Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dexter
The door clicks shut behind us, and the sound feels like a physical blow. I stand there for a moment, staring at the dull, lifeless wood as if it holds answers to the questions running rampant in my head.
"What the fuck just happened?" Pete's voice is a low rumble, barely audible over the sound of my own heartbeat. He looks just as stunned as I feel, his shirt and shoes clutched in one hand, his other dragging through his messy hair.
We both take the time to put on the rest of our clothes. We'd only hastily donned our trousers after Suzie kicked us out.
I don't have an answer to Pete's question. My chest is too tight, my throat too raw, and my mind is still replaying Suzie's voice—the tremble, the pain, the fury.
She kicked us out. Chased us away.
It's impossible to ignore or forget the terror on her face.
She's terrified. Of us. Hurting her.
And I... I think I'm in love with her.
The realization knocks me off balance. I knew Suzie was the kind of woman you could fall in love with, the kind of woman who burrows under your skin and makes a permanent home there. But I didn't realize how quickly it had happened. How deeply I'd already fallen. And the thought of walking away? The thought of leaving her behind? It feels impossible.
"Dexter." Pete's voice is sharper now, his hand gripping my shoulder and shaking me out of my spiraling thoughts. "Talk to me. What the heck did we miss? What just happened?"
"She's scared. Terrified," I say finally, my voice hoarse.
Pete's jaw tightens, his expression hardening. I can see his shoulders tightening and I know exactly where his mind is heading before he can say anything.
"It's not your fault, baby. You will not blame yourself for this. If she's pushing us away because she is still dealing with your breakup two years ago, then she needs to deal with it." I pull him into my embrace, hugging him tightly against me. "Would I rather she deal with it while having us around to help her? Fuck yes. But we've been careful and given her as much space and time as we could."
Pete pushes his face into my neck, holding onto me so tight that I have trouble drawing in a full breath. "I didn't mean to hurt her," he whispers. "I thought?—"
"I know," I sigh, rubbing a hand over his back. "I know, baby. But now we need to regroup and come back stronger. Let her know we aren't giving up."
His shoulders sag before he takes a deep breath and pulls slightly from my embrace.
"We can't give up on her," I say firmly, my voice steadying as determination takes root. "We need to figure out how to reach her. How to show her we're not going anywhere."
Pete looks at me, his eyes searching mine. "You think she'll give us another chance?"
"She has to." The words come out stronger than I feel, but I force myself to believe them. "We just have to make sure she knows we're serious. That we're here for her, no matter what."
"And how do we do that?"
I hesitate, because the truth of the matter is, I don't have a fucking clue. Suzie is a whirlwind of emotions, a storm that we've only just understood. But one thing is clear. She's worth it. Every tear, every battle, every ounce of confusion and pain.
"We start by giving her space, but remind her we're still here," I say finally, even though the thought of staying away from her feels like tearing out a piece of my heart. "She needs time to process. To breathe. And when she's ready, we show her. Not just with words, but with actions."
Pete nods slowly, his expression still clouded with guilt. "She said we don't need her," he murmurs, almost to himself. "That we already have each other. But she doesn't get it, does she? She doesn't understand that she's the one we've been waiting for. The one who makes us complete."
I swallow hard because he's right. Suzie doesn't see herself the way we do. She doesn't see how much she means to us already, how much brighter our lives are with her in it.
But she will.
"We'll make her see how important she is to us," I promise, more to myself than to Pete. "We'll make her believe it. No matter how long it takes."
Pete exhales slowly, his shoulders straightening as determination replaces the anguish on his face. "You're right. We're not giving up."
"No," I agree, a small spark of hope flickering back to life in my chest. "We're not."
We stand there for a moment longer, the silence between us heavy but no longer unbearable. Then Pete claps me on the back, his touch grounding me in a way I didn't know I needed.
"Let's figure this out," he says, his voice firm. "For her. For us."
As we leave her apartment building and step into the cool air, I cling to that thought like a lifeline.
For her.
For us.
We walk in silence, our steps echoing against the pavement. The chill in the air bites at my skin, but I barely feel it. My head spins, caught between the weight of what just happened and the determination to fix it.
Pete walks beside me, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression a mix of guilt and resolve. As much as Suzie needs to deal with her hurt over Pete's actions two years ago, my sensitive, caring boyfriend is also going to learn to let go of the guilt.
I know he's still blaming himself, even though I told him not to. It's just how he works.
We both get into our car and just sit for a while, but I don't let the silence stretch for too long. "We'll figure this out," I say, breaking through the fog that's settled between us. "We just need to be smart about it."
Pete glances at me, his brow furrowed. "I'm not sure giving her space is the right move."
"I'm not either," I admit, dragging a hand through my hair. "I'm not sure about anything right now, but the last thing she needs is to be pushed any further. I'm pretty sure if she feels cornered, she'll end up shutting us out even more."
He lets out a frustrated huff. "I hate this. Sitting around, waiting for her to decide whether she even wants us."
"I know," I breathe, my throat tightening.
Pete leans forward, resting his head on the steering wheel. We both sit in silence for a while.
And then he shoots up, his face lighting up.
"So we don't sit around and wait."
"Pete—" I try to say before he interrupts me.
"No! Hear me out. We don't push. But we remind her we're here and not going anywhere."
His expression is so filled with hope and eagerness that I hear him out.
He carefully lays out his plan, and the more he talks, the more excited I get.
This can work.
Pete must think so too, because he smiles at me. "You're good at this, you know?"
"Good at what?"
"Keeping me together."
I laugh, though it's a little wobbly. "I don't know about that. I think we're both supporting each other. And I can't wait until we can both support her, too."
Pete starts the car and we make our way back to our hotel.
And hopefully, soon we won't have to leave our girl behind.