Chapter Thirty-eight — Bastian
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
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BASTIAN
My neck cracked as I rolled it back and forth. Today’s training had gone well. I was ready for the fight in a few days. It had been advertised for weeks and I was pretty sure the tickets were sold out. Or close to it.
If I was honest, it wasn’t the first thing on my mind. My Omega was. She cried herself to sleep in my arms this morning, and when I woke her once more, helping her set up on the living room couch, she wasn’t much better.
Brooks caught up with me, his bag slung over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you at home.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have an appointment with Renée.”
My eyebrows rose, but I nodded. The therapist had helped us both after the fight that nearly killed me and destroyed my voice. I should probably make an appointment too. It had been a while.
Despite me being the one who was injured, Brooks was the one who came out worse. My own guilt surrounding the incident and how it affected him was strong. Everything that happened with him and Rin a few days ago confirmed that.
“Have you told Trinity?”
Brooks shook his head. “Not yet. I will. I’m not going to the appointment to score points. I’m going because I need it.”
Ah. He didn’t want to run to Trinity and tell her he was going to the appointment and make it seem like he was only doing it for a pat on the head. “I hope it goes well.”
“Me too.”
I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back before he could leave. “I think we should go to Logan’s competition.”
He frowned. “Why? It’s only a couple of days.”
“It seems like some of Trinity’s triggers revolve around people leaving.” I filled him in on this morning. “She’ll be fine if we don’t go, but I think she’ll be better if we do. Maybe she’ll be able to open up more.”
“Good point. I’m game if the others are. Let me know.”
We were at the big gym today, but it wasn’t too far from home.
I found Theo in his office. He looked up. “Hey.”
“Want to crash Logan’s party?” I told him the same thing I told Brooks.
“Hell yes,” he said. “Great idea. I’ll make a packing list for her and get Aiden on board. You want to tell her?”
“Yeah.”
A quick shower left me feeling refreshed—and less tempted to kidnap my Omega into the water with me. She was exactly where I left her. Her laptop was open, which I hoped meant she had done some work. Or rather, that she’d felt up to it.
“Hey.”
She saw me and smiled softly. “Hey.”
Trinity lifted the blanket, and I dove underneath it with her, pinning her beneath me and pillowing my head on her stomach. Her nails slowly scratched my scalp. It would be the perfect moment if she wasn’t hurting.
I held her for a while, enjoying using her as a pillow and being a comfort at the same time. My purr rumbled through both of us.
When I heard Theo and Aiden come into the living room, I pushed up on my elbows so she could see me. “We had an idea.”
“Bastian had the idea,” Theo said, “and it’s a good one.”
“What is it?” Trinity paid attention, but her energy was still dim.
“Logan and I travel for our jobs,” I said slowly. My throat was starting to ache from all the talking I’d done in the last couple of hours. “I know you’re used to that cause of your dad. You also don’t like it.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” Aiden said, leaving no room for argument.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Sorry.”
I sat up and brought her with me at the same time Aiden came and sat behind her. “That’s not what I meant. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Trinity’s eyes glossed, and she looked down. “I know. I just… don’t like feeling like this. Don’t like you seeing me this way.”
My instincts rose, and I let them take over. I took her hands and folded both wrists into one of mine, squeezing like she was bound. My other arm around her waist, I pulled her onto my lap, much like I’d done that day when we exchanged lists.
Restraining her did exactly what I knew it would.
She melted into me, head lolling back on my shoulder with a sigh.
She hadn’t told us yet, but I guessed some of it.
Trinity craved consistency and safety. Protection.
She wanted to give up control because she’d been holding on so tightly for so long all that was left was her fingertips on the edge of a cliff.
Theo crouched in front of us. “We want to see all of you, sweetheart. We all have bad days, and we all have our own crap to deal with. Doesn’t mean you have to do it by yourself.”
“We travel for our sports, and we’ll figure that out,” I said, “but we can do that next time.”
She startled. “What do you mean?”
“Wanna go watch Logan surf?”
I loosened my hold enough for her to turn and look at me. “Really? You mean it?”
“I do.”
Trinity spun and wrapped herself around me like a monkey, burying her face in my neck. Suddenly she was crying, only her scent didn’t speak of sadness. It was sweet as fuck and this felt like relief. “I’ve always wanted to go. I never get to go.”
“What do you mean?” Aiden asked.
A much smaller, softer word. “Dad. I always asked him to take me with him on his trips. He’s gone so many cool places. But he always said no.”
Aiden and Theo looked at me with equal shock. Theo was the one who found his voice first. “Never? He never took you with him?”
She shook her head into my neck.
That made my heart ache. I liked Cecil. He seemed like a decent guy. He also seemed like he lived with his head in the clouds. No wonder Trinity hated people leaving. The only parent she had left her behind. Not just sometimes, but every time.
“If we can take you with us, we will,” I promised. “It might not always work, but I swear I will always try.”
“Thank you.”
Theo ran a hand down her spine. “Here. I wrote this out for you.” She untangled herself from me and took the small paper. “Packing list. Grab these things. If you need to add anything, check with me first.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Do we think that may be overstepping?”
“Do we think you’ll be able to pack efficiently in a reasonable time if I don’t give you a list?” He answered with a smirk.
She made a face. “Fair point.”
“Remember how we said dynamics can evolve? Consider it a small exercise in building trust. I made the list. It’s what I think you’ll need.
If you forget something, or if I’m wrong, that’s not on you, it’s on me.
But you can also trust that no matter what, we’ll take care of you. Because you are ours to take care of.”
“Okay.”
Such a simple thing, that acceptance. Most people wouldn’t see the truth. It was hard to hand over pieces of yourself to others. But the trust she was offering with a single word wasn’t lost on us.
“Go pack,” he said. “We’ll leave as soon as Brooks gets back.”
She stood and took a step before freezing. “I forgot to do my training this morning. I… was distracted.”
“That’s all right,” Theo said. “You’ll make it up later. Go.”
She smiled, looking like herself for the first time since yesterday morning, and went.
“Good call, Bastian,” Aiden said. “She needs this.”
“Logan made it clear we’re talking about all of this once he comes back.”
Theo chuckled. “Speaking of Logan. Should we tell him we’re coming?”
I looked between the two of them and grinned. “Not a fucking chance.”