Chapter 18
Eighteen
I nsomnia was now his new best friend. Even with making tea for Sloane every night before bed, he just couldn’t get his mind to turn off. And when he did finally fall asleep, his eyes would pop back open two hours later, and he’d be up for the rest of the day. It was so frustrating. But he was wasting precious time staying in bed. There was work to be done, and if he wasn’t going to sleep, he needed to get up and tackle it.
Sometime in the night, Sloane had rolled off his chest, and although he’d woken up missing the warmth of having her in his arms, he was grateful that he could slip out of bed without waking her.
Tugging a shirt over his head, Gage made his way out of the bedroom and headed straight for his laptop. Work for The Trident was getting pushed further and further behind schedule, but he wouldn’t apologize for that. His number one priority was taking care of Sloane and making sure she was safe. Cap and Gunner both understood that, and he knew if there was any push back, they’d have his six, no questions asked.
Still, he didn’t want to let them down, or put the business in a bad spot. Which is why, hours before he should have been up, Gage would take the restless night as an opportunity to catch up on some coding.
It was only two hours later, when his eyes started to feel the familiar strain from staring at a computer screen, that Gage realized he’d forgotten to grab his glasses. Shit. He wouldn’t risk heading back into the bedroom and disturbing Sloane’s sleep just to grab them.
It was so easy to get lost in the lines of coding. Looking for the one piece of information that wasn’t where it belonged. Looking for something extra that flew under the radar and caused catastrophic failure of the coding down the line.
That’s why he was surprised when he looked up from his computer screen to watch Sloane walk into the living room, fully dressed. It wouldn’t have been weird if they were starting the day, but when the quickest little glance at his watch told him it was three in the morning, Gage sat up in alarm. Her hand was pressed low on her belly, and he could see flashes of pain in her eyes.
“What’s going on? Are you going somewhere?”
“It’s not a big deal, I just… I need to go to the store. Shit.” She leaned over, clutching at her stomach. That had him jumping up, rushing to her side.
“Whoa. Are you feeling sick? Let’s get you back to bed and I’ll bring you some ginger ale.”
“No, I’m okay. I need to go. It’s just that it’s the middle of the night.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Gage fought the growl bubbling up in his chest. If she wasn’t sick, why did she need to go out to a store for something? “No place around here is going to be open. Maybe Mae can help me if I call. Lily might be able to, but I hate to bother her when she has the baby sleeping.”
Sloane pulled her phone out of her pocket, looking at it like she was holding a bomb.
“Put that down. You don’t have to call Mae. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t have anything with me,” she whispered.
“Anything with you for what?”
Her cheeks flushed. Shit, maybe she was coming down with something. He lifted his hand and brushed it across her forehead. She didn’t feel warmer than normal.
Sloane smiled as she reached up and pulled his hand away from her face.
“I’m sorry. I got my period. I have an IUD so I wasn’t even thinking about my cycle and having supplies on hand, but maybe the stress of everything recently made it come back?”
Christ. Gage let out his breath, relieved that it was something he could easily help her with.
“Why are you apologizing? There’s supplies under the sink in the guest bathroom. If it’s not what you need, you can write down whatever you want me to grab, and I’ll drive over to Rogersville to get it. I’ll make one of the guys come hang out over here until I can get back.”
“You keep things here at your apartment? For who?”
He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I noticed Mae keeps the bathroom at work stocked, and it hit me that just because I didn’t have a woman living with me anymore didn’t mean I couldn’t make my home comfortable for my friends. You and Lily and Mae are here whenever we get together and I host. I didn’t want anyone to feel like they have to miss anything when we’re having fun because something comes up. And now that you’re here on a more permanent basis, I’m glad I was thinking ahead.”
She cupped his face with both of her hands, taking a second to look into his eyes. His hand reached up and moved some of her hair so that it tucked behind her ear.
“What?” he asked.
“I shouldn’t be surprised. This is completely in line with the man that you are, Gage Walker. And yet, I am. I’m sure whatever you have will work, at the very least until a more decent time to be awake in the morning. Thank you for being so considerate.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Do you mind if I grab something and jump in the shower? The warmth just helps with the cramps. But I don’t need to if the running water will keep you awake.”
He shook his head. “I was good and awake before you even came out here. Probably for the day, so the water won’t bother me. Why don’t you go in and I’ll grab the basket out of the guest bathroom. Do you… uh…”
Sloane’s brows furrowed. “What?”
