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Jessie
I stepped into West’s house later that evening, feeling mostly calm after taking some of my aggression out in the garage. She was sitting on the kitchen counter, and Lincoln was nuzzling her neck, whispering something in her ear. She giggled, the sound making her seem so young and carefree, and my heart tugged for her in my chest.
I shouldn’t have walked out earlier, but I was too pissed to deal with her.
She looked up at that moment, and her smile fell from her face. Nervousness rang in her eyes before she tilted her chin up at me, her face and eyes becoming a mask of indifference.
I hated that she was so good at doing that because it meant she’d had a reason to guard herself, that someone had once made her feel unsafe.
“Don’t block him out, West,” Lincoln softly coaxed.
She looked over at him. “He walked away—not me,” she told him, her voice filled with bitterness.
“I know he did, baby, but you have to remember that you both hurt each other. You need to talk to him—tell him what you told me this morning.”
What the hell did she tell him this morning?
I moved forward into the kitchen. Lincoln stepped out of the way, and I quickly stepped between West’s legs before she could get down and placed my hands on the countertop beside her hips. She clenched her jaw, glaring up at me. “I’m sorry,” I told her honestly. “I shouldn’t have fucking walked away from you, baby girl.”
She ran her eyes over my face before relaxing her own, letting me finally see her. Reaching up, she traced the tips of her fingers over my jawline, her eyes running over my face. “I’m sorry, too,” she softly replied. She let her eyes meet mine. “I should have come to you about my concerns with my medication rather than hiding the fact that I had stopped taking them.”
“Listen to her,” Lincoln urged as he moved toward the fridge.
I settled my hands on her hips, a silent agreement to hear her out. She drew in a deep breath. “I don’t like the effects that my medication has on me,” she informed me. “I feel zombified—like my emotions are just shut down and buried. I don’t feel like me.”
I frowned. That wasn’t normal. They were supposed to help stabilize her moods, not completely suppress everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked her, not liking the fact that she hadn’t trusted me enough to come to me about this. “Fuck, baby girl, we could have asked your doctor to change your medicine.”
She gave me a small smile, like she’d expected me to say that. “I did ask her,” West told me. I clenched my jaw. “She said they were fine, that I just needed to get used to them.”
I shook my head, not liking that shit. “We’re going to see her tomorrow.”
West shook her head. “I don’t want to. I just want a different doctor.” I frowned. “Please,” she added on when she saw I didn’t like that idea.
I sighed. “Alright,” I caved. “I’ll look around—see who I can find.”
Lincoln moved up beside us, and he smiled at her. “Think you can stomach some soup?” he asked her.
She groaned. “I really don’t want any food,” she told him.
Lincoln looked over at me. “See if you can get her to eat.” West huffed. “She’s been sick most of the day, and now she’s scared to eat anything for fear that she’s going to throw it back up.”
West groaned and looked up at me. “Please don’t force me,” she begged. “Just the mere thought of food right now makes me want to vomit.”
“You at least need some water,” I told her. That was the only compromise I was willing to come to. Hydration was important.
She sighed in exasperation. “You both get on my fucking nerves.”
I narrowed my eyes at her in a warning. “West.”
“I don’t need both of you breathing down my fucking neck,” she snarled. She shoved me back from her before she jumped down from the counter and stormed off. I looked over at Lincoln in question. Christ, she was in a mood.
He shook his head. “She’s been like this all day,” he grumbled. “Don’t challenge her when she’s like this. Just be gentle, and try to be as understanding as possible.” I scowled. West needed a firm hand—not someone to coddle her when she was acting like a brat. “I know it’s hard. Trust me, I want to shout at her, too, but she’s out of sorts right now. Going cold turkey on her medication is messing her up, and then with her hormones being all out of whack from her pregnancy settling into her body, she’s an emotional train wreck. Just bear with her, bro.”
I sighed and walked out of the kitchen in search of West. I found her laying on the couch with her eyes closed. I kneeled down beside her. “West, baby,” I gently called out.
