34. Chapter 34
Wren
The discharge process takes forever. By the time Jace and Theo arrive with fresh clothes, I've been poked, prodded, and lectured about concussion care until my head throbs worse than before.
The officer stationed outside my door follows us all the way to the parking lot, his vigilant presence both reassuring and suffocating.
The ride home is tense. Theo drives while Jace sits beside me in the back seat, his body angled protectively toward mine without actually touching me. The space between us feels charged with unspoken words, heavy with the weight of everything that's happened.
When we reach the apartment, they hover around me like anxious satellites—Theo carrying my bag, Jace's hand ghosting near my elbow without quite making contact, both of them watching my every move as if I might shatter at any moment.
"Do you want some tea?" Theo asks as I sink onto the couch. "Or maybe something to eat? The doctor said you should try to eat something substantial."
"I could make soup," Jace offers. "Or order takeout if you'd prefer?"
I nod absently, not really caring what I eat. My mind is still spinning with Agent Voss's visit, with the memories of Levi, with the realization that my life will never truly be my own until he's caught.
Theo disappears into the kitchen while Jace arranges pillows behind me, careful not to jostle my head. "Are you comfortable? Do you need another blanket? The doctor said you might get cold more easily while recovering."
"I'm fine," I sign, but he's already retrieving a throw blanket from the chair.
As he drapes it over my legs, I notice the security system has been upgraded again—new cameras in corners I hadn't seen before, a tablet displaying multiple views of the apartment building's exterior.
"We installed it this morning," Jace explains, following my gaze. "Top of the line. Motion sensors, facial recognition, direct alert to both our phones and the police."
Theo returns with a glass of water and my pain medication. "The security company is sending someone tomorrow to add reinforced locks to the windows."
Something in me snaps.
"Stop it!" The words tear from my throat, raspy but unmistakable. "Just stop!"
They freeze, identical expressions of shock on their faces.
"I can't breathe with you both hovering over me!" I sign furiously, my hands slapping together with enough force to make my head throb. "I'm not made of glass. I'm not going to break if you look away for five seconds!"
Theo flinches as if I've struck him. "Wren, we're just trying to—"
"To protect me. I know." My signs become sharper, more aggressive. "But you're suffocating me. I need space. I need to feel like a person, not a project."
The hurt in their eyes is palpable, but I can't stop. All the fear, all the frustration of the past two days—of the past two years—comes pouring out of me in a torrent of rapid signs.
"I survived two years without you. I built a life for myself. I'm not helpless, and I won't be treated like I am!"
Theo's face crumples, genuine pain flashing across his features. Without a word, he turns and disappears toward the bedroom. The sound of the door closing echoes in the sudden silence.
Guilt immediately washes over me. I didn't mean to hurt him. I just needed them to back off, to give me room to breathe.
Jace remains standing by the couch, his expression thoughtful rather than wounded. He studies me for a long moment, his head tilted slightly as if solving a complex equation.
"I would suggest gaming together to take your mind off things," he says finally, his voice calm and measured, "but the doctor said to avoid screens for the next day or so."
I sigh, some of my anger deflating. "I'm sorry I snapped."
"Don't be," he says simply. He approaches slowly, giving me time to object, then sits beside me on the couch. His hands rise to frame my face, his touch feather-light against my cheeks. "You have every right to be angry with us."
His eyes hold mine, steady and unflinching. "You know we only did what we did to protect you from that fear, to help you heal," he says softly. "But we were wrong to keep you in the dark. We took away your choice, your agency. And we'll both grovel for the rest of our lives to make that right."
Something in his expression—the raw honesty, the complete absence of defensiveness—makes my throat tighten.
"I know Theo already told you how madly in love with you he is," Jace continues, his thumbs gently stroking my cheekbones. "But I'm not going to just blurt out the same thing, no matter how true it is. When I tell you I love you, I want the moment to mean something."
My heart skips a beat. "You just did say it," I rasp out.
A small smile touches his lips. "No, I didn't. But I will." His eyes hold mine, serious and intent. "When you're ready to hear it. When you've forgiven us. When the timing is right."
Before I can respond, he leans forward and kisses me—slowly, thoroughly, with a tenderness that makes my chest ache.
It's not a passionate kiss, but something deeper.
More meaningful. I feel everything he isn't saying in the gentle pressure of his lips, in the way his fingers tremble slightly against my skin.
When he pulls back, his eyes search mine. "Better?"
I nod, the anger completely drained from me now. "I should check on Theo," I sign.
"He'll be okay," Jace assures me. "He just needs a minute to lick his wounds. You know how he gets."
