She gapes at me. “It’s cold. And there’s snow on the ground.”
“The last time, my oldest son, Rhett, was the first to get to me. You’ll meet him hopefully tonight or tomorrow. He’s a good kid.”
“You’re lucky your toes haven’t fallen off,” Mei says, glancing down at my dress shoes. “Or have they?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “All present and accounted for.”
“What else do you do when sleepwalking?”
Shame wraps its sticky tentacles around me, squeezing the air out of me. I jerk to my feet and crack my neck, needing to loose out some of the tension forming in my shoulders.
“Owen,” Mei murmurs, a trickle of fear in her tone. “What else do you do?”
Images flood through my mind over the years. There was a time when I turned on all the burners on the stove. Another time I got in the neighbor’s pool. And, there were a few horrible times I’d wake up in one of the kids’ rooms.
Which is why Leah knows that’ll get inside my head. Accusing me of being untoward with Addison. Never fucking happened.
What about Savvy?
There was a foster girl we took care of after her parents died. For some reason I kept waking up near her bed, and once, in it. Even though I had no physical attraction or any sick shit in my head in regard to her, I still felt like a damn pedophile. To make matters worse, because of Rhett sneaking a girl in his room, Leah had all the locks on the doors removed. Looking back, I think she knew it upset me to find myself in one of their rooms, especially Addison’s, and she secretly got off on my disgust and discomfort.
“Don’t worry,” I rasp out, voice hoarse with emotion. “I’ve installed locks on the bedroom doors. You’re safe.”
Chapter 4
Mei
I’m safe? From him?
My mind reels, hours after Owen dropped that bomb on me. At first, I was alarmed and worried for both me and Penny, but it quickly dissipated after watching him interact with his family more.
He actually loves and cares about his children. There’s warmth and affection inside of him which is in stark contrast to my mother’s cold emotional distance.
This house isn’t actually all that bad. Far less lonely than our apartment was. When Mom would leave us at night, it just felt so empty. I made up for it by being overly loving toward Penny. Now that we’re here, she has others who already adore her. Even Rhett, whom I met right before bedtime, scooped her up like he’s known her all his life.
Mom could have certainly chosen a worse situation for us.
Addison breathes heavily in her sleep in the bed beside mine. I’m touched she took such care to decorate my side of the room and unpack my things. It’s nice to?—
Thunk.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I sit up straight in the dark, heart racing. The whole house has been silent for a good couple of hours, but someone is awake. My first thought is Penny, but the footsteps are heavier.
Is Owen sleepwalking?
What if he goes outside again?
I slide out of bed and tiptoe toward the locked bedroom door. As I reach for it, the handle jiggles. A spike of fear shoots through me.
Is he trying to get in here?
My hand hovers over the handle, as my heart pounds wildly out of control. Then, the jiggling stops and the thuds continue. I release the air in my lungs in a sharp swoosh and then quietly unlock the door. Slowly, I open it and peek down the hallway.
A shadowy form stands at the top of the stairs.
It has to be Owen.
