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He nodded. “That kid could sleep through a tornado.” He smiled at the thought—an endearing one reserved for his son only. “Are you okay?”

I tried to wave him off, but he kept his steady gaze on mine. His hair was a mess of curls on his head; his sharp jaw had a dusting of hair on it, and I realized he must not have shaved in a day or two.

“It was just a nightmare,” I finally acquiesced.

He let me go, but didn’t scoot away, our hips touching. He looked around, grabbing the blanket off the floor and tossing it over my legs. “Do you get those a lot?”

I shrugged.

“Are they about… that place?”

“Don’t remember anything else for them to be about.”

I expected a sad, pitying look, but Lexington was surprised. He huffed a laugh. “I should have thought that through. Sorry for the stupid question.”

I didn’t know it was possible, but he had actually made me smile. “You can go back to sleep. I really am sorry for waking you up.”

“Are you going to fall back asleep?”

I made a noncommittal sound in the back of my throat and straightened the blanket around me, ignoring his gaze. He didn’t let me get away with it; I had a feeling Lexington wasn’t going to let me get away with anything.

He stood and reached out his hand. I stared at him, confused.

“Come on,” he explained, motioning with his head. “I have an idea.”

I reached out and took his hand, letting him haul me up. His gaze swept over me, lingering for a beat. I caught the quiet heat in his eyes, but this wasn't about desire—it was an evaluation. He was studying me, trying to figure out if I was actually prepared for what we were about to do.

“You need pants,” he mumbled. “Find pants; I’ll be right back.”

He left the room, his steps quiet as he made his way across the hall. I glanced around, fishing a pair of sweats off the floor and switching out my shorts that barely covered my ass. Just as I pulled on the new pair of pants, Lexington was back, a hoodie pulled over his shirt and another hoodie in his hand. He held it out to me. “Put this on.”

I was too tired to argue, but there was something deep within me that really wanted to—to needle at him and argue for the sake of arguing. I ignored the feeling and pulled the jacket on, letting the soft material fall over my frame. It hit the middle of my thighs and was a bit ridiculous, but I didn’t mind; it was warm and smelled like Lexington. Like safety.

He smiled and motioned with his head for me to follow him. I listened, falling in step behind him as he led me through the house. There were a few lamps on, lighting our way into the kitchen and to the back door. The lights hadn't been on when I went to bed, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Lexington had gone through the effort to switch them on for my comfort.

Lexington slid open the back door in the kitchen, revealing his backyard. “Ladies first.”

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, my feet planted in the house. I hadn’t been outside since he brought me here. Before that… well, I was only outside when necessary.

He motioned towards the back yard, which had to be at least an acre of grass and trees. I turned back to him. “What about River?”

He fished in his pocket, pulling out a baby monitor. “He’ll be okay.”

I sighed and eventually acquiesced. We meandered out the back door and onto the snowy grass. The late January air sent a chill down my spine, but it reminded me I was alive. I took a deep breath in and glanced up at the sky, finding the stars far above.

Lexington was grabbing something, but I wasn’t paying attention, focused on the moon that was just rising. I couldn’t remember why, but the full moon felt important.

“Lex?” I asked.

He turned to me, a baseball bat in one hand and a glove with a ball in it under his arm. He seemed completely perplexed by me.

“What?” I asked, stuffing my hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt, feeling suddenly insecure.

“Nothing, really,” he explained, standing back up to his full height and closing the distance between us. “You’ve never called me Lex before. It threw me off.”

“Oh…” I muttered, looking down at my feet. “Sorry. I don’t have to—”

He cut me off, his finger coming to my chin, gently guiding my gaze back to his. “I liked it. Just surprised me. What’s your question?”