Rowe glanced at me. “You good with that, Mama?”
A thrill ran through me as I nodded. I knew Rowe wouldn’t leave the kids anywhere that wasn’t safe for them and I loved the idea that Ripley had made a friend. A real one his age…not just the escaped convict with a penchant for murder who roamed our woods at will. As much as I’d come to care for Vincent, and to realize he was no danger to my family, I didn’t want him to be Ripley’s only friend. We’d be able to send him back to daycare now, so having him away from us for a little bit was good practice, both for him and me. “That sounds amazing. Tell them yes, Liam.”
Liam fired off a text and then dive-bombed back onto the bed, half landing on me. A twinge of pain shot through me.
Liam must have seen my expression. “Shit, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
I kissed the worry off his face. “I’m fine. Let’s get up and have a nice dinner, though. We’ve been in bed all afternoon. I need to eat before we come back here again.”
They all agreed, and lazily we all got up and pulled on clothes.
The guys insisted on making me dinner, so I sat outside on the porch swing with a book, nestled amongst the bright-colored cushions I’d bought. I swung in the evening breeze, losing myself in the romance of the story. My core still tingled from the complete and thorough workout it’d had this afternoon. I was a little sore. My thigh muscles ached, probably from being wrapped around men all afternoon, but when the low grumbling of pain kicked up deep in my belly, I groaned. My periods were so irregular, but those cramps were always a telltale sign. I sighed and got up to check my underwear. No signs of Aunt Flo arriving yet, but I put on a pad because I knew it was coming.
We ate dinner outside and then hung out around the bonfire again. There was none of the sexual antics that had happened last time we did this, though. By the time it got truly dark, my stomach cramps had intensified, and I felt like shit.
Rowe paused on his way to the cabin to get another round of beers from the refrigerator. I declined his offer, but he stooped, studying my face in the firelight. “Are you okay?”
I forced a smile. “I’m fine.” I wasn’t going to be the one who ruined our party.
He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and tipped my chin up with two fingers beneath it. “No, you’re not. What’s wrong?”
I screwed up my face. “Girl stuff.”
I hadn’t had a period in months, which was pretty typical with my polycystic ovaries. But it meant the guys had been spared the drama.
“Oh.” He stood back. “What can I do? I can get you chocolate? Painkillers?”
I held my hands out to him and let him pull me up off my chair. “I think I’m just going to go to bed early, but both of those would be good if you want to bring them in to me.”
Liam and Heath both watched on, worry etched into their faces.
“I’ll come to bed with you.” Heath had instantly gone into full-blown protector mode, which I loved, but unfortunately, he couldn’t protect me from this.
I shook my head. “Don’t be silly. It’s barely eight, and you just got out of prison. Stay. Have fun. All of you. I’ll be fine. This is nothing new.”
None of them looked convinced, but Heath and Liam sat back down while Rowe walked me to the house. I got myself settled in bed, while he rummaged around the kitchen for painkillers and chocolate. He brought me both, along with a glass of water.
I swallowed the pain relief but left the chocolate, suddenly too exhausted for it now that I was in my comfy bed. He hovered in the doorway, but I waved him away. “Go!”
He trudged off, but when the cabin door opened, the sound of Liam’s and Heath’s laughter floated back in, and I was glad they were all out there celebrating.
My body just had shitty timing.
I tried to close my eyes and sleep, but the pains never eased. The pain moved, becoming more acute on my right-hand side, but that wasn’t uncommon either. Often one side hurt more than the other, and I knew I just had to ride it out.
Sometime around midnight, the door crashed open, and the three of them tumbled back inside. Even curled up on my side in agony, the sound of their drunken laughter made me happy.
They were trying to be quiet but doing a piss-poor job of it. Somebody opened the bedroom door, and the light from the hallway spilled over me.
All three of them froze.
“What the fuck, Mae!” Heath dropped down onto the mattress beside me.
I groaned as the mattress bounced, sending shooting pain through my body once more. “I’m fine,” I repeated, though by now, my protests were weak.
Liam already had his phone out. “I’m calling an ambulance. You are not fine.”
Something inside me warned to stay quiet. Because I wasn’t fine. The pain was intense to the point I could barely breathe.
Liam barked the address and then my details into the phone, suddenly sounding completely sober. “She’s in a lot of abdominal pain. She thought it was just period pain, but we think it’s something more.”
He paused to listen for a moment, then looked at me. “Where is the worst of the pain?”
I was too breathless to answer.
“On her right,” Rowe piped up. “That’s the side she’s holding.”
All I could do was nod limply.
“They want to know if you still have your appendix?”
I moaned. “Yes. Goddammit. Is that what this is?”
Liam grimaced. “That’s what they’re thinking.”
Heath paced the length of the bedroom, shooting terrified glances at me. I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn’t. All I could do was clutch my side and hope the ambulance had the good drugs.
Liam disappeared soon after, and Rowe wiped sweat from my brow. “I shouldn’t have left you. I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault,” I managed to get out.