Naming our relationship somehow relieves the pressure I’ve felt building; gives me room to breathe again because now I don’t have to rationalize the very strong need I feel to care for her in every way.
Wearefriends.
That’s what friends do.
Do friends share a bed, Jack?
I mentally berate myself but come to the conclusion that yes, sometimes they do.
And I’m about to become the best friend Quinn Ivor has ever had.
17
A TOOTHBRUSH WOULD BE HELPFUL
QUINN
Sitting up,I scrub at my eyes and try to shake off the drowsiness. The taut fabric of Jack’s couch beneath me reminds me that I’m not in my bed. Stretching my arms above my head, I run my fingers through my messy hair and glance around me. Without Jack’s and Sienna’s voices echoing through it, the room feels unnaturally large and silent.
The clock on my phone tells me I’ve slept well past noon, which is so out of character for me. I can’t remember the last time I slept so soundly for so long. Whatever medicine Jack gave me last night knocked me right the fuck out.
Probably because pairing sleeping meds with wine is not the best idea, but I don’t regret the decision. I’ve needed to turn my brain off like that for a while now.
The front door opens and I hear Sienna’s chatter before she and Jack come into view. He has brown paper grocery bags in each hand, and he doesn’t seem to notice that I am awake, because he heads straight for the kitchen.
My eyes are heavy and my steps are unsteady as I stumble through the entryway and over to the coffee maker. “Please tell me there’s coffee,” I grumble, taking Jack by surprise.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
Sienna kicks her legs excitedly when she sees me, but I pause the half a step I’ve taken toward her when Jack’s cat takes me by surprise, weaving a figure eight around my ankles. She rivals Sienna’s demand for my attention in the form of insistent purring.
“Milo, what the fu—frick?”
I stifle my laughter at Jack’s censoring of himself and bend down to scratch the top of her head. She leans into my touch and he just stares, obviously dumbfounded.
When I’m upright again, Milo darts out of the room. “What?”
“I’m lucky if he lets me pet him once a month, and even then it’s because I’ve taken too long to feed him and he’s trying to bribe me.”
I zero in on the fact that he sayshe—as if Milo is a boy when not long ago he told me the cat was a girl.
I am nowhere near awake enough to unravel whatever that ball of yarn is, but I can’t stop the feelings that arise at the thought of Jack referring to me as his girl.
Because that’sdefinitelywhat happened, and heverypoorly tried to cover it up.
I decide to change the subject. “Grocery day?”
I take Sienna from him, and I hope she doesn’t somehow sense that it’s because I’m using her as a form of armor. I feel less awkward—less anxious—when I’m holding her.
I shift her onto my hip and reach for the coffee pot with my free hand. The smell hits me in the face as I measure out scoops into the filter.
“I had big plans to make breakfast before you woke up, but we slept half the day too and breakfast turned into lunch,” he shrugs, tossing a loaf of ciabatta onto the island.
I nuzzle my forehead against Sienna’s causing her to coo. “This pretty girl must have been all worn out from trick-or-treating to have slept for so long.”
“Well, we didn’t sleep quite as long as you did.”Obviously. The half grin, half smirk on his face nearly takes my breath away.
Sienna’s tiny mouth stretches wide with a yawn, her arms moving to wrap around my neck as she squirms against me. The coffee pot gurgles to life. As much as I want to wait for it to finish and have the time to savor a hot cup, she demands immediate attention. Rubbing her eyes and releasing a whiny grunt, she lets me know she’s been awake exactly long enough and is ready for her nap.
