18
Rhett
With heavy eyes drawing to a close, Rhett slumped her head on the doorframe of Heath’s front door, glad of the warmth in the night-time air. Her bum was almost numb from how long she’d been sitting on his doorstep waiting for his return from the police station.
Nothing about the situation of his arrest seemed fair. Trespassing was a growing issue in rural areas, and people needed to have some respect.
A thin smile crept across her sleepy face as she remembered Heath moving the uninvited car out to the road using his tractor.
She was too tired to shake her head at his madness. It was a bold move, and one rare to his nature. Her mind drifted off to how gentle he used to be whenever he touched her, back in their youth.
There was the time he’d climbed up to the small veranda that led to her bedroom and sneaked in to spend the night. They were so quiet, afraid of her father finding them curled beneath the covers, so attached, so in love.
The thought of him attempting to climb the old tree now made her smile. The weight of his muscles alone would surely break every branch, and the creaky wood of the balcony might just snap from his leg swinging over the top framework.
A sudden sadness removed her warmth as regret surfaced. There was so much she wished she could go back and change, but that life was long gone.
All those years of being so close but so far apart ached her worn heart. How had Heath coped with it all? He always seemed to be doing better than her. Well, he smiled more.
We could be married with more kids and a happy home. Mum could have left, got help, told everyone. I would have been free. Curled in his arms every night.
Her head dropped down, making her jolt back up. She squeezed her eyes to a close before opening them to glance up at the tall figure looking on with amusement. ‘Heath?’
‘You all right down there?’ He leaned over her head, placing the key in the door, turning the lock.
Rhett slid backwards over the threshold as the door opened fully, too tired to adjust her position. She watched him step over her body to enter his home, then stared up at his bloodshot eyes as he squatted by her head to peer down at her face.
‘Do you plan on staying there all night?’ The croak in his voice sent shivers across the wings of every single butterfly residing in her tummy.
‘I was waiting for you.’
‘So I see.’
‘How did it go?’
Heath dropped his gaze, sighed, then slid his hands under her arms, scooping her off the cool floor. ‘It’s late. I’m knackered. We’ll talk in the morning.’
Through the haze of sleep deprivation, Rhett stood before him, wishing she could flop her head on his chest and fall asleep. She really wasn’t used to staying up so late. She followed his arm as he leaned around her to close his front door.
He took her hand and led her towards the staircase. ‘Come with me.’
If there were words to be said they stayed silent. It was her body doing the talking, following Heath all the way up the stairs, along the landing, and into his bedroom.
He placed her by the door to the en suite and held up one finger. ‘One sec.’
Rhett glanced down at her dark-blue overalls, then moved her attention to the large bed. Its solid oak frame and beautifully carved swirls on the headboard told her it was one of Heath’s creations.
He was back in the doorway, holding Willow’s largest tee-shirt. One she would often use for trips to the beach. ‘This might fit.’
Rhett shook her head. Words weren’t coming easy. Lack of sleep, probably. Had to be. What else would bring her to his bedroom? ‘I’m bigger than our daughter.’
In case you hadn’t noticed.
Did she say that last bit out loud? She wasn’t sure.
‘Oh.’ Heath turned to golden oak doors, slid them open, stepped into a walk-in wardrobe, then came back with one of his own tops, which looked double the size of Willow’s beachwear.
Rhett swallowed the dryness in her throat as he approached to place the dark garment gently into her hand. He gestured to the bathroom, telling her she could change in there. Her feet didn’t listen. She just stayed put, looking down at her covered hands. ‘What am I doing?’ She wasn’t entirely sure who she was asking, so she didn’t glance his way.
‘You’re staying with me tonight,’ he said softly, then went over to the far side of the bed, where his pyjama bottoms were folded.
Something made Rhett stay glued to the spot and watch him get changed.
Heath whipped his top off, revealing a tanned, muscular back. His shoulder blades rolled with his arm movements, then he dropped his jeans and black boxer shorts, and Rhett’s mouth gaped at how toned his backside was compared to the last time she’d seen it many moons ago.
Whoa!
As soon as his blue PJ bottoms were on, he glanced over his shoulder, waking Rhett from her trance with his solid thighs. She blinked hard and almost tripped over herself as she stumbled into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door.
Suddenly she wasn’t so tired. Quickly, she changed into his tee-shirt, taking a moment to lift the material for a sniff of his scent, but all she got was fabric detergent.
Oh, Heath, what are we doing?
Leaving her clothes in a messy pile on the floor, she tentatively approached his bed.
Heath was already tucked in, with his bare arms resting over the top of the quilt. He’d switched off the sidelight, making his eyes look darker as they followed her every move.
Rhett’s nerves didn’t seem to know how to behave as she slipped beneath the covers, immersing deeper until the duvet was up to her neck.
Heath turned to face her, but Rhett stayed looking up at the ceiling. ‘Get some sleep.’
Easy for you to say.
She made a show of closing her eyes, but dreaming was no longer on her mind. The reality was far more intriguing, not to mention surreal.
The mattress hardly moved, due to Heath’s steady breathing and her breath having left the building altogether about half an hour earlier.
It was no good. Try as she might, sleep was a thing of the past. The need to fidget took hold, which was a struggle when she daren’t move at all, but after a wobbly sigh and a foot touching his leg, her eyes snapped open and she turned his way to speak. Only problem was, she didn’t quite know what to say.
Sleepy eyes peered back, and a hint of a smile emerged. ‘Come here,’ he whispered, then pulled her closer into his arms.
Rhett’s head pressed to his bare chest, sending her awkwardness to bed with some warm milk and the softest lullaby. She felt his mouth press down upon her hair, and the whole world disappeared as her fingertips lightly moved into his dark chest hair before relaxing beneath his hand.
‘Thank you,’ he said, so quietly, she barely heard.
‘What for?’
‘Being here for me.’
I’ve always been here. I love you.
She closed her eyes, feeling his hold tighten for a second. Every part of her needed him. Could she really make love to him again after all this time? It certainly felt as though she could. Her body was alert and waiting on him to make his move, but after what seemed like forever, she gathered it was down to her to light the fire.
Do it. Just lift your head and kiss him.
She must have said it to herself at least five times over before so much as one ounce of her being had the guts to act. A part of her didn’t want to break the serenity they were sharing, but needs must. Very slowly, she rolled her head up so she could look at his face tilted her way.
Heath’s eyes were closed, and his breathing calm. A little too calm.
He’s asleep already!
The corners of her mouth curled at how at ease he looked and how daft she felt. She knew it wouldn’t take much to wake him, but that wasn’t a place she was willing to visit, under the circumstances. No, she would let him sleep peacefully and keep her hands to herself, no matter how tempting it was.
Rhett closed her eyes and relaxed into his body, feeling the safest she’d felt in many years.