Free At Any Moment (Gaming The System Book 3) by Brenna Aubrey

angling for this soon enough.”
    “I’m not ‘angling’ for it. I wanted to know if… Well, I’d like to take care of you.”
    I hesitated. Things had not gone well between us the last time we’d lived together and I didn’t want to upset the shaky ground we seemed to be standing on now. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
    His jaw tensed. “Bullshit.”
    “Maybe I’m tough enough to get myself through it okay.”
    His mouth thinned and irritation flashed in his dark eyes before he looked away. “Maybe you are. But maybe there are people here who want to help you anyway.”
    I sighed. “Let me think about it. The last time we lived together…”
    “This won’t be like last time. I’ll do everything I can to make sure of that.”
    He was tense for while and I rested my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know you want to take care of me. But I’d like to think I have my independence for a little while longer.”
    Despite what I’d just said to him, I knew that soon I’d be very sick and at the mercy of anyone willing to help me.
    ***
    On the night before my procedure to insert a port for the chemo—and to have a portion of my ovarian tissue taken out to be frozen for possible later use (since this procedure was still experimental), Adam had to work. I assumed he was clearing the deck and setting things in motion so he could take more time off later to spend with me.
    I sat on the couch and read the latest Game of Thrones novel while Heath banged about the condo. He appeared to be organizing—moving things around. After he removed his fourth box of crap to take out to the garage, I looked up. “Hey, what’s going on?”
    He shrugged and didn’t look at me. “Just making some room in here. It’s getting pretty cluttered up and my storage unit is almost full.”
    I raised my eyebrows. Heath was not the tidiest of people and he usually spent his free time playing games instead of cleaning. He paid someone to come in and clean his place every week.
    I cleared my throat. “You okay?”
    “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
    “Just wondering. I haven’t seen Connor in the last few days. Everything okay?”
    He sighed and sat down. “Connor was getting a little…needy.”
    I leaned forward, alarmed. “What do you mean ‘was’? You didn’t break up with him, did you?”
    Heath looked at me and then away. “No…I’m not you , after all.”
    I sat back, deflated. That had stung. “I guess I deserved that.”
    He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”
    I didn’t say anything. Instead, I fiddled with the edges of the pages of my book and swallowed a sudden lump that had formed in my throat. Heath’s words smarted, but it was true—I’d deserved the comment. I’d broken up with Adam after one fight—albeit a huge fight. He’d done something to utterly betray my trust, but instead of giving him the opportunity to explain, or even a second chance, I’d shoved him away. I’d thought it would be easier. It was almost as if that fight had given me the excuse to spare him this whole cancer thing. I’d been like a one-woman crusade, vowing I was strong enough to overcome all by myself. But I’d leaned on Heath…far more than I should have.
    I looked up at him. Was he finally feeling bitter because of it? My throat tightened. He got up and sat next to me on the couch. We stared at each other and then he stretched out an arm. “I’m sorry. Come here, dollface.”
    I leaned forward and his arms came around me. “I hope things are okay with you and Connor,” I said, looking over his huge shoulder at nothing while he hugged me.
    He let me go and I sat back. “They’ll be okay. He’s wanting to spend more time with me and there aren’t enough hours in the day.”
    I pressed my lips together, watching him. What he wasn’t saying was that he felt obligated to be around the house to look after me and drive me to my appointments. Even though I’d told him repeatedly