Page 87 of Healed Hearts

He inhales sharply, and I pull my hand back quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

He looks back at me with a grin. “Don’t be sorry. I like it. I always like it when you touch me. I’m not scared of you at all.” His words wash over me, making my stomach do crazy flips. Ilove that he trusts me. I barely even get to enjoy the victory for what it is, though, because he smirks and says, “Starting to think you’re stalling, though. Not gonna be fun to be proven wrong, huh? I get it, but you’ve made your bed.”

This little shit. I raise my phone in the air, lining it up so his toned lower back is in the frame, the two deep dimples at the base of his spine fully highlighted. I snap the photo. With a grin, I lie down beside him on my stomach, holding the picture up so he can see it. “Now, I know my eyesight might not be the best, what with my advanced age, but are those not back dimples?”

I glance at him just in time to see his eyes widen comically. “Holy shit. I have back dimples.” The disbelief in his voice has me laughing despite my best efforts to stop it. He turns to me with a glare, but his eyes are lit up, and it’s no time at all before his musical laughter is joining mine.

After we’ve managed to get it together, I sigh. “Told you so.”

“Yeah, yeah. Rub it in. How the fuck did I never know I have back dimples?” He chuckles, grabbing my phone to zoom in on them.

“I have no idea, darlin’. But my God, they are so hot.”

His cheeks turn pink. “When did you notice them?”

“Uh, the very first night.”

He turns toward me with a grin, his eyes dancing with happiness. “You really do have it bad, huh?”

I scoff. “Don’t act like you didn’t already know that.”

He chuckles, then leans into me, resting his head on my shoulder. His citrusy scent floats all around me and I want to breathe it in like a fiend. “You ready to go get Wren?” he asks, tilting his head back so he can smile at me.

I drop a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Sure thing, darlin’.”

To say that Wren is excited to see us would be an understatement. Although, I should probably amend that to say that she’s excited to see Holden. The second we crossed the threshold into Henry and Ruby’s house, she ran right past me to get to him. Little shit. If I didn’t love the relationship they’re forging so much, it would probably make me jealous. Wren has always been such a daddy’s girl. To be fair, though, except for Henry and Ruby, I’m all she has.

Apparently, now she has a ton of people in her corner. When Holden and I left—after Roman and Beck basically squeezed him to death—the two of them were planning a fun night in for us. Beck was jumping around like a teenager, going on and on about all the snacks and toys he wanted to buy to have at their house for her. Roman tried to reel him in, but I’m not sure that’s an argument he’s going to win. And Holden just giggled like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. I was and still am a little shell-shocked. After last night, though, and the conversation I had with Roman, it’s very clear that I’m part of the closely knit family they’ve built. And they don’t seem to just tolerate us, but actuallyenjoyus being around.

My only real issue is that Wren’s health is so up in the air. I’m trying not to let it consume my thoughts, and being surrounded by a true support system has actually been helping quite a bit. I noticed today when we picked her up that she’s getting dark circles under her eyes again. Ruby pulled me to the side and quietly told me she napped twice as long as usual yesterday. It’s stressful, but I’m trying not to let it overwhelm me. I’m hopeful we’ll hear something soon so I can at least get a plan togetherfor the future. A future I hope like hell includes Holden and his strangely loving, protective best friends.

The sound of Holden laughing and Wren giggling pulls me back to the present. Letting out a contented sigh, I go back to packing Wren’s clothes. She’s so excited to stay the night with Holden at his house. Roman and Beck seemed to have made a big impact on her as well. Roman especially. I’m half-convinced Beck knows she favors Roman and is trying to win her over to his side. She won’t stop talking about them, though. I’d be feeling a bit like chopped liver if I wasn’t so fucking happy that the circle of people who care about her has just doubled.

“You about ready?” Holden’s soft voice startles me, and I turn to look at him. He’s standing in the doorway with Wren, and I can’t help but smile at how tightly she’s holding his hand.

“Yep. About to finish up her packing. Pick out a few toys, Wren.”

She drops Holden’s hand to come into the room, heading straight for her toy box.

Holden sits down beside me, resting his head on my arm. “You know, I’m not sure that she needs to bring any toys. I’m almost positive Beck wasnotjoking about making a shopping trip.”

I shrug. “It’ll be alright either way, I’m sure.”

Holden sighs. It sounds heavy, a little worried. “Her eyes are looking bad again.”

I should have known he would notice it. He’s perceptive anyway, but couple that with his job? Not a chance he was going to miss it. “Yeah, Ruby pulled me aside and mentioned she napped twice as long as usual yesterday. I wasn’t hiding it from you. I was going to tell you.”

“I didn’t think you were hiding anything. I really want to find out what’s going on. I still need to talk to Lydia and see if she’ll take over. I don’t really want to, though.”

“I know, darlin’. You want to take care of her.” That’s really commendable, honestly. And it’s one of the many reasons I love him, but I can’t let him continue hurting himself like that. Hecantake care of her with me, but not in any medical capacity. It’s too hard for him, and I should have paid closer attention to that.

He hums. “I do, but I know I can’t. Not in that way.”

“For tonight, I’d really like to pretend this isn’t happening. I want to pretend she’s not sick, and she’s not getting worse again. I just want to spend time with you two and enjoy it.”

Holden looks up at me, worry swirling in his eyes. “After everything last night, I’ll definitely take that.”

“Ready, Daddy!” Wren says, her excitement palpable.

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