“No!” I shout, standing and glaring up at him. “No. You don’t get to be patient and gentle and fucking nice to me, just to do this. You don’t get to make me feel the most cared for, the most safe, the most valued I’ve ever felt in my life, just to rip it away from me because you’re afraid. I’m afraid, too, Elliot. Of this. Of getting my heart broken again. But the three of you have embedded yourselves so deeply into me that I don’t think I’ll ever get you out, so here I am. I’m fucking facing my fears, Elliot. So why can’t you?”
He just stares at me for a moment. Oliver’s mouth is hanging open, and while I can’t see Rhett, I can feel his stare burning the skin on the back of my neck.
“Wren—”
“Don’t you dare tell me I should leave,” I whisper. Another tear falls.
He swallows. Sighs. “I think you’re right.”
I was already preparing a counter-argument, so his words are the last thing I expected. I stumble backward, shocked. Rhett places a hand on my back to steady me.
He thinks I’m . . . right?
“Jesus,” Oliver mutters. “You can reason with this fuckwit? Shit. Now we’re never letting you go.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RHETT
“YOU’RE AN idiot, you know that?”
Elliot lets out an unamused laugh. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
We’re both standing off to the side of the kitchen, giving Oliver and Wren a little privacy while they say goodbye. She decided she wants to spend the night at her apartment since she has to get up so early, and I volunteered to drive her home since my vehicle handles snow the best.
The thought of leaving Wren at her apartment for the night is like a punch in the gut. We’ve only had her for two days, but they’ve been so fucking perfect. I’ve always had Oliver and Elliot, and I always will. But none of us can deny how easily she fits in with us—like she was made for us.
When Oliver finally pulls away from Wren with one last kiss, I shove Elliot forward.
“Make it fucking count.”
As Oliver moves to stand next to me, Elliot stays frozen, staring at Wren. She gives him a watery smile, and only when she holds out her arms to him does he step into her reach.
I don’t know what they’re saying to each other, but based on the look of relieved adoration on Wren’s face, they’ll be okay—with time.
And we’ll make sure we have it.
A chance—that’s what we all agreed to. It’s too early to jump into any type of commitment until she gets to know us better, and vice versa. But all of us are determined to make this work, Elliot especially.
He just needed Wren to set him straight first.
Oliver checks his phone, sighing. “You shouldn’t have any trouble tonight. But at the first sign—”
“How about this?” I kiss him on the forehead. “I’ll call once Wren is in her apartment, regardless. And you don’t leave Elliot alone to his thoughts. Pretty sure he’s feeling like shit right now.”
He nods, and I squeeze his shoulder. “I’ll see you soon.”
Wren finally lets Elliot go, and I let out a relieved breath at the lack of tears in her eyes. If she ends up crying on the way home, I’m not sure what I’ll do. The best I really can do is hold her hand and try not to panic.
Shouldering Wren’s bag, I grab Elliot before he walks away. He avoids my gaze, but I guide his chin up with two fingers. Yup—definitely feeling guilty.
I leave him with a kiss and a murmured, “Let it go.” Then, with Wren’s hand in mine, we head out to the garage. She holds on until the last possible second before climbing into my truck.
“Thank you for taking me home,” she says as we pull out.
I just give her a smile, reaching over and putting my hand on her leg. With a happy sigh, she settles back, and we stay like that for the whole ride.
When I pull into her apartment building’s parking lot, Adam’s car is absent, as I ensured it would be yesterday afternoon. Still, I walk her up and check the place, just to be safe. Only then does she let out a relieved sigh.
But the tension in her shoulders returns a mere second later. Her gaze snags on a small table by the door. “Oh no,” she murmurs.
“What?”
“He broke my vase. It was my grandmother’s.” Tears form in her eyes. “She gave it to me as a graduation present. Adam knew how much it meant to me.” She looks to her torn-apart copy of A Tale of Two Cities. “Those are the things he seemed to have gone for first.”
I already felt like the beating I gave Adam wasn’t enough. Now? I told him to leave, but I might just hunt him down anyway.
Wren sniffles, wiping at her cheeks. “It’s just so heartless. He’d hurt me enough already. Why this?” She gestures to the empty table. “That vase was all I had left of her.”
Stepping forward, I cup her face in my hands. I have no clue what to say. So I just wipe away her tears with my thumbs and press a kiss to her forehead.
Her face finally crumples, and she lets out a sob, burying herself in my coat. I put my arms around her and try to keep myself from tensing too much.
But that prickly feeling spreads like wildfire over my skin, and I have to focus on the snow falling outside the windows just to keep myself from shoving her away from me.
She needs this. It’s just emotions. You can handle it.
So I hold her tightly, watching the snow and taking deep, even breaths. Her sobs calm after a few minutes, but her grip on me doesn’t loosen.
“I can’t get hurt again,” she says eventually, her words slightly muffled by my coat. “Please. I don’t think I can take it.”
I run my fingers through her hair. “We don’t want to hurt you, Wren. I promise that’s the last thing we’d ever want.”
She nods, sniffling, before relaxing into my chest. She feels so small against me, yet she fits so perfectly. Then, with a sigh, she says, “I’m sorry for crying again. I promise I normally don’t do it this often.”
You can cry all the time.
Wait, no. Whenever you want to. Need to?
Fuck.
I cup her chin in my hand, and she looks up at me with tear-stained cheeks. With another deep breath, I try to think of all the things I want to say, but I can’t figure out the best way to get everything out.
Fuck it.
“I know I’m not the best when it comes to affection, or a lot of emotions. But I want to be a safe person for you. I know this is all overwhelmingly fast for you, but I want to make this work. And last. So please—if I’m ever not giving you what you need from me, just tell me. I’ll do anything to keep you, Wren. Including holding you while you cry, however often that ends up being.”
She doesn’t say anything for a minute. Just looks at me. It feels like my throat is caving in on itself. So I focus on the fact that she’s still in my arms. Still holding onto me. Whatever I said couldn’t’ve been that bad if she still wants to touch me.
“That might be the nicest thing someone’s ever said to me,” she whispers. Then she stands on her tiptoes and kisses me softly.
Relief floods me. “I meant every word,” I say against her lips before deepening the kiss. I eat up her moans, sliding my tongue into her mouth. And then she’s tugging my coat off, and I’m letting her, because goddammit, I don’t want to leave.
Her hands come up underneath my shirt, hitting a hyper-sensitive spot, and I grab her wrists with a hiss.
She lights up. “You’re ticklish?! Oh my god, yes!”
“Don’t you dare.”