An Exceptional Twist (30 page)

Damn.

She’d forgotten to throw them away before
she left. Of all people, she should knew better. Now the stench of
nasty, moldy water overpowered the small space, reminding her of
that nauseating smell from Abby’s fridge a few weeks ago. That
thought alone sent an unwelcome shiver down her spine, and she
almost gagged again.

Since it was August, the weather was mild.
She opened up all the windows to let the evening breeze in, then
emptied all of the vases around the living room and kitchen,
spilling a little putrid water on her jeans. Grimacing, she decided
it was definitely time for that shower now.

The warm water poured over her head,
relieving all the stress from her drive and the repulsion over the
funky spilled water. Running her hands through her long, thick
hair, she thought about the last week.

Staying at her mom’s had
been relaxing, exactly the break she needed. But she was happy to
be back a day early. Elena showed up every day with her minions,
using all of her evil powers to make Leah’s stay
uncomfortable.
What’s Elena’s problem?
Doesn’t she know her crap got old a long time
ago
?

Ben wasn’t kidding when he told Leah that he
didn’t have time for a relationship. She only got to see him on
Tuesday and Wednesday, when she met him at the park for a run. Each
time, he’d just finished playing basketball with some friends, and
was pretty smelly when she got to him. She enjoyed spending those
few hours exercising with him, but it would have been nicer to
actually go out on another real date before she left.

The soft towel she picked up was so
comforting that she hugged it to herself. When her warm body
touched the material, the smell of laundry detergent drifted in the
air.

Mmm! I love that smell.

When she started to wrap it around her hair,
the phone rang. Padding her way to the counter where she’d left it,
Leah took a quick peek around the room. She didn’t know why. No one
was there.

Old habit.
Being the only modest girl in her house growing
up, it was still weird being naked in her own space.

“Hola, chica,” Leah sang into the phone when
she saw it was Abby.

“Hey. Are you finally coming home tomorrow?”
Abby complained.

“Well,
grumpy
, I’m actually home already.”
Through their short phone calls, Leah was noticing Abby’s fuse was
getting shorter and shorter.

Chuckling to herself, she
thought,
I’d be aggravated if Stefen was
invading my home, too.

Suddenly, Abby said, “I’m on my way.” Then
the line went dead.

Looking at her bare body, then longingly at
her bed, Leah grumbled, “Guess I’m not going to sleep yet.”

Within ten minutes, Leah
was dressed in her comfy clothes, and Abby was parked on the
opposite corner of her couch, staring off into space with her
droopy eyes.
She looks like a
zombie.
With a warm cup of blueberry
herbal tea in her hands, Abby wrapped herself up in a blanket that
was usually draped over the arm of the sofa.

“So what’s going on? You look like shit.”
Leah sipped from her own cup of tea, eyeing her exhausted friend
sporting bags under her usually stunning blue eyes.

It had been quite a while
since Leah had seen Abby so weary. That troubled her. She couldn’t
help her snide thoughts.
Is Stefen to
blame, again?
Then she almost felt guilty
when it hit
her
.

Morning sickness.

“Thanks for sugar coating it,” Abby replied
dryly before setting her cup on the table and shutting her
bloodshot eyes.

“Seriously, are you still getting sick?”
Concern laced Leah’s words as she furrowed her eyebrows.

Abby scooted further down on the couch. “I’m
so tired, Leah. I just want to sleep for an entire month.”

Abby looked completely spent. Leah felt bad
that she’d been out of town most of the week and not here to help.
Placing her hand on Abby’s shoulder, she gave a light squeeze.

“That’s typical, though, right? When Elena
was pregnant, she couldn’t get through the day without a nap. At
the time, I thought it was because she was lazy, but I’ve heard
it’s normal.”

“I guess, but it’s been the longest week
ever. I know you probably don’t want to hear about it.” There was a
strange emphasis on ‘it’, and Leah knew Abby meant Stefen. “But
it’s been really difficult.”

Guilt chipped away at Leah
as she fiddled with a throw pillow from the couch, doing everything
she could to avoid Abby’s dazed expression. Her best friend was
having a problem that she really didn’t want to know about.
I’m such a selfish bitch.

Abby’s feelings mattered,
but she didn’t want to talk about Stefen or what a pain in the ass
he was. She already knew first hand.
He’s
probably being a big baby, too.
.

Finally, she looked up, trying to appear
sympathetic, when she was really just nodding along, attempting to
block Stefen out.

Breathing out heavily, Abby kept going.
“Unless Caleb or I help him down the stairs, he’s stuck in the
bedroom because of the double vision in his one eye and the
dizziness from his concussion. I know he feels like a huge burden,
having to rely on us, so he’s trying to be as independent as he
can. Yesterday, he almost made it down the stairs by himself, but
he missed the last few and hit the floor hard, right in front of
me. We thought he dislocated his good shoulder.” She placed her
hand on her chest as though relieved. “Thank god, he didn’t.” Abby
spoke as if she was talking about her own child.

Leah had seen her friend’s motherly
intuition kick in as soon as she became close to Madison, but now,
with the pregnancy and having to take care of Stefen, it seemed
like those instincts were in full gear.

“Why don’t you hire someone to help out?”
That seemed like an obvious solution, but Leah knew Abby’s answer
before she even said it.

By now, Abby was completely laying down on
the couch with her eyes shut. She huffed, making sure to get her
point across. “I don’t want some stranger in my house, roaming
around all day and night. That would be even worse than to take
care of him myself.”

