“It’s probably a good idea for you to have it,” he said with a charming smile. That should’ve been my first clue that something was up right there—As far as I knew, Flynn didn’t do charming. “That way, you can give me a call directly the next time you pretend to fall.”
And with that, he strode out the back door and left.
20
Spencer
The first sleeping person I spotted when I got home was Alyssa. She’d fallen asleep on the sofa with her face scrunched against a throw pillow. I quietly set my keys on the table by the door and crept past her to check on the twins.
They were in their bunk beds, sound asleep and looking like little angels, so the babysitting couldn’t have gone too badly.
Loosening my tie, I went into the kitchen to find something to eat. There had been snacks at the PTA night, but a principal never gets to eat during events like that. Instead, he gets the fun job of welcoming everyone and listened to their complaints.
Since I had to be up early, I didn’t eat much, but I was too hungry to head upstairs right away. Plus, there was the matter of Alyssa. When she woke up, could she make it to her room okay? It was still very difficult for her to get up from the low sofa with her crutches.
And I didn’t know when Rafe would be home. He might’ve gone out for drinks with some of his students and fellow instructors afterwards. Since his students were adults, they were better drinking buddies than mine.
Finally, I decided to make matters simple and just carry Lyss into the bedroom. If I did it right, she wouldn’t even wake up. That was one of my parenting superpowers. When the twins were little and they fell asleep in the car or the hammock out on the deck, I could usually get them to bed without them waking.
Alyssa was all loose-limbed and warm when I scooped her up. She wasn’t very heavy, which was surprising considering how big and bulky her cast was. Her head lolled against my chest as I carried her. Out of force of habit, I almost took her into the kids’ room instead of Raphael’s. That was my undoing, actually. She woke up when I switched directions.
She yawned, blinked, and then looked up at me. “Hi.”
“Hi yourself. I was just carrying you to bed.”
She looked around. “I can see that. It’s a little strange to wake up in midair.”
“I would imagine so.” I carried her into the correct bedroom and managed to flip the light switch with my elbow. I set her down at the foot of the bed and then went back for her crutches so that she could get to the bathroom or whatever else she needed.
“Is Raphael back yet?”
I sat down next to her so we could talk without being loud enough to wake the kids. “No.” Her face fell at my answer. “Did you need him for something?”
“No. It’s just—I slept so well when he stayed in here with me the other night.”
“He slept here?” That was news to me.
“Yeah, didn’t you know?”
“He must’ve gotten up before I did.” The ramifications of this were pretty huge. Rafe rarely dated—I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him with a woman. And now Alyssa was saying it happened two nights ago.
She looked at me with concern. “It’s not what you think. I just—I couldn’t sleep, partly because I don’t get much exercise, and partly because this damn cast is such a pain in the, well, leg. So he kept me company, and then when I started getting sleepy, he let me lean against him so I could sleep on my side, like the little spoon, you know? It was the most comfortable I’ve been in a long time.”
Ah. That changed things. It killed me every time I saw Alyssa grimace in pain or sigh with frustration. I would never, ever forget what she’d done for my family, and I hated to see her suffer for it. If Raphael had found a way to make her feel better, I was happy for her.
And maybe a little jealous of him. It had been eight years since I’d fallen asleep with someone in my arms, and all of a sudden, my body craved it.
Lyss was searching my face, trying to ascertain if I was upset. “I just really hate sleeping on my back and when I leaned against him, I could sleep on my side.”
“Couldn’t we accomplish the same thing by propping pillows all around you?”
“Possibly,” she said slowly, “if we had enough. But I kind of like Raphael’s way better.” Her smile was quick and mischievous.
“I bet you did. So maybe you should stick with what works.”
“I was planning to ask him if he wanted to sleep in here again tonight, but I don’t know what time he’ll be home, and I’m kind of tired.” She gave me a genuine grin. “Your kids wore me out.”