Not My Type: Rhiannon Ch. 07

She watched me for a moment, her pretty face thoughtful. "Never in twenty-nine years have I ever known Joe to say something he didn't mean," she offered after a time.

It was a roundabout answer, but I'd have to content myself with it.

"What am I going to do, Lil? What are you all going to do?" My question came out sounding just about as tortured as I felt.

She turned and gave me a much-needed hug. "We're Tanners," she said with a wry smile. "We make do."

~*~

I went to bed before everyone else. It had been too much of a day for me and I was exhausted. I had no idea what time Joe joined me. I was half awake when I felt his strong arm wrap around my waist. I thought maybe he'd be too upset to make love, too distraught by the chaos I'd brought to his family and his life. Instead Joe came to me with a wild desperation that made my heart ache in my chest.

We didn't say anything to each other. I knew words wouldn't heal the hurt Joe had endured. I didn't have anything else to give him except my body and our lovemaking was fierce and silent, tinted with anguish. Joe held on to me so tightly I could barely move, hardly breathe and I should have been frightened by the intensity of him but I wasn't. For a brief time he wasn't the gentle, considerate Joe I knew, but the darkness in him thrilled me a little too. To know he was capable of such emotion, even if it was in the darkest minutes of night, brought tears to my eyes.

Afterwards, Joe only slightly loosened his arms around me before he slept. I tried to switch off my brain and sleep too, but it was difficult and it was a long time before I could.

I was the first person up in the morning, owing mostly to the fact that I was the only one without a hangover. Sometimes I didn't miss drinking as much as I thought I would. I wrapped myself up in one of Joe's big hand-knit sweaters and headed outside. I sat on the beach for a long time just watching the tide change.

The slow, heavy sound of the footsteps crunching across the red sand behind me hinted at only one person. Joe. My stomach clenched nervously. We were going to have to have a talk. I just didn't know what I wanted to say. I took a few deep breaths, expecting to look over my shoulder and see Joe standing there with a 'we-need-to-talk' look on his face. Instead he held my cell phone in his hand.

"Rhi," he started then hesitated. My stomach dropped at the look on his face. He held out my cell phone. "Rhi, darlin'," his voice cracked, "that was the hospital. It's Mrs. Nichol..."

To be continued...