The thing was, I had been subject to Hailey's wrath once or twice. If she was truly pissed, I would know.
This time, her anger felt like that of a newborn kitten. Absolutely harmless.
I didn't know why she was so desperate to be independent, but my alpha refused to leave her there, sick and without proper food.
“Look, Iknowyou can take care of yourself,” I told her, softening my voice. “But my alpha is going to go absolutely insane. I need to at least make sure you have food.Please. For me?”
The anger vanished from her face, replaced with a look of shock. She blinked several times at me, the cogs in her head visibly turning, then offered a small, accepting smile. “Fine.”
She sighed, sinking into the couch and wrapping a fluffy blanket around herself. Her eyes drooped the moment she got comfortable, and just like that, she was dozing.
For a second, I stared at her. She had gone from debating with me to sleeping in three seconds flat.
She must have been sicker than I realized.
An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. Hailey was always so bold and vibrant; seeing her dulled was almost painful.
It was…wrong.
Pleased she was at least resting, I grabbed my keys off the counter and jogged down the stairs back to my truck.
There was an organic grocery store nearby, one of those places where a single banana costs two bucks. California was full of them, but I refused to drive thirty minutes to a normal grocery store and leave Hailey waiting that long.
With any luck, she would still be resting by the time I got back.
My plan was to feed her something that wasn't takeout, then let her sleep some more.
Throwing the truck into drive, I peeled out of the lot. My chest was oddly tight at leaving Hailey. Usually, I kept my distance, but with her sick… I just couldn’t. For years, I had resisted getting close to her—I had family on the East Coast andalways assumed I would return there one day, but now I simply didn’t care. One look at Hailey unwell and all my priorities shifted.
Snatching up a basket, I rushed around the store, grabbing all the basics. Salmon, chicken, fresh produce. I kept my head down and focused on getting through the checkout as fast as possible.
Ineededto get back to Hailey. I’d deal with what that meant later.
Chapter 7
Hailey
“Ihad no idea you could cook,” I said as I took a bite of chicken.
“I would hardly call this cooking. I threw a few things together in a pan,” Merrick shrugged from where he stood at my kitchen sink, washing dishes.
“Don't discredit yourself. I’ve seen some culinary disasters in my time, and this is far from it. Somehow, you even managed to make green beans taste good. Do you know how hard that is to do? I mean, they’regreen beans.”
He turned and raised a brow, chuckling lightly. “I just used a few light seasonings.”
“Yes, but you also did that thing where you dumped it in the ice! I was watching.”
He laughed harder, placing the last dish on the rack and pulling off the rubber gloves he was wearing. “That's called blanching. It's not exactly rocket science. How long have you been living on takeout?”
“I plead the Fifth?” I barely bit back a grin. “What? I grew up with a Papaw who cooked green beans until they were mush, so who can blame me for not liking them?”
Merrick sighed, a deep, long-suffering sound, as if that thought physically pained him. “I didn't think I would need to give a healthcare worker a lecture on how important it is to occasionally eat something green.”
“Do as I say, not as I do. That’s my motto.” I beamed. “Thank you for this, though, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to keep food down; this bug is really getting to me.”
Even though I still felt sluggish and exhausted, I couldn't help but smile. There was something about bantering with Merrick that made me feel lighter. Usually, at the firehouse, he was so quiet and reserved. This version of him was easy to talk to, a gentle comfort just being in his presence.
I was enjoying this new side of him—a lot.