I smile at her admission, and then give her one of my own. “Well, I could have put an end to our feud a long time ago if I’d just have stopped being a prick for one moment and merely reassured you that I was gladly changing my ways to be with your sister. Somehow, my ego wouldn’t let me give that up, and I’m thinking now if I wasn’t such a world-class douche perhaps we would have come to some peaceful terms weeks ago.”

Gray is silent for a few seconds, then she asks softly, “We’re having a moment, aren’t we?”

“A profound one,” I agree.

“Are we good?” she asks, and I turn my head to find her looking at me with apology in her eyes.

“We are if you let me tell you I’m sorry, and accept I really mean it,” I tell her bluntly. “Your sister is more important to me than anything in this world, and if it’s important to her that I get along with her sister, I absolutely will go above and beyond to make that happen.”

Gray’s eyes soften and she smiles. “I’m sorry too. Let’s start over for Lexi’s sake, okay?”

“Deal,” I say, then turn my head back to stare at the crowd as I ask, “That means I’m not getting traded, right?”

“You’re totally not getting traded,” she affirms. “Besides, I’ve got a vested interest now in making sure my sister is happy, so you’re stuck with this team, unfortunately.”

Chuckling, I say dryly, “Yes…so unfortunate.”

Both of us immediately bolt upright in our chairs as the double doors open and Brian and Georgia walk through. They sweep the waiting room, and by the time they see us, Gray and I are out of our chairs, walking to them quickly.

“CT scan is clear,” Brian says with a smile as his eyes flick back and forth between us. “They’re going to keep her a day, maybe two, because she’s a little out of it from the head injury. They want to carefully observe her. It will be a little bit before an in-patient room is ready though.”

“Can we go back to see her?” I ask Brian.

“I don’t know,” he says gravely, looking hard at me and then at his daughter. “Can the two of you be trusted to go back there and see Lexi together?”

“Absolutely,” Gray answers as she nudges her shoulder against me. “We’ve made amends.”

“Permanent amends,” I clarify. “We’re good.”

Brian smiles as he puts an arm around Georgia and pulls her in close. “Then by all means, head on back and keep her company. Georgia and I are going to the cafeteria for some coffee.”

Gray and I watch Brian and Georgia head down an intersecting hallway, presumably to the cafeteria. I smile as they walk with their arms around each other’s waists, and Gray groans beside me when Georgia’s hand drops to Brian’s ass to give it a slight squeeze.

“No daughter ever wants to see that,” she mutters, then turns toward the double doors.

We make our way past a nurses’ station, and a nurse directs us to a curtained room that’s open and we can see Lexi lying in bed with her eyes closed. Even from across the room I can see a huge, purple bruise on the left side of her forehead and a section of skin sutured with black stitches. She has on a blue shoulder sling on the same side, presumable to hold her shoulder in place.

Sensing Gray’s hesitation, I again take her by the elbow and lead her toward Lexi’s bed.

When we enter the room, Gray breaks off from me and walks to one side of her bed before I walk to the other. I have no hesitation once I get there, immediately taking one of Lexi’s small hands in my own.

Her eyes flutter open and she looks at me bleary-eyed at first, but then with some recognition. “Hey,” she says slowly, and she sounds a little drugged. “I figured you’d come even though I told you not to contact me.”

“Well, you can’t say that anymore,” I tell her with a smile and a squeeze to her hand. I nod my head across the bed to Gray. “Your sister and I are best friends now.”

Lexi’s head turns slowly to the right and her eyes lock on Gray’s, which immediately fill with tears. She leans over and lays her hand across the top of Lexi’s chest. “Hey, Sis,” she says tremulously. “You scared the shit out of Roman and me.”

“Carefully orchestrated plan to get you two to see reason,” Lexi mumbles, her eyes looking heavy and fatigued. “I had to pay that drunk driver a lot of money to hit me.”

Gray lets out a hysterical bark of relieved laughter and grabs hold of Lexi’s other hand. “Well, your nefarious plan worked. We’ve talked things out and we’re good.”

“Really?” Lexi asks, and despite her being a little groggy, I can see the hope clearly reflecting in her eyes.

“Really,” I answer for both Gray and me as I bend over the bed and place a gentle kiss on the uninjured side of her head. “So hurry up and get better so we can all go out on a double date or something.”

Lexi chuckles and Gray and I share a relieved look over the bed.

“Okay,” Lexi says, her eyelids dropping. “But let me get a little sleep first. I’m afraid this birthday celebration has me worn out.”

I start to panic as her face goes lax as she falls asleep, but a nurse fortuitously walks in.

“Shouldn’t we be keeping her awake or something?” I ask her as she goes to check the IV bag at the end of Lexi’s bed over on Gray’s side.

The nurse smiles at me briefly. “She’s fine. She’s just sleepy from the pain medication the doctor ordered. Her CT scan was clear. We should be able to transfer her to a room within about an hour if you want to go get something to eat. She’ll be sleeping, I’m sure.”

“I’m not leaving,” I tell the nurse firmly, letting go of Lexi’s hand so I can reach behind me to pull a chair up to the side of her bed.

“Me neither,” Gray says just as adamantly, also doing the same.

The nurse shrugs her shoulders and walks out, leaving us to watch over our girl.

Chapter 28

Lexi

“I’m thinking about making a run down to the cafeteria,” Georgia says as she pushes up out of one of the guest chairs in my hospital room. She arches her back, which I’m sure is stiff, since she’s been sitting there since showing up with my dad and Gray at 6 A.M. I smile as I see my dad’s eyes watching her every move.