Page 10 of Derecho

I nodded, unable to get past the emotion starting to make my throat sting. I was done being a prisoner in my own home. In my own mind.

“Alright. I gotta go get ready for shift. These assholes at the fire house need to stop requesting one night off at a time. It’s wrecking my sleeping pattern.”

“You love it, don’t try to pretend you don’t. I know you’re eating up all that ‘lieutenant’ shit,” I teased.

“Of course I am.” Hayes ran his hand through his hair. “I want to be selected as Mr. July again for the charity calendar. I know we just did the photoshoot a few weeks ago, but I’ve already got a lot of ideas for how next year's shoot could go. I’m thinking flames and burning buildings and me carrying Mrs. July⁠—”

I snorted. “And who would play that part?”

“Fuck if I know,” he groaned. “But two of our brothers and our little sister have found their person, so I figure I gotta be next. I’m older, and my face is definitely better to look at than your grumpy mug.”

“Get off my porch, Hayes.”

He laughed all the way to his truck, pulling out of my driveway with a wave, his smirk still plastered across his face.

I’d heard her car coming long before I could see it, but the tightness in my chest eased when I saw it was still in the same shape as last week. At least it hadn’t gotten worse.

Lainey’s eyes ran over me, the line between her furrowed brows growing deeper the closer she got to the front porch.

“How far’d you make it today?” she asked, huffing as she walked up the stairs. I held out my hand and waited as she put the two trays into my outstretched arm.

“To right here,” I grumbled, waiting for the quick comment I knew she’d make about my lack of progress. I set the trays on the bench, turning to make sure I could give her hell while she tried.

But the second I turned around, my stomach dropped. All the color had drained right out of her face, and Lainey was swaying dangerously close to steps. Christ, if she fell…

I lurched forward, hating the pain that burst in my leg from the sudden, overextended motion. I pushed myself, and in three quick steps, my hands were on her waist, steadying her.

I expected Lainey to push me away. To scream in my face and tell me I’d overstepped. But she didn’t say a peep as her hands rested on my chest.

“You okay?” I whispered, wondering how the hell I was going to keep her upright if she collapsed. Her lashes fluttered. “I think you should sit down.”

“Mm. Just the heat…lots of deliveries. You’re the last. I need some cool air.”

I looked at the piece of shit car she was driving.

“There’s still no AC in it,” she mumbled, watching my face. “But I’ll cool down when I drive with the windows down. You can let me go, I’m better⁠—”

“You better not be trying to run away, Trouble. You almost just passed out in front of me,” I growled, hating how hot her skin felt under my hands. She was eight months pregnant, for fuck’s sake! “You’re coming inside my damn house until you feel better.” Cool air I could do. “Come on.” I positioned myself behind her a little, switching my hold so my arm wrapped around her low back.

“I shouldn’t…”

“You’re really living up to your nickname today, aren’t you?” I growled, frustrated at the way she was fighting back when she barely had the strength to stand.

She laughed, a little of her color coming back into her face. “I try.”

Lainey stopped in the doorway, still leaning on me as she slipped her shoes off.

“You didn’t need to do that,” I said, helping her over to the sofa.

“I’m not walking in your house with my shoes on. That’s gross.”

I nodded, too focused on what I could do to help her cool down to even really pay attention to what she was saying. I grabbed the remote for the ceiling fan off the coffee table, and clicked it to the highest setting.

“Relax. I’ll be right back,” I instructed as I made my way to the kitchen in the back of my house. I moved around my kitchen like I was a part of a fucking black-ops mission. Water from the fridge…largest glass I had, filled with ice…electrolytes I used whenever my leg started to spasm…

“Here.” I shoved the glass into her hand the second I was back in the living room. “Drink this. I put some electrolyte powder in it. Hope the little one likes citrus.”

Lainey smiled as she took the glass and brought it to her lips. I’d accidentally packed the damn thing with so much ice that I’d had to scoop some out because there was barely any room for actual water in the end.