AN: Awkward situations lead to wonderful things that make this author giggle and grin like an idiot.

Chapter 6

It was late at night a few days later when Kate put her next plan into action. Jed and Abbey would be leaving in three days, and she still hadn't made any progress. After a whole week of family outings, Kate had yet to figure out what seemed so off about their relationship. Jed and Abbey sat next to each other when they all went to see the Boston Pops, barely touching but sharing all kinds of secretive looks and smiles. And when Kate accompanied them shopping, she watched as they would whisper to each other and laugh. When they were home, they sat on the couch and talked for hours until someone stopped them. But still, she had never seen them kiss or even get close, besides the strange kiss on the cheek under the mistletoe. Once, while walking around the park near the Barrington house, Kate could have sworn that Abbey reached out to give Jed a hug or kiss and had hesitated. This was very unlike the reputation Kate knew her sister to have. She couldn't understand why this relationship was so different than what she would have expected from Abbey.

And so, two days before New Year's, Kate Barrington tried out a risky and brazen move in her quest for answers. "Hey, Abb?" she whispered.

Abbey rolled over in bed and sighed. "Yeah?" she replied. They had only turned out the light ten minutes earlier—Abbey had wanted to stay up late, looking at the book Jed had given her for Christmas. She'd seen all the illustrations half a dozen times already, but they were more incredible each time she looked at them.

"You know, I'll cover for you," Kate said tentatively into the darkness.

Abbey frowned. "Cover for me for what?"

"Like if you wanted to sneak to the guest room, I won't tell."

"Why?" Abbey asked suspiciously.

Kate shrugged and rolled over onto her side, away from Abbey, hiding her face and attempting nonchalance. "I know you guys have been around the family constantly, and that's no fun. And if you leave, I can have your bed to myself. It would be nice to spend one night without getting kicked by your freezing cold feet at two in the morning," she replied in a rather disgruntled fashion.

On the one hand, Abbey could politely decline Kate's offer to sneak to Jed's room. She could tell her sister that she didn't want to risk it or that she didn't want to bother Jed in the middle of the night on the chance that the rest of the house would get woken up. But on the other hand, if she did take Kate up on the offer, she could allay the suspicion she knew Kate still had. And if, God forbid, she did get caught going into or out of Jed's room, it would perfectly sell the fake boyfriend angle. That did seem to be the better idea. But what would Jed say?

"Alright. If Mom comes in asking about me, just say I went to the bathroom. Say it really loud so I can get out of Jed's room in time," Abbey instructed.

Kate agreed and watched her sister's shadowy form get out of bed and wrap her robe around herself to keep warm on the late December night. "Have fun," she whispered as Abbey opened the door as quietly as she could.

Abbey shushed her and closed the door behind her. She stood in the hallway, staring at the guest room. Behind that door, Jed was probably fast asleep. How was she going to do this? Knocking might wake someone else up. But if she went straight in, he might make noise in surprise. Oh god, this was a nightmare.

She ended up knocking as quietly as she could. From the hall, she could hear some shuffling and saw a beam of light appear underneath the doorway. The door opened, revealing Jed, squinting his eyes. His hair was sticking up in all directions. "Abbey? What's wrong?"

It was natural to ask if something was wrong when you woke someone up in the middle of the night. Yes, that had to be it. Abbey convinced herself of this in an effort to suppress the warm feeling she got when his voice was filled with such concern for her. "Can I come in?" she asked in a whisper.

Jed was still half asleep when he nodded and moved aside for her. He closed the door behind them and turned to Abbey who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. "What's the matter?" he asked again.

"Jed, I'm so sorry. I never intended this."

He was almost fully awake now. "Abbey, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Kate said she'd cover for me if I wanted to sneak into your room to have some alone time with my boyfriend," she explained.

"Oh. And you couldn't say no, because in the real world, you'd never refuse alone time with your boyfriend," he reasoned.

Abbey nodded sadly. "I'm so sorry," she said again.

The corners of his mouth ticked upward. "It's okay. It's kinda nice to be alone with you without pretending." Jed would just keep to himself that the past week really hadn't actually felt like pretending at all.

"Yeah, it is," Abbey agreed with a smile.

"So do you want to stay here or…"

She snapped out of the nice moment and remembered their predicament. "Oh no, I'll just wait until Kate is for sure asleep, and then I'll go back to my room. But you go back to sleep. I'll just wait here for a little while," she insisted.

He shook his head and scoffed, "That's ridiculous. I'm not going to sleep while you stand in the corner like a weirdo. Have a seat and we can pass the time together."

Abbey sat down on the edge of the bed. "Will you read to me for a little while?" she asked hesitantly.

"You want a bedtime story, doctor?" he asked as he looked for a suitable book.

"No," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I just like it when you read out loud. You're best when you give sermons, but reading a book will do just fine for now." Abbey stopped herself just short of telling Jed that the sound of his voice gave her butterflies and soothed her soul all at once.

"Well, since I can't come up with a sermon on the spot, how about if I read the bible to you?" he asked.

"Alright. Let's do the Old Testament."

"I should have guessed that a future surgeon prefers the gory parts," he teased. "Okay, get comfortable." Jed reclined on the side of the bed he had been sleeping in and Abbey scooted up to lean on the pillows on the other side. They lay side by side on top of the covers as Jed began to read, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. And God saw that the light was good."

As Jed continued to read through the chapters of Genesis, Abbey closed her eyes, allowing the rich sound of his voice to wash over her and carry her away. She felt calm and safe and happy, and she quite liked it.

At some point, just before Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden, Jed paused. It was very late. They should get to sleep. He looked over to Abbey, who hadn't seemed to notice that he'd stopped reading. She was sound asleep. Her dark hair was splayed out on the pillow and she had one arm above her head, the other resting on her stomach. Jed watched her chest rise up and down with each breath she took, noticing how very at peace she looked. He hadn't seen her without some kind of tension during the whole week they'd been with her family. He was glad to see her get some respite while she slept.

Jed closed the bible and placed it on the bedside table. He carefully stood up and moved around to Abbey's side of the bed. He didn't want to wake her up, but he was afraid she'd get cold. As gently as he could, Jed pulled the covers down beneath her and pulled them back up over her sleeping form. She shifted slightly and made a strange noise, but she remained fast asleep. He returned to his side of the bed and got under half the covers, making sure the sheet and at least one blanket would separate him from Abbey's body; he didn't want to make her uncomfortable in case she woke up and found herself in bed with him. He turned out the light and whispered to her, "Good night, Abbey."

Abbey awoke suddenly, though she wasn't sure why. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Yes, it was dark, but this was not her room. The bed moved slightly and she turned to see Jed sleeping beside her. She remembered that he had been reading to her, and she must have fallen asleep and ended up under the covers for some reason. Abbey smiled to herself. Well, since they were both asleep already, she may as well be comfortable. For the first time in quite some time, Abbey ignored any sense of propriety she had developed over the years. She scooted over in bed and rested her head on Jed's chest. She found that there was a layer of blankets between them, and allowed it to remain. Jed must have done that for a reason. But even so, she snuggled as close to him as she could. He shifted in his sleep to accommodate her, and her smile grew wider. Abbey whispered, "Good night, Jed," and fell back asleep.