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As I shifted back against the pillows of my freshly made bed, there was a knock on the door, quickly followed by the door opening. But the person on the other side only stuck her head in.
Dark hair fell over one side of her face, but I could easily make out her features. I had never seen eyes so clear and blue. When her gaze landed on Raven, something in them softened, just as Raven’s green ones did when she looked at the young woman.
“Hey, Mom. You need any help in here? Theo said you were helping the patient freshen up.”
“We’re almost done in here, sweetheart.” Raven tucked the blankets around me before picking up the hairbrush she’d set on the bedside table moments before. “Come in and meet Tavia.”
When she walked all the way into the room and approached the bed, I felt the full effect of her. She was tall, practically a giant compared to me, and even Raven. She had to be at least six feet tall, but she was slender and had the body of a supermodel. She was so beautiful that when she tossed her hair back from her face and I saw the scar on her cheek, I didn’t even react. Not even that scar could distract from her beauty.
“Hello, Tavia,” she greeted, holding out her hand to me. Her left hand, which had a gorgeous engagement ring on it and a matching wedding ring to go with it. “I’m Lexa Davis.”
I shook her hand, feeling oddly at ease with her. What was it about these women that I felt like I actually belonged there? It was so natural to relax and accept that they wouldn’t hurt, or let anything else hurt, me.
“Is Ben working?” Raven asked as she sat beside me on the bed and started brushing my hair. The first stroke had me briefly closing my eyes in pleasure. No one had ever taken care of me like this before, not even when I was a little girl.
“He actually had an errand to run for Dad,” she said. “But he’s going to meet me here.” Smiling down at me, Lexa shook her head a little exasperatedly. “My husband is the sheriff.”
That had me blinking up at her in surprise, making her laugh. “Yeah, that’s the look I get every time I tell new people who I’m married to.”
“But…” I glanced at the door, wondering if Theo was safe here. After seeing him kill not one but two men, I knew he was into some shady things. And as much as I hated him, I didn’t want him to get into trouble.
“Don’t worry. Ben is well aware of the darker sides to my friends and family,” Lexa assured me. “Theo is perfectly fine. If anything, he should fear Mom more than Ben. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
“Lexa,” Raven said with a slight warning in her tone. “Don’t freak the girl out, honey.”
“Right, so is there anything you need? I can run to the store or to the shop if you need me to handle anything for Dad.”
“We have everything handled, sweetheart. Thank you, though.” Raven finished brushing the tangles out of my hair and stood. “How is your pain level, Tavia?”
“I don’t want any narcotics,” I told her.
“That wasn’t my question,” she said with a sternness that had me mumbling that I was hurting pretty badly, especially after all the movement I’d done earlier. “Okay, then. I think you should have a dose of pain medication.”
“I don’t want it,” I told her stubbornly.
“You can’t rest properly if you’re in this much pain. At least for the next day or so, you should let me give you the medication. Then we can talk to Doc about something lighter.”
“I remember you complaining about taking the pain meds after your hysterectomy last year,” Lexa commented.
“Hush up, you,” Raven muttered. “This is different. She can’t even breathe deeply right now because of the pain. Look at how shallowly she’s breathing. I’m going to have to talk to Doc about some oxygen until she can breathe a little easier without so much pain.”
She wasn’t wrong, and I wasn’t about to argue with her if it meant getting more oxygen with less effort.
“You’re the expert,” Lexa told her mom.
“Hang tight, sweetheart. I’ll get you taken care of.” Promising to return shortly, Raven left, and then it was just Lexa and me since Flick had gone out after she and Raven had helped me to bed.
“You’re in great hands,” Lexa told me. “And I’m not saying that just because she’s my mom. She’s already got Theo pouting in a corner because he’s been forbidden to come in here until you give the okay. I’ve known Theo a long time, and only a few people on the planet can actually make him do what they tell him to.”
My heart contracted painfully, thinking of Theo. Twisting my fingers in the blankets to give myself something to do besides sitting there looking helpless, I pretended like she hadn’t brought him up. “It’s pretty quiet around here, huh?”
Lexa laughed. “Considering my brother, Garret, and Nova are at school, of course it is. This evening, when they’ve finished their homework and Garret is getting into trouble, you’ll rethink that. Then there is always the chance that one of the cousins will come over. If Aunt Willa stops by, then at least one of the triplets will tag along.” Her lips twisted with amusement and affection. “We have a big family. Something you will see firsthand all too soon, I’m sure.”
I nodded like I understood, when the truth was, I had no clue what any of that really meant. A big family wasn’t something I understood. A family, period, was only a fantasy to me.
“Theo has told me all about you, actually,” Lexa informed me, but if she expected a reaction from me, she was disappointed because I glanced at the window, pretending the sky outside was all the entertainment I needed. “Not just when he called last night to let me know he was coming for an indefinite visit. I mean over the years. He’s probably my best friend, so we confide in each other as often as we can. And you have been a topic we’ve texted about many, many times over the years.”
I kept the surprise off my face, but just barely. Why would Theo tell this woman about me? I wasn’t anything more than one of the easiest lays he’d ever had. I was nothing to him.
