And, there's my upload. Now put away the pitch forks! As always, R&R!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Claire's POV:
It's been two days since Shane, Eve, and I woke up in the hospital. Shane mopes around the house, he doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep. I'm extremely worried about him. If he keeps this up, he'll kill himself. On the second day, I become sick of it and sit him down in the living room.
"Shane, I know your upset over what happened but I really need you to snap out of this. I can't deal with you moping, the babies, and Morganville all at the same time. Please, for me," I say, taking his hands. He pulls his hands out of mine.
"You make it sound easy. I hurt you. That's not just something I can bounce back from," he whispers. I put my hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look me in the eye.
"I know it's not, but I also know that your strong. You can get through this. I don't blame you for what happened, it wasn't your fault. Please, I need you," I whisper, kissing him on the lips lightly. He sighs.
"I know that I couldn't control myself when I hurt you but it terrifies me that I did. I know it's stupid..." Shane says, brushing a hand over my cheek. I lean into his touch.
"It's not stupid. You have to remember that I knew the risks when I made my decision. I chose to do it on purpose. I did it because I love you," I say simply. He smiles and me and I watch the sadness leave his eyes.
He leans forward and kisses me, slow and easy. I wrap my arms around his neck and he wraps his arms tightly around waist, clinging to me. He leans me back on the couch and he pulls back for a second.
"I love you," he whispers, kissing me passionately. I cling to him and then we hear someone clear their throat. We pull back, confused.
"You know, when you guys moved out I figured that I wouldn't have to be scarred by this particular image," Michael says," and yet, I have seen this more than I want to."
"Well, don't walk into my house without calling first and you won't," Shane retorts. Eve rolls her eyes. And this ensues a giant battle of "whose the better man" between Shane and Michael. I roll my eyes. The babies begin crying, which promptly ends that debate.
After we make dinner, we begin a game night. After a very scary game of truth or dare and a creepy version of charades, we begin playing Monopoly... a very bad idea.
"Pay the toll!" Shane shouts, extending his hand to Eve. She growls in frustration and forks over the money. And this continues the Shane Empire. In the end, everyone passes out in the living room floor, all four of us curled together like siblings, the guys on the outside. One of the best nights I've spent in a long time.