Bracing the Blue Line (22 page)

“Okay, okay. Damn, go to bed, Grant.”

Satisfied, I leave them to return to Lucy. She’s already under the covers, asleep. Her face is peaceful, but my favorite thing is that the corners of her mouth are up, like she’s dreaming about something that’s making her happy. That’s my Lucy. She stirs, and I realize I’ve been staring too long. Time to change and then crawl into bed next to her.

Usually, I’m pretty good at defining relationships and what they are. With Lucy, I’m completely lost. We have an intimacy that we share without sleeping together. We’ll hold hands here and there, but I haven’t even kissed her. Not on the lips, at least. We haven’t been on a date. There is something between us. I just don’t know how to label it.

As I lay next to her without being able to see her face because her back is to me, I decide we don’t need to be defined. Whatever it is, I like. I don’t want to analyze it and try to make it fit on the shelf with textbooks when it’s obviously a storybook. I don’t need to perfect what this is because it’s fine the way it is.

I can’t help but feel a little helpless though. Something about this day surrounds the four siblings, and I don’t know what. It’s not even about satisfying my curiosity. It’s about having Lucy know that that part of their life is safe with me too. My mind begins to wonder about what it could be. Did something happen to Lucy when she was younger to make them as protective over her as they are? Was today the anniversary?

I start coming up with outrageous horror stories. Each of them makes me sick to my stomach to think that something bad could ever happen to my sweet Lucy. The house goes quiet as everyone turns in for the night, but I’m still awake, still thinking. Lucy rolls over and snuggles against me. Her body makes me relax with sleep moments away.

AN ELBOW HITS me in the gut, waking me with pain. What the hell? Lucy is thrashing next to me, her arms flailing, her face contorted in fear as silent tears fall down her face. I go to reach for her arms, but she manages to clock me right in the jaw.

“Lucy!” I grab her wrists, but she’s fighting against me with all her might. “Lucy!” I half-yell again.

Her eyes flash open. Her chest is heaving, and the fucking tears are gliding silently down her cheeks. She looks terrified. By now, I’m hovering over her, pinning her wrists down on either side of her head. Her breaths quicken sharply. Her eyes are still glazed like she’s not aware she’s awake yet.

“It’s okay. You’re awake, Lucy. You’re okay. You’re with me.” I repeat those four sentences again, but she’s still breathing too fast, about to hyperventilate at any second. Her eyes start jumping around the room and ever so slightly, her wrists begin to tug against mine. “Lucy,” I start, loosening my grip, “You’re with me and everything is okay. Say it.”

Her voice is pure terror and shaky, but she whispers, “I’m with you and everything is okay.”

“Again.”

“I’m with you and everything is okay.”

“One more time.”

“I’m with you and everything is okay.” She’s breathing normally again, looking more alert, but she hasn’t stopped crying yet. “Can you let me go?”

I release her wrists and lay down next to her. Lucy immediately turns and presses against me, wrapping her arms tightly around me. Now that things are calm, my jaw starts to ache. It doesn't matter, though. I hold her as tightly as she's holding me, kissing the top of her head and leaving my lips there. I want to ask her what the fuck that was, if she’s okay, but I don’t. I wait for her to speak instead. And she eventually does.

“I need Patrick,” is all she says.

Keeping her close to me, I reach over her for her cell and search for his number. Once I find it, I call him. It rings four times before he answers, and he sounds panicked but awake even though it’s three in the morning.

“Luce? Is everything okay? Lucy?”

“She needs you,” I repeat her words to him. I don’t even know what else I’m supposed to say.

“Where?” His voice becomes different when he realizes that he isn’t talking to his sister.

“My place.”

“What the fuck happened, Grant?” I can hear him shifting around and someone in the background talking to him.

“She only wants you,” I add, ignoring his question. She didn’t say she needed her brothers. She said Patrick.

“Jon, stay here. I gotta go get Luce,” he says. Jon says something back, and Patrick snaps at him. “Yeah, well, I told y’all to leave her the fuck alone!” To me, he adds, “I’m on my way. Is she crying?”

“Yeah.”

He curses and then the call disconnects.

“He’s on his way,” I whisper into her hair as I feel my t-shirt become wet. Lucy doesn’t respond except to wiggle closer to me. We lay like that until I hear a distant banging, and I know that Patrick is here. “I’ll be right back.”

With so much reluctance, I leave her to let Patrick inside. He repeats his earlier question the moment I open the door.

“After Corey stopped by, she wanted to stay with me. She was crying and I didn’t want her to go back to campus anyway after that. We fell asleep, but I woke up to her thrashing around, hitting me and crying. Once I got her to calm down, she said she needed you.”

He nods, like this has happened before. “Where is she?”

I lead him to my room, but hang back by the door as he goes over to her. Patrick sits on the edge of the bed and whispers her name. Lucy rolls over, sits up, and he pulls her into his lap as if she's a child, hugging her and comforting her like only a big brother can. He continues to talk to her softly, bringing her away from whatever ledge she was on. I almost feel like I’m intruding.

I almost hate him. Only because I want to know what is going on, and I want to be the one making her feel better, especially when part of this is their damn fault.

“Where are her things?” Patrick directs his question to me. How did he even know she had anything? Wordlessly, I go grab her bag by my closet and her cell off the nightstand. He nods a thanks for getting them. “Lucy, are you ready to go now?” I watch her shake her head. “Do you want to stay?” She shakes her head against his shoulder again. Patrick gives her a few more minutes, whispering into her ear, while running his hand up and down her back.

