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NINE
Bailey
Iwas sick as hell.
Seth was sitting in the recliner downstairs, and I was draped across his lap, my head resting on his shoulders. A fresh vomit bag was sitting in his lap.
The baby was kicking my ass today, and it wasn’t letting up anytime soon. My stomach was churning like a mother fucker.
Seth ran his hand over my hair, gently rocking me back and forth, a blanket around my shoulders as a fan blew cool air onto my face.
I moaned in discomfort. Seth tightened his arm around me, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “Any change?” Trent asked as he stepped into the living room, his worried eyes running over my pale face.
Seth shook his head. “Still pretty sick.”
Trent knelt in front of the recliner, his eyes locked on mine. “You need anything?”
I shook my head, but the action made me gag. Seth quickly grabbed the bag, and Trent held my hair back as I threw up stomach acid. I closed my eyes afterwards, my stomach beginning to settle. Seth pushed my hair back once Trent released it so he could get rid of the bag. “You want to try getting some rest?” Seth asked me.
I nodded. He stood from the recliner with me in his arms, heading for the stairs. I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. He brushed his lips to my forehead as he placed me on my bed. “Rest,” he said softly. “I’m going to grab a bite to eat, and then I’ll be right back up, okay?”
I nodded. He kissed my cheek before he disappeared from the room, leaving the door ajar. I closed my eyes and snuggled under the covers, thankful my stomach had settled enough for me to get some sleep. Being woken up at three A.M. with nausea was not the way I’d wanted to start my day.
* * *
Seth wrappedme up in a hug on the porch and buried his face in my hair. “Call me if you need me. I’ll drop everything and come to you, hear me?” He leaned back so our eyes connected. “I mean it, Bailey.”
“I will; I promise,” I assured him. Now that he was back around, I planned to take advantage of it. So, if he said to text him if I needed him, I was fucking doing that.
With a sigh, he stepped off the porch and strode to his car. He had gotten a phone call a little while ago from a family member, and he had to go take care of something. I didn’t ask what. It was clear he hadn’t wanted to leave me, so I knew he wasn’t going to do anything that would result in me being hurt.
Seth was really trying this time.
“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Trent asked me.
I looked up at my older brother with a frown. Frowning seemed to be all I was capable of doing these days. “What do you mean?” I asked him.
He sighed. “It’s clear you two have something together—something strong,” he explained, talking about me and Seth. “So, why are you wasting time with his brother?”
I shrugged and wrapped my arms around my middle. “Brayden doesn’t know what’s going on in my head,” I said softly. Trent’s eyes softened in understanding, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “And after yesterday, I don’t know if I have the nerve to break things off with him. He seems to be really into me.” I sighed. “I shouldn’t have continued on with this after I found out he was Seth’s brother, but I don’t know what else to do now.”
Trent shook his head. “I don’t like it, little sis. You know you can do whatever you want. And if you don’t want to be with Brayden, then don’t be.”
It wasn’t that simple. I had used Brayden, and now, if I broke things off because he was no longer useful to me, I would feel guilty. I couldn’t deal with guilt on top of everything else I was already struggling to cope with.
I turned in my brother’s arms and wrapped my arms around his midsection. The tension in Trent’s body left as he wrapped his own arms around me, holding me tight to him. Then, he was tense again when I heard a car pull into the drive.
He looked down at me. “Good luck, sis. I’m here if you need me,” he said quietly.
I turned to look over my shoulder, frowning when I saw Brayden. Swallowing nervously, I stepped back from Trent and turned to face the guy I was supposed to be dating. Trent stepped inside as Brayden walked up the porch towards me, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. I wasn’t a fan of flowers, but I accepted them anyway considering it was a kind gesture.
“I wanted to apologize for showing up like I did yesterday,” he said, clearing his throat afterward. “As someone who studied psychology, I should have known better than to just barge my way in and try to demand answers. So, I’m sorry for being a douchebag.”
I forced a smile onto my face. It was a bit easier after spending yesterday and most of today with Seth. He helped make me feel a little bit normal again, though the dark thoughts never completely went away.
“I, um,” Brayden nervously rubbed the back of his neck, “you want to grab a bite to eat? Maybe watch a movie at my place afterward? I want to make up for yesterday.”
I nodded, agreeing though I didn’t want to. It was the only right thing to do. “Let me grab my wallet and phone,” I told him.
