Jeremy thought his heart would beat out of his chest as he watched Grecia sleep. It was the first time in two months he’d seen her at peace. She was always so tense and troubled.
Twice she’d leaned on him tonight, and both times she’d sighed contentedly as if his touch calmed her. If it did, he would be pleased. If all she ever wanted or needed was a shoulder, he would give it to her, but he was starting to admit to himself that he really cared about her.
There were women in the compound. Some of them were even single. But Jeremy had never pursued anyone, mostly because he had never been interested in getting into a pissing contest with a dozen other men all vying for a woman’s attention. It wasn’t his style. He didn’t want to fight for someone’s attention, so he simply backed away.
Not that the men in the bunker actually fought over women. They’d be kicked out in a heartbeat. But they did work hard to woo every female who joined The Wanderers. That was life. But Jeremy had never conformed to it.
Dawson was smiling as he watched the three of them on the couch. He didn’t show any jealousy. He simply looked pleased. He too had a horrifying past. Jeremy knew it even though they’d rarely spoken of it before tonight.
It was good. Cathartic. A reminder that life got easier with each passing day after a tragedy, but having friends and being able to purge helped.
Jeremy’s life hadn’t been a bed of roses either, but he hadn’t lost a wife and baby. Nor had he been brutally raped for a year. He was five years older than Dawson and Elias. Hell, he was thirteen years older than Grecia. Grecia had been raised in a home for girls. At twenty-two, she was so young that she had no memory of a previous way of life.
Even the five years that separated Jeremy from Dawson and Elias mattered. The two of them had been about ten when the walls began to crumble. Jeremy had been fifteen, almost a man.
Years earlier, Jeremy’s mother had died in childbirth with her fourth son, so Jeremy was no stranger to babies. He’d become a second parent to the newborn and two young boys so that his father could work to feed them all.
As soon as Jeremy had been old enough to work himself, the job of babysitting had been passed down to the next son. Unfortunately, all four of Jeremy’s family members had died in an apartment bombing while he’d been at work one day.
A few years later, at his darkest hour, Jeremy had met someone who would change everything. Julie Imes. He’d met the midwife by chance while out foraging for food and the rest was history. Julie brought him into the fold of The Wanderers and saved his life.
That had been ten years ago. Jeremy had never looked back. He’d never been married. He’d never had time for a serious relationship. Now he was thirty-five, single, and sitting on a couch in an apartment in a safe location with the sweetest woman sleeping against his thigh.
Maybe it was his turn. Maybe it wasn’t. He wouldn’t let himself get his hopes up. Hell, he couldn’t even define what it might mean to get a turn. It didn’t have to be romantic. Perhaps his family unit would consist of him, a woman, and her baby cohabitating and raising a child. Maybe it would include Dawson and Elias.
He glanced at the other men in the room. They were both watching him as he stroked Grecia’s shoulder. They weren’t jealous. They had the same contented look he felt.
Perhaps this would be his new family unit. Three men, a woman, and a baby. Weirder arrangements existed.
Grecia stirred, mumbling something in her sleep before settling once again into the deep heavy breathing of good rest. He was glad. He liked having her against him like this. He might have made up the idea that he’d comforted her in some way, but he knew for a fact that she comforted him.
Grecia breathed life into the apartment. Amelia made it sparkle. That baby had him wrapped around her pinky. All she had to do was giggle and coo and he melted for her.
All Grecia had to do was smile, and he turned into a pile of goo. She was hurting and it would be a long climb out of the pit of despair she’d lived in, but it felt like there was a chance she might actually have the strength to pull herself out and rejoin life.
Could she see him as a life partner? Someone she could eventually share a bed with? Could she see Dawson and Elias in the same light?
God, Jeremy hoped so. Suddenly, it seemed like the best outcome in the world.
He glanced at Dawson again. The blond man was smiling knowingly. So was Elias.
Dawson stood and pointed toward the door to the spare bedroom that contained a king-sized bed and the crib where Amelia slept. He mouthed, “Sleep,” before heading that direction.
Elias eased from his spot at the end of the couch and then met Jeremy’s gaze. He reached out and set his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder, giving him a squeeze before joining Dawson in the bedroom and shutting the door as quietly as possible.
In this world, it wasn’t the least bit odd for two men to share a bed, especially a king-sized bed. There weren’t always enough beds to be picky. Besides, Jeremy knew the two men weren’t romantically involved. They were childhood friends who’d shared all kinds of things in their lifetimes.
Right now they were sharing the responsibility of a sweet baby girl in case she woke up again in the night.
And Jeremy was right where he wanted to be. He leaned his head back on the couch cushion and closed his eyes. He might not get enough sleep and his neck might be stiff in the morning, but it would be worth it.