She tipped her head up to take in my expression. “Are you sure you can handle that?”

The ghost of my explosion outside Two Scoops still hung over us. I couldn’t lie and say it didn’t piss me off, but Bell was what mattered, not anyone else. “I don’t care about them. I care about you. Stay with me.” I held my breath as I waited for her answer.

“Okay.” She leaned in, pressing her lips to my stubbled cheek. Then she rose and headed towards the bar. “Come on, we’ve been slacking long enough.”

I shook my head as I stood, chuckling to myself. I guess honesty really did pay off in the end.

34

BELL

“Don’t you dare even think of lifting that,” I barked at Ford as he reached out for the bucket of ice I’d set in front of our ice bin.

Crosby chuckled. “Watch out, man, don’t want to get smacked with a ruler.”

I scowled at him. “He’s still recovering. The doctor said he needs to be cautious about lifting for another week.”

The smile on Ford’s face startled me. I expected him to be annoyed that I’d told him not to lift something, like it might be a threat to his manhood. Instead, he had the biggest, dopiest grin I’d ever seen. He pulled me to him, my arms instinctively going around his waist. He pressed his lips to my forehead. “You’re worried about me.”

My cheeks heated as I quickly glanced around the bar. We definitely had folks’ attention. I slipped out of his embrace and immediately felt the loss. Ford might have said he wasn’t worried about what other people might think of us together. Still, I didn’t want to risk someone else sharing their ignorant opinion with us. “Of course I’m worried about you. You have three bruised ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Not to mention the head injury.”

“You kinda like me, Trouble,” Ford called in a singsong voice as he poured a row of shots.

“Not for long,” I muttered.

“Watching you two is better than a soap opera.”

I arched a brow at Crosby as I grabbed his empty pint glass to refill it. “You a big Days of Our Lives fan?”

“Never miss an episode.”

I laughed. “It’s good to have a variety of interests.”

“Brown Eyes! Where have you been all of my life?”

Kenna glared at Crosby as she walked up to the bar, Caelyn following behind her. “Doing everything I can to avoid you.”

I choked on the laugh that escaped me, and Caelyn’s eyes bugged. Crosby grinned as he took a sip of his beer. “You’re just trying to hide your true feelings behind your insults. I know I’m your favorite.”

“Favorite what? Barfly? Part-time lawyer, full-time slacker?”