Chapter 4
Mei
I’m safe? From him?
My mind reels, hours after Owen dropped that bomb on me. At first, I was alarmed and worried for both me and Penny, but it quickly dissipated after watching him interact with his family more.
He actually loves and cares about his children. There’s warmth and affection inside of him which is in stark contrast to my mother’s cold emotional distance.
This house isn’t actually all that bad. Far less lonely than our apartment was.
When Mom would leave us at night, it just felt so empty.
I made up for it by being overly loving toward Penny.
Now that we’re here, she has others who already adore her.
Even Rhett, whom I met right before bedtime, scooped her up like he’s known her all his life.
Mom could have certainly chosen a worse situation for us.
Addison breathes heavily in her sleep in the bed beside mine. I’m touched she took such care to decorate my side of the room and unpack my things. It’s nice to—
Thunk.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I sit up straight in the dark, heart racing. The whole house has been silent for a good couple of hours, but someone is awake. My first thought is Penny, but the footsteps are heavier.
Is Owen sleepwalking?
What if he goes outside again?
I slide out of bed and tiptoe toward the locked bedroom door. As I reach for it, the handle jiggles. A spike of fear shoots through me.
Is he trying to get in here?
My hand hovers over the handle, as my heart pounds wildly out of control. Then, the jiggling stops and the thuds continue. I release the air in my lungs in a sharp swoosh and then quietly unlock the door. Slowly, I open it and peek down the hallway.
A shadowy form stands at the top of the stairs.
It has to be Owen.
Will he fall?
As he starts to descend, I hurry after him, my bare feet hardly making any sound. By the time I catch up to him, he makes it to the bottom and then strides toward the back patio door.
Oh my God. He’s going to go outside again.
I chase after him, surprised at how fast he moves for someone who’s asleep. As soon as he makes it to the back door, his fingers fly effortlessly over the keypad to disengage the alarm.
“Owen,” I hiss, grabbing hold of his hand.
He grunts and tries to mash in more numbers.
I duck under his arm while keeping hold of it, putting myself between him and the door.
His arm relaxes and I’m able to ease it back down to his side.
Pale moonlight shines in through the window, highlighting his handsome features. It’s then I realize he’s shirtless.
Okay, wow.
For someone close to my mom’s age, he’s incredibly fit.
I’ve never even been this close to a guy in such an intimate way, much less shirtless.
Shoulder muscles seemingly carved of stone are an unexpected but beautiful sight.
It makes my pulse thud out of control. His eyes are half-lidded and his mouth is slack. I long to see his warm smile.
“Owen,” I say again, voice low. “Wake up.”
His body inches closer, crowding me with his warmth. I sense he’s still asleep, still trying to get outside. I’m unsure what to do for him right now. Do I wake up his family? Wake up Mom?
I lift a hand and gently cup his cheek. “Owen, you need to go back to bed.”
He blinks a few times, and a dazed expression contorts his features. Then, his eyes drop to my lips. Forbidden heat curls in my lower belly.
Enough, Mei.
This is your mom’s husband for crying out loud.
“Come on,” I whisper, sliding my hand off his face so I can take hold of his hand. “Time for bed.”
He sort of stumbles as I push him back some. I grip his hand tight and tug him toward the stairs. Going back up is a slower process than coming down. My heart leaps into my chest multiple times when he trips over a step or two.
This is terrifying.
He’s so out of it and could hurt himself.
I guide him past the bedrooms toward his. Since I haven’t been in his room, only saw a bit of it on my tour earlier, I bump into a dresser in my effort to get him to his bed. Despite the throbbing in my hip now, I finally manage to get him over to it.
“Get in bed,” I murmur. “That’s it. Good job.”
He shuffles as he slides under the covers. As if he’s Penny, I pull them up to his chin and tuck him in. Before I can leave, his hand grabs my forearm sending a jolt of electricity through my nerves.
“Mei.”
The raspy, almost reverent way he says my name has me pausing. “Yes?”
“I’m…sorry.”
I cover his hand with my other one and give him a reassuring squeeze. “Go to sleep. You’re okay now.”
After I pry his hand off me, I wait for a beat. Seconds later, soft, rhythmic breathing fills the silent night air.
Relief floods through me knowing he’s back in bed rather than outside. I creep across his room, managing to sidestep the dresser corner this time, and close the door behind me. Maybe having it closed will deter him from another sleepwalking episode that takes him outside.
The exhaustion from my trip, the shocking news of my mom’s marriage and our move, and then this with Owen finally catches up to me. I crash hard the second my head hits the pillow. This time, I don’t lock the door. At least he’s safer in here than out there.
Mornings are lively and chaotic in the Monahan home.
The frenzy of people rushing about, getting ready, snagging quick breakfasts, and locating their things to leave is oddly refreshing.
Usually, Mom is headed out the door before I even wake up.
