Strawberry Wine (Strawberry Inn Book #2)

Chapter 18

BLAIR

“That was really good, Cody. Thank you again for getting dinner.”

I started to grab the containers leftover from our dinner, but Cody was already on his feet putting the mess into the plastic bag. “I got this. Do you want to go check on Hayes again?”

“Yeah, sure.” I was still fighting with my emotions towards Cody. He was overly friendly and helpful. It was so critical of me to think he was just doing it for some ulterior motive, but this was all so different than the Cody I was used to dealing with. I didn’t know what to expect from him anymore. 

While Cody went to the trash can outside to dispose of dinner, I walked upstairs to check on Hayes. He was asleep, I’m sure aided by the pain killers they gave him at the hospital. The doctor was very clear that I didn’t need to wake him, just to ensure that his breath sounds were even. I stood in there for a few minutes for monitoring and then I went into my bedroom to change into something a little more comfortable. It was just a simple pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, but I felt immediately more at ease. I also grabbed some blankets and pillows from the linen closet since Cody insisted on staying at the house.

“You changed,” Cody remarked the second I walked back into the living room.

“I did. I should have changed into these, to begin with. I hate pants.”

“I remember,” he smirks. “Even in the middle of wintertime you wore shorts and wrapped yourself up with multiple blankets instead of just putting pants on.”

I hold up the blanket and smile, “I guess some things never change.”

“Apparently not.” Cody and I sit back down on the couch and I turn on the TV for some background noise. We sit in comfortable silence for a bit. I wasn’t paying attention to what was on the TV, but I didn’t want to break the silence myself. I was too afraid of the questions that might come out. I didn’t have to worry though, Cody broke the silence first. “I miss times like this.”

I looked over at him, but he was still looking at the tv. “Times like what, Cody?”

“Spending time with you. Do you remember all those nights when we would finally get Hayes to bed and then we’d just sit on the couch together with the TV on and just decompress?”

“I can’t even count how many times I ended up falling asleep within just a few minutes. Man, it was exhausting parenting a toddler.”

“No kidding. It felt like people were always warning us about the newborn months and that first year, but there was nothing about a crazy toddler. Frankly, I’m surprised that this was the first time he ended up in the hospital.”

I chuckle, “Yeah, there was that one time he knocked his head on the monkey bars that I swore he would need stitches though.”

“I remember that. I was on a bus when you called me and you were in tears thinking of the worst possible outcomes.” He looked over at me, “What ended up happening with that anyway?”

“The school nurse used superglue instead. She said if it held overnight he should be fine and didn’t need stitches.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“I may not have told you the ending. I dealt with so many things on my own that I forgot to tell you what ended up happening in the end.”

He runs his hands through his hair and a look of guilt spreads across his face, “I’m so fucking sorry, Blair. It should have never been like that. You shouldn’t have been alone.”