Theirs to Keep - Maya Banks Page 0,48
I fell hard on my ass for you the very first time I laid eyes on you.”
She glanced nervously at Cade, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she took in his reaction to the scene unfolding.
Cade stroked her hair with one hand. Then his gaze met Merrick’s, and there was determination there.
“We’re okay with this, Elle,” Cade said in a firm but gentle voice. “This isn’t something we’ve approached lightly. I don’t want you to ever think we did. You’re important to us both. You mean everything to us. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around us for fear of pissing one of us off because you think you left one of us out.”
She reached for Cade’s hand, pulling it to her mouth to kiss the inside as she’d done to Merrick.
“I love you.”
Cade’s eyes softened. He seemed to melt right there on the couch. He cupped her face and leaned in, angling his mouth over hers to apply gentle pressure with his lips.
“I love you too, sweetheart. We’re going to get through this. I promise.”
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears, and Merrick could tell she was battling for control.
“I don’t know what to do,” she choked out. “I don’t know how to fix me. I wish I did.”
“Shhh,” Cade said as he kissed her again. “I’m going to call Dallas and see what he has to say. He may can offer insight or at least address the sleep issue.”
She hesitated, opened her mouth as if to say something and then closed it again.
“What is it?” Merrick asked.
“Maybe… Maybe it would be better if one of you slept with me. In case it happens again.”
“I think that’s a very good idea,” Cade said.
He glanced up at Merrick as he said the next words, as if he were checking Merrick’s reaction.
“I think it would be best if you slept between us. No way for you to slip out of bed if you have to crawl over one of us.”
Merrick nodded immediately. Elle looked relieved. She rubbed her hands up and down her legs, pressing tightly against the sweats.
“Call Dallas,” she said in a quiet voice. “I want to fix this, no matter what I have to do. I want to be able to move forward.”
Chapter Twenty-One
ELLE HAD A RELAXED RELATIONSHIP with Dallas. He checked in on her regularly, even calling the guys for frequent updates. Since having a regular doctor was out of the question when she didn’t even know who she was, Dallas had taken over her care as well as Merrick’s.
If she had an ailment or needed an exam, Cade and Merrick brought her in after work hours and Dallas would see her in his clinic.
Tonight, he was making a house call.
Merrick had called him, concern vibrating in his voice as he’d asked Dallas to come over. It was no wonder Dallas showed as quickly as he did after hearing the way Merrick sounded.
Dallas listened first to Merrick’s account of how Elle had walked out of the house in her sleep. Then he talked to Elle, and she told him of the dreams and of hearing her attacker’s voice. The badge and how it had dug into her skin. She didn’t even realize she rubbed her hip the entire time she was recounting the story.
Dallas put his hand over hers. “As you heal, you can likely expect more of your memory to return. And by heal, I mean emotionally. Sometimes the mind takes much longer to recover than the body, and I certainly believe that to be the case in your situation.”
She nodded because she agreed with him there. There were days she didn’t feel like she’d ever truly get beyond the barriers to her past.
“Don’t fight it. Let it happen naturally. But don’t push yourself to remember either,” he advised. “Be patient. You’ll remember when you’re ready.”
“And what can I do about the sleepwalking?” she asked. “Do you think it’s just a freak occurrence? To my knowledge, it’s never happened before.”
“I’ll write you a prescription for something to help you sleep. Sometimes the mind doesn’t shut off just because the rest of you does. Cade and Merrick will be watching you a lot more closely from now on, so I have confidence that I won’t have to worry about you walking into the streets,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “You’re a good friend, Dallas.”
His features softened. “I don’t want you to be too hard on yourself, Elle. You’ve been through a