Unraveling Midnight by Stephanie Beck Read Free Book Online Page A

to eat and he’d been nauseous from swallowing blood. She hoped Scott fared better.
    The living room was in the front of the house, with several rooms between it and the kitchen. The house’s layout was probably a hodgepodge of different owners adding to the place. It was plenty big, but part of her wished she could hear the kids better in the kitchen. Though, if they started squabbling, she was sure she would hear them.
    She’d closed the curtains in the living room when the light had seemed to bother Scott, so the room was cool and nearly dark as the sun had furthered its descent. He lay on the sofa, not moving, and for a moment she panicked, thinking he wasn’t breathing.
    “I’m okay,” he grumbled, still not moving an inch, but apparently he had heard her enter. “How are the kids? Did they eat?”
    “The kids are fine.” She stepped farther into the room and took a seat on the heavy coffee table beside him. “They ate enormous sandwiches and now are tackling bowls of ice cream. I don’t know how you keep up with those appetites.”
    “It’s not always easy,” he said and from her new position she could see his face. He looked pale and his lips were drawn in pain, yet like he’d said, he seemed okay. “There’s sausage in the freezer and a couple dozen eggs in the fridge for breakfast. I don’t know if I’ll be up to making it and Greg—”
    “Don’t worry about it.” She tugged his blanket over his shoulders. “I’ll stay tonight and make sure they eat in the morning.” She left out the part about her not being able to cook worth a darn, but come hell or high water, she would see the kids fed.
    “Thank you,” he muttered, closing his eyes again.
    “Can I bring you some pain medication or maybe something to eat?” she asked, indulging her need to run her hand over his head.
    Like Greg, he leaned toward her. They were all missing touch and it broke Lucy’s heart.
    “I’ll grab something in a little while,” he said. “I think for now I just need to sleep. The kids will eat their ice cream and go to bed. They’re all tired.”
    “Yes, they already promised. I’ll clean up the kitchen and bring my knitting in here to keep an eye on things.”
    “I wish I could say you don’t need to stay,” he said, his lips barely moving. “But it wouldn’t be true.”
    “Well, you’re in luck, because I have nowhere I need to be and nothing is going to pull me away from helping you guys now. Just rest, okay, Scott? I’ll go check on the kids again and be back in a few minutes. Call out if you need anything.”
    * * * *
    He was going to hell. Scott waited until Lucy’s footsteps were well away before sitting up and finishing the candy bar he’d grabbed from his bedroom. The action made him wince, so he didn’t feel too bad for putting on the pitiful face for Lucy. He did feel rough, there was no denying it, but he could have been up. Instead, he was indulging a little.
    He’d heard Ross and Greg talking about how kind Lucy was and about how nice it was to have a girl in the house and, suddenly, his plan to tell her she should go hadn’t been so great. Letting anyone close was detrimental to their identity, however when Lucy had ran her hand through his hair, he’d realized why his boys were so infatuated with the loving woman. The clues were all lining up for Lucy to be more to all of them than a friendly human.
    He was going to spend the night healing on the couch, soaking in her scent while she knitted and hopefully got some sleep. The loveseat was comfortable. She’d be able to rest and she’d said something about taking the next few days off anyway, so he assured himself he wasn’t being too selfish. Letting her loose after she spent time with him and the kids, that might be more difficult than planned, but he’d take things one step at a time.
    Footfalls returned to the hall before he’d anticipated. He shoved the rest of the candy in his mouth and lay down. The sugary snack