“Did you come over just to sleep some more?” I tease.
“Wasn’t my intention, but these damn meds make me tired,” he says through a well-timed yawn.
I can’t help but snort. “Must be nice. I swear I’ve become immune because nothing seems to really help my pain. Thankfully, it’s bearable, but still.”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell him, brushing a stray hair off his forehead.
“Yeah, it is. You know how meticulous I am about my truck. I can’t believe I didn’t notice something wrong with my tire.”
I can hear the guilt in his voice, but I’ve already told him stuff happens outside of our control. He believes that about as much as I believe in aliens, which isn’t at all.
I let the subject drop because convincing Cull this isn’t his fault is a lost cause.
There is a soft knock on my door before Hadley pokes her head in. Cull scrambles to separate himself from me, but Hads puts a hand up and… waves.
“Hey, Cull! Didn’t hear you come up.” Hadley comes over and plops down on my side of the bed, her smile large.
“Uh… hey?” Cull greets back, slowly lying back down on my chest and brows drawn.
Although I’m a little surprised at Hadley’s warm welcome, I chuckle. Cull hasn’t had the chance to really see this side of Hadley lately, and his confusion is cute.
“I was just coming to check on you and to see if you needed anything?” Hads asks me.
“Okay, who are you and what did you do with Hadley Daniels?” Cull frowns.
I nudge him with my elbow. “Play nice.”
He winces from the contact. “I just want to know who snatched your sister’s body.”
The sigh I let out is heavy, my fingers crossed they don’t start snarking at each other.
Hadley has tried her best, but I don’t think Cull has fully forgiven her yet.
She sits there patiently, a kind smile playing on her lips. “I deserve that. I know I’ve apologized to you separately, but I think you deserve one together.”
“Hads, you don’t have to apologize anymore.” I grab her hand and give it a squeeze.
“But I do.” She lays her other hand on top of Cullen’s where it rests on my ribcage. He tentatively turns his hand over, letting Hadley link their fingers, completing this odd circle we’ve formed.
I wait for the insecurity to hit, but it doesn’t. Just a warmth spreading through my chest at the possibility that everyone is finally healing.
“Cullen, I loved you, but it was surface level. It was comfortable. Easy. Not… deep. I think maybe we stayed together because that’s what we thought we were supposed to do.”
Cull observes Hadley, his body slightly tense as she talks. “I’m not trying to diminish what we had, because there was a lot of good. I’ve just realized over these last few months that I was probably more in love with the idea of you than I was actually in love. And I think the same applies to you.”
His shoulders are still stiff, but he takes a deep breath. “Hads…”
“If I can be completely honest, I think maybe you dating me was subconsciously your way of being with Hudson.”
Cull and I both go still, him exhaling like the air was punched from his lungs.
“Hadley, I liked you foryou. Not because I thought you were like Hudson. I didn’t even know I had feelings for him until you and I started to fall apart,” Cull admits.
“Our brains are funny. I think Hud can agree with that.” She gives me a sad smile.
“Our brains are stupid idiots. Crazy how they hold all our knowledge, but can be dirty, lying bastards at the same time.”
