Page 42 of His Boys to Protect

“Yeah, pretty lights,” Skylar said.

Charlie nodded again and went back to eating.

After dinner was done and the table was cleared, everyone grabbed hats, jackets, and gloves before heading outside. Dakota took over, directing the majority of their group into his parent's eight-passenger minivan.

Which left Skylar and Charlie to ride with Ward.

Dakota gave Ward a knowing smirk as he stepped into the van and pulled the door shut. Ward felt his cheeks flush as he unlocked his truck and held the passenger side door open, eyeing both Charlie and Skylar to see if they were comfortable with this arrangement.

Skylar nudged Charlie forward before opening the back passenger door and hopping inside. Charlie paused, eyeing the front passenger seat and floorboard. After a moment, he gave a littlechirpand climbed in, immediately reaching for the seatbelt.

Ward waited until both boys were settled before he strode around to the driver's side. He got in and shut the door, feeling an intense pressure in the silence. It was just like the moment when he and Skylar had gotten into his truck on their way to Aaron's wedding, but magnified.

Just the three of them. Alone in the dark. Close enough to touch, yet so very off-limits. Ward felt a tremble run through his limbs. He had to pause to catch his breath before he slid the key into the ignition and cranked it over.

Ward followed the other vehicle as they headed into town. The drive was silent, the night swallowing up the landscape beyond the range of the truck's headlights. Ward glanced in the rearview mirror, checking on Skylar.

The boy was staring right at him with a look of longing on his face.

Ward's breath caught in his throat. He had to force his attention back onto the road even though all he wanted to do was stare right back.

Then there was Charlie. Ward turned his head, checking his mirrors, and snuck a glance at the boy in the process. Charlie seemed to be lost in his own little world, his head slowly rolling as his gaze swept their surroundings. What was he thinking? What did he see? Ward was tempted to ask, but he would needSkylar to translate Charlie's answers. From the back seat, Skylar wouldn't be able to see Charlie's hands, and Ward didn't know enough signs himself.

He blushed in the dark. The past couple nights, he'd found himself sitting with his laptop, researching sign language. The whole thing was terribly daunting, trying to learn a new language at his age, but he hadn't been able to resist. Even when he'd gotten overwhelmed, trying to keep various signs straight in his head, Ward kept at it, thinking about Charlie, wanting to understand the boy. The whole thing had felt ridiculous, considering there had been every chance he might not ever see Charlie again.

Yet here they were.

Charlie let out a longsqueakand turned to press both hands to the passenger side window.

Skylartsked. “Charlie. Hands. Sorry, Ward. I'll clean the window when we get back–”

“It's okay,” Ward assured him. He glanced at Charlie. “That one's pretty, huh?” he asked, following Charlie's gaze to a decorated house up on a hill.

The boy bounced in his seat.

Ward grinned. There was something so childlike and innocent about Charlie. So refreshing. Then Ward checked on Skylar again. That boy had a bittersweet smile on his face.Geez. Ward felt tingles run all down his arms.

They approached an oncoming car, and Charlie winced. “Hhnn.”

“Charlie?” Ward asked, glancing from the road to Charlie and back. “You okay, buddy?”

In the rearview mirror, Ward saw Skylar give a start. “Shoot, sorry,” Skylar said. He scooted forward as much as the seatbelt would allow, then reached around the front seat, covering Charlie's eyes with his hands. “He doesn't like drivingat night,” Skylar explained. “The contrast between the dark and the oncoming headlights is too much. He'll be fine once we're in town and there's more light, though.”

“You sure? We can go back–”

Charlie signed something.

“What was that?” Ward asked.

Skylar leaned forward, stretching to see around the seat. When Charlie repeated the signs, Skylar smiled. “Yeah, it's okay. We're still going to see the pretty lights.”

Charlie gave asqueakand bounced in place, but it was restrained, somehow, like he didn't want to dislodge Skylar's hands.

Ward found himself smiling. What must it be like to be so easily pleased like that? Even in the dark and with his eyes covered, Charlie's joy was clear on his face. And all because of going to see some Christmas lights. Ward had thought for sure that nobody found happiness in the simple things anymore.

When the country road gave way to the outskirts of town, Skylar lowered his hands and pointed instead. “Charlie, look!”

Charlie opened his eyes and turned to look at the nearby light displays. He bounced again, practically glued to the window as he gazed about. Even Skylar was smiling, though there was still something bittersweet about the look on his face. Ward was about to ask if Skylar was okay when the boy gasped and pointed, directing Charlie's attention to another house with lights on it.

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