Chapter 16 #2
Theo turns to look at me fully then, eyes soft in the dim garage light. “You’ve really thought this through.”
“Keeping you safe is the only thing I care about right now.”
Theo falls unnaturally quiet. I turn toward him, only to be met with a sudden flurry of movement. He launches himself across the console and climbs straight into my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck and pressing his face into the crook of my shoulder.
“You are the very best thing that ever happened to me,” he whispers, voice thick.
I hug him tighter, my arms banding around his back like I can shield him from the entire world. “Yeah,” I manage roughly. “Same.”
“As much as I love being here, I hate that it has to happen like this. I hate that I put myself in this position, and I hate…” He trails off, breath hitching.
I pull back just enough to see fresh tears gleaming in his eyes. “Hate what, sunshine?”
“Being weak.”
I swipe the single tear that escapes with my thumb and tuck him back against my chest. “You’re the strongest person I know.”
“At the party, I couldn’t do anything. I tried, Dante—I really fucking tried to get away—and he pinned me there like it took no effort at all.”
“I understand better than anyone else in this world,” I admit in a whisper. “Every time Trent knocked me down, I felt so helpless. Every time he scarred me or hit me and I just… sat there? All those times I took it because I didn’t know what else to do?”
Theo releases a quiet, broken sob against my shirt, and my heart fractures at the sound.
I press my lips to the top of his head. “You aren’t weak, okay?
This isn’t weak. Don’t let him into your head.
That’s exactly what he wants, and you’re not going to give it to him.
We aren’t going to let him steal all that beautiful confidence. ”
His exhale trembles. “If you hadn’t been there…”
“I will always be there,” I insist, even though the promise tastes like a lie I desperately want to make true.
As much as I want to wrap him in a protective bubble and never leave his side, life doesn’t work that way.
My mind is already spinning with possibilities—ways I might actually be able to keep that vow in some form.
Theo’s eyes are heavy, though, and I decide schemes and heavy conversations can wait until tomorrow. “Come on, let’s get you inside.” He gives me a sly, watery smile and burrows deeper instead of moving. When I open the driver’s door, he still doesn’t budge.
“Are you making me cart you around again?”
“Yes,” he says simply.
One arm stays looped around my neck while the other braces against my shoulder as I finally manage to stand, carrying him out of the SUV.
I walk around to the trunk, trying very hard not to let my thoughts slide to the last time we were in this exact position.
My body feels staticky, every nerve lit and on edge as I fight the urge to shift my hand just a few inches and test his reaction.
I draw in a deep breath, chastising myself silently. Not tonight. Not after the day he’s had.
Not when I can’t give him what he wants from me.
When the hatch opens, I grab his smaller bag and pass it to him. “Carry that, and I’ll get the suitcase.”
He takes it without complaint, resting his cheek against my shoulder as I wheel the larger bag toward the door. “You’re still my favorite ride,” he murmurs.
It’s a struggle to balance his weight along with the bags, but there’s no way in hell I’m putting him down until I have to.
We climb the stairs into the living room, and I carry him straight through to the guest bedroom.
The bag slides off his shoulder with a soft plop as I flick on the light, and he surveys the room while I set the suitcase beside the bed.
I catch the way his anxious gaze darts toward the window. Without a word, I cross the room and close the blinds, then give him a gentle shake. “You know I have to put you down eventually.”
“Says who?”
“Well, unless you want to shower and sleep right here on my chest…” Those vivid blue eyes lift to mine, brimming with so much raw, unguarded emotion that it nearly cracks me open on the spot. “Theo…” I murmur.
He lets out a quiet sigh, nestles his head back into the crook of my neck, and finally wriggles enough for me to lower him.
I guide his feet to the floor, then remind him where the extra blankets are, the spare towels, the light switch by the bed—even though he already knows the layout.
A glance at the clock shows it’s after ten, but Theo has always been a night owl.
“You tired yet?”
“I should probably try to sleep,” he says, “but I brought a few books in case I can’t drift off.”
“Still into the monster smut?”
His face lights up with one of those sweet, mischievous smiles that always hit me square in the chest. “I’ll pass this one along when I’m done. You can practice for our reenactment.”
“Our reenactment, huh?” I say with a quiet laugh. ”I’m afraid I’m lacking the proper tentacles.”
“Mmm, nice try, but no tentacles in this one.” He pauses for dramatic effect, then leans in conspiratorially. “Although I will warn you—the monster’s packing twelve inches, and I’ve already had to have a very stern talk with my little guy about penis envy.”
Heat slams through me in a sudden rush, and Theo flashes me that devilish grin that could start fires.
“You’re too much,” I mumble, pulling him in for a hug before my body can betray me any further.
I keep my hips carefully angled away—for obvious reasons—and press my lips briefly to the top of his head.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m right across the hall. ”
He squeezes me once, hard, then steps back with a small nod. “I will. Promise.”
I linger in the doorway a second longer than necessary, watching him kick off his shoes and flop onto the bed like he’s trying to convince gravity he belongs there. “Night, sunshine.”
“Night, officer,” he calls softly, already reaching for one of the books. “Don’t forget to dream about me.”
I close the door with a quiet click, lean my forehead against it for a beat, and exhale.
As if I could forget.