Sometimes I manage to give Penny a kiss goodbye before they leave, but not always.
This morning, she and Penny are already gone, but the Monahans are dragging. Since Rhett and I don’t start back at college for a few days, we nurse our coffee at the dining room table, looking at our phones as we try to wake up.
Cason can’t find his gloves and Addison complains about the dribble of coffee she got on her school uniform. Owen handles it all with ease, tossing gloves at his son and a Tide pen at his daughter. When he catches me staring, he gives me a wink that has my blood burning hot.
“I’m going to get these two off to school,” Owen says to me, “but if you need anything, let me know. Rhett can get you our phone numbers to plug into your phone. Your mom already gave us yours.”
The heat is chased off by a sickness in my belly. It’s so strange to come into this whole situation as late as I did. I feel left out and way behind.
“Thanks,” I murmur, squeezing my hands around my hot mug.
Owen’s smile falls as he studies me intently. Something akin to guilt shines in his eyes. Does he remember last night? My cheeks feel hotter than my coffee right now. I’m unable to hold his gaze.
“Cason’s been begging for us to go to Smoke & Sugar,” Owen says, voice tight. “I made him hold off until you got back from St. Louis. We’ll all go together this evening if you don’t have any plans.”
Have any plans?
My life revolves around school and caring for my baby sister when Mom doesn’t.
“Yeah, sure,” I mumble. “Sounds good.”
They continue their chaos, but I can’t be in here anymore. I bring my mug with me, heading back up the stairs. I’ve just sat down on my bed when Owen enters the bedroom. He rubs at his neck, shame rippling from him.
“Mei,” he rasps out. “I am so sorry about last night.”
I jerk my head up and frown at him. “Why?”
“It must’ve been weird for you to find me during one of my episodes. Next time, just wake one of the kids or Jin. I hate that you had to deal with it.”
I scoff, once again hating the feeling of being an outsider here. “We’re family now. Remember, Dad? It’s just what you do.”
He opens his mouth like he wants to say more, but just shakes his head. Guilt quells up inside me. Maybe my response was a little too sarcastic and rude. I like Owen. I’m not looking to cause trouble for him.
“Ugh,” I rush out. “I’m being a brat.”
He snorts and flashes me a sexy grin. “At least you’re in a house full of them. I’m used to it.”
“I really do like it here,” I continue, unable to keep from giving him a smile back. “This is how a home is supposed to be.”
The corners of his eyes crinkle as his smile widens. “That means a lot to me. You have no idea.”
I set my coffee mug down on my end table and stand back up. Owen stuffs his hands in his slacks’ pocket, navy blue eyes tracking my movement as I make my way over to him. His gaze burns into me, hotter each step closer I get. When I’m only a foot or so away from him, I stop and tilt my head up.
“Thanks for being so kind to me.” Before I can stop myself, I slide my arms under his, wrapping them around him.
He’s stiff at first but then he pulls his hands out of his pockets to return the hug. Like a creep, I inhale his freshly sprayed cologne, eyes fluttering closed. His arms are strong and hold me tight.
It’s nice.
Really nice.
Especially since I never get this from my own parents. Dad will give me the occasional peck on top of the head, but it’s rare. All my hugs come from Penny.
“And thank you for getting me back to bed last night,” Owen murmurs, hot breath tickling the hair on top of my head. “That had to be awkward for you, but you handled it beautifully. You’re a real gem, Mei, and I’m happy to know you.”
He releases me all too soon which has me mimicking his actions. When he doesn’t move away, I tilt my head up, studying him up close. Owen truly is one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen in real life. Like movie star handsome. His smile is my favorite part of him.
My bangs bounce each time I blink, capturing Owen’s gaze.
With a crooked grin, he lifts his hand and delicately brushes them aside, revealing my eyes.
His mouth opens as if he wants to say something, but he abruptly clamps it shut.
Then, as if something occurs to him, he takes several steps back, his smile transforming to an unnatural, forced one.
“Right, so dinner at seven sound good?”
I nod and hug my arms around me, fighting off the chill of his sudden retreat. “We like Smoke & Sugar. I’ll be there.”
“Good,” he says quickly. “I need to go or the kids will be late. Promise me you’ll text if you need something.”
“Promise.”
This time, his warm smile is back. “Good girl.”
He strides out of the bedroom without another word. I’m left reeling at his last spoken words. Good girl. It’s such an innocent thing to say, but his praise embeds itself into my soul. For someone who’s ached for attention, love, hell, even acknowledgment, this small phrase does things to me.
Bad things.
Twisted, wrong things.
Awareness trickles over me like a cold, jarring rain shower. I’m attracted to my stepfather. Really, really into him. I’ve been hanging on his every word and devouring him with my gaze. And that’s after hardly twelve hours of knowing him.
What is wrong with me?
Furthermore, how do I get it to stop?