Read Back to You: Bad Boys of Red Hook for Free Online

wasn’t what she was asking about. She was asking if he could walk into that room, see a shadow of the man he considered a father, and not lose it or make a complete fool of himself. He nodded, his chin rubbing the top of her head.
    She leaned back, watching him, thigh-to-thigh, pelvis-to-pelvis, his hand holding hers, his arm looped around her waist. When she really looked at him, her face held a mixture of pity, concern, and awareness that caused a pretty blush to cover her cheeks.
    “I’m okay now. I just wasn’t expecting—”
    She patted his chest with her free hand. “I know. Petewill get through this. We all will.” Bree looked over her shoulder at the door. “I can’t leave Nicki in there alone with him much longer. She’s probably already told him you’re here. We’d better go in.”
    Storm pulled her close and held on for just a second longer, thankful she let him. He took a deep breath; the scent of citrus and spice, the scent of Breezy, replaced the antiseptic odor of hospital, and he wished he didn’t have to let her go. He’d sailed through gales, survived more than one close shave during a yacht race, but he’d never been more scared.
    He released her and held her gaze.
    Bree looked as if she were deciding whether to allow him in. “Okay.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’ll get used to it.”
    He doubted he’d ever get used to seeing Pop looking weak and sick. He nodded and didn’t let go of her hand until she pushed open the door.

C HAPTER 3
    Pete raised the head of the bed to sit as he listened to Nicki chatter on about whatever ten-year-old girls chattered about: her favorite show on Disney, the joke that led to her belly laugh, the meaning of which got lost in translation, though he followed it with a chuckle, if for nothing more than the pleasure of hearing her laughter.
    He was tired—more tired than he could ever remember. His eyes felt heavy as the comforting warmth of Nicki’s body seeped into his side.
    “And then Bree was like Wonder Woman and hit him on the head with her frying pan of truth. He was knocked out, lying on the floor. All that was missing were those cartoon birds flying around his head, tweeting.”
    “What?” Pete came alert, wondering what was fact, and what was fiction. Nicki had one hell of an imagination, something she shared often.
    He was relieved when the door to his room opened and Bree walked in, followed closely by someone. Not someone,
Storm
. All other thoughts evaporated.
    “Hey, Pop. I came as soon as I heard.” Storm walkedaround the bed and enveloped him in a careful half hug that had him rattled.
    Nicki slid away as Pete stared, unbelieving. “God, it’s good to see you, son.” Pete felt old and at a loss as tears clouded his eyes. He patted Storm’s back, careful not to snag the IV line, and looked over Storm’s shoulder at Bree. “You called Storm?”
    Storm drew away and fortunately turned so he didn’t notice Pete’s loss of composure. “No, she called Logan and he couldn’t come, so he called me. You could have called me yourself, Pop. I had no idea….”
    Storm looked good—strong, a little pale under his tan, but he was a welcome sight. “I didn’t want to bother you. You’ve got your own life to lead and a business to run.” When Storm faced him again, Pete saw anger and hurt. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. Turns out, I was wrong. I’m glad to see you. It’s been too long.”
    Bree moved beside Pete and brushed his cheek with a kiss, running her hand over his balding head. “I love the new pj’s.” She straightened the collar. “You wear them well.”
    He let out a laugh, which turned into a cough, and he grabbed his pillow, pulling it to his chest. Once he took a cough-free breath, he swallowed the pain and did his best to continue as if it never happened—not an easy thing to do while hugging an oversized, furry, heart-shaped monstrosity of a pillow. “I don’t know about that, but