Page 44 of Unexpected

I hadn’t had the dream in years, replaced by other nightmares of new memories, but I knew finding Hazel covered in blood, the same smell from before, had them back in full force.

When I read the time on my phone, I realized I had only been out for an hour, and Hazel was still asleep next to me.

The house was quiet around us. I turned on the fire after Josh left and sat down next to her before I also passed out.

I scanned Hazel’s face. There was no panic there, and her forehead wasn’t creased in worry as she slept. Her eyelashes fell atop her bruised eyes and her nose was slightly swollen, but she was still beautiful. Seeing her beaten yet still beautiful and strong pulled at a place in my heart that I’d forgotten about. The feeling, the tugging, was foreign to me.

As I stared down at her, her eyes fluttered open, and before I knew it, a sleepy smile spread across her face. Her pink lips upturned and for a moment, she seemed content staring at me.

“Hi there, Angel,” I said as I pushed a few stray pieces of hair off her forehead.

“Hi,” she said in a cute voice laced with sleep. She pushed herself up and winced as she stretched her arms at her sides. “How long was I asleep?”

I didn’t register her question immediately because I was too enthralled with the blush of her cheeks and the sound of her voice.

“Umm… a couple of hours at least.”

“Where’s Josh?”

“Work.”

Her eyes widened. “It’s that late? Shit. I swear it was two when I fell asleep. I told him to wake me up.”

I laughed. “I think you needed the rest. Are you hungry?”

The very loud growl of her stomach was all the answer I needed as I pulled up the food delivery app. “Chinese?”

“Yeah, sure, that sounds good,” she said as she stood and padded down the hallway. I heard the bathroom door open and close, then the water running.

I ordered a little bit of everything before she returned. She paused at the archway between the living room and the hallway with a concerned look on her face. The lines between her brows were too deep compared to the peace I saw on her face only moments before.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I should go home. I’ve way overstayed my welcome at this point,” she said as she nervously knotted her shirt between her hands. The gray material rose just above the waist of her athletic shorts, and I saw what appeared to be another bruise at her hip. I hoped it was a shadow.

Slowly, I stood and closed the short distance between us. I unraveled her hands from her shirt and held them in both of mine. “You haven’t overstayed your welcome. Actually, I don’t think you’ve been here long enough. You should stay longer.”

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m being serious, Luke.”

“I know you are, and so am I. I just ordered a shit ton of Chinese food, so we’re going to eat and maybe drink and be fucking merry. How ‘bout that?”

She sighed. “Fine, I just don’t want you to think I’m some sort of charity case or that you have to do this. I’m not expecting anything, and I can find my own way.”

“I have no doubt that you can more than manage, but is it such a bad thing that I want to help you?”

She thought for a moment, staring at our hands clasped together. She bit her bottom lip, and I wanted to pull it free and then press my lips to hers. But I wouldn’t. I’d only kiss her when she told me she wanted me to.

“I guess it’s not a bad thing. I think I need a drink.”

“That’s my girl. What do you want?”

She laughed again, and with each laugh and smile, I could see a little bit of the woman I knew coming back to life.

“Whiskey.”

“So, you’re a whiskey girl, huh?” I asked over my shoulder as I grabbed the bottle and two tumblers from the bar cart in the dining room. Out the large picture window facing the front of the house, I saw Emmy running down the sidewalk, blonde pigtails waving behind her in a mismatched outfit of sparkles and different patterns. I pulled one of the blue curtains closed as I spotted Chris begrudgingly following his kid.

Like he could feel me watching, he jerked his head to the right and held my stare. His overall demeanor—arms crossed over his chest, hood covering most of his face—appeared disinterested and at odds with his lively daughter, now skipping under the streetlights.

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