Exes and Oh's: Part 21

MARLEY

Freddy was being discharged from the hospital today. Just in time for Thanksgiving, which was only a few days away. There was still a lot to do and people to invite. I've only gathered half of the ingredients I needed and the rest I'd be getting from Danny's farm. My first stop was my office, to pick up the packages I was expecting. I had ordered a brand new camera with brand new lens and I wanted to try them out during Thanksgiving dinner.

Settling into my office chair, I leaned back as I flipped through all the bills I still had to pay, and immediately stopped when I saw an envelope with my name written in script on the front. No return address, or name to go along with it. Intrigued to know more, I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter to read it.

I didn't have to skip to the end to know who it was from. It only made me all the more confused and frustrated. What the hell was Javier's deal? How did he even know where I worked? If this was some kind of game to him, he had another thing coming. This apology letter didn't erase the amount of time I spent worrying about him. The flowers he had sent, on the other hand, were beautiful. Yellow tulips. They were my favorite and I was surprised he bothered to remember.

I was tempted to throw them out, holding onto them by the stems above my trash can. Gabe's face suddenly popped into my mind and I stopped, placing the flowers back into the vase. Was this what Gabe wanted me and Freddy to find? Another door I hadn't fully closed so we could finally move on?

I wouldn't put it past him. It seemed as though all his instructions had only managed to bring us closer to each other, and not his murderer. If it were any other day, I'd sit and obsess over it. But my schedule was full as it is. I gave the flowers to my assistant instead and thanked her for keeping the place afloat while I ran some errands. I made a mental note to give that girl a raise and headed towards my car. The weather was in the high fifties, but the sun's rays kept me warm along with my knit sweater. I pulled the window down and headed towards Houston Gen. It was a thirty-minute drive from my office, but the radio and its top ten country hits station had helped the time pass by quickly.

Grabbing onto my purse, I killed the engine and locked my car as soon as I exited. The hospital didn't seem as busy it usually was. Since I've spent the last three weeks here before and after work, I practically knew the morning shift and evening shift and even brought them cookies occasionally. A thank you gift for taking care of Freddy the way they did. Of course, he had them all wrapped around his finger. His charm was good for something after all. I waved towards the nurses and they sent me winks as they nodded towards me.

"I can't believe they missed that goal. It was right there!" the yelling came from Freddy's room and I hurried towards it, just to find the three stooges, Michael, Danny, and Freddy watching an old soccer game on the television. Their eyes were glued to the television as if they were waiting for their team to win the World Cup. Usually, I'd be sitting right next to them, shouting at the television but it wasn't soccer season just yet. I needed to reserve my yelling.

"Ya'll, this is a hospital. Please try and contain yourselves," I scolded as I turned off the television and began to pack Freddy's things into his duffel bag.

"Someone's in trouble," Danny teased Freddy, chuckling as Freddy reached to punch his shoulder, but missed when he pulled away.

"Don't ya'll have jobs to go to? Come on, get to it!" I teased and smiled when both the boys gave me a sandwich hug and began to squeeze me.

"Hey! Keep those hands where I can see them, Michael," Freddy cleared his throat and glared at him when Michael grinned and sent me a wink before he exited the room.

"See ya'll at Thanksgiving dinner. Can't wait to eat," Michael exclaimed as Danny followed him out, finally leaving me and Freddy alone.

"What's that frown for?" Freddy asked as he got up from his bed and walked towards me, pulling me into his husky chest full of warmth and comfort.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're getting out today. Now you can help me cook!" I changed the subject, trying to brush off all the words Javier had poured onto all those pages. He reminded me of a darker time in my life, where things were going wrong left and right and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. It made me question myself, if I really had changed as much as I thought I did.

"We're lying to each other now?" he continued and I sighed, waving it off. I didn't want to mention Javier to Freddy. They were polar opposites, but they still managed to leave an emotional bruise I didn't quite know how to heal just yet.

"Freddy, let it go. I just have a lot of shit to do. Let's go." I hurried and he nodded, beginning his silent treatment as he took his duffel bag and led the way out, towards the front desk to sign the discharge papers.

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Freddy had gotten even more stubborn with age, if that were possible. He'd been giving me the cold shoulder since we left the hospital, and by ten o'clock, I was completely done with all of it.

"So are you going to keep acting like a child? Because if so, I can turn on the night light for you before I go," I baited and watched him shake his head as I kept giving him his sponge bath. His burns were still in the raw stage, and I was careful even breathing in that direction. He should've followed the doctor's orders on staying a few more weeks in the burn unit. His arm could get infected and there a million other things that could go wrong. But this was Freddy we were talking about. He'd walk through more fire just to prove a point.

"I don't like seeing you upset, chaparra. That's all," he claimed and my lips kissed his temple in return. The man was as pigheaded as I was, maybe even worse, but I still adored him.

"Trust me, it wasn't a big deal. I just have some stuff I need to deal with on my own, okay?" I countered and he sighed in surrender, tipping my chin up, leaning in to kiss me. His warm tongue pried my lips open far enough to tease and I moaned into his mouth, melting into him as I deepened the kiss.

"I don't think I can wait six months to be inside of you, Marley," he whispered into my ear, and I felt the throbbing in between my legs as his lips brushed my cheek and I leaned into them.

"Good things come to those who wait, right?" I teased, grinning as I brushed up against his inner thigh on purpose and he almost choked. The next six months were going to be interesting to say the least. Months without touching each other the way we needed to was going to be hell, but the intimate reconciliation was going to be that much more grand in the end.

That was definitely worth waiting for.