“Maybe you should call your doctor,” Jax suggested.
Shaking his head, Cash pulled his keys from his pocket. “Let’s not get carried away. I’ll be fine by tomorrow and then I’ll be back.”
A cell rang, echoing in the open hangar. Tanner patted his pockets and finally pulled out his phone.
“Melanie,” he answered, sounding frantic. “You okay?”
Cash stared at his cousin, trying to get a read on what was happening. Was she in labor?
“Well, what else am I supposed to think when you call instead of text?” he exclaimed. “Yes, I’m aware. I’ll be home in just a few minutes.”
He disconnected the call and clutched his cell to his side.
“No baby?” Jax asked.
Tanner shook his head. “I promised I’d get the changing table put together today and she’s holding me to it.”
Cash never thought he’d want someone waiting at home on him again. He always thought answering to someone was no way to live, let alone put the stamp of love on the situation. But now that he was heading home and feeling like shit, he almost wished he had someone there for him.
“You’re still here?” Tanner asked, turning his attention to Cash.
He held up his hands and stepped back. “I’m going.”
After promising to return tomorrow evening, Cash headed back to his truck. He glanced toward the main building, where the construction crew was wrapping it up for the day. They’d been putting in long hours trying to keep the project running on time. So far, so good.
By the time Cash pulled his truck into his drive, he wondered if he should take a short nap right here to muster up some energy to even get into his house.
Cash rested his head on the steering wheel for a moment and closed his eyes. He could do this. He benched and dead lifted more than most people weighed; surely he could put one foot in front of the other, climb the four steps to his porch, and get his ass inside. If he didn’t make it to bed, at least he could pass out on the sofa just inside the door.
He fisted the keys and moved slowly from the truck to the drive and up the porch steps. By the time he reached the front door, Cash knew for certain the couch would have to do. His heart beat fast, and he felt clammy and exhausted. Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t have someone at home waiting on him. He was of no use to anyone right now and there was no use infecting someone else.
Cash barely got the door closed and his keys and cell placed on the end table before he practically crawled to the sectional and fell face-first. His cell vibrated on the table, but he really could care less about who needed him.
Damn it. Maybe it was about his dad again. Cash vowed to look at his message in a bit; he just needed to rest for a minute first.
In the back of his mind, Cash started calculating when he’d need to get up and ready in the morning for his sessions, but then he realized tomorrow was Thursday, and that was the one day he’d always kept blocked out for office work and general business.
As he drifted off, he wondered if he heard his cell vibrate again. He really needed to check the phone in case there was an emergency with his dad, the gym, or the airport.
In just a minute, he vowed again.
* * *
Jade slid her phone into her pocket and wondered where Cash was. She’d texted him twice, but he hadn’t replied. Not that he needed to jump at her messages, and they certainly didn’t have any plans for the evening.
Was it so wrong that she missed him? She could admit that and still keep an emotional distance, right? They were friends at this point, there really was no denying it, and they’d crossed some boundary last time they’d been together. He now knew her worries, her secrets, her past. He knew more than even Melanie and Livie. Jade had never disclosed her silly game to them and had only started it with Cash as a way to pass the time in the plane. But one conversation had snowballed into another, and now he knew the reason why.
Maybe that was what would keep this newfound friendship special. Because the intimacy would eventually come to an end. She wanted to keep him as a friend because she was well aware that having a friend you could trust was special.
Jade glanced at the clock and realized it wasn’t as late as she’d thought. As she slid onto the stool at the kitchen island, she set her cell aside and opened her laptop. She wanted to get down some ideas for the open house before she forgot them all. She’d chatted with Livie earlier via text, but now that she was trying to get every thought down, Jade wondered if she was missing something.
Jade tapped on her cell and pulled up Livie’s number. After putting it on speaker and laying the phone next to her laptop, she waited for her friend to answer.
“Hey, what’s up?” Livie answered.
“I’m working on the notes for the open house. Did we decide on the afternoon or evening? I know we bounced around ideas, but I don’t think we pegged down anything.”
“Can I call you right back?” Livie asked. “I’m at the airport with Piper. We’re getting ready to take Jax to dinner.”