Now that he was standing only a few yards away from me, I wished I had been dreaming when Jason told me that Bryce was in town and would be here when I got home. He and I had talked a fair bit while I was on the road, and we’d discussed getting together if he was in town again, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to see me like this. My swollen, bruised face and casted arm weren’t exactly the best way to make a good impression on the guy. Unfortunately, none of that seemed to faze Bryce. He quickly crossed the lawn and offered an arm to steady me.

“I’ve got it,” I snapped at him, taking a step away. “Why are you here?”

God, I sounded like such a dick, but there was nothing I could do about my shitty attitude.

“Andrew Joseph, mind your manners,” Mom scolded me. She held out a hand to Bryce. “I’m Susan Jackson, and this is my husband Joe.”

“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Bryce answered. My mom smiled as they shook hands. “I’m Bryce Shaw.”

“A pleasure to meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances.” Mom sighed heavily as she looked me over to make sure there weren’t any new injuries in the past fifteen minutes. “It’s good to know Drew will have a solid support system when we have to head home.”

“Mom, stop it,” I scolded her. She always worried so damn much, and I didn’t want Bryce thinking I needed caretakers. Hell, Bryce lived on the other side of the country and was wasting one of his days here with my sorry ass. I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask him to drop the work that’d brought him to the area just for me.

“She’s right,” Bryce interrupted before I could continue my tirade. “You’re going to need friends here to help you. I know that probably pisses you off, but you’ll just have to get used to it.”

The man sounded so damn smug. I wanted to tell him to get lost and forget my phone number, but I knew that was the lingering effects of the pain meds and my pride talking. I sure as hell wasn’t going to admit I was glad he was here. “The only thing I need is my fucking bed,” I growled.

“Then let’s quit standing around out here and get you inside,” Bryce offered, once again holding out his arm to steady me. I took two steps on my own before realizing what a chore it was to put one foot in front of the other. I begrudgingly wrapped my hand around his forearm, taking note of the way his muscles tensed under my touch. “Eric and I changed your sheets and picked up a bit, so your bed is all ready and waiting for you.”

After Jason’s lecture this morning, I wasn’t sure how I felt about having both Eric and Bryce in my personal space. I wanted to think they were just trying to help out a friend, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Jason was right about one or both of them. That was drama I didn’t need in my life. I could almost see the two of them fighting over who knew best how to help me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. It fucking sucked having everyone trying to take care of me, but Bryce was right. I wouldn’t have been able to do shit on my own and I sure as hell didn’t want Mom walking in to see my pigsty of a bedroom. She would have spent hours in there trying to clean, and I wouldn’t have gotten any sleep.

Dad followed us into the house, admiring the timber walls and vaulted ceilings. “Man, I think I went into the wrong line of work. The outside of the house was nice, but it doesn’t do justice to all of the craftsmanship in here.”

Eric walked in at that moment and offered to take my dad on a tour of the house. I glanced over my shoulder and offered him a quick thank you as I followed Bryce down the hall to my room. I’d have thought Eric would’ve shown them around when he brought them over earlier. Then again, I didn’t know how long they’d been gone from the hospital, other than it was less than two hours since that was all the longer I’d been allowed to sleep without interruption, so there may not have been time.

It looked amazing. The bed was made to military precision and there was nothing out of place. It was like walking into a hotel room. When I felt better, I was going to have to do something nice for Eric and Bryce for not only doing this for me, but for doing it so quickly. Every time I walked in here and thought about picking up, it seemed like a daunting task and I’d flop onto the bed with my laptop instead.

Sun filtered in through the blinds, casting a golden glow over the walls. As I looked around at the clean top of the rustic dresser and the perfectly square corners of the quilt hand-sewn in shades of blue, I felt as though I were in a bed and breakfast somewhere.

I eased myself onto the bed, cursing when I stupidly tried reaching for a pillow. With as quickly as my mother appeared at my side, I wondered if she’d been standing outside the door waiting for me to need her.

“Would you quit being stubborn?” she scolded me as she rushed across the room to fluff the pillows behind my back. “I know how much you hate asking for help, but for a little while, you’re going to have to suck it up.”

“Mom, I’m fine,” I insisted. I hated her treating me as though I was some sort of invalid. So I had some cracked ribs and a broken wrist, that didn’t mean I was incapable of taking care of myself. “I wasn’t thinking and twisted around to move the pillows, that’s all.”

“You’re not fine, Andrew. You were beaten until you were unconscious less than twenty-four hours ago.”

“Gee, thanks for reminding me,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “If not for you, I’d have completely forgotten how I got all these bruises and cuts, not to mention the broken arm and cracked ribs.”

“Don’t get smart with me,” Mom warned. “Now, is there anything else I can get you before you take a nap?”

“A promise that you’ll all leave me alone so I can actually sleep?” I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Stupid fucking concussion meant it was going to be at least another twelve hours before I was allowed more than a few hours at a time.

“That’s not going to happen, but it was a nice try.” Mom patted my knee before puttering around to make sure everything I might possibly need was within arm’s reach. “I’ll be right back with your medicine and something to drink. When you wake up, I’ll make sure to have some lunch ready for you.”

This was how my life was going to be for a while. Hopefully, within a day or two Dad would start itching to get home and then I’d only have to worry about my friends hovering over me. At least with them, I wouldn’t feel like a dick if I snapped. They were used to me being a dick when I wasn’t feeling well.

The sun had retreated over the top of the house by the time I woke up. I shifted uncomfortably and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, flinching again because of the pain. Either I’d been asleep longer than I thought, or the pills didn’t do their job.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” In my sleepy haze, it took me a minute to place the voice. I looked to my left and saw that Bryce had pulled a chair closer to the bed and had his feet propped on the edge of my mattress. He had the remote in his hand and was watching some crime drama show.

“What time is it?” I asked, inching myself up to a sitting position. I was uncomfortable as hell after sleeping in my clothes, but the thought of getting undressed was painful.

“Almost six. I told your mom that I’d sit in here with you and wake you up when you needed to be,” he informed me with a sly grin on his face.

“And she went for that?” The thought of my mom giving up control was completely out of character.

“Not without a bit of help,” Bryce admitted. “Eric asked her if she’d mind giving him some advice about the flower beds outside. I don’t think she realizes that he’s rarely here and has someone to do all of that for him.”

Thank God for minor miracles. Mom loved her gardens and she’d probably have Eric regretting the suggestion soon. Every year, she got excited about planning which flowers to plant in each bed near the farm house that’d been in our family for five generations. Dad pretended to give her a hard time about it, but as us kids got older, he knew it gave her something to focus on rather than dwelling on the fact that we were independent and didn’t need her for everything.