Page 75 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

“I’m so happy to be here, but I’m going to miss the Airstream,” I told Thea.

“You can borrow it whenever you want.”

“It’s so strange to think I’ll be sleeping in my actual bed tonight.”

I’d arranged for my New York belongings in storage to be transported out here. The truck had arrived yesterday with my furniture and more boxes than I’d remembered owning. So today, Thea and Logan had brought up the kids to help unpack. There were items that didn’t work in this house that I’d swap out for others eventually.

But as of tonight, I was home. Permanently.

I took another chip from my bowl but hesitated before dousing it in salsa as my stomach churned. “Ugh.” I gripped my stomach.

“Not feeling well?” Thea asked.

I closed my eyes and took a few long breaths, swallowing down the nausea. “No. I’ve just been queasy these last few days. I’m sure it’s just the stress of the move.”

“That’s no good.”

“It always goes away by dinner time, and I have my appetite back.”

“Um . . . could you—”

The sound of truck tires crunching on my gravel driveway interrupted Thea, forcing us both off the couch. She grabbed Camila from where she was playing on a blanket with some toys on the floor, positioning her on a hip with a kiss to her cheek. Then we all went outside to see Kaine backing his truck up to the door.

“I’m so excited for this,” I told Thea.

“From everything you’ve told me about this table, so am I.”

I swallowed down another rush of nausea, refusing to let a stomach bug ruin this moment. Logan got out first, followed by Kaine. He shot me a quick grin before hopping up into the truck bed.

The motion of his long legs swinging into the truck, his muscled ass on display as he bent to undo a ratchet strap, chased away the sick feeling in my stomach.

My god, he is handsome. That thought crossed my mind daily. A wave of heat rushed down my spine.

Sex had become a key component in my evening routine with Kaine over the last month. We didn’t have sleepovers, but Kaine left my bed later and later each night. The evenings we spent at the cabin, he’d walk me back to the camper after naked time under his sheets. I’d long since broken my rule about sex in his bed.

Why did I need boundaries when I’d already crossed them all?

Kaine had me whenever and wherever he wanted, and the pleasure was definitely shared. My heart, well . . . it was too late to add safeguards now. The man standing in the back of his truck had stolen it already.

I glanced over at Thea. She was drooling over her husband like I’d been with Kaine.

“If you keep looking at him like that, you’re going to get another baby,” I teased.

She laughed. “Oh no, we’re done. Three is all I can handle.” Her smile fell and she gave me a sideways glance before it moved to Kaine. She leaned in closer to talk under her breath. “Um, I was going to ask inside. But about the nausea. You couldn’t be pregnant, could you?”

“Oh, uh . . . no.” My heart sank. “No. I-I can’t have kids.” Not without major medical intervention.

“Oh.” Her face paled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to ask if—”

“It’s okay.” I waved her off. “I don’t talk about it much. One of these days I’ll come down to the bar while it’s quiet and we can talk about it.” Now that I’d confided my issues to Kaine, I didn’t feel so protective about my secrets.

She smiled. “I’d like that. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that when I was pregnant with all three kids, I’d get these waves of nausea that would make my skin gray like yours was on the couch. Then every night by dinner, I was starving. Still, I shouldn’t have intruded. I’m so sorry.”

“Really.” I squeezed her arm. “It’s fine. You didn’t know.”

Our whispered conversation was stopped short when Logan positioned himself at one end of the table. With Kaine at the other, the pair carefully unloaded my table, bringing it through the door.

When it was situated in the center of the dining area, Kaine whipped off the canvas tarp. All of us converged around the table, even the kids, admiring its beauty.