7
NOT ALL PAIN CAN BE FIXED WITH A PILL.
After Jo helped him out of his shirt and the prescription
pain reliever had kicked in, Chad tossed the ice pack Jo had laid on his dislocated shoulder onto the bed beside him. “Let’s just do this.” He wasn’t sure he could stand the agony much longer.
Jo grimaced. “Okay. But it’s gonna hurt.” She turned to Ryan, who seemed fascinated by the whole thing. “Why don’t you go get your PJ’s on? Then you can check on Chad before you go to bed.”
“‘Kay.” Ryan scampered away. He listened to Jo so much better than he did to him. It was annoying. But he was glad Ryan wouldn’t have to witness what they were about to do.
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “Hurry. Before Ryan comes back.”
“Here goes.” Jo slipped out of her shoes, propped her bare foot against his side, and pulled on his arm.
The pain was so intense, little black dots appeared in his eyes. He feared he’d pass out. He wanted to scream out a streak of curse words but didn’t want to scare Ryan. Finally, a pop sounded, and his shoulder clicked back in place. The pain immediately lessened, and he could finally breathe again. “Thank you.”
“Just a little more tweaking.” Jo took his hand and elbow and maneuvered his shoulder until she was satisfied it was aligned. “There. How does that feel?” She sat on the bed beside him.
“Great.” She was still in her pretty dress, her shapely legs tempting him to use one of his strikes and reach out and touch her smooth skin. “But now I need some help washing my back in the shower.”
“Nice try. Not happening.” Jo smiled as she laid the ice pack on his shoulder again. “You’ve probably got a whole line of ladies waiting to wash your back in San Diego, though, right?”
That she asked with a grin gave him a spark of hope that they could actually be friends again. “I was living with someone until last month, but after I hurt my knee, she said she wasn’t cut out to be a babysitter and a nurse too. Like everyone else, she probably figured my career was over and the money train was leaving the station.” One more woman Ryan had started to care for who’d disappeared from his life.
“Or maybe she just wasn’t cut out to be an instant mom? It can be hard to raise a kid who isn’t your own. I’m thankful my parents took me in.”
“You like to look for the good in people. I’ve been screwed over too many times to be so optimistic.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I appreciate how you’re always so nice to Ryan.”
Jo didn’t yank her hand away like he expected she would. “He’s a great kid. And you really need a shower, so go do that.” She stood so he could swing his legs to the floor.
“Okay.” The pain meds made it easier to walk.
He started hobbling toward the bathroom but then remembered something. “My mom asked me to invite you to lunch tomorrow. You could see the new foal. Ryan’s going to go nuts over her.”
A frown rumpled her forehead before she slowly sank to the side of the bed. “I don’t know, Chad.”
He turned on the water in his circular stone shower and stripped out of the rest of his clothes before he called out, “It’d mean a lot to her if you came.” He stepped under the hot water and sighed at how good the heat felt on his tired muscles. When Jo didn’t answer right away, he popped his head out and added, “She still loves and misses you.” He did too, but Jo wouldn’t want to hear that.
Jo leaned against the arched opening that led to the bathroom so they wouldn’t have to shout. She was careful to keep her eyes diverted. “I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about us and get her hopes up. She told me it broke her heart when we went our separate ways.”
His hand stopped soaping his chest. “You talked to my mom after we broke up?”
“She called me a few times those first weeks, asked if I was okay.”
He stuck just his head out again so he could see her face. “Did you tell her? About . . . Bryce?” Familiar guilt filled his gut. He hadn’t told his parents about the baby at first because his agent had him convinced Jo was a gold digger and the baby might not even be his. After he figured out his mistake, he wanted to tell his parents in person, but by the time he’d made it home, it’d been too late. He never saw the point in upsetting them.
Jo studied her bare feet and slowly shook her head. “My parents and Shelby are the only ones who knew. But my loose sweaters wouldn’t have been able to hide my pregnancy much longer.”