made me promise to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with her on television.” He rolled his eyes while Abby gave him a playful scowl. I chuckled at the annoyance on Denny’s face, but I knew better. He was probably looking forward to giving Abby a dream holiday, parade-watching included; there really wasn’t much Denny wouldn’t do for the person he loved.

Denny laughed at the look on Abby’s face, then told me, “We talked about it on the flight over, and we’ve decided to stay through the holiday.”

Abby patted his chest. Her engagement ring sparkled in the rays coming through the open window, matching her personality. “Denny’s taking me to see the parade in person!” She giggled, and I could tell she was truly overjoyed about watching enormous balloons traversing through the city above elaborately decorated floats.

From across the room, Griffin discretely coughed, “Wuss.” Anna giggled, but respectfully elbowed him. I thought defending Denny was pretty big of her, since he wasn’t her favorite person. I guess his showing up here had really impressed her.