I rolled my eyes. The pissing contest continued.
I honestly wasn’t sure Willow heard a word they said. Her eyes were like saucers as she stroked each of the dresses. She ran her hand over a little floral pre-teen dress last. “Don’t you want to keep these for your daughters?”
“No.” I smiled brightly. “I need the money now.”
Cayden finally looked away from Rowan and let out a little pained grunt. He leaned down close to my ear. “What are you doing?”
“Exactly what it looks like, selling my clothing,” I whispered back.
Willow ran her hand down the sparkling prom dress again. “This is priceless.”
I chewed my lower lip. In my time, we were looking at probably two hundred bucks, so maybe not so priceless. “Well, I was hoping to get a price for it.”
I stepped away from Cayden, only to bump into Rowan as he moved forward, which bounced me back the way I came, only to run back into Cayden and find myself effectively sandwiched between the two. My libido loved it, and my clit tingled with the image before I shoved it away. Even if they did like me that way, this was not the time or the place.
I focused on Willow. “So, how much can you give me for them?”
“How can you part with any of this?” Cayden pointed at the child’s dress. “You wore that. Don’t you want to see your daughter in it?”
The thought had honestly never occurred to me.
“The poly condition is remarkable,” Willow said, inspecting each item. “This dress.” She went back to the prom dress. “I mean, it looks hardly worn.”
“Once.” I reached into my pocket-void. “One of my more awkward nights, no one would come near me, and I never went to a school dance again.” I pulled out the matching shoes. “Here.”
Willow squealed with excitement.
Cayden gripped my elbow hard, and I winced in pain.
“Don’t sell the little dress,” he demanded.
Rowan reached down and gripped Cayden’s wrist, forcing him to let go of me. The enforcer put his arm over my upper chest and pulled me into him.
“Back off,” Rowan growled, his low voice rumbling at my back.
Cayden slid his legs into a fighting stance and balled his fists.
I knocked the back of my head against Rowan’s chest, which was a solid, unyielding wall of muscle. “Not again, please.”
I glanced at Willow, who quietly watched our show, before I ducked out of Rowan’s arms to wrap a hand around Cayden’s fist. “Why don’t you want me to sell the little dress?”
Cayden swallowed, and pain filled his eyes. “Your—”
“No, Cayden.” I cut him off. “I don’t know if I want kids.” I squeezed his fist. “Why don’tyouwant me to sell the little dress?”
Cayden took a deep breath, then another, before relaxing his fist and pulling me into his chest. His wrists twitched as he traced runes with his fingers. The air crackled around us, and a bubble of forest green shielded our bodies from view. Our breaths echoed in the stillness.
“I had a daughter.” He wrapped me in his arms as if I was the only thing keeping him afloat. “But she came out wrong.”
So much pain filled his voice. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed with every muscle in my body. He shuddered as if holding back waves of grief. In a more private space, I would have held him until his sea of loss finally crashed against the shore.
I didn’t understand what the bubble surrounding us was, but I was pretty sure we were still in ‘Willow’s Weaving and More.’ With Rowan, who didn’t trust Cayden as far as he could throw him. Cayden seemed well aware. Another shudder racked his body before he controlled himself.
“I want to hear all about her,” I said.
Instead of my words giving Cayden the support I was hoping for, fear flashed in his eyes. “You don’t.”
I cupped his cheek. “I do. I want to know all about you, Cay, the good and the bad. You won’t lose me, I promise.”
