Grabbing the remote, he aimed it at the television and turned it off.
Keeping one arm behind her back, he slipped the other beneath Kayla’s knees and rose. Nick didn’t think he had carried a female like this since his cousin had fallen and hurt her arm when they were children. Kayla felt almost as light as Marie had while he carried her upstairs and into his bedroom.
Becca slept in the bed, the television casting flickering light over her features.
He raised a knee to support Kayla long enough to free a hand and drag back the covers. Jostling her as little as possible, he lowered her to the mattress beside her daughter.
Becca roused as he drew the covers up. Blinking up at him, she stiffened. Her brown eyes widened before awareness of her location and his identity returned. She glanced at her mother, then leaned up on an elbow. “Is she okay?” she whispered.
“Yes. She’s just tired.” He fought the need to draw his hand over Kayla’s hair and lost.
Becca watched him stroke the silky strands atop her mother’s head, no emotion showing in her features. “What about the concussion? Should I wake her every hour or two?”
“No. The doctor said that wouldn’t be necessary. We’re supposed to just let her sleep.”
She nodded. “Thank you for everything you did today. For taking care of her and getting me here so quickly. It scared the hell out of me.”
He smiled wryly. “Me, too. I’m glad everything turned out all right.” Not knowing what else to do, he offered her a good night and headed for the door.
“Hey, Nick?” she called softly, omitting for the first time the mister she usually used before his name when addressing him.
He turned in the doorway. “Yes?”
“Don’t hurt her. Okay?” She didn’t deliver it as a threat or a warning, but as a simple request born out of love and concern.
Nick offered her an equally honest reply. “I won’t. I care about her too much.” He cared about Kayla so much he’d given her a rope with which she could pull herself out of the rabbit hole. But she’d ditched that rope without a second thought.
Nodding, Becca lay back down beside her mother.
“I’ll be down the hallway if you need anything,” he offered.
“Thank you.”
Pulling the door closed, Nick headed for the guest bedroom.
Kayla loved her daughter. She really did. But she was so ready for Becca to leave.
And it had only been two days.
Since she had flown in on a Thursday, Becca had decided to stay the weekend and head back to North Carolina on Sunday night. “Unless you’d like me to stay longer,” she’d added. “I know things are awkward with the cast and all.”
“No,” Kayla had said a little too quickly. “I’ll be fine, sweetie.” If Nick followed through on his promise to show her several times a day how much she didn’t bore him in bed, she’d be very fine indeed. She just had to get Becca to leave first.
Nick, of course, was a total sweetheart. He made lunch for them every afternoon, something she worried might be keeping him from getting enough rest. And he cooked dinner for them every night before he left for work. Not burgers. Not premade meals he popped into the oven or takeout. He actually cooked meals for them that were so freaking delicious she and Becca always asked for seconds.
“I swear,” Becca declared around a mouthful of eggplant parmesan Saturday night, “I’m going to be ten pounds heavier by the time I leave.”
Nick grinned. “I’m glad you like it.”
Kayla liked it, too. She also loved spending more time with him. Usually, she and Nick just called greetings to each other if they happened to cross paths while coming and going or engaged in brief, friendly conversations over the fence.
She did begin to worry though that Nick might be keeping things a little too casual. She could understand him not groping her or feeling her up in front of Becca. That would be too weird… for all three of them. But Nick even avoided innocent touches like holding her hand or draping his arm across her shoulders. And the more he did, the more she wondered if maybe he’d changed his mind.
Usually when Nick saw her out front or spoke to her over the fence, they were alone—just a man and a woman laughing and chatting amiably. Now that he was spending hours at a time with her, however, he was seeing a lot more of her in mom mode.
Did he find that to be a turnoff?
Pretty much the only time he’d touched her since that first night was when he decorated her cast after they finished devouring the eggplant parmesan. Equipped with a paintbrush; a few brown, black, and metallic paints; and some paint pens, he transformed Kayla’s cast into Wonder Woman’s gauntlet, complete with what now looked like leather hand wraps.
“That is so freaking cool!” Becca exclaimed.
Kayla nodded in amazement as she turned her arm this way and that, admiring his handiwork. Anyone who glanced at her in passing would think she was wearing a metal gauntlet. The detail was incredible. “It really is. You’re such a talented artist.”
Smiling, Nick tucked his paints away in a bag. “It’s just a hobby, something I do to pass the time.”
Becca leapt up. “I’m totally posting pics of that online. They’re going to get so many likes.”
Nick rose as she raced into the adjoining living room. “I’d better go. I’m running late for work.”
“Okay.” Kayla smiled down at her gauntlet as she pushed her chair back and stood next to him. “This was really nice, Nick. Thank you.” She rested a hand on his strong forearm, left bare by his T-shirt, intending to rise up onto her toes and give him a kiss.
But he swiftly stepped back. Casually breaking her hold, he turned away.
It hit her like slap to the face.
Movement drew her attention to the archway into the living room. Becca stood there, phone in hand, her face somber.
Kayla sighed. Nothing like being rejected in front of your child.
Nick headed for the front door, Kayla following woodenly.
“Thanks for dinner,” Becca called behind them, her voice uncertain and lacking the jubilation that had formerly flavored it.
“You’re welcome,” Nick responded without turning. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Kayla waited while he unlocked and opened the door. “Be safe tonight.” She still didn’t know much about his work or how dangerous it might be but could think of nothing else to say in that moment.
“I will. You ladies have a nice night.”
“We will,” they chorused.
Then he was gone with barely a glance back.
Silence fell as she closed the door.
“Everything okay between you two?” Becca asked tentatively.
“Sure,” Kayla responded automatically and turned the dead bolt. “I need to go get some work done.”
“Okay.”
Remembering that Becca wanted to take some pictures of her cast, she held it over the table.
Becca snapped some quick pics. “How’s work going?”
She shrugged. “The cast makes typing awkward, but I’m still getting it done.” She couldn’t afford to not to get it done. She wasn’t sure how much of the ambulance ride and ER costs her insurance plan would cover and was dreading the day the bills began to arrive. “I’m going to head into my office.” The manuscript she was currently editing was a sci-fi romance filled with action and humor. Maybe it would take her mind off Nick for a while.