Without any pushing, Lucy stands, turns to face me, and gives me a breath-stealing hug. Patrick takes the bag and cell phone from my hand, so I can hug her back.

“Patrick is taking me with him,” she says into my chest. “I’m sorry and thank you.”

It’s then that I don’t want her to go. She can’t leave me, not like this. Not when I’m so lost about what’s wrong. Lucy looks up at me.

“He’ll take care of me.” Of course he will. Out of the three Kennedy brothers, I know Patrick will think of her first without a doubt. But then she stabs me in the heart. “Will you give me a few days before you call?”

I glance at Patrick and his look dares me to tell her no. “Call me whenever you’re ready, Lucy.” Ready? Ready for what? There’s too much left in the unknown and now, I can’t even talk to her for a few days.

Lucy places a kiss on my cheek. It’s simple and quick and before I can even acknowledge it, she turns to Patrick. He takes her hand, leading her away from me. I wait until they are gone to lock the door again.

SOMETHING POKES ME hard in the stomach, waking me up, and I hear a voice whisper, “Winston!”

“What?” I grunt, pulling Maddie's already close body closer without opening my eyes.

“Did you hear that?”

“No, I was trying to sleep on this piece of shit floor.” I finally open my eyes to see her glaring at me.

“I think someone's here.”

“Three other people live in this house, Maddie. I'm sure someone is here.”

She pokes me hard in the stomach again. “Don't be a smart ass.” Maddie starts to roll away from me, but I hold her tightly in place.

“I'm sure it's no one. Let's go back to sleep.”

“Will you go check to be sure?”

I give her an 'are you serious' look. Clearly, it's a yes. Withholding a sigh, I crawl out of the fort and leave my room. Grant is looking rough as he walks this way towards his room.

“Everything okay?”

He looks up at my question, almost startled. “Hey, Winston. Yeah, everything is fine. Sorry if I woke you.”

“It's okay.”

Grant retreats into his room, and I do the same. Maddie has destroyed my fort and is underneath a pile of covers on my bed.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“You complained about the floor, so...”

Oh. I climb in beside her, and she snuggles against me. “You heard Grant moving around,” I explain.

“Thanks for checking and for tonight. It was a lot of fun,” she whispers.

And it was. After my lame scary story, we ate more s'mores. It was easy to hang out with her because I already know her really well. We kissed a lot and played a few board games. Maddie hates to lose, just like I remembered. After I won the first time, I let her win the rest.

“So, we're really doing this?” her soft voice breaks the silence. I thought she had fallen back to sleep, but I guess not. She has her forehead pressed against my chest, her arms bent between us, much like the first time I woke up to find her in my bed.

“Yep. I'll be that give-it-all guy for you. Promise.”

She snuggles closer, and I'm happy she's here and with me again. Dave is going to blow up when he finds out I am dating his little sister. At least I have a little more time to figure out a way to tell him.

“WINSTON, WINSTON,” A soft voice sings my name over and over. When I open my eyes, I realize I'm laying on my back and Maddie's laying on top of me. Her arms are folded over my chest and she's resting her chin on her forearms, smiling at me. “Good morning. I know it's early, but I have to get going in a few minutes. There's no way I can leave without a kiss though.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask as I bring my knees up, making her legs fall between them. I hook a finger under her chin to pull her closer to me. With a grin, I lift my head to kiss her, but kiss her forehead instead of her lips. “There you go.”

Maddie frowns and I laugh. “Oh, come on, Winston. Be a man and really kiss me.” Her eyes widen a little, and she adds, “Or are you the kind of guy who wants the woman to be in charge?” She laughs like that's the funniest thing she's heard all day. But then her laughter dies out and like the first time I kissed her, she demands it. “Come on, hockey player. Kiss me.” Her voice is low, almost sultry.

Equally low, I reply, “Where? Here?” I kiss her cheek and then roll us over, so I'm on top of her. “Here?” I question, kissing her jaw. “Maybe here?” Dipping my head, I kiss a swell of cleavage peeking out from her tank top. My hands are at her hips and glide her shirt up just above her belly button. “Here?” I breathe over her skin before kissing her hip. I bring myself back up to her face, my lips just above hers. “Or here?”

Maddie's breathing is shallow now and just enough air escapes for her to answer, “Everywhere.”

I smirk. “We don't have that much time.” Her eyes flutter when my lips brush against hers. “So is this spot okay for now?”

“Mhm.”

My mouth presses to hers, Maddie's immediately opens up. Her tongue slips into my mouth first, and I feel her fingertips on my sides. That one little touch for whatever divine reason drives me crazy, especially when she digs her fingers into my skin. Once those legs of hers wrap around my waist, I know it's time to stop the kiss. I pull away, notice her slightly swollen lips that are wearing a smile and her flushed cheeks and kiss her forehead, whispering, “You're gorgeous, you know.”

Maddie grins. “I know.” I chuckle and she adds, “So where are we going on this date you want to take me on?”

“Don't you have to leave?”

She glances at my alarm clock. “Yeah, but-”

“Either way, I'm not telling you yet.” Okay, so maybe I don't know where I'm taking her. I didn't exactly get past asking her out. And by the sparkle of excitement in her eyes, I know it better be a damn good date.

“Okay then. You're going to have to get off of me, so I can leave though.”

I move aside and she gets up and starts grabbing her things so she can leave. I watch her, seeing her comfort, her confidence, and her beauty move around my room. Now, I have to figure out where I'm taking her. Surely I can think of something from our childhood that she might like to do. People grow out of things like that, though. Why am I overthinking this? I've been on plenty of dates before, especially with Maddie. I don't need to think this hard about it.