Chapter 4

I grabbed his arms and wrapped them around my waist. He had to get better. He just hadto. But in the meantime, I needed to keep him out of the loop, without hurting him.

He leaned his forehead against my shoulder and sighed. “I’m gonna go downstairs and work a little.”

I tried not to tense up. “Everything’s pretty good down there. Under control.”

“I have some numbers to look over in the office.” Derek moved away. “Anyway…I’m bored. Uninspired.”

I stirred the vegetables and put a lid on. He was headstrong. Couldn’t argue with him. “All right…”

“Oh, wait, what day are we?” He frowned and his cheeks flushed darker. “Oh, it’s your father’s birthday tomorrow. I need to get something for him.”

“Red, it’s cool, we took care of it. Boone and me.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” I said, the expression on his perfect face breaking my goddamn heart. Hewas the one who usually took care of the gifts, the cards. “Got him the Lund crest. It’s pretty awesome. A lady sewed it all in velvet and silk.”