Page 33 of Other Side Of Never
Nuzzling his face into the curve of my neck, his chest rose with his deep inhale as he hummed and settled against me.
I tipped my head to the side, automatically giving him access to my neck as I cuddled him closer.
I closed my eyes.Knowing you’re lonely for touch and feeling what you’ve been missing were two entirely different things.
Was he as lonely as I was?
With his next breath, his body stilled.
An icy frisson of alarm raced through my body as every cell came online, attuned to the shift in the atmosphere.
I blinked, eyes wide, frozen in place.
Kian’s hands tightened, his fingers clutching me roughly as the muscles in his shoulders turned to boulders.
“Isaiah,” I ordered, turning my head to the side to face him.“Go choose a movie for us, okay?I have another surprise, but I don’t want you to see it yet.”
Kian’s body trembled in my arms.
“A movie?”Isaiah exclaimed, his eyes darting between me and his dad, a hint of worry blooming between his tiny brows.
“Yup!A movie.”I wagged my eyebrows.“We’re going to stay up late!”
His mouth gaped open.“Best birthday ever,” he whispered as he raced from the room with one final look back at his dad.
I turned my attention to the man in my arms.Cupping my hand around the back of his head, I tucked him further into my neck before wrapping my arms around him as tight as I could.“You’re okay, Kian,” I murmured.
He swallowed audibly, his fingertips digging into my back, his fist tightening in my hair, body taut with the effort to suppress his emotion.
“You’re okay,” I promised him quietly, seeing my next steps clearly laid out in front of me.“You’re not alone.”
He nodded against my neck, a rough sound escaping his throat as the muscles in his arms turned to marble.
“I know, baby,” I whispered, arching my body further into his.“It’s going to be okay.I promise.”
Maybe it was irresponsible to promise, but in that moment, I could have moved mountains.
Kian’s long, shuddering breaths warmed my skin as I ran my hands over his broad back in slow, easy circles.
His body sagged against me as his breathing deepened and evened out.The sounds of the movie on the tv, the lawn mower’s steady hum, and the chirping of birds reached me once more as his grip on me loosened.
He drew back slowly, and I sank down onto my feet.
I stared up into his face and searched his beautiful eyes.“Okay, big guy?”
Where I expected him to duck his head to conceal his face, he simply dipped his chin and captured my gaze.Cupping my face in his hands, his watery eyes stared into mine.“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so glad you’re here.”
I covered his hands with mine and closed my eyes.
Because he was healing something inside me as well.
“I’m glad I’m here, too.”
“Bridge.”He swept his thumb over the apple of my cheek.“If it was going to be anybody, it would be you.”His grip on me tightened as he continued fiercely.“One hundred times over, it would be you.I just don’t have it in me to risk failing yet another person I love.”
He paused.“And you deserve someone who can give you everything I can’t.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, his scent filling my lungs.
