TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 91

Ninety-One

Lisa

My hand remained on the door handle as I stood there like a fool. I didn’t move away from it.

Evangeline had looked at me with pure hostility. It wasn’t normal anger or jealousy. It was something harsher, the kind of look that made me react before I even understood why.

I backed away from the door and sat on the edge of the bed. My legs didn’t feel steady under me.

She could have hurt me.

The realization sat heavy in my chest.

What am I doing here?

The house felt too big and too quiet, and I couldn’t shake the sense that I didn’t belong in it. I had never felt unsafe here before. I had felt awkward and out of place, but never unsafe.

Now it was different.

Headlights swept across the gravel. I stood and walked toward the window. A car turned into the driveway and stopped near the entrance.

Franklin and Doctor Beauty headed straight for the entrance without stopping. Voices carried faintly from downstairs. Doors opening. Footsteps moving fast across the floor.

This was happening because of me.

If I hadn’t gone to the club, this wouldn’t have happened. My mind kept circling, looking for somewhere to put the blame, and it kept landing on me.

I pressed my forehead against the glass.

She’s sick. She’s already fragile. And now I’ve made it worse.

I couldn’t shake the weight of it. I stayed by the window, watching the lights until the house went quiet again.

I forced myself back to bed.

I woke up with my mouth dry and nausea rolling through my stomach. I didn’t understand what was wrong at first. My head felt heavy, and my arms didn’t want to cooperate when I pushed myself up. Then the nausea surged, and I sat upright,

The room spun. I covered my mouth and hurried to the trash bin beside the table, dropping to my knees in front of it. My stomach clenched hard, but nothing came out. Only air, along with a burning feeling in my throat. My eyes

watered from the strain.

I stayed there, breathing through my mouth, waiting for the nausea to settle.

I pressed my palm against my stomach. My body was reminding me what this really was.

There was a baby inside me.

Nausea surged again, and I grabbed the edge of the table and held on, waiting for it to ease. I grabbed a glass from the table, rinsed my mouth, and spat into the sink.

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I walked back to the bed and sat down. My body felt heavier than it had yesterday. I rested my head in my hands.

A knock came on the door.

“Lisa?”

It was my mother’s voice. I stood and unlocked it, opening the door halfway. She looked at my face and frowned.

“You look pale.”

“I feel awful.”

She stepped inside without waiting and closed the door behind her. She pressed her hand to my forehead.

“That’s normal. Early pregnancy can be like this.”

She guided me back to the bed and sat me down. “I’ll make you something. Ginger helps.”

I nodded, too tired to argue.

While she moved around the small kitchenette, opening drawers and boiling water, I watched her hands. She moved the same way she always had when I was sick as a child. Watching her move through the routine steadied me. The smell of the ginger reached me. My body still didn’t feel like mine. Everything felt heavier and more sensitive, as if something fundamental had changed overnight.

“Last night. I heard voices. I didn’t come out because I didn’t want to interfere, but I heard enough.”

I looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

She turned toward me. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Because this is happening because of me.”

Her face hardened. “No. This situation existed before you entered it. You did not create their problems.”

I looked down at my hands.

“I don’t feel safe here anymore.”

Saying it out loud made it real. I couldn’t pretend otherwise anymore.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

She handed me the cup, steadying it when my fingers didn’t close around it right away. I held it between my palms, letting the heat sink into my fingers, then took a small sip. The warmth settled my stomach enough that I didn’t feel like I might throw up again.

“She tried to attack me. She came toward me. Cameron had to step in front of me. If he hadn’t, I don’t know what she would have done,”

My mother’s hand tightened around her cup. “That is not acceptable.”

“I know she’s sick. I know she’s scared. I know this situation is horrible for her. I’m not blaming her, but I was

scared.”

My mother leaned forward and placed her hand over mine. “You do not have to excuse someone hurting you. Being ill does not give anyone permission to harm you.”

Another part of last night pushed into my head, right before everything went wrong.

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Evangeline’s voice. Choose between her and me.

“What if I made a mistake? What if this was a bad decision? What if I didn’t think it through enough?”

Her expression softened, but she didn’t answer right away. “You made the best decision you could with the information you had. But circumstances change. When they do, you reassess.”

I rubbed my thumb along the rim of the cup. “I don’t want to cause more problems. But I also don’t want to stay somewhere where I might get hurt.”

“You talk to Cameron. You explain that you need to stay somewhere else. Not far. Just separate from Evangeline.”

I knew she was right. I still didn’t feel settled about it.

My phone buzzed on the table. I glanced down.

A message from Franklin.

Cameron wants to see you.

“No.”

My mother looked up. “What?”

“He wants me to come talk to him.”

“That’s good. You should go.”

“I’m not going.” 1

Her eyebrows lifted.

“I don’t want another confrontation. I don’t want to stand there while she screams again. I don’t want someone lunging at me. I’m tired.”

“Lisa.”

“I’m serious. What if someone decides I’m the problem and takes me out? That would solve everything, right? No baby, no conflict.”

“That is not funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

The bitterness in my own voice surprised me.

She sat beside me. “You cannot avoid him. He is part of this situation whether you like it or not. Talk to him calmly. Explain what you need.”

I looked away. “I don’t want trouble.”

My mother reached up and touched my cheek. “You are allowed to protect yourself. But do not let fear turn into stubbornness.”

Then there was a knock on the door.

My body went tense before I even stood up. We both knew who it was.

My mother stood first and opened the door.

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