Page 73 of Healed Hearts

Beck looks at him like he’s got three heads. “I watched alcohol destroy your life. And mine. I never touched it.”

“Huh,” Roman says, almost to himself. “Well, anyway, thanks for joining us. Never been on a double date before. To be fair, no one’s ever been able to pin Holden down.”

That makes me laugh. “You too much for one man to handle, darlin’?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Too much trauma for one man to handle, maybe.” He glances at me with a conspiratorial expression, before leaning in and mock whispering, “Good thing you have big hands.” He snorts and Roman laughs with him, but Beck looks at the two of them like they’re crazy.

“You two are so strange. Constantly laughing at shit that would make most people break down,” Beck murmurs.

Holden shrugs. “If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry.”

“So, what about you?” Beck asks, turning his attention to me. “Has Holden shocked you with his inability to be serious about his trauma?”

That has both of us laughing. “No, not yet. To be fair, though. When you’re disowned for having a baby out of wedlock, and then you bury the mother of said baby and become a single parent at twenty-three, it tends to desensitize you.”

Beck’s jaw drops open. “Jesus. So now there’s three of you. Perfect. Am I the only one with normal parents around here?”

Holden nods. “Yeah, pretty much.”

By the time we get our food, the conversation is flowing easily, the four of us settling into a comfortable back and forth.

“Oh, hey. We’ve got a wedding date set,” Roman says. Holden gasps, pulling his hands up to this face.

“Thank God. Only took y’all a fucking decade.”

Beck narrows his eyes and scoffs. “Took me less than a year, thank you very much. Besides, I would have married Roman at eighteen if he hadn’t taken off like a bat out of hell in the middle of the day. Runaway groom shit right there.” Roman bites his lip, and for a second, I worry that he’s going to cry, but then he bursts out laughing. Beck sighs. “What’s so funny, beautiful?”

Roman shakes his head, trying to get himself together. “You just made a joke about trauma. Rich coming from you, Mr. You Two Are So Strange.”

Beck’s shocked face has Holden giggling and me chuckling. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. What does it say about me though that my only trauma is you leaving, and that it fucked me up for so long?”

Before Roman can answer, Holden speaks up, his voice measured and serious. “We don’t compare trauma, Beck. It all sucks. Period.”

“Hardly counts as trauma,” Beck mumbles, dropping his eyes. Roman sighs, but says nothing. Instead, he reaches for Beck, pulling him against his side.

“I don’t know about that, Beck,” Holden says softly. “I never had to see Roman in the throes of his childhood. I’ve seen him flinch away from my touch, and scream in his sleep, but I’d imagine that seeing that in real time, and then walking into what you walked into that last day would probably send me spiraling too. And you didn’t even know if he was okay or hell, even alive for a decade. So your trauma isn’t directly related to something that happened toyou. Doesn’t make it any less traumatic.”

Beck glances up at Holden, his lips tipped up in a small smile. “Thanks, Hold.”

“Anytime. Now eat.”

The four of us go back to eating as my mind spins. I don’t think I’ve ever met a group of people quite like these three. They’re so open with each other, no shame or holding back. And they did it all right in front of me. Not like I wasn’t here, but more like I was part of them. This is kind of messing with my head. I won’t lie.

“Are you guys always this open with strangers?” I ask.

Roman shrugs. “I used to keep my past hidden and tucked away. But not anymore. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, you’re not a stranger. You’re Holden’s. Which makes you ours too. Welcome to the family.” He grins at me, holding his water up in the air.

“Speaking of family,” Beck chimes in. “Wren needs a sleepover at Uncle Beck and Uncle Ro’s house. I already have it planned. We’re going to stay up late watching Disney movies, and we’re going to have ice cream and cookies for dinner.”

I laugh, but Holden seems outraged. “Beckett, you’re a doctor. Surely you know you can’t feed a three-year-old that for dinner.”

He tsks at Holden. “Now, now. I’m not arealdoctor, remember?”

Holden groans. “I hate when you use my words against me like that. Are you sure you don’t still hate me?”

“Yeah, I’m curious about that. How was it even possible for you to hate him?” I ask, chuckling at the memory of Holden telling me he wasn’t well-liked at first.

Roman laughs, but Beck sighs. “Let me paint you the picture, alright? So you’re head over heels in love with a guy for your entire adult life and half your teen years, but he takes off and leaves you one day, right? You spend ten years pining and heartbroken, and then one day he shows up in your ER needing stitches. But is he alone? Oh, no. In walks the little chaos twink nurse who just started at the hospital.”

---