Page 28 of Inked Craving

Lee:Nobody’s there with you? What the hell?

I sighed, knowing he was only thinking of the baby and me.

Me:Sierra and Austin are probably heading over in a minute. Or at least later today. I’m fine. Thank you for everything.

Lee:I’ll check on you after I get out of the meeting. Be safe.

I sighed, knowing we were both carefully not talking about whatever was going on between us. But I hadtoomuch going on; it would be confusing. I didn’t want to lose Lee because I was stupid or making the wrong decision when it came to him.

Me:Enjoy your meeting. Be smart as always. I’ll be here.

Lee:Text me if you need anything. I’ll answer. Always.

I set my phone down and rubbed my temples, aware that it might be smart to push him away, to make sure that we stayed in our respective bubbles and didn’t cross any lines. And yet, we had clearly crossed a line before, but it wasn’t like we could go back and not sleep together. It wasn’t like I could go back and not want him the way I did and had. But it wouldn’t be smart.

And I had done enough stupid things in my life. I didn’t need him to be one of them.

I pushed all thoughts of Lee from my mind, knowing that no matter what I did, it would probably be the wrong decision, and I went to work. I had only gotten a few emails in when the doorbell rang. I sighed, knowing that it would be someone else here to make sure I was okay. What was wrong with me? I should be happy that I had so many people taking care of me, but all I could think about was that I was taking time away from their lives to help me. And I shouldn’t be that person.

I got off the couch and made my way to the front door. I wasn’t in any pain, and I was allowed to take short walks and move around. I wasn’t on full bed rest. But I was so afraid that if I did something wrong, I would hurt the baby. Fear and bile coated my tongue, but I ignored it and looked through the peephole.

A big, bearded man with full-sleeve tattoos and a wicked grin on his face stood on the other side of the door, his petite bombshell of a wife next to him. There was also a very tall and muscular man beside them, and it took me a minute to realize that it was my almost nephew, Leif. I unlocked the door and opened it, my eyes wide.

“Since when do you have a man as a son, Austin Montgomery?” I asked, taking a step back as Austin let out a full belly laugh, although I was pretty sure he still had his eight-pack.

That was the Montgomery men. They lured women in with their looks and kept them with just being a Montgomery.

“Don’t remind me,” Sierra said softly as she walked in, her brown hair pulled back from her face with a cute headband. She kissed my cheek and then moved into the house, Leif and Austin following.

“Seriously, how are you like an adult?” I asked as Leif leaned down and kissed my cheek. The fact that he was nearly a foot taller than me just made me blink.

“I’ve been taller than you for a while now, Paige. Don’t know why you just realized it.” He winked, that dimple on his cheek making me roll my eyes.

“You’re scaring me. You’re like a full adult human person.”

Leif beamed, looking even more handsome. I was honestly surprised he hadn’t turned Austin’s hair gray yet. “That’s what happens with age. We grow up.”

“Our other kids are down with my sister Miranda and her husband Decker,” Austin explained as he hugged me tight, but not too tightly. As if he were afraid to break me. Then again, maybe he was. Not because of who I was, but because Austin was a big man. And the way Leif was filling out in muscle, he would be just as big as his father one day. It was crazy to think about.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t see Colin and the twins.”

“They wanted a cousins’ day, and I wanted to spend some time with Leif out here and annoy your brothers. I figured we’d drop off Sierra just to hang out with you.”

“Really? Without even asking?”

“I thought you told her that was the plan, Austin Montgomery,” Sierra warned, her voice low.

I reached out and squeezed my cousin-in-law’s hand. “I’m okay. Really.”

“Well, good. We’re here to bug you and just see how you’re doing. We never really get to come up this way often.”

“I’ve been looking at CSU, as well,” Leif said, and I grinned up at him.

“Your gap year going well, then?”

Leif was eighteen, nearly nineteen now, and taking a gap year before college. The twins that Austin and Sierra had adopted after a long and arduous process had come into their lives recently. From what I heard, Leif had already been thinking about taking time off, and him wanting to be near his siblings during some of their first moments had only cemented the deal.

I loved how close they were, even if their family was a little different than the rest of ours.

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