Page 166 of Wreck Me

“And your dad?”

His lips quirked. “More of a master of the universe air. To the outside world predominantly, but sometimes it was hard for him to shut it off at home too. It was why he and my mom worked so well together, she could soothe that in him.”

“Is that what Bastian and Caleb do for you?”

“They tether me to my humanity.” He rose to his feet and walked to a bakery box on the counter. He opened it and pulled out another cupcake nestled among another four. Opening the fridge, he pulled out a bottle of water. Returning, he pushed both across the island toward me. How he knew I was thirsty was beyond me. He was a whole other level of perceptive. “As for that soothing aspect, I believe that’s what you can provide us.”

I took a couple of big gulps from the water bottle, savoring it as it helped to ease my dry throat. Well, also, my very recently fucked throat. Just the brief spark of memory of last night had me tingling. I swallowed past it, then responded to Caspian’s comment, “I remember you telling me that before.”

“Your presence, your interactions with the three of us provides a stabilizing element that we’ve been without before. You’ve seen Bastian’s struggle, and growing close to you has given him a sense of peace he’s been missing since his father was taken from him. You also bring out Caleb’s lighthearted side, managing to transcend the dark that lurks within him that’s usually always right at the surface. And seeing my boys like this, brings a powerful sense of calm to me as well. As I can see it does for you. You’ve found a place of belonging with us.”

“I… yeah.”

He studied me for several moments. “And that scares you.”

“No… I mean… it’s a lot, sure.”

“That’s why you left our bed. You felt suffocated.”

Like before, it wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“Most things worth doing contain an element of fear or apprehension, Skylar.” He startled me as he suddenly grasped my hand in a firm grip. “Don’t slip back into that denial. And don’t make a habit out of running when things become overwhelming. Once you start, it’s a very hard pattern to break. You’ll miss out on a great deal doing so as well.”

“That’s not… things have just been moving very fast. I guess I haven’t had time to take proper stock of things.”

“I understand, but just make sure that taking stock isn’t you second-guessing yourself or allowing fear to rule you.”

“Caspian.”

His hand tightened around mine. “It’s not a weakness to feel vulnerable, to allow yourself to love. In fact, that takes strength and courage.”

But what if I lose myself in the process?

“Okay,” I said instead. “I hear you.”

He released my hand and smiled. And then he rose to his feet and kissed my cheek. “I have a little bit of work to finish up, then I’ll head back to the bedroom. When you’re done devouring that cupcake, come back to bed. You need your rest.”

I smiled out at him and gave a nod, watching as he strode out of the kitchen.

So that was why all the lights were on at night. Caspian never really stopped working, even in the extremely early morning hours.

As the weight of everything rolled over me, I released a heavy sigh and rested my head in my hand.

Shit.

26

~Skylar

I groaned as I slipped into my silky gray pajama pants, then pulled my white strappy tank on, getting ready for bed. I’d taken a shower when I’d arrived home a couple of hours ago, but all my muscles and, honestly, every part of my body, was still aching.

I smiled to myself. It was worth it.

I could feel the boys everywhere.

It was like they were still here with me.

Like there’s no room to breathe, you mean?

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