Cornered

Chapter 2-2

LINGERING SWEAT CLUNG to my body and merged with the fresh rain, as I stepped from the forest and beneath the arches to Nate's property. The lawn appeared almost black, thanks to the weather, stretching all the way to the block paving that surrounded the house. The grass both soaked and tickled my soles as I strode toward the conservatory, where light from the kitchen offered a warm glow.

As I grew nearer, Nate's broad shoulders, bunched over the kitchen table, came into view through the windows of the French doors into the main house.

His head lifted when I opened the conservatory door, exposing the laptop he sat in front of, and his gaze tracked my movements across the cool tiles, my entrance into the warm room with him.

A quick glance around the oak-designed kitchen showed no one else. His wife, Beth, must've already gone up to bed, as no sounds came from the rest of the house, either.

"Figured I'd crash here tonight," I said, twisting back to Nate's appraising stare.

His blue eyes seemed filled with questions, but the only one he asked was, "Again?"

It was a fair question, considering I'd intermittently shown up over the last few months—sometimes even sneaking in after a long run, well into the night, to a house in darkness.

I nodded.

His gaze swept over me, before he lifted his fingers from the mouse-pad of his laptop and brushed them over his dark, recently-cropped hair. "Better find a towel and dry yourself off, then."

"Thought I'd take a shower first," I said, trying to gauge his mood. I would've tried to figure out his late night, too, if the behaviour wasn't common for him. Maybe I wasn't the only one who enjoyed a bit of alone time.

"Go ahead—but let Connor know you're here first."

"Already did," I said, moving toward the hallway. "Sent him a text before I left."

"Danny," he barked, stalling me, and I turned in time to catch his mobile as I flew at me. He jerked his chin upward a notch. "Do you good to just speak to him, once in a while." He lowered his attention back to his laptop screen. "You can leave that in the living room once you're done."

Typical Nate: Giving me an order, along with semi-privacy to carry it out. Palming the phone, I cut a quiet path over the hallway tiles and, after sending a longing glance toward the stairs on my left, took a right into the living room, nudging the door to behind me.

With the curtains drawn, only the outlines of the plush sofas and armchair showed up against the pale backdrop of walls. As I found Dad's number, I slumped into the nearest one, rubbing at my face while I waited for the call to connect.

"Nate?" Dad's deep bass sounded weary. "Dan get there okay?"

"It's me," I said."

He sighed. "Dan, you could've at least called when you got here. It's worrying, having you running out there alone so often."

"Well, I would've, but there was an obstruction," I said, fisting my fingers in my hair.

His second sigh came through louder. "How long is this going to go on, Son? Something's got to give soon."

"How long will their taking over the entire house go on for?" I said back.

He didn't answer, only his breaths blew down the line.

Dropping my hand to drape over my knee, I said, "I just want things back to normal, Dad. I just want our space back."

"So, you'd ask Kyle to give up who he's fallen in love with, just to keep the rest of us happy? Would you give her up, if it were you in his shoes?"

My teeth ground at the same argument we'd had a few times of late. "I wouldn't be with a cat to start with."

"He didn't plan it, Dan."

"Doesn't make it any less weird."

"Doesn't make it any less real, either," he said, conviction in his tone, and I knew—as I always knew—I'd be arguing an already lost case if I continued.

"Look, I'll be back before work. I'm gonna go grab a shower before bed."

"I love you, Son," he said, his voice deepening.

"Love you, too, Dad." Before he could get sappier, I hung up the phone and, pushing up, placed it on the coffee table.

The shadows of the hall stretched up toward the upper landing, as I made my way upstairs. Soft breathing drifted through the door of Jem and Sean's room on the left, and I poked my head through the ajar doorway opposite, took in the made bed, bathed in a soft blush made by the nightlight, and, at its foot, the small sleeping form between the bars of the cot.

A combination of soft and gruff snores came from the remaining two bedrooms on my continued pad toward the end of the landing. I didn't have to tax my brain too much to figure out which belonged to Ethan, which to Beth.

The last door led to the bathroom. Rain splattered against the un-frosted window that overlooked the rear garden and forest beyond. A freestanding bath took centre stage, pretty much like our own bathroom at home. In fact, the entire house resembled our own, if I discounted the added conservatory at Nate's.

Not bothering to flick on the light, I went directly to the shower in the rear corner, and after knocking on the tap in there, I shut myself inside. The initial shock of water hit my back like a blast of ice water, jolting me forward, and I braced my hands against the glass panel as I waited for the heat to kick in.

