Page 138 of Ex Somnis

I am completely doomed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lennon

“I said no,” Ridge grumbles.

“And I said…” I grab my purse from where Paul has hung it, very nicely, on the rack by the entrance, because of course, he did, “… that a phone call will not suffice. Nora kept my body alive for a week. I am going to look her in the face when I thank her for that.”

“You need to take it easy for a little, Lenny. You just woke up. You need to recover—” Ridge protests again from behind me, but I cut him off.

“I have been recovering for days.” I check my jacket pocket for my phone and find it there, charged, because of Paul. “I was literally in bed without stopping. I am fine. You and Paul are such hovering mother hens.”

“Hens? Rude, sweetheart.”

“I’m fine. The nurse said I can move around.”

“The nurse said limited activity.”

“Going for a walk is a limited activity. I am not running a marathon. I’m going to see Nora.” I turn and look at him. “You can either come along, or I go by myself, but I’m going.”

“You’re lucky Paul isn’t here.” Ridge scoffs. “He would…”

I tune him out, brushing my hand over my hair and doing a little inventory of my body.

And, I feel good.

I know that has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with Paul. He watched out for me when I couldn’t watch out for myself, and I love him for that.

The shower he gave me yesterday is something I’ll be thinking about for an unreasonably long time. It was that he washed me. Thoroughly. Every part of me. He didn’t navigate carefully around the soft parts, didn’t treat the rolls under my belly button like something to be polite about, and didn’t slow down or look away when he got to the places I consider ugly. He just washed me, like me being clean is important to him, like he had exactly one job, and he intended to do it properly.

I fiddle with my purse, and my gaze catches on the BFF keychain Nevan snagged for me. It’s my side, my half Nora found beside me in bed. I let my thumb glide over it, already missing him.

Paul and Nevan are out getting Nevan’s prescription for his sleepwalking sorted. If I’m being honest, I waited until they were gone before getting ready to leave the house.

I would have been in the minority in that discussion.

It seems I will be for the rest of my life.

I open the front door of Paul’s house. “Come or don’t, but I’m leaving.”

Derek is standing on the other side with his hand raised, as if he were about to knock.

“Lennon.” He lowers his hand and exhales, sounding relieved. “Nice to see you awake.”

“Yeah. Sorry for the drama? Yeah, all of that.”

“Don’t.” He shakes his head. “I’m glad you’re fine. Is Tessa?”

“I’m on my way to check on her. Wanna come? I don’t have my car keys because the guys are⁠—”

“Hovering hens,” Ridge supplies from behind me.

“Being very caring, so we need to walk ov⁠—”

“I have my car,” Derek cuts in. “I’ll drive you.”

Ridge wheels to my side, crossing his arms over his chest and leveling a look at Derek I can’t entirely read. Derek meets it, and something passes between them that has no words attached to it, and then Derek nods once.