Page 64 of Healed Hearts

When I wake up, the bed is empty, but there are faint sounds of laughter coming from the living room. Holden and Wren’s for sure. I’d recognize their voices anywhere, but also Beck and Roman’s as well. I lie there for a minute, a smile on my face, listening to them. When I sit up and look around the room, I notice a toothbrush, still in its package, and a note.

Good morning. Wren woke up, and I didn’t want to wake you. We’re off on an adventure. Here’s a new toothbrush. Toothpaste is on the bathroom sink. Join us when you wake up. -Hold

I can’t keep the goofy smile off my face as I throw the blankets off myself and grab the toothbrush. Once I’ve brushed my teeth, I head down the hallway toward the living room. I have no idea what I was expecting to see, but it was not an honest to God fortmansion. Blankets are stretched across the room from wall to wall, with what appear to be different rooms and tunnels. How the fuck did they even make this? I hear Wren let out a squeal, and then Holden laughs.

Beck, I’m pretty sure, says, “I’m coming to get you, Wren,” dragging the words out in a sing-songy voice.

“No, no, no!” she yells, but her voice is full of laughter. I bite my lip to keep myself from laughing.

“Uncle Ro will save you, Wren,” Roman says. She giggles. Holden and Beck let out raucous peals of laughter.

Uncle Ro?Uncle Ro.

Holy fuck.

“Save me, Hold!” Beck shouts dramatically. “I’m being attacked by a tiny tot.”

“You’re on your own. I’m on the side of the tiny tot.”

“Unka Ro,” Wren says, and my heart stops in my fucking chest. Have I already said it once? It bears repeating.Holy. Fuck.

There’s a crash and an, “Ouch,” from Beck. “Jeez, I just hit my head on the table. Should have moved it.”

Holden absolutely loses it—laughing harder than I’ve ever heard, so hard in fact that he snorts, which sets Roman off. Then Beck and Wren. I’m pretty sure she has no idea what she’s laughing at, but the sound of their chorus of happiness fills myentire heart and soul with joy. I really don’t know what alternate world I’ve landed in, but this, all this, has to be too good to be true, right? No way people like these three actually exist in the world. But here they are, playing with my daughter in what’s, honestly, the most impressive fort I’ve ever seen in my entire life—giggling and laughing like overgrown children.

The blankets shake, and I watch as they come tumbling down one at a time until the mansion fort is no more and there’s nothing but blankets covering the furniture and the four of them.

“Well, crap,” Holden says.

“Yeah, crap,” Wren repeats.

“Oh man, Julian’s gonna get you for that one,” Beck says. But nah, not a chance in hell. Maybe I’m not the world’s best dad, but I do occasionally cuss around Wren. I do try not to, of course, but sometimes they slip out.

The blankets start moving and Holden’s head of messy waves pops up, with the other three following close behind. It doesn’t seem like they see me standing here, so I speak up. “So, Hold?” He startles at my voice and turns to face me with wide eyes. “Is this the chaos twink behavior I’ve been hearing so much about?” I ask. Wren notices me and stumbles her way across the blankets to run toward me.

His eyes narrow in an adorably playful way as I reach down to pick Wren up. “Oh, you are so going to pay for that!”

“I don’t think I’ll be paying for that at all, honestly. Beckett here is the reason you got the name. I’m just starting to see the pattern.”

Beck gasps in outrage as Holden and Roman laugh. Roman clasps his hands together like he’s praying. “Forever grateful that I get beautiful and Ro. Amen.”

Holden turns to him with a glare. “Oh, I’m sure I could come up with something special just for you, Roman. Don’t you dare doubt that for even a second.”

Roman returns his look, not at all affected or worried. “If you were going to, don’t you think you would have before now?”

Holden crosses his arms over his chest. “I could be persuaded to make an exception. It was one thing to not dissuade Beck from calling me that to begin with. But you’re skating the line with agreeing with him. And you,” he says, suddenly turning those green eyes on me. “You don’t get to join the dark side.”

I open my mouth to tell him the only side I’m on is his when a thoughtful expression crosses his face. “Well, you can call Beck Beckett if you want to.”

Beck scoffs. “Wow, Hold. Where’s the loyalty?”

“Um, excuse me? Loyalty? You started this. Not me.”

I can’t help the smile on my face. I love seeing him this way. Although, it does kind of suck that I don’t get to see this side of him very often. It’s usually reserved for his friends and occasionally, an asshole doctor. To be fair, I think I’d rather have that soft vulnerability he shows me instead, anyway. It makes me feel like his safe place, and I love that.

Beck stands, reaching out to take Roman’s hand to pull him off the ground. “Let’s go make breakfast, beautiful.” Roman smiles up at him with so much love that it makesmystomach flip, but when I turn to Holden, he’s watching me in almost the same way.

“Unka Ro making breakfast, Daddy?” Wren asks, pulling my attention back to her.

---