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Even though I have Laila with me and she’s not used to seeing me touch another woman aside from family, I can’t resist pulling Thea into my arms for a quick embrace. Her hair smells like sunshine and it’s silky soft as it brushes under my chin. She’s small and curvy and fits against my body so perfectly my heart clutches from the rightness of it.
All too soon, I pull away, not wanting anyone to feel uncomfortable. I know if I end up being in an actual relationship with Thea, I’ll have to have a discussion with Laila about it. But it's only been a week since I asked Thea out, so the relationship discussion might be a bit premature.
Although I just let go of Thea and I’m already aching to hold her again. So maybe thinking about a relationship with her this soon isn’t so crazy.
Especially when I look into her eyes and see the same longing I’m feeling. But then she blinks and now it’s all friendly again as she turns her attention to Laila. “Do you want to come in?”
Laila is staring at Thea with obvious concern, and she thrusts the card out toward her. “I’m sorry you got hurt. Does your head hurt a lot? It looks like it does. Dad said you have a con… concus—” Then she frowns and her mouth snaps shut. “Sorry. I’m supposed to be quiet. I promised.”
“It’s okay.” Thea gives her a kind smile and gestures for both of us to follow her inside. She heads into the living room and settles onto the couch with a little sigh of relief. “I have a concussion, Laila. It means I hurt my brain a little. But I’m feeling much better.”
I can tell Thea’s still in pain from the tiny lines etched across her forehead and bracketing her mouth. Once I put the bag of gifts on the coffee table, I sit down next to her and touch her arm gently. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“I’m sure.” She pats the empty cushion on the other side of her and says, “Laila, will you come share your card with me?”
Laila glances at me, her gaze questioning. As soon as I nod at her, she’s up on the couch and leaning against Thea, pointing at the card in her lap. “See. That’s you on the front. With all your books. I tried to make a lot of them, like in the library.”
“Oh, it’s wonderful.” Thea leans over to look closely at the card, her cinnamon curls falling around her face. “You made so many books. And I can tell that’s me in the middle, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Laila opens the card carefully. “And there are more books inside. And a message.”
Thea reads it out loud. “To Miss Thea. Feel better soon. I miss you. Love, Laila Lewis.” A funny expression crosses her face, but it’s gone before I can examine it. “Thank you, Laila. I love it.”
Now that the card presentation is over, Laila starts scanning the room, looking at everything. Her eyes move to the bookcases, and I can tell she’s just about to ask to look at them when Thea’s cat, Daisy, strolls into the room.
We don’t have any pets, much to the consternation of Laila, so she nearly vibrates with excitement as soon as she sees Daisy. “You have a cat!”
“I do.” Thea chuckles, almost hiding the resulting wince. “That’s Daisy. And I was thinking before you got here. My cat has been awfully bored the last week, since I haven’t been able to play with her. Would you like to entertain her for a bit?”
Laila leaps off the couch. “Yes!”
“Do you see that box of toys over there?” Thea points at a little woven basket across the room. “Why don’t you take that into the kitchen and play with Daisy in there?”
My daughter is already speeding across the room, not even pausing as she calls over her shoulder, “Okay!”
Once Laila is settled in the kitchen with Daisy and her toys, I get a full appreciation for what Thea’s done. We’re in an open concept living space with the kitchen at the far end—distant enough away to only hear the faint jingles and rattles of cat toys, but with full visibility so I can watch everything.
And with Laila occupied with the cat, I can now turn my attention to Thea, who I’m more than a little worried about.
“Hey.” I tuck a stray curl behind her ear before sliding my hand to her nape. “How are you feeling? Really?”
She turns toward me, her knees brushing against mine. “I’m okay.”
Not if the stiff muscles at her neck and shoulders are any indication. As I start massaging them gently, I hold her gaze. “Thea. I can tell you’re still in pain. Have you talked to the doctor?”
She touches my leg, resting her hand just above my knee. “It’s not that bad, Ben. And yes, Ari took me to the doctor yesterday. He said everything looks normal and I can go back to work on Monday.”
The purplish smudges under her eyes don’t look normal to me. I’ve been looking at Thea for months and she’s never looked this tired before. Or pale. Or fragile. “Are you sleeping okay?”
After a moment, her lips quirk up. “Are you saying I look tired? You’re not supposed to say that to a woman, you know.”
I cast a glance over to the kitchen and Laila is still fully engaged with the cat. “I know that. But—”
My instincts are poking at me, telling me something’s wrong. So I wrap my arm around Thea and pull her into my side, tucking her small body against mine. She tenses for a moment—oh, crap, too soon—but then she relaxes, leaning her head on my shoulder.
Before I can say anything else, Thea takes a deep breath and sighs it out. “I’m not sleeping well. I keep having nightmares, but I can’t remember what they are when I wake up. And I know that’s not something I should talk about when we haven’t even had our first date yet, but—”
My chest goes tight. I hate thinking about Thea waking up from her nightmares and being scared, all alone, and probably hurting. Pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, I say, “Of course you should talk about it. I want to know.”