“Well, Mel always liked to sleep in my boxer briefs when she had her period. They were just more comfortable and she could cram the heating pad we had in them. It would kind of stay in place for her better. Would you want to… I mean if that’s too personal then…”
She smiled. “I’d actually love to borrow a pair. That sounds really comfortable and honestly I just feel a bit out of sorts in my own skin right now. I’m not opposed to using the benefits afforded to me of having a boyfriend with an extensive, oddly adorable collection of superhero briefs.”
“Dr. Donovan, have you been snooping through my unmentionables?”
“Who, me? Never! But don’t worry, Clark, your underwear secret is safe with me.”
Gage laughed, until Sloane winced, her hand rubbing across her lower belly.
“Alright. Give me two seconds to get all that stuff together.” He leaned down, placing a kiss on her forehead before turning in the opposite direction as her, determined to make sure she was feeling better as quickly as possible.
* * *
“Hey, did the shower help?” Gage asked as he watched Sloane rub a fluffy towel over the ends of her hair.
“Not really. It’s not usually terrible. I don’t know if it’s just the stress of everything or what, but the cramps are kicking my ass this time.”
“I’m sorry. I put some painkillers next to your water and turned on a heating pad for you. It’s under the blanket on your side of the bed.”
“Thank you.” She lingered in the doorway, prompting him to stand and walk over to her. His eyes dropped, instantly widening as he traced her curves in his clothes. There was no way he’d ever get over seeing her in them.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just can’t get over how beautiful you are, Red.”
She laughed and he shook his head, gripping her chin between his fingers. “Don’t laugh. It’s the truth. You look fucking delectable right now.”
“Gage, I’m bloated, and I’m wearing your boxers and old t-shirt.”
“Exactly. You look like a fucking goddess, and I can’t believe you’re all mine. Now, are you ready to go back to sleep?” Gage tipped her chin up, looking into her eyes to see if he could figure out what she wasn’t admitting to him.
“Yes. I just… I can’t sleep with my hair like this. I tried to avoid getting most of it wet, but the ends are still damp and they’ll tangle if I lay down before it’s dry. I’m trying to find the energy to drag out my hair dryer.”
He let out a sigh of relief. Drying hair he could do. “I’ll do it for you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Come on.” He led Sloane to the toilet, shutting the lid before holding out his hand to help her sit down. She faced the wall, resting her arms and head on the tank while he got the dryer plugged in and found her hair brush. Gage turned the dryer on the lowest setting, tsk-ing as Sloane picked up her head.
“Put your head back down and close your eyes. I’ll be fine drying your hair just like this.”
She smiled, her sleepy eyes drooping as she followed his directions. God, he’d missed moments like that. He’d always loved helping Melody with her hair. She wasn’t particularly fussy, and after sneaking away for a date night, they’d take a bath together, and Gage would wash her hair. Watching the stress melt away because he was taking care of her had always been so rewarding. And it was the same with Sloane.
As if she could sense what he was thinking about, she turned her head and popped open her eyes. “How did you get so good at this?” she asked over the sound of the dryer.
“I used to dry Mel’s hair.”
“She was a lucky woman to have such a thoughtful husband.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
Then, and now.
He worked quickly, letting the hot air dry the ends of her hair as he ran a brush through it time after time. Sloane didn’t say anything else to him, her breathing slowing and the tension in her shoulders relaxing as the minutes ticked by.
Finally, it was time to turn the dryer off and get his girl back to bed.
“Alright, sleepyhead. Let’s get you back to bed.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
“I just want to see you feel better, Red. Let’s get you tucked in and back to sleep. You don’t have a client until the afternoon, right?”
“How do you remember my schedule better than I do?”
“I might have integrated your appointment schedule into my own calendar.”
“Gage! My client confidentiality?—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there. I know it’s the most important thing to you and the foundation of your practice’s ethos. I would never take that from you. The only information I get is that you have a client scheduled. That way I know not to interrupt you during that time.”
“Oh. Okay. That was very thoughtful of you.”
“I try.”
“Will you come back to bed with me? I mean, it’s okay if you have work to do and can’t. I’m being a big baby.”
“Red?”
“Yeah?”
“Come on.”
He tugged her across the room, pulling the comforter back until she was situated with the heating pad on her belly. Then he laid the fluffy blanket back over her and made his way over to his side.
She rolled so she was tucked into his side, the heating pad radiating warmth onto his hip.
“I know you probably have so much work still to catch up….”
He pressed his lips into her hair, kissing the crown of her head as he wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her closer to him. “Stop worrying and go to sleep. I’m exactly where I want to be.”