Page 83 of Storm

“My ankles,” I grit out, trying to reach for them again, but it’s useless. I ignore the headache because honestly, the ache near my feet is unbearable. Kevin stands and pulls up the blankets at the foot of the bed, immediately removing the weight off my skin.

“Shit, they’re swollen. Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

When he leaves the room, the light from the house has me squeezing my eyes shut tightly from its brightness, sending a wave of pain through my head. He’s back moments later with a frozen water bottle in each hand.

Sitting near my feet, he sets them down, and, with cold hands, wraps his fingers around my ankle and squeezes gently.

“Oh, God,” I moan. The pressure and coolness from his fingers is the most perfect feeling in the world.

He hums in approval, working his hands slowly from the bottom of my feet all the way up to knees, then back down. “Better?” he murmurs. I only nod, whimpering and sinking further into my pillows.

I want to cry since it feels so good. The massage goes on for a long time, Kevin pausing in between to roll the bottles of ice between his palms to cool them down again. I’m almost back asleep, but my headache is preventing me from drifting off.

“What else is bothering you?” His voice is soft, barely above a whisper.

Croaking out, I tell him. “My head is pounding.”

Kevin leaves the bed and heads into my bathroom, shaking out what I assume are pain relievers. As soon as I start sitting up, his arm is around my back to help me, and I feel a water bottle in my hand.

“Open your mouth,” he orders. I do and he drops two pills on my tongue. Bringing the bottle to my mouth, I swallow the pills and let him lay me back.

Feeling pathetic, I apologize. “I’m sorry I’m being like this. I don’t know why I feel so terrible right now.”

“You overdid it today.” I tense, ready to argue, but he soothes me. “That wasn’t meant to be critical. It’s understandable. You’ve been cooped up for weeks on end. I don’t blame you, I’d have done the same thing. We just need to take things one step at a time.”

He’s right, and I swallow back my feelings of self-worth. “I’ll do better tomorrow.”

With a sigh, Kevin lays down next to me and tucks me into his body. “You didn’t do bad today, Miriam. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

I nod and bite my lip to fight back my desire to cry and let him ease my headache away. Slipping his fingers along my temples, he digs his fingers into my scalp as he drags them through my hair. Over and over again, he continues without either of us speaking.

Eventually I doze off, only briefly waking to his arm resting heavily on my waist and come face to face with Ezra. Sneaking into my bed while I’m asleep has become a regular thing and I don’t mind so much. Finding him in my bed has become less of a surprise, and I cup his cheek as he lays next to me.

“Are you upset with me?”

Kevin’s arm tightens, but his steady breathing tells me he’s sleeping soundly. I run my fingers over Ezra’s cheek in comfort.

“No. I was embarrassed because we hadn’t talked about it first, but I’m not mad. I’m just cranky, I think. Sorry if you’ve been worrying this whole time.”

Shifting his body closer, he nuzzles his nose against mine. “I was, but you don’t need to apologize. I need to think before I speak. It’s just hard because I want to be closer to you.”

With a sigh, I wrap an arm around his neck, and he slides his body lower to bury his face against my chest. I smile when he sighs overly loud, and Kevin lifts his head to see what’s going on. Kevin huffs out a soft laugh, then presses a kiss to the back of my head and lays back down.

Thankfully, my headache has eased, and I let my mind wander, considering what it’d look like at this moment if I weren’t pregnant and we were at this point in knowing each other.

All of them bring something special to the table and it breaks my heart thinking one or more of them may walk away when they learn they aren’t the father of Gabriel. Even with promises that they want to be here for the long haul, I can’t help feeling insecure that it will change.

What will the dynamic be if we all try this, but one feels they have more say than the other purely because of paternity? I suppose co-parenting will look like whatever we determine it to be, but the questions are still there.

My eyes crack open to soft light streaming through the window, filling the room with signs of the morning. Ezra is gone, but Kevin is still curled around me, only I’m facing him now. He’s still asleep, so I slowly roll away and pad to the bathroom. After throwing some water on my face and brushing my teeth, I turn off the light and head back to the bed.

I find Kevin awake, holding up the edge of the blanket so I can slip back in. As I do, I say, “I thought you had to go to work today?”

“I called in. I’ll work from here. How are you feeling?”

I lay on my back and lift my foot to study it. “So much better. Swelling is gone, thank God. It was awful.”

He rumbles out a laugh and wraps an arm around me. “I have a question for you.”

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