Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Kace
It's a couple of hours before I recover from Dani's little playtime-pretend session of being pregnant.
Sully heads out the door before either Lindsey or I recover from his assumption that I'm the father, but after calling Sully an idiot, I realize Gabe will undoubtedly correct the error on the way back to the station.
After the guys leave, I somehow manage to set aside my horror at the thought of my baby girl having sex one day in order to get pregnant. What dad wants to think about that? The thought makes me want to kill her imaginary husband, and he's still a kid as yet.
Lindsey fixes a late lunch and brings my meds while Dani plays in her bedroom.
There's an awkwardness between us now. One born of embarrassment and tension and all the questions we've yet to go over and work through.
"We should probably get some things settled before Mads gets home from the bookstore and we have that talk. "
I see Lindsey square her shoulders and take a breath, like she's bracing herself for whatever comes next. I don't blame her. We're both exhausted. But this isn't a conversation that can be put off any longer.
"I suppose you're having doubts? I mean, after Dani's… I understand if you're having doubts," she says. "I get that I'm not the moral influence you might want for your girls."
"Hey, no judgment from me. You're more than of age to make decisions regarding your life.
But I do think we need to get those boundaries and stories straight before we talk to them.
Are you up to discussing it now?" I'm honestly too tired to have this conversation, especially when the pain med is kicking in, but I don't want to put it off any longer.
If Lindsey is going to be staying with us and taking charge of the girls to a certain extent, we need rules.
Limits. Reminders that this is temporary.
"What do you have in mind?"
I scrub a hand over my face to fight off the drowsiness. "Well, for one, I think we need to talk about the fact you're pregnant."
"As in don't be Lindsey," she murmurs. "I get it. I'm the after-school special."
I feel like crap for agreeing, but she's right when it comes to the two girls in my care. "I just don't want them…romanticizing it."
"I understand. And believe it or not, I agree. Especially given their ages."
Good. It's good to be on the same page.
"But I really don't think either of them sees anything romantic about my situation. I mean, yes, Dani was pretending, but I remember doing the same thing as a kid playing dressup. I knew enough to know babies were in mommy's bellies, and it was part of playing pretend. I had a Midge."
I frown at the statement. "A Midge?"
Lindsey smiles and it lights up those gorgeous eyes of hers.
"Barbie's best friend, Midge. Midge came with a pregnant belly—and a husband and family."
Okay then. News to me. "Okay, I get it. Pretending's okay." I think a moment more because things are starting to muddle more than a bit due to the drugs. "Mads, though..."
"Madison had a friend in Virginia who got pregnant and had to get a DNA test to identify the father. Trust me, she isn't romanticizing anything. But it does bring up another subject where Madi is concerned. Did Gabe talk to you while Dani and I were gone?"
I nod, still trying to figure out how best to handle that dilemma. "He said Mads indicated she's worried she won't be included in any decisions regarding the future. But don't you think you being here will help that?"
Lindsey lifts a shoulder in a shrug, and the material shifts, revealing the hint of a collar bone that looks far too fragile.
"I hope so. I honestly haven't considered it.
When she mentioned it, we hadn't talked about me moving in with you, so maybe it will.
" She tugs at the end of her shirt. "But that brings up another topic.
How are we handling things here? I mean, you're going to need help showering and stuff, right? Do we need to discuss that?"
The subject change brings me out of my medicated daze.
I blink at her bluntness but can't fault her for it.
"Uh…I mean, I can do the bathing," I say awkwardly, "but getting there and back, and in and out of the shower's gonna be the challenge.
The guys mentioned installing some grab bars to help.
The doc okayed a chair for the shower, but I don't know when it'll get here. "
"I just meant you're going to need help. At least at first. We're both adult, professional people. We can do this. Once we get you in there, I can step out to let you finish undressing. You, um, can cover up with some towels, and I'll just…come back in to help with your cast and stuff."
She's speaking matter-of-factly, but her face is taking on a pink hue I find more than a little amusing. As a firefighter, I've seen it all at this point, so her pink cheeks strike me as adorable. "Why all the blushes? You're pregnant, so you've obviously got some experience. Are you shy, Lindsey?"
She doesn't seem the type, but the glare she shoots me leaves me chuckling. My new roomie is prickly, but I like it. She'll have to be to put up with my moody self. I'm already bored out of my mind, and teasing her to a blush is going to be my new pastime and entertainment.
"We barely know each other. Actually we don't know each other," she counters. "All of this is kind of a crash course when it comes to introductions, don't you think?"
I grin at her and wink, earning another cast of pink and a glare.
I can't help it, though. Maybe unmedicated, I'd consider the ramifications of flirting with my pregnant caretaker more carefully, but right now, I'm flying a pleasant buzz, and I like teasing her.
"Hey, beautiful, I'm Kace McCallum," I say, pretending to introduce myself.
She just shakes her head at me, eyes glittering with amusement.
"Okay, fine," I murmur. "Let's get serious. What are your rules?"
"I suppose… If we find we're not happy with the arrangement or it's not working for either of us, for whatever reason, no hard feelings. We just move on. No explanations needed. We just communicate that our arrangement is over and keep it friendly and professional."
I get the feeling there's more to her words than the obvious, but I agree with a nod.
That works for me. Our personalities might clash to the point that living together isn't beneficial, and I refuse to share a home with someone I can't live with, even temporarily.
It's not healthy. For me or Lindsey—or the girls and the baby Lindsey carries.
"Agreed. Also, the girls come first," I counter.
"Any decision that affects them gets priority. "
"Of course."
"And I have final say."
"They're your girls. That's a given."
"Good. Okay, so, we'll take this situation a day at a time, remain professional and keep things on an even keel."
"No promises for the future," she says in response to my words. "We'll just deal with the issues as they come up and end it as friends if our arrangement doesn't work out."
"Right. So we have a deal—or a trial by fire, such as it is. And since we're jumping right in…"
She blinks at me and seems to steel herself.
"Okay. What's next?" she asks.
"A shower. And it needs to happen now while the meds are working to take the edge off. I hate to ask, but I can't manage it alone. Can you help me?"