Chapter 20
Rae
“Of course you can staywith me,” Caleb replied without sounding like he was saying “I told you so.” No judgmental tone present.What did I do to deserve him in my life?
“Caleb, I feel...”How do I feel? I don’t even know how to describe what I am feeling.
“Hurt? Numb? Scared?”
I nodded, turning my face into the pillow. Those were the best words for the storm twisting inside me.
“Can I do something? And you promise you’ll trust me?”
I nodded again.I trust him.
I turned at the sound of his boots hitting the floor, then the mattress dipping under his weight. Caleb slid under the covers beside me, careful to keep space. We were face-to-face in the dim light, not touching but close enough that I felt the heat radiating from him.
I held my breath. My mind was screaming at me to run, to pull away. I trusted him, but there was so much noise going on in my head that it started pounding. I closed my eyes, trying to focus, but the noise only grew louder. The last man I was in a bed with, the only man I had ever been in a bed with...He hurt me. In more ways than one. I couldn’t think straight as I tried to tell my brain to stop.Caleb won’t hurt me.
Slowly, Caleb reached for my hand. The second his hand touched mine, it’s as if a switch was flipped. All the noise in my head stopped. I blinked at the absence of all the chaos screaming at me. His hand gently rested on mine, and his eyes locked on me.
“Hey,” he said softly, “I know it’s scary right now. But you’ve got me, and we’re going to figure this out together, okay?” His thumb traced gentle circles against my palm.
Something inside me cracked. I inched closer and, without a word, Caleb shifted, wrapping his arms around me. He didn’t hold tight, didn’t trap—just a steady shelter waiting for me if I wanted it. This was the closest to being held by someone that I had felt in years, and I never wanted this feeling to end.
I didn’t flinch or pull away. I focused on his breathing and matched mine to it. Instead of pulling away, I moved closer, and now was being hugged by the sweetest guy I knew. I felt truly safe for the first time in a long time. I let the warmth of his body seep into me, soaking up the comfort he offered until my trembling began to ease. For the first time since the package from Ethan arrived, I let myself believe I wasn’t alone.
Chapter 21
Caleb
Duke lay at the endof the bed, and Rae stood next to him. For a few minutes the only sounds in the house were those of drawers and closet doors being opened and closed as Rae figured out what she wanted to bring with her. I told her we could come back here as often as she wanted, but she insisted on packing everything possible. I felt sorry for her. This was her childhood home, the place where she grew up feeling safe. Now, that was the opposite of how she felt.
I walked back into the bedroom after checking the doors and windows to prepare for when we left. “Okay, I have to call this in, to let them know what's going on,” I told her while she was shoving clothes into her suitcase. I heard her unzipping her bag when it suddenly stopped.
Her back was to me, but I immediately knew she did not like that idea without her saying anything.
