Chapter 24

He swallowed a lump in his throat and banished the darker thoughts.

Terrell reached for him and caressed his cheek. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Yes, he did. He couldn’t let a hurting person just go hungry. “It’s no problem. Think you could climb upstairs? I set up a table and everything.”

He blinked in disbelief. Eventually, he agreed, “Yeah, okay.”

Nodding, Dakota turned toward the stairs. Terrell relied heavily on his cane to make the journey, but he still followed at a reasonable pace. Once he saw the setup, his jaw dropped open.

“Dakota,” was all he managed to say at first.

“I know the timing sucks,” he explained hastily. “I know what it looks like. But this is what you wanted, right? Some one-on-one time with just us? And you gotta eat something. You’re gonna pass out if you don’t. So, I figured, best of both worlds.”