Read Online Forgiveness Creek: The Creek Series by Abbie St. Claire - Free Book Online Page A

fever was taking hold because I had weird dreams I couldn’t piece together. I hate it when I did that. Later that evening, Dane left a voicemail saying his grandfather wasn’t doing well, and they were stopping treatments for a few days to let him get his strength back up. He sent me some text photos of the wedding day and captioned them “Magical Moments”, and he was correct. They were.
    Even with antibiotics, cough medicine, and fever reducer, I continued to run a fever for most of the weekend and stayed in bed the entire time, sleeping a great deal of it. I think my body was trying to catch up on all the sleep I’d lost over the last year.
    Dane insisted on coming over on Sunday. He brought soup that their cook/housekeeper had made, and it was really good. He played nurse to me, and he did a really good job of it, although I pretended to be a cranky, demanding patient just to play with him, but he took it in stride.
    I laid on the couch, and he sat in the chair and watched the football game. Karina had been staying at Aaron’s to keep from catching the flu too. The hospital wouldn’t let me come back to work until I was free from fever for at least twenty-four hours.
    “How old were you when your Mom passed away?” I asked, rubbing his thigh with my foot.
    “Seventeen.”
    “And your dad?”
    “Never knew him. I don’t even know if he’s alive. I tried to find him for a long time and failed. I even hired a prestigious PI firm, and they couldn’t find a trace of him. When my mother got pregnant with me, my grandparents hated him. He was a drug user and heavy drinker, so Grandfather offered him a large check to disappear and the bastard took it. My take on it was that any man who would take money and walk away from a child didn’t deserve to be a father.”
    “So, what changed your mind? Why did you try to find him?”
    “Mom was a pediatrician and felt a deep calling for the medical mission. I begged to go with her, but everyone had to be at least eighteen to go on the trip. After she died, I wanted to hear his side of the story. I was always curious what kind of man would get her attention. For some reason, it seemed important at the time, but I guess I’ll never know. Unable to find him or any more answers, I took a baseball bat to various cars in a store parking lot one night out of severe anger and frustration. That was my first arrest, but Grandfather bailed me out and paid the victims hefty sums not to press charges. About three months later, I beat up a guy for flirting with my girlfriend at the time and got another vacation behind bars, so Grandfather cut me off and kicked me out. The third time actually got me confined for six months, which was a probation violation and forging a check from Grandfather. He’d had enough and didn’t try to keep me out of jail the last time. He let me figure out that I needed to clean my act up and I did. I’ve been a good boy ever since.” He moved from the chair to the sofa and laid down behind me.
    “Good for him.”
    “Yes, I say I owe my life to him. The downside right now is just the business and all the trips to Asia. I would love to take you with me. Maybe we can do that when you’re out for spring break. Once you get a passport?”
    “Asia? Seriously?”
    He kissed me and then shoved his arm under my pillow, while hogging the couch. “Yes, I want you to go with me.”
    “You’re gonna get the flu, and then no one is going to be going.”
    “Well, then it’s gonna be the best way to get sick, if you feel up to it.”
    I nodded.
    He scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bedroom. Sex with him was always different. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but always satisfying. With him, I was comfortable trying new things, and he did manage to push my limits, but each time was an equally satiating experience.
    After making love, we were lying in bed, and I hadn’t slipped my T-shirt back on. He kissed my bare shoulder and trailed his tongue