Page 31 of Wicked Devotions: Part 2

“I’ll get changed, and we'll go then.”

I’msound asleep after a really great night out with Harper when I hear whispered voices in the hallway. I blink several times as I hear them enter the room. Harper is clutching Cy’s hand in hers with worry wrinkling her forehead.

“Sorry to wake you, but can I try something? With Cyrus?” She glances pointedly down at where I’ve flung my feet over the side of the bed to rest them on the floor.

I nod and clear the sleep from my voice. “Of course.”

She pulls Cy closer and I see the same look in his eyes that I’ve seen in hers so many times. It’s a haunting emptiness. Like he’s just a shell of flesh and bone.

She sits down at my feet and tugs Cy down beside her. “This is my safe place.” She links their fingers and rests her head on my knee. “There’s no one steadier and stronger to hold our pain for a few minutes than Banks.”

He looks up at me, seeking confirmation that it’s okay, which of course it is. I don’t ever want to see that look on anyone’s face, let alone someone who might as well be family now. I pat my knee and wait for him to decide.

Harper’s body is already loosening up entirely as it always does. She lifts her hand to the back of my thigh and drops his hand only to cup his jaw and then pull his hair loose from its bun. The dark waves fall over my skin as he lets her guide him.

My fingers move into her silky hair, stroking her scalp to relax her even more. None of us speak. It takes a while until I feel Cyrus begin to loosen up and relax. Harper shoots her gaze up to mine and then over to Cyrus’s head, silently suggesting I do the same to his scalp as I always do for her.

He won’t make eye contact with me, but with each passing minute the tension eases from his frame. Ever so slowly I place my palm over his head, rubbing my fingertips against him in small circles.

Harper looks back and forth between us with glistening eyes. I can feel the joy radiating off her that it seems to be helping Cy. She curls into the fetal position at my feet and rests her head in his lap while he continues to let me hold space quietly for him.

I don’t know how long goes by, but I hear Harper’s breathing even out and deepen. She’s fallen asleep, and it feels like he almost is, too. I stop rubbing his scalp and let him come out of the little trance he’s fallen in.

“I thought she was batshit when she suggested this,” he whispers. “But it really helped.”

“Good. Let me stand up, and I’ll get her off your lap and back into bed.”

He shifts his body, so it’s easier for me to stand up. I bend down and lift her into my arms, pleased at the way she’s a bit heavier than she used to be. Scott always wanted both Harper and her mom to stay a certain size, and he wasn’t afraid of calling them out if they gained weight.

“Can Cy stay with us?” she mumbles sleepily. “I don’t want him to sleep alone tonight.”

“You don’t have to,” he says. “I can go upstairs and work on my art assignments.”

I set Harper down in the middle of the bed and point to the other side of her body. “Get in.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or steal your time.”

“If she’s happy, I’m happy.”

“I’m happy when I’m tucked between two strong guys who make me feel safe.” She yawns. “Please, Cy.”

“Okay.” He unbuttons his shirt and takes off his trousers before sliding in beside her.

She drifts off to sleep first, her soft breathing the only sound in the room. I’m just about to follow her when I hear Cyrus shift.

“Thank you. For whatever the hell that was and letting me sleep here.”

“No problem. I’ve been doing that for Harper for years now. Neither of us really understand it, but it grounds us both. There are times where I need it more than she does.”

“Well, I’ve never been afraid to get on my knees, so let me know if you ever need me to return the favor.” He chuckles quietly. “I didn’t mean for that to sound so slutty.”

I join him with quiet laughter. “No problem. Good night, Cyrus.”

He wishes me a good night back, and then we both lapse into silence. The house is quiet aside from the times when the wind blows, causing the boards to creak around us. I like it here. Enough that I could easily see myself settled in and possibly living here, at the very least being here most weekends. Hopefully everyone listens to me tomorrow with an open mind.

Chapter

Twelve

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