Page 79 of His Boys to Protect

His Sky smiled and kept playing.

A weird sort of hush seemed to settle over the room. Or at least that corner of it. Charlie felt everything disappear, leaving just the three of them. So close, they were all touching. All sharing looks as Skylar played.

Charlie's heart beat wildly as he wrestled with too many strange, new feelings.

Sound rushed back in the moment the piece came to an end. Charlie winced, feeling bowled over by sensation. There were too many people. Too much noise.

And he was hungry. That didn't help. It always made everything so much louder.

“Hhnn.”Hungry soup!he signed.

“You're hungry and you want soup?” Ward asked. “I'm sure we can get you some. Let's go ask Beau if we can make–”

Charlie emphatically shook his head.Hungry soup! Hungry soup!

“Charlie?” Skylar cut in. “They don't have any hungry soup. Remember? We looked last night.”

“Hhnn.” Charlie curled his arms up and covered his eyes, but not before he saw Ward give Skylar a questioning look.

“It's a specific flavor of canned soup,” Skylar said. “It's one of the very few prepackaged things he'll actually eat. Sort of a guilty-pleasure, comfort food. He mostly wants it when he's feeling overwhelmed.Hungry soupis just his name for it.”

“Ah,” Ward replied. He rubbed Charlie's back again. “Charlie? We can run to town and get you some if you want.”

“What's this?” Dakota asked, stopping beside them.

“Charlie wants hungry soup,” Skylar answered.

Dakota laughed. “Perfect timing. I was actually just about to run to the store. Mom's making deviled eggs, and we're completely out of mustard.”

Charlie rocked.I go?

“Sure, if you want,” his brother agreed.

Charlie hesitated. He wanted away from all the people and the noise, but he also wanted to stay near Ward and his Sky.

“Tell you what,” Dakota said. “How about Ward drives, and we can all go? You wouldn't mind that, would you, Ward?” Dakota had a funny smirk on his face as he asked.

And, for some reason, Ward blushed. “No, I wouldn't mind.”

“Okay.” Dakota grinned. “Let's go.”

Charlie had to go upstairs to get his sunglasses first, but then they all headed outside and got into Ward's truck. He sat in front, while his Sky and Dakota got into the back seat. Dakota told Ward which store he wanted to go to, and then they were off. Charlie closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. The truck was so much quieter. The sound of the tires on the road had nothing on all the voices in a crowded room.

They got to the store, and when Charlie saw the crowded parking lot, he opted to stay in the truck.

“Charlie hates grocery stores,” Skylar told Ward.

Charlie nodded.Big. Junk.

“Big what?” Ward asked.

“He said it's too big and has lots of junk,” Skylar explained.

“Ah, okay,” Ward said with a nod.

“You should stay here with him,” Dakota told Skylar. “And you can come with me,” he said to Ward before turning to Charlie with a smirk. “Ward needs to learn what hungry soup is.”

For some reason, Ward blushed.

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