Fatigue kicked in after dinner. A nervous Winnie asked if I would stay the night. Her parents wanted me close while Harlow wanted to kick my ass out of the house. The important thing was what Winnie needed.
Her bed was comfy and the blankets warmed me as I listened to the wild winds outside. The TV stayed on all night, but the sound was too low to hear. I learned to deal with the strange room and the feeling of people regularly walking past the open door.
Twice, Winnie woke up in a panic. The first time, she pushed me away until realizing who I was. She cuddled closer and told me how much she liked tomatoes in her omelets. The second time, she cried quietly against me until her fingers slid up my tee. She murmured how much she liked the hairs on my chest.
Eventually, Winnie slept deep and I followed her into a restful slumber. After a long uncertain day, I slept next to the woman I’d dreamed of for so long.
Chapter Nineteen ~ Winnie
The past slowly hid in the darkness of my memories. I woke up in the middle of the night, panicked about missing work and leaving Lark needing me. When I found Dylan resting next to me, I instantly relaxed.
“Raven has it handled until you’re feeling better,” he said as his fingers explored my bare shoulder.
We watched each other for a long time before falling asleep. I awoke again at three in the morning. Dylan was still sleeping and I couldn’t believe how beautiful he looked stretched out on my bed.
The warm arousal prickling my skin bothered me. I wasn’t ready to be the new Winnie yet. Instead, I slid out of bed and went to watch TV in the living room where I could turn up the sound. To my surprise, Harlow sat on the couch, wrapped in a quilt.
I sensed she was angry at me, so I didn’t approach. Finally, Harlow opened the quilt and gestured for me to join her.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, shivering even though the house was warm.
“Tired and drugged. Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you? I’m the one who set up you and Dylan. I made this happen.”
Cuddled up next to her, I frowned. “You gave me a chance to be with the man I’d been dreaming about for months. You also saved me when the Devils would have killed me.”
Still frowning, Harlow stared at the TV. I knew what she was thinking. I also knew what I needed to say, but I was scared. The fear and pain of my ugly dream lingered in my thoughts. I really didn’t want to talk about more painful things and make the memories more powerful. However, my sister needed me.
“You think it’s your job to save me because you couldn’t save your brother and sister,” I whispered and Harlow tensed against me. “It wasn’t your job to save them. You were a kid too.”
“I know,” Harlow said, but her voice betrayed a stubborn desire to fix what she never broke.
“You did save me though. The bastard at the cabin was going to hurt me. The others probably planned to take turns with me too. After they were done, they’d have killed me. You saved us. You were the one who fought back and got us away. You were the one who attacked the guy. I helped, but you were the one who got the jump on him. You saved us.”
Harlow looked unconvinced, so I continued, “Vaughn and the guys never would have gotten to us in time. We would have died, if not for you.”
Harlow’s angry eyes lost some of their heat. I cuddled closer to her.
“You didn’t have the power to save your brother and sister. Your mom couldn’t save them, so how could you when you were still a kid? When you had the power to fight back like that day at the cabin, you won.”
Fighting tears, Harlow nodded. “I need to be strong. I refuse to be someone’s bitch. I won’t be like that again.”
“You are strong.”
“I need to be stronger.”
Leaning my head against her shoulder, I struggled to find the right words, but there were none.
“I love Dylan,” I said. “Thank you for asking him out for me.”
Harlow frowned at me for a long time then sighed. “I punched him in the face yesterday. I thought he hurt you.”
Even hating the idea of Dylan suffering because of me, I patted Harlow’s hand. “He’s tough. I’m sure he walked it off.”
Harlow gave me a slight smile. “Are you sure it’s love? He’s the first guy you’ve ever dated.”
I knew Harlow couldn’t really understand how I felt because I didn’t understand relationships before Dylan. I decided to explain it the only way people like Harlow and I could relate to.
“I want him to touch me. That’s how I know Dylan’s special.”
Harlow studied me. “I guess he is.”
We sat quietly for twenty minutes before I yawned and she followed suit.
“We should go to bed,” Harlow said, without moving. “I’ll still probably watch TV a little bit longer.”
“Did you have a bad dream too?”
Harlow brushed hair from my face. “No. I probably will and I’m in no hurry for it.”