Rubbing her hand soothingly over Abby’s
calf, Leah spoke softly. “They wouldn’t need to be there when he’s
asleep.”

Abby opened one eye. “He has horrific
nightmares and wakes up the house, shouting like he’s been set on
fire. It’s awful, Leah.”

Nightmares?
Leah gulped.

The thought of him being terrorized in his
sleep was cracking the protective coating she’d wrapped around her
heart. He was so strong and independent. She couldn’t even imagine
what it was doing to his ego to wake up in the middle of the night,
screaming like a child.

Abby closed her eyes again, and Leah sank
into the couch, her eyes coating with tears. As much as he’d hurt
her, she still had feelings for him, and no one should have to go
through this.

Hiding her sniffle, Leah gave a solemn
apology. “Are you serious? I’m so sorry, Abby.” She changed the
subject quickly. “Any news about Julianne?”

Caleb’s childhood nanny, Julianne, had
planned on moving into Abby’s bungalow right after the wedding,
when she got a call from a family friend that her ailing sister was
on her deathbed. She’d been stuck in her hometown since the
wedding, several months ago.

“Yeah, her sister passed away. She left
everything to Julianne. She decided to stay, at least for a while.
Besides, she’s an old lady. We wanted her to come out here to
retire, not care for a full-grown man who she wouldn’t be able to
physically help anyway. Can you imagine her dressing him?”

Visions of his amazing
body filled her mind.
Yes. Yes, I can
imagine what that would be like.
Leah
smirked, thankful that her friend’s eyes were closed.

Wait a minute.
“Do you help him get dressed?”
Why do I sound jealous?

Abby placed her arm across her forehead.
“Not really. He manages a little and doesn’t want my help with
that. That’s been more of Caleb’s job. I’ve had to help him with
his shirts a few times, but that’s it.”

Breathing out, Leah
wondered,
why am I so relieved that she
hasn’t seen him naked?
A vision hit her
upside the head of him sprawled out in her bed that one night they
were together. Stefen might be a lot of not so great things, but he
was definitely easy on the eyes.

Abby lifted her head,
peaking at Leah with a smile before laying it back down.
Crap
, she noticed me
looking off all dreamlike.

Fumbling with her words, Leah said, “So um,
you’re going back to work soon. You’ll need to have someone. I can
see how worn out you are. You need help.”

Abby was drifting, her voice almost
slurring. “I don’t have to think about it right this second.”

Within minutes, Abby was passed out, snoring
as loudly as Dani normally did.

Cocking her head to the
side, Leah thought,
that’s new.
She stuffed a throw pillow under Abby’s head,
then sent a Caleb a quick text.

Leah:
Abby is knocked out on my couch.

Caleb:
Awesome! Please let her sleep!

Leah:
Of course! Just wanted you to know.

Caleb:
Thanks for being such a good friend.

Gazing down at her
exhausted, hormonal friend, Leah sighed.
If I was such a good friend, I’d put my own shit aside and be
there for her.

Briefly closing her eyes, she took a deep
breath, exhaling it slowly. She wondered how she was going to get
any sleep with thoughts of an injured and helpless Stefen rolling
around her mind. Abby would never ask, but there was no way Leah
could let her keep going like this.

Before she crawled into bed, she made a
decision.

Stefen was finally starting to feel better,
and then he had to take that damn spill down the stairs the other
day. Now the little bit of pride he had left was shot to hell, and
his muscles felt like they were back at square one.

It was frustrating, feeling like an invalid
and stressing out the people around him. He wasn’t used to this. He
was independent and active. He enjoyed taking care of himself, and
now he was reduced to spending hours in a bed. His body craved his
morning jogs. Even with the physical therapy, he was starting to
stiffen up from being so still.

He wondered where Abby slept last night.
Leah’s no doubt. It was a freaking miracle Caleb slept through his
nightmares. They were probably the worst part of this hell. Stefen
would startle awake, in a cold sweat, usually screaming like a
little girl. But that was only the half of it. The vivid images
were what kept him awake the rest of the night.

The fear that he was putting his loved ones
at risk consumed him night and day, tightening his chest. He felt
like he was suffocating.

Normally, Abby rushed in with her soothing
voice and lulled him back to sleep, similar to the way a mother
would sing to a child. He’d grown to not only appreciate her, but
Abby now had her own special spot in his heart.

Deciding enough was enough, Stefen tried to
come up with another plan. There had to be another place to recover
without inconveniencing anyone. But after hours of thought, he was
drawing a blank, which in turn frustrated the hell out of him.

He heard a knock on the door, then Abby’s
gentle voice. “Stefen, are you awake?”

Picking up his heavy head—he was still
suffering from a gnarly headache—he noticed how well rested she
looked. “Yeah, good morning.” He yawned and stretched in the
awkward way he’d grown accustomed to these past few weeks.

Abby was smiling in a strange way, and he
froze as Leah walked behind her. This wasn’t how he wanted her to
see him. He hoped his disfigured eye would’ve been fixed by a
plastic surgeon before they met up again. As much as he wanted to,
he couldn’t help but stare at Leah. He was both shocked and
captivated.

When Leah stepped through the doorway, it
was as if they were suddenly in one of those cheesy eighties movies
he loved to watch. The daylight from the hallway illuminated the
outline of her hair as she swooshed it over her shoulder in slow
motion, at least in his mind it was slow motion. He could
practically hear a song from the band, Spandau Ballet, playing in
the background.