Page 83 of Filthy Player
“Oh, we will.” She winked at me, still smiling as she answered the phone. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
Her happy look evaporated and her eyes shot to mine.
Cool pricks of ice cascaded down my spine. “What is it?”
“Yeah. Beaux’s here,” she said, ignoring me, but still watching me. “Why do you need—”
Worst-case possible scenarios flashed in my mind and her tone immediately went angry.
“Are you kidding me? No, you can’t talk to him.” She hung up the phone and tossed her phone down. It skated across the counter, stopping precariously on the edge.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
Her brows arched and her hands slammed to her hips. I’d seen that look before in a woman. Typically on Shannon—when she was PMSing and I’d stolen the last of the ice cream.
“What’s wrong?” I asked again. Her chest rose and fell, long, measured movements.
Eventually, she rolled her lips together and then asked, “What’s wrong?”
I was a man. There were questions women asked, in a certain tone, that we learned not to answer or we were a sinking chub in a school of sharks.
I was no fucking chub.
If she was pissed, it could only mean one thing. One thing I should have mentioned earlier but was too consumed with Paige to care to bring it up.
I leaned back against the counter and relaxed. “I take it you heard from the hospital?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
PAIGE
He paid our fucking medical bills.
He paid our medical bills.
In full.
With cash.
Heat singed my blood, making my entire body tremble. My hands shook, and I had to force them to my hips so I didn’t wrap my hands around Beaux’s sexy, corded throat.
I would take his home nurse because he spoke with my dad and my dad’s medical care was still his decision.
I had to deal with that, even though I didn’t like it, but it also gave me Melanie, and I was really beginning to love the crap out of her craziness.
But this? And God. It helped so much. I was trembling between fury and gratefulness, and I had no idea which one I should feel.
“Explain to me why you’d do this.”
Each word was clipped. My throat already dry from the heat rushing through my veins. Beaux knew how important it was to take care of my dad.
He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “It kills me you don’t know why I’d do this for you. Because I care, maybe?”
“I didn’t ask for this, Beaux. In fact, I remember very clearly I said I didn’t want you helping me! This is my family, my dad, my responsibility.” I threw my hands into my hair. Red was creeping in at the edges of my vision.
I might have been overreacting, but goddamn. I didn’t want him to do this for me. I wanted to be the one who could take care of my dad. And now, every time I turned around, someone was making it so I didn’t have to.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t take help when it’s offered, Paige.”
