The steam had to be going to her head. She wasn’t the type of girl to ogle men’s crotches. Then again, she wasn’t typically sharing a small, enclosed space with a gorgeous man wearing only his underwear. What had happened to her life? It was almost unrecognizable compared to this time last year, as was she.
A huge part of her loved it. Too bad she screwed it up with lies.
“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you. You all right?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m good. I was just resting for a second.” She rose and gestured for him to take her place on the closed toilet.
He eyed her as though deciding whether to press the issue but ultimately let it drop. Thank God. Hannah lacked the energy for a conversation about their extremely complicated relationship.
“How is she?” she asked as she slid to the floor with her back against the wall. Warm humidity filled the bathroom, giving his skin a damp glow. She must look like she’d stuck her finger in the electric socket. She could feel her hair growing frizzier by the second.
“Okay, I think,” he answered, looking down at Kayla, who was once again sleeping. “I got her to drink about four ounces.”
“Good.”
They sat in silence, not an easy one, but not overly uncomfortable either. At least three times, Hannah almost made conversation, but bone-deep exhaustion kept her from speaking up. If she was tired, he had to be completely drained.
After a while, JP stood. “She’s out cold and seems to be breathing a little easier. Can we check her temperature again?
“Sure.” Hannah darted back to the living room and grabbed the thermometer. She found JP standing in Kayla’s room near her crib. “Let’s see,” she said as she ran the thermometer across Kayla’s forehead. “Yes! Ninety-nine!” She grimaced. “Sorry. Ninety-nine point two,” she whispered this time.
He sagged. “Oh, thank God. Okay, I’m gonna put her down. Wanna say goodnight?”
He held her sleeping niece toward her.
Hannah’s throat thickened. “I do.” She bent down and pressed a light kiss to Kayla’s forehead. “Night, sweet girl,” she whispered. Inhaling, the sweet scent of baby powder and the same tearless soap she’d used overwhelmed her senses. Tears filled her eyes. JP’s call had terrified her to her very core. She couldn’t imagine losing Kayla to an illness in her infancy.
On some level, she understood her mother’s desire to put everyone she loved in a protective bubble. Wouldn’t anyone do everything in their power to protect their family?
The problem was her mother tried to control the things outside of her ability as well, taking it to a level so extreme it became pathological.
God, how she hoped that wouldn’t be the last time she kissed her niece for a while. She’d find out as soon as JP set her in the crib.
Suddenly she couldn’t be there for a moment longer. Couldn’t witness the bond JP and Kayla already shared and that she wasn’t a part of. “I’ll be in the hall,” she said as she practically ran from the room. Once out, she leaned against the wall and breathed a few times.
The sound of the door snicking shut had her turning her head JP’s way. He faced her, then scratched his flat stomach. His gaze followed his hand. “Oh shit,” he whispered on a chuckle. “I was so freaked out I didn’t realize I wasn’t dressed.”
When he looked her way, a sheepish grin gave him a boyish, playful look.
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I barely noticed.”
Liar.
His hum sounded disbelieving.
“Well, um, now that Kayla is doing better, I should get back.” Ugh, things had gotten thick and tense in a matter of seconds. The giant elephant standing between them in the hallway wouldn’t budge, and she didn’t have the emotional reserve to deal with it right then. Running back to her rental house seemed the wiser choice.
As she turned to leave, JP caught her hand. “Stay,” he said, without a trace of insincerity.
“What?” she whispered. After he’d practically thrown her out the door? What was his game? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I know everything is super fucked up right now. And I know we need to deal with it. But it’s late. I’m exhausted, and you must be, too. I’ll worry about you driving back, and I can’t leave to take you. Sleep with me. In my bed. Just sleep.” He glanced away, then back at her. “I just…please stay.” Pleading eyes begged along with his words.
Hannah must be a hundred different kinds of fool. With a nod, she allowed him to lead her down the hallway to the stairs. She was doing this because it was late, she was tired, and she didn’t want to risk falling asleep at the wheel on the drive home. It was the sensible, logical, most restful choice.
That’s all.
Once in his room, he crawled under the covers on the right side of his bed, closest to the door. Holding the navy-blue comforter peeled back, he said, “Climb in.”