It’s a tricky line to walk.
She’s watching me, and I think she understands what I’m chewing on. “You want them here,” she says.
I flip the sandwiches. “I want you to have them close if you need them.”
She rests her chin on the back of the couch, watching me. “Just in case, right?”
“I also want us to have our privacy and time alone. And I know you need and deserve and have the right to make decisions for yourself. You told me to call them, so I did. How you handle them from here is your choice, Jo, and I’ll support it no matter what. If you want, I can have Jen pay the owners of the house to let them stay there indefinitely. Pay them enough, and they’ll agree. Or, I can have a jet standing by at all times, but it’d still be several hours from liftoff till them being at your side, in the event that you get sick and feel like you…” I swallow hard. “Like you need them with you. I don’t know what the right decision is, Jo, I really don’t. I just know I want you to be happy, I want to support you, help you, and care for you in every way I can.”
Dinah huffs. “Good lord.”
I frown at her. “What?”
“You’re so freaking sweet it’s saccharine, Wes. Gag.” Her eyes show love and approval, despite her words; quintessential Dinah. “Insta-love is fake—I’ll maintain this to my dying day. You two are just…special.”
Jolene says nothing. I can tell Dinah’s use of the L-word is freaking her out, though.
* * *
Dinah staysanother hour or so, eating and talking with Jo and me, until she finally heads home.
When she’s gone, Jolene and I sit on the couch together. “So is that normal? Your sister showing up in the middle of the night like that?”
I nod, snorting a laugh. “Yeah, it is. She keeps weird hours, and so do I. But now that she knows you’re around, she’ll probably text before showing up, just to make sure she’s not…you know…interrupting.”
Jolene blushes. “I probably should have gotten dressed, huh?” She’s still wrapped in the sheet.
I wave in dismissal. “Nah. If we were at her house, she’d probably be half naked herself. We weren’t raised to be super prudish about nudity, so you in a sheet isn’t going to bother her.”
“Iwasraised to be prudish about nudity,” Jolene says. “But I’m still feeling kinda meh, and putting on clothes just sounded like a lot of effort.”
I grin, and pull her onto my lap. “Trust me, I don’t mind.” I pull the edges of the sheet apart, baring her torso. “Especially now that we’re alone and you can just take it off.”
She nuzzles into me. “I’m not up for anything but cuddling, Wes. I’m sorry.”
“I know. Don’t apologize. I’m just expressing appreciation for your beauty.”
She trails her fingers through my hair. “Can we go back to bed? I’m tired again.”
“The beer, probably,” I say.
She only drank about half of it before deciding the taste wasn’t for her; Dinah didn’t finish her second either.
She shakes her head. “No, I’m still just…meh. Ready to sleep again.” She clings to my neck as I stand up with her in my arms. “Thank you for bringing my family here.”
“Of course.”
In bed, wrapped up in each other, covered with blankets.
“I like your sister,” she whispers.
“Me too.”
“Well that’s good,” she laughs. “Sheisyour sister.” A pause. “I’m glad you have her.”
“Now you do, too.”
A pause. “If I wanted to call her and talk to her about you…”
