Chapter Seven
Lindsey tried not to glare at Caitlyn, and she was sure under any other circumstances she would have liked the woman, but did she have to touch Owen so much? It was sickening. Caitlyn was too old for him, for one thing—probably ten years his senior. And for another, Owen acted all goofy around her. He was usually in a good mood anyway, but he couldn’t stop smiling and laughing and whispering things to Caitlyn that made her equally goofy.
Chad leaned close to Lindsey and said, “You’re looking a little green there, angel.”
“I feel okay,” she said. “My morning sickness ended months ago.” And it was late evening, not morning. She didn’t feel remotely nauseated.
“Different kind of green,” Chad said. “The jealous kind.”
“I’m not—” She snapped her jaw shut. She so was. And Owen was obviously happy. Why couldn’t she just be glad he’d found someone and get over it? It wasn’t like they’d ever had a relationship, and the baby wasn’t his. She had no claim on him, but he was such a good person and so cute and talented. And he’d never been anything but nice to her. Even when everyone else on the planet treated her like she was worthless and trashy, Owen had never made her feel that way. Caitlyn had no idea how lucky she was.
Unable to stand the sappiness between the pair any further, Lindsey stood. “I’m going to bed early.”
“I should probably head that way too,” Chad said with a smirk. “Give the lovebirds a little privacy.”
“I guess we’re all thinking of bed,” Owen said.
He kissed Caitlyn in a way that let Lindsey know that she’d soon be listening to their sex noises coming from across the hall.
“Do you need any help getting to bed?” Lindsey asked Chad, having learned earlier that one did not assume he wanted assistance with anything. That led to the demolition of perfectly good doorframes. He was so strong and independent. He must think she was a weak and terrible human being for coming here from Idaho and accepting handouts from his brother.
“I’ve got it.” Chad shifted himself from the sofa to the wheelchair like he’d been doing it his entire life and had even figured out how to use his one good arm to wheel himself in a moderately straight line.
“It was so good to meet you, Chad,” Caitlyn said.
“Same,” Chad said, and Lindsey couldn’t help but notice he didn’t seem overly thrilled by his brother’s happiness either. He vanished into the den—which luckily had a wider entry than the bathroom—and shut the door behind himself.
Lindsey headed for the stairs, a bit confused by Chad’s brusqueness. He didn’t have the hots for the curvy brunette too, did he?
“He’s just tired,” she heard Owen tell Caitlyn. “He’ll be more himself tomorrow once he gets some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“He’s charming,” Caitlyn said. “Just like his younger brother.”
“You call that charming? He was all sorts of cranky tonight.”
“Cut him some slack, he just . . .”
Lindsey lost track of their conversation as she climbed the stairs. She got ready for bed and slipped between the sheets but lay wide-awake, wondering what her life would be like in a few months. She couldn’t allow herself to feel too settled in Owen’s house. Her living situation was very temporary. Mostly because she wasn’t sure if she could stand the rhythmic creaking of the bed across the hall for another second. She groaned and crammed her pillow over her head. At least Chad didn’t have to listen to that part of his brother’s new romance. Ugh. Owen must have been plowing Caitlyn hard, because the pillow was no match for the headboard banging into the wall and the bed’s legs scraping the floor. Dear lord, would it ever end?
Unable to stand another moment of those sounds and knowing from experience that those two would go at it all night, Lindsey grabbed her pillow and quilt and headed downstairs to sleep on the sofa. Caitlyn’s moans were even louder in the upstairs hallway and followed Lindsey all the way down to the living room. She noticed the band of light beneath the door of the den where Chad was supposed to be asleep. She wondered if the Caitlyn and Owen sexathon was keeping him awake as well. Hopefully, he could get some sleep. He must be utterly exhausted. Every task he completed was a major ordeal, but he never complained. He only complained when someone tried to help him.
Owen called out in ecstasy upstairs, and the muffled sounds of the thumping headboard finally came to an end.
“Oh, thank God,” Lindsey heard Chad say in his room.
She giggled into her pillow. Apparently, he could hear the randy couple too. The house fell silent, and Lindsey’s eyelids began to droop as she snuggled into her quilt. She was almost asleep when Owen’s bed began to squeak again.
“For fuck’s sake,” Chad yelled. “Tie a knot in it, won’t you?”
The den door opened, and Chad wheeled himself out of his room. He paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Can you two keep it down?” he yelled. “I’m trying to suffer from insomnia in peace!”
“You think it’s loud down here . . .” Lindsey said from her comfy spot on the sofa.
Chad’s head turned in her direction. “I didn’t know you were down here.”
“I thought it might be quieter. Come keep me company until he . . . until he . . .”
“Comes?”
Lindsey’s cheeks warmed, and she nodded.
“I thought he already had.”
“He usually has three in him,” Lindsey said.
“Three? You’re kidding!”
She shook her head. “And the third one takes a really, really long time.”
“We need to get our own places, Lindsey. How can you stand listening to that night after night?”
“She only stays over a couple times a week.” And having her own place sounded equal parts awesome and lonely. She wouldn’t be lonely for long, though. Soon she’d have a baby to care for and keep her company. To love and love her back. That was all she’d ever wanted out of life, really. For someone to love her. Truly. Madly. Deeply.
“That’s a relief,” he said.
“Are you having trouble sleeping?” she asked, sitting up and wrapping the quilt around her shoulders. “Even without the sound effects?”
“Eventually I get so tired I pass out, but I haven’t slept well since I was deployed.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Six years in the thick of things, with a few breaks in between.”
That long? How was he functional?
“Maybe I can help,” she said. As soon as she spoke, she wished she could take back the offer. She knew how Chad reacted to offers of help.
“How?” he asked.
“When I was a l
ittle girl, my mom would let me rest my head in her lap while she hummed to me and stroked my forehead. I’d be asleep in minutes.” Her mom wouldn’t even speak to her now, but she’d cared about Lindsey at one time. Not so long ago really. Maybe that was why it had hurt so bad when she’d told Lindsey she no longer had a daughter. Sluts were not welcome in her house. Vanessa should have kept her damned mouth closed. Bragging to the catty bitches in town about their one-nighter with Sole Regret had not been her friend’s smartest decision.
“I’m willing to try anything at this point,” Chad said.
Lindsey smiled, glad she might be of use, and patted her ever-diminishing lap. “Right here.”
He wheeled over to the couch and deftly shifted onto the cushion beside her. He surprised her by facing her belly when he stretched out, rather than facing away. He surprised her further when his good arm circled her ever-expanding waist.
“I feel calmer already,” he murmured.
Well, that made one of them. She wasn’t sure why her hormones kicked into overdrive whenever he was near. Her hand trembled when she brushed her fingers over his forehead. In the darkness, she found the ridge of a healing scratch, the indentation at his temple, and the soft hair of his scalp that had already grown noticeably in the short two weeks she’d known him. The bandaged side of his head was against her thigh, so it was easy to forget that he’d been horribly wounded. She tried to remember the song her mother used to hum but figured he might not appreciate a lullaby. She settled on a Garth Brooks song, “Friends in Low Places,” hoping it didn’t offend him.
After several measures, Chad laughed quietly, then asked, “Does Owen know you listen to country music?”
His breath warmed her belly and made butterflies dance inside her.
“I mostly listen to Sole Regret,” she said. “They’re my favorite band, but there is a definite country influence in their music.”
“I can’t say I noticed that. Not even a little.”
She continued to stroke his forehead. “I guess it’s a blues influence, actually, but blues is a foundation for both country and rock.”