Page 23 of Trust in the Fallen

I drag her toward me until her knees are trapped between mine, and I can finally let out the breath I’ve been holding since I rolled out of bed. It doesn’t come naturally to me to care. Even with my ex-wife, I struggled to see when there was something on her mind, but I don’t have that problem with Leighton.

I pull a pizza box toward us and break off a piece, keeping a close eye on the way doubt creeps into her eyes as she watches me pull it apart into bite sized pieces.

“Open,” I say as I bring a piece of cheesy dough to her lips.

She does as she’s told and takes the piece from between my fingers, chewing slowly like she’s warring with herself. Her hang-ups about her body are unacceptable, but I’m not so cocky that I think that’s something we can train out of her in one night. If the snippets she’s shown us are anything to go by, these issues have been rooted into her mind over years, and it’s going to take some time to break them down.

As soon as she swallows that piece, I have another waiting at her lips, giving her no time to argue with me like I can see she wants to.

Wyatt takes a piece of pizza from the box and brings it to his own lips, but his gaze never leaves the two of us. He’s both amused and confused by the series of events unfolding in front of him, but he doesn’t question me. If anything, he seems pleased by my actions.

We continue like this until an entire piece is finished before I pull another toward me and start the process again.

“Elias?” she says quietly, and I look up from where my fingers are tearing apart the dough. “I can feed myself. And you should have some before it gets cold.”

I chuckle and shake my head as I continue. “I’m well aware that you can feed yourself, pretty girl, but I happen to like taking care of you. And I also know that if I were to allow you to feed yourself, you would pick at it until it seems like you’ve eaten enough, thinking that we’ll let you get away with it. So I think this arrangement works just fine.”

Wyatt laughs behind her, his head falling back as the sound fills the space. “I have a feeling you’re not going to get away with anything here, angel. Might as well roll with it.”

She opens her mouth to protest again, but this time I have a piece of pizza ready, and I quickly slide it between her lips before the argument can fall from them.

She needs the two of us to take care of her. And more than that? We need her to make us complete.

Once she’s made her way through two slices, she shakes her head. “I really can’t eat anymore,” she whispers.

“Because you’re full, or because you think you shouldn’t eat anymore?” I raise a brow, watching closely for any mistruths she might try to tell me.

“I’m full,” she says truthfully.

I nod and take my first bite of pizza. In the past I may have been annoyed that I wasn’t eating when it was hot and fresh, but the warmth that’s settled in my chest is better than any hot slice of pizza could ever be. Taking care of Leighton may just have become my favorite pastime.

She tries to push her chair back to put some distance between us, but I quickly hook my foot around the leg of hers, halting her escape.

“Where do you think you’re going, pretty girl?”

“I was just going to give you some space to eat.”

I shake my head. “No.”

She shoots a glance over her shoulder at Wyatt, but he just chuckles, finding my actions far more amusing than he should.

“Nice try, angel. You can’t pit us against each other, though. If Elias says he wants to eat with you where you are, I’m not going to overrule him.”

She sighs and leans back in her chair, allowing her shoulders to relax slightly.

“Good girl.” I smile.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

LEIGHTON

This is not how I saw the rest of the night panning out.

Heck, I thought I would be putting myself in a cab the second we were done and going back to a life I have no interest in living. But nope. Somehow I’ve found myself nestled between Elias and Wyatt on their obscenely large couch watching some movie I’ve never heard of.

Their hands have been on me in one way or another since we finished dinner. A gentle brush of my bare thigh, an arm around my shoulders, a calloused palm holding my soft hand. I’ve never been shown this much affection in my life, and I’m finding it a little overwhelming despite how much I’m enjoying it.

It feels like their eyes are burning into me as I watch the movie, barely taking in the storyline, but every time I chance a look at either of them, their gazes are glued to the television.

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