Mancave (Wild Men 3)

“Did I scare you?” Melissa asks, walking around the sofa to face me.

Baby Jesus, give me strength. “A little. What are you doing here?”

She shrugs her bony shoulders. “Playing. You slept a long time. Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah.”

“I get them sometimes, too.”

I pat the cushion beside me, and she sits down. I draw her slight body to me. “What are they about?”

Another shrug. “Mom.”

“Is she in danger in the dreams?”

She nods. “And I have to stay with her, and I’m scared.”

Stay with her? But she is staying with her most of the time, isn’t she? Apart from the time she spends here with her uncle.

But before I can ask her what she means, Evan walks in, and Melissa gets up and runs to him, hugging his legs.

My chest constricts at how much she trusts him.

“Slept okay?” he asks, and I nod.

“Sorry.” I throw my legs off the side of the sofa, my face burning with embarrassment. “I’m here to help and instead I spend my time sleeping.”

“Octavia, Christ…” He shakes his head, hugging the girl closer. “You have no idea how much you and Matt have helped me already, just by being here. It was more than the accident and the pain, it was… all too much. Melissa wanted to be here, and I couldn’t take proper care of her, and I quit the garage, and just the thought of moving, looking for a job elsewhere was driving me up the wall. And Melissa… she’s everything to me. If I can’t take care of her…”

I sit up straighter as he turns his face away. God. He’s coming apart in front of my eyes, and I don’t know if I should pretend not to notice, or do something, like get up and hug him.

Just then Matt walks into the room, rubbing his forehead as if fighting a headache, almost plowing into Evan and Melissa.

“Fuck.” He jerks back just in time not to bowl them over, dark eyes widening. “Sorry, guys. Wasn’t seeing where I was going.”

“Everything okay?” Evan frowns, hauling Melissa behind him with his good arm, an instinctive gesture of protection. His gaze sharpens. “You look wiped, man. I thought I was the one who couldn’t focus these days.”

Crap. Getting to my feet, I step in front of Matt, belatedly realizing that’s as much a protective gesture as Evan shoving his little niece behind him. “Why don’t you guys watch some TV together? I need to talk to Matt.”

He frowns at me, dark brows heavy over his eyes. “You should rest some more.”

Evan’s gaze flicks between us. “Am I missing something here? You okay, Octavia?”

Matt puts his arm around my shoulders, and his mouth tugs up at the corners in a smile. “She’s more than okay.”

A burn

ing blush moves up my neck to my ears. “I, uh…”

“She’s pregnant,” Matt says, his voice low and rough, like a caress, and I shiver as he tucks me into his side.

“Baby!” Melissa appears from around her uncle, her little face eager. “Where?”

That makes me laugh, and I put a hand over my mouth. “Not here yet, sweetie.”

“Still inside,” Matt growls softly, and puts his hand possessively over my belly.

It makes my heart flip over with happiness.