tonight? Can’t you just let me crash on your couch? I promise I won’t sneak into your bed and try to molest you while you’re sleeping.”
She rubbed her belly with one hand and covered an extended yawn with her other as she shuffled toward the exit.
“I’m tired too,” Owen said, sounding more cross than Melanie had ever heard him. “Do you think I want to deal with this right now? I’d much rather be with Caitlyn than trying to figure out what to do with you.”
Lindsey ’s eyes filled with tears and she turned her back to him, struggling not to cry. Melanie was on her feet, prepared to comfort her, when Owen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave it a slight squeeze.
“Fine,” he said, “you can stay at my place tonight, but don’t think it’s going to become a permanent situation.”
“Thank you,” she said, and hugged him with one arm. “I wouldn’t even ask to stay, but I’m so exhausted. What time will Caitlyn be over in the morning? I’ll be sure to be gone before she gets there.”
Melanie had a hard time reading the young woman. Lindsey seemed completely sincere, but Melanie couldn ’t help but wonder if the pregnant woman was really on a mission to turn Owen’s head. Melanie didn’t know whose side she should champion. She’d never met Caitlyn, though Owen seemed to be smitten with her. But shouldn’t a man be a little more concerned about the mother of his child? But was it his child? Melanie still wasn’t sure.
She glanced at Gabe and found him looking half -sick as he watched Owen assist Lindsey down the bus steps. “Something wrong?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Everything is right in my world now that you’re here,” he said.
“Are we going to camp out on th is shuttle tonight?” she asked, wondering why he was taking so long to disembark. “I did enjoy my nap on your shoulder, but I can’t guarantee your safety when you wake me from that position.”
He unfolded his tall frame from the seat and took her hand.
The driver was waiting for them to leave. The woman covered her mouth to stifle a yawn as Melanie and Gabe made their way to the luggage rack.
With in minutes Melanie was scrambling into Gabe’s enormous pickup truck and settling into the comfortable leather seat. She smiled at him in the glare of the cabin lights when he climbed in beside her.
“I know you’re not compensating for anything,” she said, nodding at his crotch, “so what’s with the ginormous truck?”
“I need something to pull my boat,” he said. “It’s badass.”
She grinned at him, loving that he could be such a guy.
As it was so late, traffic was light outside of Austin. Away from the city, they scarcely met another car on the desolate road.
She was still a bit sleepy, but did her duty and talked to Gabe about trivial things , such as his boat and the weather, to keep him awake. Though he looked ready to pass out from exhaustion, he perked right up when she got up the nerve to ask what was truly weighing on her mind.
“So what’s the deal with Lindsey?” she asked. “Madison seemed to think the baby is Owen’s and Lindsey does too, but you don’t seem convinced.”
“It’s probably his,” Gabe said, reaching for the stereo knob and turning blaring metal music on.
Melanie turned it back off. “How can it probably be his? It either is or it isn’t.”
Gabe rubbed the back of his neck and became fascinated with the side view mirror.
“Gabe!”
“You’re not going to like what I have to say.”
Her stomach dropped. “It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“I’m pretty sure that it’s not.”
“What the fuck, Gabe? Did the entire band have an orgy with the chick or what?”
He blew at his cheeks, still refusing to look at her. “Yeah, pretty much.”
She’d been joking, so his validation of her question made her eyes bug out.
“It was Christmas Eve ,” he said. “We were far from home and trapped on the
She rubbed her belly with one hand and covered an extended yawn with her other as she shuffled toward the exit.
“I’m tired too,” Owen said, sounding more cross than Melanie had ever heard him. “Do you think I want to deal with this right now? I’d much rather be with Caitlyn than trying to figure out what to do with you.”
Lindsey ’s eyes filled with tears and she turned her back to him, struggling not to cry. Melanie was on her feet, prepared to comfort her, when Owen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave it a slight squeeze.
“Fine,” he said, “you can stay at my place tonight, but don’t think it’s going to become a permanent situation.”
“Thank you,” she said, and hugged him with one arm. “I wouldn’t even ask to stay, but I’m so exhausted. What time will Caitlyn be over in the morning? I’ll be sure to be gone before she gets there.”
Melanie had a hard time reading the young woman. Lindsey seemed completely sincere, but Melanie couldn ’t help but wonder if the pregnant woman was really on a mission to turn Owen’s head. Melanie didn’t know whose side she should champion. She’d never met Caitlyn, though Owen seemed to be smitten with her. But shouldn’t a man be a little more concerned about the mother of his child? But was it his child? Melanie still wasn’t sure.
She glanced at Gabe and found him looking half -sick as he watched Owen assist Lindsey down the bus steps. “Something wrong?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Everything is right in my world now that you’re here,” he said.
“Are we going to camp out on th is shuttle tonight?” she asked, wondering why he was taking so long to disembark. “I did enjoy my nap on your shoulder, but I can’t guarantee your safety when you wake me from that position.”
He unfolded his tall frame from the seat and took her hand.
The driver was waiting for them to leave. The woman covered her mouth to stifle a yawn as Melanie and Gabe made their way to the luggage rack.
With in minutes Melanie was scrambling into Gabe’s enormous pickup truck and settling into the comfortable leather seat. She smiled at him in the glare of the cabin lights when he climbed in beside her.
“I know you’re not compensating for anything,” she said, nodding at his crotch, “so what’s with the ginormous truck?”
“I need something to pull my boat,” he said. “It’s badass.”
She grinned at him, loving that he could be such a guy.
As it was so late, traffic was light outside of Austin. Away from the city, they scarcely met another car on the desolate road.
She was still a bit sleepy, but did her duty and talked to Gabe about trivial things , such as his boat and the weather, to keep him awake. Though he looked ready to pass out from exhaustion, he perked right up when she got up the nerve to ask what was truly weighing on her mind.
“So what’s the deal with Lindsey?” she asked. “Madison seemed to think the baby is Owen’s and Lindsey does too, but you don’t seem convinced.”
“It’s probably his,” Gabe said, reaching for the stereo knob and turning blaring metal music on.
Melanie turned it back off. “How can it probably be his? It either is or it isn’t.”
Gabe rubbed the back of his neck and became fascinated with the side view mirror.
“Gabe!”
“You’re not going to like what I have to say.”
Her stomach dropped. “It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“I’m pretty sure that it’s not.”
“What the fuck, Gabe? Did the entire band have an orgy with the chick or what?”
He blew at his cheeks, still refusing to look at her. “Yeah, pretty much.”
She’d been joking, so his validation of her question made her eyes bug out.
“It was Christmas Eve ,” he said. “We were far from home and trapped on the
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