So, this was a welfare check. She didn’t really want to see him. She just wanted to make sure he hadn’t done anything stupid. Well, he hadn’t done anything stupid—if you didn’t count getting drunk in his underwear.
“I’ll call the police, and they’ll break down your door. Please, open up. It’s freezing out here.”
Well, fuck.
He couldn’t afford a new door.
“I’ll call Megs.”
Okay, now Ellie was just playing dirty. Megs would rake his ass over the coals.
He put the bottle down, got unsteadily to his feet, and walked to the front door, then realized she was standing at the side door. He turned, tripped over one of the legs to his sofa and almost fell on his face. He caught himself, straightened up, then walked to the door and opened it.
“Oh, thank God.” She stood there in sub-zero temps in nothing more than a T-shirt and jeans, teeth chattering. “This is the second time you’ve opened the door in your underwear.”
He looked down. “You’re counting?”
“You’ve been drinking.”
“Yeah. Seemed like the right thing to do. You’ve been crying.”
“Today was Tyler Kirby’s funeral.”
Oh. Shit.
“Sorry. That must’ve been hard.”
She nodded. “It was beautiful and horrible. They made him an honorary firefighter and buried him with full honors.”
“That was a good thing to do.”
Damn, it was cold.
“You got your stitches out.”
“I took them out myself. It’s not hard.” He pointed toward his sofa and the wood stove. “You should come in before you become hypothermic.”
She shook her head. “I can’t leave the kids alone like this. I had to know you’re okay. Also, you left something at my house. I want you to have it back.”
She took his hand, pressed something into it.
The key to her house.
His gaze jerked to hers. “Why are you giving me this?”
“Because despite everything I said yesterday, I’m glad you’re in my life. It might be my emotions getting in the way here as much as anything you did or didn’t do. I care about you, Jesse. I said I needed time. I didn’t tell you to get out of my life, did I?”
“It sure sounded like that to me.”
“I’m sorry for that.”
“I should’ve told you. I don’t know why I didn’t. I wasn’t trying to trick you or pull the wool over those pretty green eyes of yours.”
“I believe you.”
He wanted to kiss her but realized his breath was probably a hundred proof. Instead, he reached out and cupped her cheek.
She turned her face into his hand, kissed his palm. “I missed you today.”