“We can tell them for you,chibi,” I gently offered.
He hiccupped again, nodding his head against Michelle’s chest. “Please, Daddy.”
I ran my hand over his hair. “Okay,” I said gently. I looked at my beautiful wife. “Take him to our room and get him calm. I’ll handle this.”
She nodded and stood. “Come on, bub,” she gently urged, still holding him despite him being taller, and urging him to our bedroom. “It’s okay. Mommy’s got you. It’s all going to be okay.”
As soon as I heard the bedroom door click shut and could no longer hear Corvus’s heartbreaking crying, I looked at the two men sitting across from me.
“If I’m going to tell you what’s been going on with him, I need you to remain calm,” I told Hudson.
“I am fucking calm,” he snarled.
Kreed sighed, obviously used to this kind of behavior from Hudson. “You’re not. Rein it in. Whatever has been happening with him, we’ll all deal with it together. As a family. Kip and Michelle will not let anything happen to him. If you stop being an asshole for two seconds, you’ll see he’s safe here, baby.”
Hudson scoffed, but I didn’t take offense. He didn’t know me. He had no reason to trust me with his best friend.
“I don’t know shit about either of them, so fucking forgive me if I don’t trust them to take care of him, Kreed.”
“If he’s calling them Mommy and Daddy, there’s a reason to trust them,” Kreed told him, keeping his voice calm and gentle despite Hudson’s volatile mood. “They are what he needs, and we’re going to respect that.Thisis what Corvus’s happiness looks like, and you promised him you’d be okay with whatever that looked like.”
Hudson sighed and leaned forward, dropping his face into his hands. He scrubbed harshly at his skin with his fingertips, then looked up at me. We stared at each other for a longmoment, then he finally nodded stiffly. “Fine. Talk. And don’t miss a single fucking thing.”
Chapter Seventeen
Michelle
Corvus was a mess, and it broke my heart to see him falling apart like this. Judging by Hudson’s reaction to Corvus’s explosion, this wasn’t Corvus’s usual behavior. I was sure he was expecting Corvus to lash out, say something hurtful, maybe even try to get in a swing or two on his best friend. But blurting what he’d been going through and spilling all his problems like that… I had a feeling that wasn’t our boy at all.
Clearly, Corvus had reached his breaking point.
“Come here, bub,” I gently urged as I headed for the bathroom sink. He followed wordlessly, still crying and hiccupping. I wet a washcloth with cool water, wrung it out, then turned so I could press the cool cloth to his heated, red skin. He sniffled, but his crying finally seemed to be slowing.
“I’m sorry I’m such a fucking mess,” he rasped, his throat raw. He rubbed at his eyes and sank back against the bathroom counter. I draped the washcloth over the faucet, then gave him my undivided attention. “I won’t blame you or Kip if you two decide I’m too much. But I promise I’m not usually like this. I’musually chill. Just the past few months have been too goddamn much, and my parents were my breaking point.”
“First, let’s get rid of those insane thoughts that Kip and I might ever think you’re too much. You’re traumatized and bottling everything up inside of you, only talking to your therapist because you feel like you’ll somehow burden Hudson and Kreed with what’s going on inside your head.” I cupped his cheek and stroked my thumb over his stubble. He stared at me with sad blue eyes that made my entire body ache for him. “This is all happening insanely fast. Iknowthat, but I also know Kip and I are both falling for you, bub. We want you. We willalwayswant you, okay? Nothing willeverchange that.”
I knew it with certainty. This sweet, hurting boy was made for us.
He nodded, his shoulders drooping.
“I’m so tired, Mommy,” he whispered.
And I knew it was the kind of tired that sleep couldn’t fix.
“I know, bub.” I drew him into my arms, and he leaned down, tucking his face into the curve of my neck. I cradled the back of his head, my fingers massaging at his scalp. He sank even deeper into my hold. “We’re going to sort out all of this today, and then, maybe, you can finally rest properly.”
“Can we stay like this for a minute more?” he asked, his voice muffled by my neck.
I nodded, though he couldn’t see me. “We can stay like this for as long as you want, bub. Trust Kip to handle everything else, okay?”
He nodded. I had no idea how long we stood like that for, but eventually, he lifted his head and stepped back, looking a little better. He no longer looked on the verge of tears, and his face was back to his usual paleness, no longer splotchy and red from crying.
I smiled at him. “Better?”
“Yeah, a bit,” he answered. He roughly cleared his throat. “I need water or something.”
I grabbed his hand. “Come on. We’ll go get some water and snacks from the kitchen.”
