Page 79 of A Thousand Broken Pieces

Cael’s array of tattoos stood proudly off his sun-kissed skin. A small spattering of freckles decorated his nose, making his silver nose ring and lip ring stand out even more.

His arms were crossed over his torso as he leaned against the door, but his silver-blue gaze was soft as it landed upon me. I stood from the vanity seat and ran my hands down the pale-blue summer dress I wore. My hair was down in soft waves, and I had kitten-heel sandals upon my feet. Golden stud earrings were in my ears, and I’d even applied a small layer of makeup to my face.

I went to lift my head, to ask how I looked, but before I could, Cael’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his strong embrace. With his mouth at my ear, he said, “Shit, Peaches, you look incredible.” My cheeks blazed, but a wide smile pulled on my mouth.

Cael reared back and pushed my hair from my face. He searched each of my features and rasped, “I’ll never understand how the hell you took a chance on me. But I’ll never stop being grateful.”

“Baby,” I murmured as he kissed my forehead, each of my cheeks, and finally, my lips. He didn’t even seem to mind the lip gloss that I had applied. He kissed me deeply, thoroughly, his gentle tongue meeting with mine. Cael’s hands wrapped into my hair, and he kept me flush against his chest. He treasured me in every way possible.

If there was one thing I now knew in this world, it was how it felt to be loved. To be adored. To be held in both your weakest and strongest moments.

I knew what a soulmate truly was.

When Cael stepped back, he threaded our hands together. He studied me for so long, I grew goose bumps along the nape of my neck. “I hope you know how much I love you,” he whispered. My heart bloomed like a flowerin spring, but there was a hint of sadness in my soul that mirrored the sorrow that remained in Cael’s raspy voice, in his gait.

His shoulders weren’t as straight as usual, his wide smiles had disappeared, and his laughter had become nonexistent. He’d been working tirelessly with Leo for the past few days. But the fact of the matter was, Cael had been set back some by his exposure therapy.No, not set back; put on therightpath. But it was immensely difficult for him, and I wished every day that I could take his pain away.

I breathed slightly easier now. Cael’s breaths were labored. I had watched him last night when we were with our friends and felt myself panicking. He’d been so reserved, so distant that I knew the others noticed it too. He had never been very talkative, but lately, he was mostly silent and withdrawn. The past few days it felt like we were in different places with our grief. I saw that in the group too. Five of us were changing—healthier mentally, emotionally. Cael had fallen behind, and it was the hardest thing to witness.

“Are you okay?” I said, gently tracing my finger over his lip ring. I loved the feel of it against my own lips when we kissed. Cael’s light gaze fell to the ground. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were racked with pain.

“I’m just sad, Peaches,” he said quietly. “I’m just …” He exhaled a long breath. “I’m just really fucking sad.”

“I know,” I said and wrapped my arms around him. I thought I felt a tear fall on my shoulder, but when Cael lifted his head, his eyes were wiped clean. “Are you able to go to this meal tonight?” I asked. Mia and Leo had set up dinner at a local restaurant. A rare night away from the heavy counseling this leg of the trip had provided.

A chance for us all to catch our breath before our flight tomorrow.

Cael nodded, and a tug of a smirk pulled on his right lip. “I am.”

“What?” I asked, suspicious at his smirk.

“I might have something planned for us later.”

Butterflies accosted my stomach. “You do?”

“Yeah,” he said, but I saw a flicker of concern. “I just … I just hope it’s okay.”

“It will be,” I said and kissed the back of his hand. “I know it will be.”

Cael led me out of the room, only to meet Travis and Dylan in thehallway. “Whew!” Dylan said. “Don’t you two scrub up well!” I laughed, then admired Dylan and Travis. Dressed in nice button-up shirts and slacks too, they looked so handsome. It was nice to dress up a little after all these many, many weeks dressed so casually.

“Y’all look lovely,” I said and kissed Dylan and Travis on their cheeks.

“Well, thank you, ma’am,” Travis said and smiled widely. He looked to Cael. “You okay, man?”

Cael nodded despondently, then pressed the button for the elevator. I could see Travis and Dylan were worried for him. But they wouldn’t say anything to upset him. We all wanted Cael to heal. He had all our strength behind him.

We met Mia, Leo, Lili, and Jade in reception and took the short walk under Manila’s city lights to a restaurant. The air was balmy and the breeze light. It felt like the night was kissing our skin. In the restaurant, Cael sat beside me to my right, Dylan to my left. It was a circle table in a private room, and we could see everyone in our group.

Leo tapped his glass with his knife and held up his glass of water. We all followed suit. “To Japan,” he said and took a drink.

“To Japan,” we echoed and drank too.

When we all lowered our glasses, Mia said, “As you know, our time here in the Philippines was about exposure.” She gave a proud but cautious smile. “I know how difficult this part was for all of you. It’s the same with every new group we have. It’s the part that truly rocks us. But it’s also the one that can help us most.”

Cael’s hand tightened on my thigh. I reached down and wrapped my fingers around his. I felt his tight muscles relax a little at my touch.

Leo cleared his throat. “In Japan, we will reach the final stage: acceptance.” Shivers ran down my spine at his announcement. The table was quiet, and when I met Dylan’s eyes, Travis’s, Lili’s, and Jade’s, I felt overcome with emotion. We had made it.

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