Not edited or proofread.
Griffin
Axel barely had the car in park before I was shoving the door open and lurching from the car. I heard him shout I was a fucking dumbass, but I ignored him and jogged into the house. Kyle looked up at my dramatic entrance. I pointed a finger at him. "You and I have unfinished business, asshole," I snarled. "But it'll hold. Where is he?"
"Upstairs in Novella's old room. It's the darkest."
I rushed up the stairs, so desperate to get to my boy that I barely registered the pain pulsing through my shoulder or how hazy my vision was getting from blood loss. I just had to fucking get to him.
I shoved open the door to the room he was in, and sure enough, he was buried under the covers with multiple fans blowing on him and blankets piled on top of him. "Max baby?" I rasped, collapsing to my knees beside the bed. My vision was so fucking wobbly, but I needed to see him. To know he was okay.
His eyes slowly peeled open, and he jerked back from me in surprise. "Papa?" he croaked, pushing himself onto his elbow. His face was so pale, and his eyes were bloodshot from crying. "Papa?" he asked again, his voice hoarse.
"I'm here, baby boy," I rasped, reaching up to cup his cheek with bloody fingers. His skin instantly stained red, and I hated that I was bleeding all over him. I closed my eyes, drawing in a shallow breath. "Go get Axel," I rasped. "I think I'm about to pass out."
"Papa?!" he cried as he flung the blankets back. I knew his head was hurting so fucking bad, but he was still so brave when he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Axel!" Then, he was cupping my bloody face and forcing my head back to look up at him. There was two of him, but even then, he was still so goddamn beautiful. "Hold on," he begged. "Why did you come here first? You need help. You're so bloody."
"Needed to see you," I rasped as Axel rushed into the room with the family doctor hot on his heels.
"Help me get him on the bed," the doctor ordered. For once, Axel didn't get pissy about someone giving him orders. He simply helped the doctor lift my heavy ass onto the bed. My sweet boy grabbed my hand as Axel ripped my shirt open, revealing the bleeding wound in my shoulder. I groaned, my eyelids sliding shut.
"Think I'm passing out," I slurred.
"Papa, stay awake pleaseâ"
Everything went dark.
~*~*~
I slowly peeled my eyes open, staring up at the white ceiling above me. Fans were still blowing, making the room almost unbearably cold, but I only felt it on my face since Max was pressed against my side and we had a mountain of blankets piled on top of us.
I grunted as I slowly rolled onto my side, my injuries finally making themselves known to me. My head was throbbingâprobably from the blood lossâand my shoulder hurt like a mother fucker. But one look at my boy's sleeping face made all the pain fade to the background.
He was so fucking beautiful.
And now, he was safe.
Reaching up, I cupped his cheek and stroked my thumb along his soft skin. His eyelids slowly fluttered open, and a sleepy smile tilted his lips when his sleep-glazed eyes locked on mine.
"Hi, Papa," he breathed.
"Hi, baby," I said just as quietly. "How are you feeling?"
"A little better," he murmured. "Kyle came in a little while ago and gave me more meds. You were pretty out of it still. The doctor gave you a morphine injection, I think. It's hard to remember. The migraines make everything fuzzy, but Axel said you were in the best hands."
I leaned in and pressed my lips to his forehead. "You were so brave for me, sweet boy," I said quietly. "So fucking brave, even when your head hurt so badly."
He swallowed thickly. "I was so terrified you wouldn't come back home to me," he confessed in a whisper so small, I fucking ached for him.
I gripped the back of his neck and rested my forehead against his. He closed his eyes, and his next breath was shaky. "I will always come home to you," I swore. I hadn't known that then, but I should have known Axel would come through for me in the end. And he had.
My boy didn't have to know a life without me, and the relief that flooded me at that reminder... there were no words to describe it.
Max snuggled closer to me. "I love you," he said quietly. "I love you so much, Papa. Please don't ever make me go through something like this again." He lifted his hand, resting it near my injured shoulder. "I hate that you got hurt. The doctor said you have a concussion, too."
"Probably hit my head," I told him, trying to play it off. Leaning in, I smoothed my lips over his. He sighed, parting his sweet mouth for me. God, my boy was so fucking perfect. "I love you," I told him. "I'll love you forever. In this life. In the next. In every fucking life I have, I will find you, and I will still love you the same, if not more."
His smile was so beautiful. Brighter than the sun. And it warmed me just as much.
"I love you, too, Papa," he said.
~*~*~
When we emerged from the room later than night to eat dinner with everyone, Max's migraine was mostly gone. Still, Axel kept the lights in the dining room on low, and everyone spoke in quieter voices. It showed on Max's face how grateful he was that they were accommodating him without making a big deal about it.
It should always be like this for him.
Kyle stepped into the dining room as I was pulling out Max's chair. He cast me a dismissive glance as he walked past me, but I reached out and gripped his shoulder. Frowning, he turned to me. "Whatâ"
I punched him in the face. He stumbled from the shock of it before he screwed his lips up in distaste and snatched his shirt over his head to hold it to his bleeding nose. "What the fuck, Griffin?" he snarled, glaring at me.
"I should be asking you what the fuck," I snapped, somehow managing to keep my voice down for Max's sake. My boy clutched at my hand, anchoring me and keeping me from losing my shit more than I already had. "They figured it out because you left them a message."
Kyle rolled his eyes at me, but before he could speak, Axel clenched his jaw. "Kyleâ"
"I did it to lead them away from Max," Kyle said. I frowned, not understanding. "Someoneâand no, I'm not fucking naming whoâreached out to let me know they'd heard Luca Moretti got word Max was here. I sent someone to check on your apartment, which is trashed, by the way. He was going to ambush us here. So, I intercepted and left them a little message. I knew it would piss him off and change his course, even if for a little while."
I clenched and unclenched the fist I'd punched him with. I didn't know whether to be thankful or still pissed.
"While I'm grateful," I finally said, the words sour on my tongue, "you don't make a move without the backing of the family."
Kyle yanked his chair out from beneath the table and sat next to it. Novella frowned at him, clearly concerned. He reached up to run his hand over her red hair. "Axel knew the moment he hired me I was a fucking wild card. He may sign my paychecks, but I run by my own book. And I like your boy, Griffin. I don't give a fuck about many people, but I do like him. You can trust me to protect him, even if it might cost you your life."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything at all. Max, however, clearly had words for Kyle.
"If you ever do something to try to take him away from again, I'll shoot you with your own gun," Max told him, his jaw tight and his cheeks flushed with anger.
Kyle raised his brows at Max but didn't say a word. Axel pointed a finger at our lone wolf. "You and I will have a fucking talk later."
Kyle scoffed. I took a seat beside Max and leaned in to kiss him. "You're so fucking brave," I murmured against his pretty mouth.
His cheeks blazed. I chuckled and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.
I seriously couldn't get enough of how perfect he was.