I do know. For all his bravado and charm, Theo feels things deeply. My harsh words would have cut him to the core.
"Go," Jace says, reading my concern. "I need to check in on the expansion anyway. We're cutting it close to release, and I've lost some hours I needed."
Guilt flashes through me again. "I'm sorry."
He shakes his head firmly. "Don't. This is more important. You are more important."
I push myself up from the couch, moving carefully to avoid aggravating my headache. Jace watches me until I reach the hallway, then moves to his laptop, already lost in the world of code and creation that is his sanctuary.
The bedroom is quiet when I reach it. I push the door open slowly to find Theo lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His arms are folded behind his head, his expression distant and troubled.
"Hey," I whisper, my voice still strange to my own ears.
He turns his head, surprise flickering across his face at the sound of my voice. "Hey yourself," he says softly.
I slide onto the bed beside him, curling into his side. His arm automatically wraps around me, drawing me closer.
"I'm sorry," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what to do. How to be what you need right now."
I lift my head to look at him, pushing myself up on one elbow so my hands are free. "Just be you," I sign, my fingers moving deliberately in the space between us. "That's all I've ever needed."
"But I failed you," he says, pain evident in every word. "We both did. We thought we were protecting you, but we were just... controlling you. Like everyone else in your life."
I sit up a little more, wincing slightly at the movement . "Yes," I sign, not sugarcoating it. "But you did it because you care. That counts for something."
He shifts to face me more fully. "I meant what I said at the hospital," he says, his eyes intense. "I love you, Wren. Not just because you're beautiful, or brave, or because you make me laugh. I love you because you're you. All of you. The broken parts, the healing parts, all of it."
My chest tightens with emotion. It would be so easy to say it back, to give him the words he clearly craves. But something holds me back—not doubt about my feelings, but a need to be certain that I'm saying it for the right reasons. Not out of gratitude or fear or obligation, but because it's true.
"Can I take you out tomorrow?" he asks suddenly. "Just me and you. A proper date. No stalkers, no hospitals, no drama. Just us."
"I have a shift at the café," I remind him.
"Fuck Marcus," Theo says with surprising vehemence. "You have a head injury. He can't expect you to work for at least another day." His expression softens. "Spend it with me instead."
"What about your work?" I ask.
Theo waves dismissively. "They can cope for a day without me, no matter how many douchebags are requesting reports." His eyes search mine. "Please? I just want one normal day with you. One day where we're just Theo and Wren, on a date, like regular people."
The hope in his eyes is impossible to resist. "Okay," I whisper.
His face lights up with a smile so genuine it makes my heart flutter. "Yeah?"
I nod, smiling back at him. "Yes."
He pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Thank you," he murmurs against my skin.
"Where?" I ask softly knowing he will understand the question, curious about what Theo considers a "normal" date.
He grins, some of his usual playfulness returning. "That's a surprise. But I promise you'll love it."
"No clues?"
"Nope." He kisses the tip of my nose. "Just be ready for a day of Theo Dawson at his most charming and attentive."
I laugh softly. "So not your normal self at all?"
"Hey!" he protests, but he's laughing too. "I'm extremely charming and attentive!"
"When you want something," I tease.
His expression turns serious again. "I want you," he says simply. "Safe. Happy. With us. That's all I've ever wanted."
The raw honesty in his voice silences my teasing. I reach up to touch his face, tracing the lines of worry that haven't fully disappeared even as he smiles.
"I'm here," I whisper. "I'm not going anywhere."
He captures my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. "Promise?"
"Promise."
As he holds me close, I realize something important. Despite everything—the lies, the fear, the stalker still out there—I feel more myself with Theo and Jace than I have in two years. More whole. More real.
Maybe that's what love is, in the end. Not perfect protection or flawless communication, but the willingness to see each other clearly—flaws and all—and choose each other anyway. To grow together, to learn from mistakes, to build something stronger from the broken pieces.
Tomorrow, I'll go on a date with Theo. The next day, maybe I'll find the words to tell them both how I feel. And some day, I'll figure out how to live with this fear without letting it consume me. One day at a time, one choice at a time, one breath at a time.
For now, this is enough. Theo's arms around me, the promise of tomorrow, the knowledge that I'm not alone in this fight. It has to be enough.
Because the alternative—letting Levi win, letting fear steal what little happiness I've found—isn't an option. Not anymore.
I close my eyes and let myself drift, secure in Theo's embrace, listening to the distant sound of Jace's fingers on his keyboard in the living room. My boys. My home. My choice.
And tomorrow, I'll start choosing happiness instead of fear.