23. Michael
But she isn’t okay. I know she isn’t.
Maybe on a normal day Diana could’ve handled this easily with her hands tied behind her back, but something’s up. Something that goes deeper than just a fear of taking on a sudden summer storm on her own.
I look out the window at the purple-blue skies and gray clouds hammering rain down over us and debate what to do. There’s not a doubt in my mind that Diana can handle herself in a crisis, but something in the tone of her voice set off alarm bells in my head.
She said she didn’t do well with storms.
I swipe through the weather app and, according to the radar, see I have about an hour and a half of okay driving time before things start to get really bad.
“Rach?” I ask, pulling her attention away from her tablet (educational games only). “You up for a road trip?”
If my daughter weren’t in the car, I probably would’ve made it to Diana’s in under ten minutes.
But because I want to be safe, I make sure not to speed, to be even more aware of my surroundings as the trees sway wildly from the ever-growing force of the winds.
I know there’s danger in going out during this weather, but my gut is telling me Diana and her girls are in even more danger.
And that they’re more scared than they would be at my place.
When I finally make it to her house, the wheels on my truck splash in her driveway, the usually pristine, light gray gravel already covered in mud.
I turn in my seat to face Rachel. “Kid. Normally, I’d say we’d have to make a run for it. But the last thing I want is for you to slip, so you’re going to get wet. That okay? It’s that or leave you alone in the truck, and that’s just not going to happen. Not in this weather.”
“So you’re saying I have no choice but to walk out in that and get soaking wet?” she asks, pointing out the window with a casual shrug.
This makes me laugh. I nod and scratch the back of my head. “I guess so. Let’s go.”
By the time we make it through the gate and to the pool area, we’re both drenched, the winds starting to gain even more force.
I push Rachel toward the pool’s sliding door, and tell her to go find her friends and ask for dry clothes.
After that, I run toward Diana who doesn’t seem to have noticed my arrival as she struggles to close a pool umbrella.
I can tell by the redness in her eyes that she’s been crying, though the rain beating down on her hides it well.
I wrap my hands around the umbrella and steady it, bringing her attention up to me.
Her jaw drops before she swallows, her brows pulled together before a sob breaks through her. “You’re here.”
And I can’t bear it any longer. I wrap her in my arms, pull her to my chest, not giving a shit that the world seems to be falling apart all around us. All that matters is us, here, now, and that she knows she’s not alone.
“I keep trying to close this so I can move it to the storage shed where all the pool furniture is supposed to go,” she wails into my chest, “but the wind is too strong, and the water is making everything slippery. I don’t know what to do.”
“Shh. I’m here.” I kiss the top of her head and cradle her in my arms, letting her cry against my chest for a few more moments before releasing her.
“We need to move quickly, okay? Before it gets worse. I can do the bulk of the work, but I’m going to need help maneuvering.
You okay with that?” When she nods, I tell her, “Okay, let’s do it. ”
It doesn’t take us longer than fifteen minutes to store the remaining pool furniture. Teamwork definitely made the dream work.
We call for the girls to bring us towels as soon as we walk into the kitchen, and then I catch Diana staring appreciatively at my now-transparent white t-shirt. I grin mischievously. Her deep blush when she realizes I’ve caught her makes me laugh despite this crazy situation.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper. “It’s not like I wasn’t doing the same thing.” I nod towards her own top, where I can clearly see her pebbled nipples through the fabric.
“I’m wet,” she whispers back. “That’s why.”
“Oh, I’m sure you are.”
She snorts and shakes her head, but not before slapping me on the shoulder.
Laughing with her like this after everything that happened, as the adrenaline begins to wane, makes me want to kiss her more than I ever have.
But the moment is interrupted by three girls running into the kitchen with a stack of towels each.
“I think you guys should come stay with us,” I tell her once she’s changed into dry clothes. Mine are in the dryer while I’m wrapped up in a robe.
“What? No. Why?”
“I texted Barbara, and she said this house doesn’t have a generator, and with these winds and the old cables around the area, I don’t trust that your power won’t go out.
My house, on the other hand, does have a generator.
Plus, your house is closer to the shore than mine.
I’m more inland, so my place is better protected. ”
She shakes her head, and looks over at the girls as they play in the living room, making sure they don’t hear us. “No way. We’re fine here, I promise.”
“Dee,” I sigh, reaching out to cup her face, taking a step closer to her.
It’s a risk, I know, but I can’t help it.
“Please. For me. For my peace of mind,” I beg.
It’s a fucked up move, because I know her first instinct is to help people, so I know that by asking her this way it will be harder to refuse.
But there it is. I’ll do anything to keep her safe, anything to make sure she and the girls are protected.
She looks back at her daughters then back at me. “I don’t think—”
And, thank god, that’s when the lights go out.
“Okay, so the girls can have a sleepover in Rachel’s room,” I say, carrying Diana, Cami, and Emi’s bags all in one hand into the house.
“I’ve got a couple of air mattresses they can use, or if you guys want to feel like you’re glamping or something you can use a couple of sleeping bags.
I just need to get them out of the attic. ”
The girls giggle in excitement and run into Rachel’s room, apparently uninterested in their sleeping arrangements for now.
“Okay, then,” Diana says with a laugh.
I grin at her as I settle the bags by the door. “You will be sleeping in my room—”
Diana’s eyes widen with panic, swinging both her hands in the air. “Michael, no. There’s no way—”
“Calm down, Dee,” I laugh. “I’ll be sleeping on the couch—not in the bed. The thought didn’t even cross my mind.” Which isn’t exactly a lie or a truth—I sure as fuck have imagined her in my bed, but there was no way I was going to ask her to do so while the girls are under the same roof.
“Don’t be silly. I’m not going to force you out of your own bed! I should take the couch. After all, I’m smaller than you.”
“You know there’s no way in hell I’m going to let that happen, right? I would never do that. I’ll go drop your bags there, and change the sheets—”
“Oh my god, at least let me do that—”
“No way. I need to get out of these damp clothes that never dried, and then change the sheets. Once I’m done, I’ll cook us dinner.”
“Michael…” She sighs. “Thank you.”
Those last two words are felt deep in my bones because I know the weight behind them. I understand how difficult it is for her to accept help.
I reach out to cup her face, run my thumb over her lower lip. “Of course. Anytime. Anywhere.”
A smile plays on her lips until realization hits her. “Oh shoot. This means our date tomorrow is cancelled, isn’t it?”
I drag my fingers down her neck, over her arm, and take her hand, my eyes following their trail. She’s so soft. “Not cancelled. Just needs to be rescheduled, maybe.”
Her answering smile feels like a tight rope around my heart. Jesus, what is this feeling?
I look over her shoulder to make sure the girls are shut in Rachel’s room, the laughter coming from behind the door signaling just how unaware they are about our situation.
Taking advantage of it, I lean down and press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Let me take care of you,” I whisper, my mouth moving to her lips. “Let me be here for you and your girls tonight.”
Eyes closed, she whispers, “Yes” on a sigh.