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No. It has to be Thea.
When I poke my head in the guest room, I know my instincts were right.
She’s curled into a ball, blanket clutched in her hand, moaning softly. Her features are pinched, lashes fluttering as she dreams. Tears dampen her cheeks.
Then she flinches, jerking away from something only she can see. The attacker? The tree she ran into?
I perch on the edge of the bed and gently rub Thea’s shoulder. “Sweetheart.” I keep my tone low and soothing. “Thea, hun. Wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”
After I’ve repeated the same words several times, she comes awake with a jolt. Eyes wide and startled, she gasps, “Ben?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. You were having a nightmare.”
“Oh.” Her chin wobbles. “Am I…”
“In my guest room.” I was hesitating to hold Thea, at least until I knew she was completely awake, not wanting to accidentally trigger her. But now that she’s pushing herself up, talking…
I pull her carefully in my arms, pressing soft kisses to her crown. “You fell asleep on the couch, and I brought you in here to get some rest.”
“But, Ben… I have to go home.”
“No, sweetheart.” I firm my voice. “Not tonight.”
“Ben—” She sounds so small. And I can’t bear it.
“Thea.” I shift her in my arms so I can look at her face. Brushing her tears away, I ask, “How often are you having these nightmares? Tell me the truth.”
She hesitates. And then, “Every night.”
It’s a punch to the chest. Every night. The woman I’m more than halfway in love with, suffering every night on her own.
No. Just no.
“We’re going to talk about this.” I tip her chin up so she can’t look away. “Not right now, but this can’t continue. We’re going to find a way to fix this.”
Chapter 12
THEA
I feel a little guilty, but mostly excited.
Guilty because Laila isn’t here, and I know she was disappointed she wouldn’t get to spend the entire weekend with us.
But she’s with her grandmother, the lovely Emily who keeps stopping into the library to visit and swearing me to secrecy. “Don’t tell Ben I’m here,” she says each time, dropping her voice conspiratorially. “He thinks I’m being a pushy mother. But I just like coming to see you.”
I think it’s sweet. She brings cookies for all the library staff and asks for book recommendations and she tells me all sorts of stories about Ben from when he was a kid. So I don’t mind her visits in the least.
At least I know she likes me. And if things keep going as well between Ben and I as they have been, I definitely want her to approve.
So I guess it’s not too terrible that Laila’s with her this weekend. Ben reassured me last night, “Thea. Laila and my mom are going to have a great time. They’re going into the city and visiting the zoo, plus I gave them money to buy two toys at F.A.O. Schwarz. Don’t let Laila put a guilt trip on you.”
She sort of did. Gazing at me with big eyes, saying sadly, “But I want to spend the weekend with you, Thea. Please?” Ben quickly distracted her, reminding her about all the fun things she was going to do with her grandmother, but the damage was done.
To me, that is. Laila was smiling again a minute later.
Another thing. She’s not calling me Miss Thea anymore. Ben had the relationship talk with Laila, explaining that since he and I are dating, she can just call me Thea. When he asked her if she was okay with us dating, Laila said—and this is a direct quote from Ben—“I already knew you were boyfriend and girlfriend, Dad. It’s okay with me.”
So the excited part.
