The crazy part of that was that I tried very hard not to have an escape plan, even as Tucker told me not to feel bad about doing it. He understood where I was coming from. I knew my lack of faith had to hurt, but now more than ever, he really did understand. There were talks about him having to go back to Finland to be present to testify against his ex and her family. I guess that, more than anything, gave him some insight into my own trust issues.

Tucker had missed his father’s funeral. Once his body was shipped back to the United States, Reggie’s wife didn’t want to wait to get him into the ground. Her reasoning was that she wanted to move on with her life and she couldn’t do it with the ghost of his arrangements hanging around her neck. Once again, Tucker didn’t see a problem with it. He understood that too. His father’s betrayals factored into him not wanting to be there as well, but that was something he wouldn’t really address with anyone. He hadn’t wanted to attend and being stuck in the hospital gave him an excuse not to.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?” I called out to the man as he bent down to put his own shoes on. I could tell it hurt him to do it, but also that it was something he felt the need to do on his own.

“Since when is tying my own shoes considered exerting myself?”

I laughed at his stubborn argument. It wasn’t our first. “Since you were stabbed fourteen times by a lunatic and I don’t want to see you back in the hospital,” I informed him as I took a seat on the couch across from where he was sweating over the attempt that he tried to make to feel normal again. “Where are you going?”

“I thought maybe we could walk down to the gym, use the treadmill, then come back up.”

“I suppose we could do that. I’ll have to change though.” I winked at him. “Unless by ‘we’ you meant you and your wingman. You guys haven’t been outside of the apartment together in ages.”

Tucker’s eyes came up to meet my own as he finished tying his shoe. “I’m not trying to get away from you,” he insisted.

I laughed. “Are you kidding? I’m trying to get you away from me!” I was teasing, but also not. “We’ve been hold up here for days, just the two of us. I’m sure you’re tired of seeing me.”

He shook his head. “No, I’m frustrated about seeing you all the time, but never tired of seeing you.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s totally different.”

It was his turn to laugh at my sarcasm. Tucker moved from the chair he’d been in to come over to the couch beside me. “I’m frustrated, not tired of you. There is a world of difference.”

“Okaaay,” I drew the word out, not knowing where he was going with that sentiment.