Until Friday Night (The Field Party #1)(35)

“Can I stay a while if we whisper?”

Like I would tell him no. I never told him no. Even though I should tell him no. . . . It wouldn’t hurt him for me to tell him no, and he could stand to hear it more often.

“Of course.”

You’re Insane If You Think I’d Make a Move on My Cousin

CHAPTER 24

WEST

She’d fallen asleep on me—literally, on me—about an hour ago. But I was still here. Her head had been on my shoulder when she’d nodded off and had gradually moved its way to my chest. I had to get out of here before Brady got home and saw my truck parked down the street. His parents might not notice it, but he would. He would also know I was in her room and how I got there. I wasn’t going to push my luck with him.

Easing out from under her, I pulled the covers up so she wouldn’t get cold. Just as I was about to move away, she began to whimper. It was soft, but it was a cry. Then she began to kick and shake her head as the whimpering got louder.

I have nightmares every night. I see my mother die over and over again. Her words replayed in my head. Was that what this was? I began to rub my hand up and down her arm as I assured her she was okay and I was here.

It didn’t help. She kept kicking and then started to moan pitifully.

I hated seeing her like this. Lost in a horror she couldn’t escape. It wasn’t a nightmare. Those weren’t real. Those you could wake up from. This was a memory that haunted her. One she’d never wake up from.

I crawled in bed and lay behind her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against my chest. I kept whispering in her ear that I was here. That she was in my arms and I wasn’t leaving her. That she’d be okay.

Slowly, she began to ease. She quit kicking and her terrified sounds stopped. Then her fingers wrapped firmly around my arm. She wasn’t letting me go. Even in her sleep she knew I was here, and she was keeping me close.

That felt good. For once, I had helped her. She’d been my rock and my source of peace, but I was never one for her. I thought she’d gone and lived her hell alone. But in reality, she was still living it, and I could do for her what she did for me. Hold on to her so she never lost herself.

Someone was jerking my body back and forth. Groggily, I opened my eyes to see why. It was still dark out. I blinked and looked down to see that Maggie had turned and was now facing me, tucked in close to my body.

A hand on my arm tightened. Apparently, I hadn’t woken up on my own. I looked up to see Brady scowling at me.

“What. The. Fuck,” he growled. “I trusted you.” He was keeping his voice down, which was good. Brady I could handle, but Boone would kill me.

“She had a nightmare. I was just helping her, and then I fell asleep too. I swear to God, that was it.”

Brady’s scowl didn’t lift. “Why were you in her room? It’s after midnight. I know you, West, and you don’t crawl in bed with girls and do nothing.”

He was right about that. Except with Maggie. I did crawl in bed and do nothing with Maggie.

“I would never touch her, Brady. I swear it. She’s my friend, and she needed me. I’m not trying to do anything more with her.”

Brady finally looked like he might believe me. “She’s dressed,” he said.

“Yeah, and so am I. My boots are even still on,” I pointed out.

Brady backed up and nodded for me to move.

I eased away from Maggie and covered her up. Brady was her cousin, but I didn’t like the idea of him seeing her in those skintight leggings. Her shirt was bunched around her waist, and you could see a little slice of skin on her stomach. I didn’t want him seeing that either.

“Don’t come back in her room at night.”

I wasn’t going to argue with him, but he was stupid if he thought I wouldn’t come back. If she wanted me here, I’d be back every damn night to check on her.

“We talked. She fell asleep, then she started having a nightmare about the same time I was leaving. I calmed her down and fell asleep in the process.”

Brady gave me a hard nod. “Fine. Now leave.”

I would go, but he was leaving too. “I will. But so are you.”

He looked at me like I had lost my mind. “What?”

I looked back at Maggie sleeping curled up alone in the bed. “If I leave, so do you. She locks her door at night. How’d you get in?” I asked him.

“I know how to get into my old room when it’s locked. Besides, once I saw your truck parked down the road, I knew where you were and how you got in here.”

I trusted Brady, but I didn’t like that. “I leave, you leave,” I repeated.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Very.”

Brady shook his head and opened the bedroom door. “I swear to God, West. You’re insane if you think I’d make a move on my cousin.”

I didn’t think he would. I just didn’t like him being in her room while she was asleep. She hadn’t invited him in. It was an invasion of her privacy.

When I’d finally gotten home and into my own bed, I’d gone to sleep hoping I’d wake up to a repeat of last weekend with my dad. I didn’t get it.

Instead I was woken by the sounds of an ambulance outside the house, and my mother’s frantic voice. My heart slammed against my chest, and I moved fast. I ran from my room toward the front of the house where I heard Momma.