It took only minutes to soap and hose myself down. Might've taken longer had I let my mind linger on the recollection of Liv's knickers—mostly what kind she probably wore—but I'd ordered my thoughts forward. Hard-ons had no place in a bedroom decorated with butterflies and fairies.

With my hair rubbed dry enough, a towel secured about my waist, that bedroom was exactly where I headed.

The same steady breathing and snoring patterned my walk along the landing, but tiny grunts and shuffling greeted me when I let myself into Lia's bedroom. Trying not to make sound, I crossed to the cot.

Little legs wriggled beneath the pink and green blankets, while her chubby fists brushed over her head. I'd stayed over enough times to know what her struggles preceded, and not bothering to wait for the inevitable, I scooped her up against my chest, her face instantly snuggling into my neck as I carried her across the room.

It didn't even take me as far as the bed, though, to notice the warmth pressing against my ribcage, and I detoured us to the changing table.

Sleepy blue eyes blinked up at me when I set her down. "Hey," I whispered, giving one of my best smiles while popping open the legs of her 'gro. At the tired smile I got in return, I chuckled. "Yeah, I know how you feel."

Having done the deed a couple dozen times before, it didn't take me long to switch up her soiled nappy for a clean one. As I was clipping her clothes back together, a door opened out on the landing and footsteps trod toward and down the stairs.

"You're in luck." Her dark mop of fluffy hairs tickled my chin when I picked her up again. "Sounds like Mummy's gone to fetch you some nosh."

When Jem'd been carrying Lia last summer, Sean had switched out the old king-size in the spare room for a double bed. Ensuring I had a good grip on the fidgeting bundle, I pulled back the covers and plumped up the pillows. Once I'd climbed inside, I tugged the covers up and tucked them around Lia, drawing up my knees for her to rest against.

"There," I said, sinking back and letting the pillows support me. "Now, how about you tell me why you're awake at this hour, and then I'll tell you why I'm awake at this hour."

The growly gurgle she made could've passed as a laugh. Understandable really. I made the same deal with her every time I ended up there for the night, and neither of us ever played the game right.

"Looks like it's gonna have to be Row-the-Boat again, then."

"Only because that's the only song you remember all the words to," Jem said, looking half asleep as she trudged into the room with a prepared bottle in her hand.

"Already have enough going on in my head, without having to contain more s**t, too."

"Language." She sent me one of her disapproving frowns, coming closer and setting the bottle on the bedside table. "You want me to take her?"

As usual, she didn't bat an eye at my being there—though, it'd probably breached a point where my absence would surprise her more.

I reached for the bottle and waved it toward the parted lips waiting for it. "I can do it. Me and Lia here were planning to do some talking, anyway."

"Talking or singing? And there're plenty of us you can talk to, if you've stuff you need to get off your chest."

"Yeah, but Lia doesn't judge. Nor answer me back," I added, before she could argue.

"How many did you drink tonight, Dan?"

I shrugged. "Handful of pints." Maybe a half-handful more.

Leaning in close, she inhaled. "And how many JD's did you add to those?"

"A few."

She sighed, and before she could get too serious on me, I planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm good. Promise." Giving my attention back to Lia, I grinned like an i***t until she reciprocated. "See? It's all good. Go back to bed, Jem. I got this. Stupid for you to be awake when I already am." I plugged the bottle teat into Lia's mouth, pretending I hadn't noticed Jem's hesitation. When she finally kissed Lia's cheek and turned toward the door, the brewing tension in my shoulders unknotted.

"'Night, Danny," she said, as she passed through the door and went back to her own room.

"Now, where were we?" I asked, but Lia had already moved on to filling her belly. And there I'd been about to tell her about my riveting night out, how I'd been drop-kicked to the kerb without even having opened my mouth.

Which brought my thoughts right back to a certain redhead. With smoky blue eyes. And knickers. Definitely knickers. Of some kind, or another.

The teat of the bottle fizzed and popped as Lia released it, slamming my brain back to the moment, the room. The task.

After sliding the bottle onto the table, I used my thumb to wipe away a stray dribble of milk from the corner of her mouth and took in the wide roundness of the eyes staring back at me. An added kick up of her legs and wave of her arms told me she wouldn't be falling back to sleep anytime fast.

Letting out a sigh, I wrapped my fingers around her wrists and clapped her hands together. "Pat-a-Cake it is, then."