The devastation on Caylee’s face and her surprised cry had him picking her up and walking out of the room.
“Easy, baby girl. I know it seems horrible right now.”
She shook her head. “How could it ever be normal again?”
“We’ll make a new normal. One that I know you’ll be happy with. Just give it time.”
Nolan sat with her on his lap in a chair in the bedroom and let her cry. She needed the release, and since she was safe from harm, he could let down his guard a bit and just hold her.
He held her until she cried herself to sleep and then laid her on the bed, moved down on the mattress to lay beside her, and covered them up. Since he didn’t want her to wake up scared, he planned to stay and not leave her alone any time soon. She’d gotten agitated a few times in her sleep, but all he had to do was tell her he was there.
She woke up once to get closer to him. “Can we hold eachother?”
“We are.”
“No, like really hold on to each other,” she said.
He guessed at what she was hinting at, but she was nowhere near ready for sex, and there was no way in hell he’d take advantage of her.
“This is as far as we can go right now, baby. You’re too upset to make these kinds of decisions.”
“It’s just that I want to feel something other than despair,” Caylee said.
“I’ll make you feel something different later. But right now, I just want to hold you.”
Fortunately, she nodded and closed her eyes.
She was the sweetest thing he’d ever seen, and he wouldn’t be letting her go any time soon—unless that was what she wanted.
Chapter Four
Over an hour had passed when he decided to wake her up and start dinner. He rested on his elbow and placed his hand on her stomach.
“Baby girl, it’s time to get up. I’ll just have you up long enough to eat, and then I’ll get you back in bed.”
Her eyes opened, and she stared up at him.
He smiled down at her. “Come on.”
She nodded. “Okay.” She rolled out of bed, met him at the bedroom door, and took his hand.
“What should we make for dinner? It doesn’t sound like the other two are up yet.”
“Steak,” she said. “I saw some in the refrigerator.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Jonah and Holly joined them a short time later, and Nolan saw how the girls looked at each other. He hated seeing the misery on the girls’ faces as they hugged, but he didn’t know how to make them feel better.
The men tried to make dinner more upbeat, and it seemed to work. The girls relaxed enough to enjoy themselves.
Nolan smiled at the interaction between Jonah and Holly. He could see the attraction between the two and hoped it all worked out. Jonah had been looking for a little as long as Nolan had.
“Girls, go sit on the sofa. We’ll be right there,” Jonah said.
Nolan ensured they had the remote before entering the kitchen and starting the dishes.
Nolan handed him a wet plate. “How’s it going with you two?” He was shocked when Jonah told him that he had been intimate with Holly. It was something Caylee had hinted at, but he didn’t think she was ready for it.