Page 107 of Healed Hearts

We make a late dinner, with me basically glued to Julian’s side. I’m sure it made his task harder, but I can’t really help it. The clingy level is off the charts. I really just need that extra physical touch and connection tonight.

After we eat, Julian gives Wren a bath while I clean up the kitchen, and then I make my way into her bedroom to help herget into bed. Julian, of course, doesn’t need my help, but I still want to be here.

He settles himself beside her bed on the floor and starts singing to her. It’s some older country song that I’ve heard on the radio before. The soft way he sings it with his deep drawl makes my heart do crazy things. Especially with the complete look of adoration on her face. Her daddy is her entire world, and she’s his, and you can see it in every interaction they have. They’re too precious for words. And somehow Julian saw something inme—fucked up, trauma-riddledme—that he thought was good enough to share his life with.

As his voice fades from one song and starts into another, Wren’s eyes lock on mine, and she grins around the thumb in her mouth. By the end of the song, her eyes are fluttering closed. I’m not sure if she’s always this easy to get to sleep or if it’s because of her blood levels. I’m trying really hard to not fixate on it. I can’t be her nurse, but I’m having a hard time separating nurse me and normal me when it comes to her. I feel like I’m constantly on edge, watching and waiting to see how she’s doing or if she needs to go back for another transfusion.

Julian leans forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and then slowly stands. He walks toward me and without me even having to say a word, holds his arms open to me. The second I step into his embrace, he’s lifting me off the ground, cradling me against his chest. “Let’s go lie down, darlin’. I need you in my arms and in my bed like I need air.”

Swoon.

“Yes, please.”

Once we make it to his bedroom, he puts me back on my feet and shuts the door. He turns to me with a soft smile. He looks as tired as I feel, and I can’t fucking wait to get a good night’s sleep again. “Wanna come shower with me?”

He nods instantly, pulling his shirt over his head in one quick motion. I’d almost laugh if I wasn’t so fucking relieved that he agreed so quickly. Ugh. I know I have the tendency to be a little co-dependent and clingy, but this is a lot, even for me. “Are you tired of me clinging to you yet?”

He pauses in unbuttoning his jeans to look at me. “Why do you ask that? Am I doing something to make you think I am?”

I slowly shake my head. “No. I just worry that maybe it’s too much. I can try to dial it down.”

He’s on me in two strides, his hands coming up to grasp my chin, tilting my head back so I’m looking up at him. “Not a chance in hell. I love how physically affectionate you are. I think you’d break my heart if you stopped. I’ve never been with anyone who loves touch the way you do, but I love it.”

“Okay.” My voice comes out in a whisper and the smile he gives me is so blinding it leaves me a little dazed.

“Shower?” he asks, taking a step back.

“Yeah, shower.” I strip myself down, tossing my scrubs into the hamper beside his closet, and step into the bathroom. Julian follows closely behind me.

He steps past me, turning on the shower for us. He gestures for me to step in, and then he’s coming in after me. The second the hot water hits my skin, I shiver. God, this has been the longest four days in existence. I wet my hair, then reach for the shampoo. Julian chides me, pulling my hand away. “Let me, darlin’.”

Damn, don’t have to tell me twice. I drop my hands back to my sides, closing my eyes when his fingers find their way into my hair. I groan as he works the shampoo into the strands, massaging my scalp and the backs of my ears.

He spends the whole shower slowly working his way down my body—rubbing soap into my skin with his bare hands, workingout tension and knots I didn’t even know I had until I’m a boneless mess, barely able to support my own weight.

When he’s finished, I force my eyes back open to find him gazing down at me, love shining in the deep brown of his eyes. “You ready?” he asks softly, like he’s trying to preserve the atmosphere he’s created.

“What about you?” My voice is almost slurred by how relaxed I am.

“I showered earlier. I got in with you to take care of you.”

Oh. I like that. He’s always so damn sweet to me. I nod. When we step out of the shower, I watch as he wraps a towel around his waist without drying off. Droplets of water are dripping onto his face from his hair and trailing down his chest. He looks too damn good, honestly. He takes his time drying me off, his touch gentle and sure. “Go lie down on your stomach. I’ll be right there.” He punctuates the words with a kiss on the top of my head.

I have no idea what he has planned, but I’m finding that I’m not worried enough to ask. So when I step into the room, I do as he asks, settling myself in the center of the bed on my stomach before letting my eyes fall closed.

I hear him come in, and then he’s opening something. I open one eye to see what he’s doing as he reaches his hand into a container. “What is that?”

He glances up at me. “Coconut oil. It’s good for massaging, but it’s also edible and tastes good.”

“Massaging?”

He hums. “Yeah, if that’s alright.”

Yeah, that would be perfect. “Yes, please.”

His soft chuckle echoes through the room. I close my eye, relaxing into the bed. Big, warm hands start at my right foot, his thumbs working into my heels. After a few minutes, he shifts tomy ankle, rubbing and pressing into my skin before working his way up to my calf.

Holy shit, this feels so good.

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