Page 129 of His Boys to Protect

Charlie went back to his room. Back to his familiar space. His bed. His laptop. His books. He'd missed all of it. Missed the comfort and reliability of it all. Slowly but surely, he felt his body begin to settle.

But as he lay down to sleep that night, all he wanted was to go right back. To have Ward and his Sky beside him. His bed felt so small. So cold. So empty.

Damn it.Why did this have to be so hard?

Chapter 46

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SKYLAR

SKYLAR DIDN'T take a full breath the whole time Ward was gone.

He stood by the front door for several, long minutes after Ward and Charlie left, wishing they would turn right around and come back. The heavy silence of the apartment felt paralyzing. He should have been used to it, considering all the long years he'd lived alone, staying inside, going nowhere and doing nothing unless he was working, all for the sake of saving money. But for the past two weeks, he'd gotten a beautiful taste of what it would be like to have something like a normal life.

It had ended far too soon.

The rational voice in his head told him it wasn't truly over. Charlie simply needed a break. He could come back. And Wardhadto come back. This was his home, after all. It wasn't like the man was going to run off and leave Skylar there for good, all alone.

Yet, as the moment stretched into minutes, and then into hours, Skylar's heart began to race with panic.

What if Warddidn'tcome back? What if Ward and Charlie had abandoned him? Cast him out of their lives the way his parents had so callously done?

Skylar cursed and shook his head. Of course, Ward and Charlie hadn't abandoned him. He knew that. But the feeling persisted all day, growing stronger with every passing hour.

This, Skylar realized, would be his life once he eventually left. He'd be all alone with nothing but beautiful memories to sustain him. And he would have to leave. Despite his test results, Skylar still felt dirty. Stained by all his years of giving his body to complete strangers.

Ward and Charlie deserved better than that. Better than him.

Maybe he should just leave now and get it over with. There was plenty of time. Ward wouldn't be back for hours. Skylar could easily pack his things, look up some sort of ride service, and get to the nearest airport. He could be in another state before Ward got home.

But every time he picked up his phone to get started, his stomach revolted at the idea. He didn't want to leave. He'd have to, eventually. At some point, he'd have to leave this perfect dream behind.

Because that was all it was. A dream. This couldn't be his real life. He didn't deserve it. Wasn't worth it.

Skylar paced the apartment, shivering despite the comfortable temperature. He ran to the bedroom and whipped off his shirt, then snatched one of Ward's out of the closet. The thing was huge on him, slipping off one shoulder and hanging down to mid-thigh. Skylar grabbed Charlie's old hoodie next and pulled that on as well. He hugged himself and began pacing again.

It seemed like all the clocks had stopped. Skylar checked them over and over, trying to guess what time Ward might return, but the minutes only crept by. He curled up on the couchand tried to watch TV, but nothing held his interest. He tried to read, but found himself repeatedly scanning the same lines, the words nothing but a jumbled blur.

Lunchtime came and went, but Skylar couldn't eat. He'd be sure to throw it all right back up if he did.

When he heard heavy footsteps right outside the front door, the first thing he felt was bone-melting relief.

Until he realized it was far too soon for Ward to have returned. Even if the man had simply let Charlie out of the truck and turned right around without stopping, it was physically impossible for him to be back already. Besides, he hadn't heard Ward's truck pull up first.

Skylar froze, panting, staring at the door and straining to listen. There was nowhere for him to run. The living room window could open, but it was right beside the door. The kitchen window was too small, and the bedroom window faced the street behind the complex, so it was prevented from opening all the way as a matter of security. He'd never fit through.

The security door rattled, followed by a curse and a chuckle. After a moment of silence passed, Skylar heard a deep voice.

“Hey, I'm at your place…Oh, okay. The hubs sent me over with cookies, but I can come back later…Ah. He's the skittish one, right?…Okay. Yeah, sure. I'll leave them right here by the door. You want me to check on him?…Okay. I'll wait to make sure he gets them, then I'll take off…Sounds good. Love you, bro.”

Silence fell, then footsteps retreated. Skylar was just about to creep over to the window to look out when his phone rang.

He ran and snatched it up, seeing Ward's name on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, kitten. Everything okay?”

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