Page 72 of Simply You & Me

Today ended up being a pretty relaxing day after the failure that breakfast was. Only one guy was in my space at a time, probably deciding to take shifts in who braved the land of a cooking mom. They stayed silent as they helped me cook and clean. When I didn't have anything for them to do, they would sit with Rory and help her with Thanksgiving crafts. They all helped make a garland of paper turkeys to hang on the wall by the dining room table. At one point, Rory challenged Wyatt to a game of catch outside, which gave me some quiet time to shower and get ready for dinner after a day of sweating.

Gabby and Rylee texted me quite a bit today, checking in and demanding I be honest with how I’m feeling. They are both still on my side of this whole shit show, which is amazing. Their questions and words of affirmation make me feel so much better. I’m not alone with these guys, nor will my friends ever let me make stupid choices. I miss them, but everyone’s staying close to home after hearing about Wyatt. They are so thankful the guys took Rory and me into their home, which is surprising. Their lack of judgement and support has done wonders for my mood today.

Today has been very wonderful.

I could tell there were many words on the tip of everyone’s tongue, but they held them in just like I asked. I truly just wanted a normal day to give my daughter a good holiday. Well, as normal as it can be with four hunks walking around and dropping fruit into your mouth as they walk past.

I think they were making a game out of it, actually. Who could feed me the most fruit before dinner? I wonder who won? I know it wasn't Zach, since I ignored him the most while he was helping out. He's just so damn infuriating with his bossiness. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's nice and maybe even sexy, but he crossed a line today with the way he was demanding things from me.

"Sweetheart, can Zach and I clean up? You outdid yourself today, so please let us thank you." Julian seems hesitant, but it quickly blooms into a smile when I offer him a thankful nod. Zach's shoulders sag before he begins clearing away the empty dishes.

Both men drop a kiss on the top of mine and Rory's heads as they make their way around. Rory asks Tate to play a game with her, to which he immediately smiles and agrees. My chest clenches, seeing them sit facing each other on the couch with a stack of cards between them.

Today was... perfect.

"Baby girl, I have something for you," Wyatt says, gently drawing my attention with a soft touch on my hand.

I tilt my head, taking in his fidgety fingers and frown. "You didn't have to get me anything, Wyatt."

He clears his throat and brushes a few of his black strands out of his eye, like I was itching to do. Leaning to the left, his right hand disappears beneath the table. My heart thumps when a small black box comes into view. What the ever-loving shit is that?

"You said we could do anything we needed from here to keep you safe. This came in a few days ago, and I made all the adjustments you'll need," Wyatt says, popping the velvet box open.

I gasp, momentarily blinded by the beautiful diamonds winking at me in the dining room light. "Wyatt, these are so beautiful," I breathe, my hand reaching for them but stopping. My hands are too dirty to touch those.

Wyatt gulps, his gaze watching my every move. "They are tracking devices, Addie. As long as you have one of them on, I'll be able to find you no matter where you go."

My eyes shoot to his, stunned by the knowledge of how precious these earrings are. His eyes move back and forth between mine, like he's searching for something. All he'll find is awe, excitement, and appreciation, though.

"That's not all," he murmurs, biting his lip. He takes one out, the diamond stud looking utterly fucking tiny in his fingers. "When you push the diamond in, they will begin recording audio to my software here."

"What?" I gasp, completely stunned and amazed.

Wyatt bites his lip again, then demonstrates. Using his thumb and forefinger, he clicks the diamond into place, before pulling his phone out and opening some kind of app. "So now, the earring will record audio, and I'll have access to it here and on my computers." His voice echoes through the speakers of his phone, the audio picking up his voice immediately.

"Wyatt," I whisper as he shows me how to twist the diamond to turn it off. The diamond sits like a normal stud, and you'd never notice the minuscule button it actually is. It won't accidentally click off once it's on, which is fucking genius.

"Now I can always find you if something happens. And if in the horrible chance that something happens, you won’t be powerless. This is your weapon, baby. Information can be your weapon to take these bastards down if, god forbid, you're ever close enough to use it."

Wyatt eyes me like he's waiting for me to snap. He drops the earrings into the case again and slides them toward me.

"Addie, please wear these at all times. Even asleep. Just for now, please. I don't know what I would do if?—"

I shut him up with a soft kiss. It's just a brush of our lips, but tingles race from my lips to my fingertips where I hold his jaw. Pulling away is harder than I thought it would be, so I stay in his space, our eyes locked on each other.

"Thank you, Wy. I promise I'll keep them in. Thank you," I whisper, not hiding the tears in my eyes or the smile lifting my cheeks.

He shudders, his eyes closing for a beat. When he opens them, pure fucking love shines back. "Thank you, baby girl."

I can't help but give him another featherlight kiss. The sheer thoughtfulness and care that went into this gift blows my mind and sends my heart soaring. Wyatt's taking care of me, and I'd be damned if more of my walls didn't just shatter.

At this rate, there won’t be a barrier left. It will just be us and a whole lot of trust.

Julian's 2nd Letter

Sweetheart,

I had a dream last night. It was the same as my daydreams, but I finally got to see it play out. It was beautiful. So beautiful I either didn't want to wake up or I knew I had to fight like hell to make it real.

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